Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Well guys, I think we did it(collectively)! I think the crisis is finally behind me.. I calculate I lost nearly 100 fish and 50 lbs of salt and 800 gllons of water... However... the fish are mainly alive. Every other day I am losing one or so but no cotton on them... just the red discoloration....I hope that is not the beginning of something else.

nitrite = 0
Amonia = 0
nitrate 40

I calculate about 190 fish.... my big breeders made it and are quite active. My plants took one in the chin so will have to be re planted.

Thanks to all who had a part in this, I appereciate it... Steve, you can empathize and I thank you for your comments as well as Janet's.

As we asy around here, Muchas gracias.

thank goodness

good times ahead. My system has never looked better since my crisis. A little while ago i was complaining of suspended solids......no more. lovely tea coloured water, and i can see all my fish.

Some times we need something like this to teach us the things that we should pay attention to.

Nice to hear DT

DT ..

Good that the corner may have been turned..

It may be worth keeping a little breed stock , in a aquarium ...

When they breed, they go beserk ..

I have just had my third litter ... over 300 fry ... from 3 girls and two big showy males.

I had to get a whole new mini wheelie bin organised with heater, and air driven filter to accomodate them!

If you can keep a little broodstock going it might help you get over periods of disease etc. etc.

Hope this helps.

Wow DT! I was worried when I realized we hadn't heard from you in a few days. I think I'd avoid introducing any new fish! Keep those remaining fish nice and warm and comfortable and they will be fine. btw, I'm running 2ppt salt as preventative. You scared me! 2ppt is not affecting my plants, but I will not replentish it as it works its way out of the system.

I agree with Johnnie. Pull your breeders out and set up a nice cozy aquarium for them. I'm working to do that myself. I'm going to put 3 females and 1 male in a 50gal (190liter) tank, and keep another 50gal for fry grow-out.

Johnnie, how big is your breeder aquarium?

Janet ..

Thanks .. yep, even a small tank can sustain a little breeding colony of stunted fishies .. that can produce normal sized fishy offspring.

I have one wheelie bin, and one mini wheeliebin .. so stsunting .. well ... I guess my fish are stunted a litle due to the small footprint.



(I think we got some pics and dimensions regards wheelie bin sizes somewhere on these threads..!)

In the school aquariums .. I guess I will have a few "stunted" fish, but .. they will breed .. full size babies! For sure!

Had over 300 fry recently ... and my BIG male .. He is so *sigh* and Sassy! (He has got attitude!)

Yep, a breeding colony, ... sort of insurance ...

I may have spoken too soon. I woke up this morning to three dead fish. No evvidince of the same fungus but they have red spots like bruises on them and they are dead just the same. I am researching to see what it may gbe. The fish are voraciously hungry and eating well(except the dead ones who don't eat much). Any ideas? Water quality is great.

I will take the advice of starting a breeding pen....

nitrites ok?

Breeding - fry - growout - quarantine - I guess all we need are 4 systems each....Okay, I guess that the quarantine tank is only when we get new fish....

Nitrites are at 0
Here is what I have found. If this is what I have, it looks as though I will be starting from scratch or getting out of the hobby. it seems pretty devastating.

Streptococcus

One of the most significant diseases in tilapia culture worldwide, and particularly in indoor systems, is caused by Streptococcus. The primary strain of strep infecting aquaculture facilities is suspected to be Streptococcus iniae, although other strains have been implicated and are in the process of being identified. This disease results in the clinical signs of generalized hemorrhagic septicemia such as:

* Lethargy, weakness, loss of appetite, red discoloration at the anus and base of fins, hemorrhagic eyes, gills, internal organs, and muscle, blood tinged abdominal fluid, and swollen kidney, spleen, and liver.
* Streptococcus has additional clinical signs including an erratic spiral swimming motion, a curved body, corneal opacity in one or more eyes, exopthalmia (protruding eyes), and abdominal distention.

Antibiotic Therapy

Streptococcal infections respond to antibiotic therapy, but since the withdrawal period for all effective antibiotics is longer than it takes for the streptococcal infection to return, the disease cannot be legally controlled with antibiotics all the way to market. Furthermore, it is only a matter of time before strep develops resistance to the antibiotics now used. Streptococcal strains at several facilities have already developed resistance to some antibiotics.

Vaccines

Injectable vaccines are being developed in earnest, and initial results seem promising. However, it is not confirmed that vaccinated fish in infected facilities perform as well as unvaccinated fish in uninfected facilities. Currently, the vaccines have to be custom-developed from the strain of strep at each facility.

Vaccines are also expensive. It costs approximately 5¢ to vaccinate a tilapia. That’s over 60% of what it costs to buy the fingerling in the first place. And since the fingerlings can’t be vaccinated until they reach 20 grams, they are still vulnerable to strep for their first month on the farm. Additionally, each fish has to be individually vaccinated by hand.

The cost of not vaccinating fingerlings in a Strep infected facility is even greater. Mortalities of up to 75% have been observed on some farms although the highest mortality rate that we have heard of in a large commercial operation is 40%. One operation was reportedly losing 4,000 market-sized animals per day during a severe outbreak.

Growth Effect

Strep also severely reduces the appetite of the fish, thereby significantly reducing their growth rates. It is not uncommon for a 7-8 month growout in a clean facility to stretch to 10-12 months in an infected facility - and the end products of the two are like apples and oranges. Fish from infected facilities that make it to harvest without coming down with strep don’t tolerate live haul as well as healthy fish and have markedly reduced shelf life once they’ve reached the market.

Market Effect

The physical appearance of infected and uninfected fish in the market place can be vastly different. It is not uncommon for infected fish being held in live tanks at Asian stores to be missing one or both eyes, be covered with patches of fungus, and have hemorrhages all over their bodies. Infected fish don't last well, sell well, or market well. A farmer's objective is to grow fish from fry to adult as fast and efficiently as possible. Streptococcus can single-handedly alter a farmer's ability to control his or her own commercial destiny. It's not worth the risk.

If anymore die, I will take pics...

You people with Tilapia, beware!

It looks as though even my brood tank is not safe!

DT, if it's "Strep" could it have been water-bourne???

Don't know if "strep" can be transmitted to fish from bad water... but would make some sense... how good is your water supply??

Maybe test your water supply??

DT... doing some reseach.... BE CAREFUL...



Link READ THIS

Iniae is the worst-case sceneario. I hope it is not that.