Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

got to get in the habit of testing
here is a comparison of my established aquarium with Comets and small Koi

Next I will do ammonia test

Twice I've sprinkled a table spoon of powdered ammonia in the fish pond. Looks like it is enough to give the bacteria transfered from the aquarium something to work with. Right?
okay, nitrites and nitrates

I must have them mixed up, either that or I botched the nitrates tests completely. If there is any truth to this the high nitrites reading must be from the aquarium, right? I mean there aren't plants or fish in the pond yet

The hydroponics clay media can probably be used as is but if you're concerned about it, soaking it and then giving it two or three rinses should be enough. It sort of depends on how the grower used it, how much salt buildup there is and whether they sprayed anything really nasty around it. It won't look like new but I'd use it.

Should work fine either way on the mixing question. I have mostly mixed media and started with the clay on top. I do have some beds that are all scoria or all clay and I don't even remember which they are anymore . If you're digging around with your hands to put plants in, then it matters and it may matter for root crops but I mostly do these in wicking beds. I use a hand trowel with a rounded end to plant so I'm not using my hands.

There is no high Nitrites reading but there is a high Nitrates reading. I'd redo the Nitrate test so you know what you're looking at. The high reading could be either.

Okay thanks. I wanted a baseline reading for the pond, and what I got didn't look right, I'll rerun the test

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haven't heard back from River Bend Fish Farm in Colorado http://www.riverbendtrout.com/Hatching&Rearing.htm so went looking else where; http://www.smithcreekfishfarm.com/productdetails4.cfm?product=live-fish-pumpkinseed

Oh wow, these fish are really neat looking. What do we know about Sunfish?

They are really neat but they grow pretty slow and the feed conversion ratio isn't that good. Bluegill have been tried and do work. I have about 40 of these and they can be trained to take pellet food. I know Keith and Brian have tried them and had some luck breeding them. Some of the other sunfish might be more difficult to get going on pellets. They are a warm water species and while you'd probably do alright with them your water is a bit on the cool side at 68 F. The thing that interests me about them is that they could reproduce in AP and eliminate the need and recurring cost for restocking. On the downside they do tend to overpopulate small water bodies, leading to stunting (but you could put a bass or two in to keep them in check).

http://www.ncrac.org/NR/rdonlyres/7BBF17EA-1CD1-411D-9F0B-723EABEF0E3E/49161/Sunfish_Culture.pdf

If you google sunfish culture you'll also find a pdf paper on researchgate that was done by some folks in Texas.

Another fish you may want to look at is Yellow Perch (assuming they are legal there). Your water temp would work well for them since they are a cool water fish that can go a bit higher in temperature tolerance than trout. They grow faster than Bluegill and although I haven't noticed anyone getting them to breed in AP I think it's probably possible.

States typically have rules for importing fish and lists of already approved vendors for your state. They may not apply in your case since your setup is totally enclosed but here are the rules for NM and if you notice the tabs for Salmonid and Warm Water you'll find the approved vendors - http://www.wildlife.state.nm.us/fishing/fish-vendors/

I was looking there Scotty and could not get much from it,but now that you mention the warm water aspect I did see something there. I'll have a look at Yellow Perch as well. I better get the importers license filled out ASAP

now it stands out like the nose on my face, doh! It feels better knowing I can get fish other than trout. That temperature limitation was kind of scary,

We did that in the school system, bottom volcanic and than expandable clay, works good, seeded pepper and cucamber, coming up real nice.

I'm not sure about the prices for fish locally in your area but there is a wide variation in prices so shop around. If you go with warm water fish, I pulled up Dunn's price list, they are listed only for Bass in NM but they sell other things and you may be able to buy them or use the prices for comparison.

http://www.dunnsfishfarm.com/fish_pricing.htm

I have a written a few threads about my experience with sunfish (see my signature). Of native fish, i work with sunfish mostly. I have heard of pumpkinseeds but they are typically more of a northern/colder water fish. I dont think i have seen one in texas. Their range seems to be northeast and northwest, mostly. They would probably do well for you if you have coldish water... but Smith creek is very expensive. I did contact them via the "contact/email" button once for a quote on a specific hard-to-find species and their response e-mail was a concise "out of range" I am not sure if that means my request broke something or if shipping to me was out of their range. Their customer service (through e-mail) left a lot to be desired.

if you want to source trout, you may have better luck buying eggs online and hatching them in a jar. google "hatching trout eggs in a jar." I have never done it but it seems like "a thing"
there's several online stores you can buy eggs.
http://www.troutlodge.com/
http://www.coldspringstroutfarm.com/eggs.htm

again i have no experience with trying this or these companies, just giving an example. I get my fish from relatively local pond stocking places here in texas. But if i was going to buy fish online i think eggs seems interesting. They are relatively cheap and shipping should be smaller(cheaper) and i am not sure they have to be next day aired(expensive) . You arent stressing the fish because it hasnt been born yet. The moralities would be mostly caused by trauma. It just seems like it would be lower risk.

Boss, I was going to tell you to give Bcotton a shout out. He's the man when it comes to sunfish. But, I see i"m too late.

Cotton, I hate it when those fish eggs are immoral.

I'm not sure what you've got available to you, but if you've still got the window leak, look for this stuff:
http://www.bunnings.com.au/selleys-110g ... -_p1235266

It works underwater, and should seal up the leak pretty well!

Good Morning
Reading about water temperatures and how fish behave from an anglers point of view. BTW every time we check our pond it is 68 degrees, but yesterday we got the grow beds flowing pond water, so that will change the water temperatures. http://www.hatchmag.com/articles/trout-and-water-temperature-how-hot-too-hot/771553
Trout and Water Temperature: How Hot is Too Hot?

by Chad Shmukler - Thursday, Jul 5th, 2012

With vast swaths of the country currently in the grips of what seems to be an interminable heat wave, countless cool flowing freestone trout streams have turned into something altogether different. Even freestone streams with strong cold water influences and spring creeks that normally remain temperature stable throughout the year have seen soaring temps with fish abandoning their normal feeding and holding lies in search of cold refuges. Most of us who fish know that when trout streams get too warm, the fishing goes downhill fast. Fish are either nowhere to be found or aren't actively feeding.

For streams that straddle the borderline between the temperatures at which trout thrive and those at which they suffer, it's possible to find fish that are actively feeding, but for which you shouldn't be fishing unless you intend to keep said fish. The trouble for many fisherman can be determining where to draw the line. When it comes to trout, how hot is too hot?

The upper limits of the temperature range within which trout will feed, grow and remain unstressed by thermal conditions varies by species, however not all that significantly. These upper limits -- which may be as high as 80 degrees depending on the species -- can be misleading. These limits characterize thermal conditions under which trout that are otherwise unstressed will die should those conditions persist for a certain period of time (typically 24-48 hours). These limits can be misleading because they don't provide much information about how high water temperatures that haven't reached this lethal range can affect a fish that is about to be further stressed by being hooked and played by a fisherman.

Warmer water contains less oxygen than colder water. As temperature rises and dissolved oxygen decreases, fish begin to experience stress. These stresses begin to set in well before the water temperature reaches lethal limits. For example, rainbow trout are said to be able to survive in temperatures up to and exceeding 77°F (24°C), but stop growing at 73°F (23° C). It stands to reason that a fish, one which is already oxygen stressed while positioned carefully in current that minimizes its energy use, will be dramatically more stressed after being hooked and attempting to fight its way to freedom. In fact, in many cases, a fish otherwise properly handled and released under thermally stressful conditions may be likely to not survive.

So how do you know when the conditions remain comfortable enough to fish your target stream without creating a lethal situation for its residents? Unfortunately, studies vary and there doesn't seem to be any one set of accepted limits. That said, there is a considerable consensus that all three major trout species (brook, brown and rainbow) begin to experience some level of stress at around 68°F (20°C), with that stress increasing rapidly as the temperature rises further. For brook trout, these limits are generally accepted to be a few degrees lower (some sources suggest as low as 65°). For many fishermen, 70°F (21°C) has become a round figure that represents the "don't fish" limit.

Of course these are merely guidelines. Water temperature is not the only determining factor of dissolved oxygen (speed of current also plays a factor, for example). Trout which spend extended periods of time living on these generally accepted thermal margins will likely have a greater tolerance outside these margins. However, 68°-70° represents a valuable limit outside of which -- provided you don't know otherwise -- trout should not be fished to.

On days when temperatures soar, and especially during extended periods of high temperatures, the catch and release fisherman should pay specific attention to stream temperatures throughout the stream he or she is hoping to fish. When temperatures in moving water exceed 68°F (20°C), it's best to call it and return another day.

Scotty wrote: At your suggestion followed links, although it seems New Mexico is backwards when it comes to online information on fish. Even those approved hatcheries have little or no web presence. Most are in Arkansas. Maybe that's it, LOL. Anyway, I was busier than a one armed man knot tying contest. Only took a few breaks to sit at my PC. I'll keep after it.

BCotton wrote: Yes I got that error from one as well, and it did turn out that New Mexico is outside of their service area. Unfortunately I leaned it after I created a login, another wrong turn. At this stage I can only shop anyway, I haven't learned enough about fish. My deepest thanks Brian, for your insights into Sunfish. I will follow your signature links as soon as I can. before I pull the trigger on any type of fish purchase. Now there is a neat idea. Unfortunately, I've a serious lack of patience. I need fish, hehe. It has occurred to me to raise eggs. I saw a brood cage or egg cage on one of the online fish sites. Looked pretty simple to reproduce as theirs was $600, cough cough
Hahaha, I read immortal.
Colun wrote: Weird thing is the leak is there one day and the next it is gone. Well twice in the last two weeks I saw a drip.
I may be doing a water exchange anyway:

Maybe it will settle. It looks clearer today than yesterday.

Supposed to read .37 cubic meters.

Nice example of bonsai tomatoes, right. They've been in one pint containers waiting for this day for three months! Indeed, there were fifteen. These are the only survivors. I need more clay beads. Every time the water level rises, the beads float and the plants bob.

You can see the washed river rock I have making up the bulk of my mixed media beds. Under the river rock is the larger size lava rock, I tried to break it up smaller, but it made more dust so I decided it'd work under the river rock.

I've been working toward this day for so long I wasn't ready when it came. I've got peppers planted everywhere. These were stunted, and with our short growing season and late start I decided I would give these a chance in the greenhouse.


I've got a half full 110 gallon tub in the greenhouse which is for when I add the aquarium to the AP system. Well the mosquitoes found it, before I got it in use. Full of larva, I netted some and fed them to the Koi and Comets and moved a few fish to the tub and filled it. I don't see any larva survivors.

One of my Mountain WiFi clients called saying he had waste veggie oil if I was still doing biodiesel. I had no idea he meant this much. I guess I better get busy on the bio-diesel too.