Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hiya rendang, it's no joy ride over here during summer either however I have proved it possible without a water chiller using a simple evaporation method and plenty of air. Two tanks are fed from the same sump and I can keep one tank almost 2°c lower than the other using this method.
The trout didn't eat at all last summer so the plants suffered which was a big downside. Now I have silvers so next year I may give it another go as the tank temps are still acceptable.

I filleted these and had some nice thick, albeit butchered, fillets. In the past we have smoked the fish whole and always get bones which appear to have no pattern and its a bit like having scrambled egg with a bit of shell in it in the first mouthful... The larger fish however had sizeable bones which were easy to remove. Taste wise they seemed more moist and firmer but tasted the same just larger mouthfuls.
I'll have to fillet one of this years fish for an honest comparison, I'll post the outcome.

I do wonder why APers who live in the cooler areas don't grow out the fish to a larger size.

the fish on the grill loos sooo yummy

How did you emmulate evaporation cooling... I am pretty convinced that lots of cool air, can make a real difference....
It stands to reason that if the air is cool to start with, bubbled in in fine curtains, then you simply must get evaporative cooling, whilst minimizing the risk of poor DO.....

I also have two tanks and one sump... but thinking of how to separate on seriously hot days...
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Hi Skeggley, thats an interesting idea, a system with two tanks at different temperatures, one for the SP and one for the trout. Impressive to get them through, the few times I've been to Perth it was always stinking hot.
I'd love to grow out a few big ones and I am building a small chilled system but it was for getting fingerlings early rather than keeping big ones longer, I would like to do it though especially if they taste as good or better than the smaller ones. Cheers and keep up the great work !

That is the model I am trying here in Adelaide. I have just culled all my larger trout but still have about a 100 fingerlings I bought in September. Get them through summer and they should be a good size by December.

Still 12 trout kicking around in my tank.

Max temp was 26c the other week, currently sitting on 22c.

Fingers crossed they get through summer.

Ok, so who sets up the 2015 trout appreciation thread? I have just harvested 2 of my rainbow trout for dinner - my first ever AP fish harvest (apart from the sacrificial carp which cycled my system). Will have photos this evening of grilled AP trout and salad. Very excited and I didn't even cry when I ikijimed them.

The floor is yours joc...
Nice work having them size already

I was lucky my trout survived summer so this year I should have whoppers

Look forward to the pics, Milne.

I've still got 7 or 8 from last year too. I really need to get some more fingerlings for my second tank though!

Like I tell my brother and his fish stories...no pics...no fish.
I wish I could raise trout.

Thanks Matthew - have now started the 2015 trout appreciation thread with my delicious dinner tonight viewtopic.php?f=2&t=25238
Coachchris, I made sure I documented my first AP rainbow trout harvest on the 2015 thread.
You can tell I am ridiculously excited harvesting my first fish from my AP system. I filled my system with water on 21 February and got 25 yearling RT on 28 March. Looking forward to eating the remaining 23 RT over the next few months