Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Yep, I was very surprised and impressed they made it through the beds.

I will try and get a better photo at some stage of the feeder fish. they have a single black patch at the base of their tail. Initially they were mostly transparent, but some have gone orange and red? Mature? Breeding? dunno.

Zoomed shot of one of the feeder fish

Huh! Those look like rosy barbs! Which makes sense, because they are often sold as feeders, breed really easily, and have tiny eggs and hatchlings that are almost never seen by their owner. In ordinary aquariums they usually eat their own spawn, so getting washed through the SLO and growbeds and into the sump is probably what saved them.

...and you're right, definitely not goldfish. The orange ones are probably females, and the redder ones would be males. I didn't think of them at first because they wouldn't survive outside over the winter here; Adelaide temperatures get down to the bottom end of their range, but I guess they manage!

Cool, thanks for the id and the info.

How cold do they cope with? If they aren't going to make it I will try and find a new home for them. They are certainly enjoying their current home.

Definitely down to 10 degrees C, and this page: www.bettatrading.com.au/Rosy-Barb-Fact-Sheet.php says they've been kept successfully as pond fish in Adelaide so they may be able to handle lower. They've got a decent chance in your system!

Thanks Mel.

I reckon they will do fine. Doesn't get below 10 much here overnight.

Like the link, lots of info. the author thinks they shouldn't be used as feeder fish.

I kind of agree with them; if whatever you're feeding doesn't have to eat live feeders, it's kinder not to use them. That, and I'm a softie and feel sorry for them!

Quick update.

Tomatoes are finally ripening and taste amazing. Capsicums are very slowly getting there. Strawberries are almost done. Have planted more seeds for winter; snow peas, broccoli, spinach, lettuce. They are all sprouting and growing.

Fish have already slowed down on feeding. But they have grown a lot in the few months they have been in there.

No photos at the moment. Updated to windows 10 and the photo app keeps crashing

Darn on the photos, but yay for delicious tomatoes!

Ok, photos sorted. Well sort of. Apparently my windows photo editor won't let me resize multiple photos all at once like it used to...

So one at a time is the solution which is a pain in the arse.

Photos of tommies, snow peas . And mussels, which I sometimes wonder what they are doing and then they move and leave a nice clean patch

Ahem....its been awhile son..................

Not much to report. Cold weather over winter slowed the fish growth. I had too much planted for the amount the fish were eating, so had a pile of spinach, lettuce, sage, snow peas etc stalled.

Water tests are good, Ph is still high


Started to add some PVC pipe grow channel, but will need some more shade to use those once summer hits, so a shade sail is on the cards.

Hi Brian,
just read your thread and had a few good chuckles, the tests kinda remind me of someone else who's going through what you did.
Pete.

Yep, too true Pete!

Time marches on...
Any updates?!