Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi everyone,
Here's my research hatchery system:

2x 400l ft
60l solids filter
2x 60l bio digester (offline)
2x 300l cf grow beds with 20mm red scoria
200l sump
3000lph pump with Venturi bypass + same as backup
2x 12v/7w backup air pumps
2800lph external bio filter (on demand/offline)
1kw titanium chiller (on demand/offline) + same as backup
300w external heating (on demand/offline)

Every unit of the system can be bypassed for maintenance and or fine tuning chemistry and temperature.

I cycled with some of last years rainbow trout @ 300-400g each.

Current density is 570 Atlantic salmon alevin in 400l, and 1000 rainbow eggs going in the other 400l in about two weeks time.
The fry will be moved at 5-10g each to a large growout system.

Cheers Ben

Looks good!

What's the survival rate for the fry?

And I thought Salmon were salt water (although, thinking about it, they go up stream to breed). How long can the fry handle fresh water before they need the salt?

Thanks,
I usually stay below 20kg per 1000l, that makes it 2000 fry at 10g each.
In the wild atlantic salmon stay up to three years in fresh water before they migrate to sea.
There are some lakes in usa with landlocked salmon populations reproducing in streams without ever going into saltwater.
on the other hand there is rainbow trout that migrates to sea (steelhead salmon), and the cold smoked packs of "ocean trout" at your local supermarket are rainbows grown larger in ocean cages.

Awesome.

That's a lot of fry.

You said it's a research system, what are you researching? Trying something different, or just seeing if it works in your backyard?

Salmon and rainbow trout are both anadromous, Column.

What are you going to do with them all, Ben? It would be illegal to sell them without the proper licencing and facilities.

the fry have a much greater survival rate then the alevin or eyed eggs. about 90%.
eyed eggs about 70%
alevin about 80%
hatching in ap water is much harder because I cannot use any antifungal medication as in conventional hatcheries, it would kill my biofilters too.

they will be split up in different groups and raised in various conditions, all part of a commercial trial. not intended to sell.

He could give them to me.

Sure rendang

I am collecting as much data as possible to compare to conventional hatchery numbers.
Proving the concept of an additive free, zero effluent ras hatchery process.

The little fellas are doing their job:)
Having absorbed the yolk sack by average 30% the next major step is teaching them how to feed.
I am now increasing the temperature by 1c a week to 13c.

Rendang Steve ,
You are welcome to have fry or early stage parr (fingerlings) in return for data:)

Same offer to anyone in sydney.

So cool Ben, wierd looking little things when they are that small..

Hey thanks for that and the invite to have a look, weekend before last, they have grown and lost most of the egg sac now, also lost that nice orange colour. How's the battle with the fungi going ?

Hello,

keep us posted..

this is exactly the types of things i like to do. I have been studying and mentally preparing to try my hand at trout this fall but salmon would be much more unique and interesting for an aquaponics system.

outstanding.,

The fungus is under control
It seems to only attack bullets(dead eggs) and the shells after hatching.

I observed the first few swim to the surface today gasping that first bit of air filling their air bladder.
Fast little things:)

Also took out all deformed, misshaped or obviously immobile ones to examine, document and dispatch. See photo.

coming along nicely, good to hear it all turned out well.