Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

found this table put out by RIRDC (govt mob), this answers a few questions people were asking about salinity, optimum temps and time to market - put out in February 2003

[font=Courier New]
Name..........Opt temp c.......Opt salinity ppt........Time to market
Barra...........28-32................0-35...................5 months
Brown Trout......8-18................0-35..................12 months
Eels............23-28.................0-5...............18-24 months
Golden Perch....23-28..................<8.....................no figures given
Jade Perch......20-30..................<5.....................no figures given
Murray Cod......20-25..................<8...............12-18 months (in recirculating, 24 months in ponds)
Rainbow Trout....8-18................0-35...................9 months (in ponds)
Silver Perch....23-28...................4(15 max).......10-24 months (in ponds)

Crustaceans
Marron.............24................<6-8................6-12 months
Redclaw.........23-31................<6-8................6-12 months
Yabbies.........23-31................<6-8................6-12 months
[/font]

thanks Les, that's very helpful stuff

Might give barra a try next year, should easily fit in the 5 months at around 28c - Mon has set the benchmark here

was there any info on the starting sizes of the fish?

looking....looking.....



from that, I would say from fingerlings

The paper is about Integrated Agri-Aquaculture Systems (IAAS) in pdf format, I downloaded it sometime in the past and just got around to reading through it.

thanks

Good one Les. I may give a few barra a go next year also - let me know when You are buying later in the year.

Not so sure about some of those figures. A 6 month old marron is still pretty small. Most marron take 12 - 18 (or longer) to reach market size.

Unfortunately they didn't state how old the fish/crayfish were at the beginning of the tests, the marron may have been 6 months old from a hatchery and then took 6-12 months to grow to market size.

The info that I was mainly interested in was the temperature and salinity ranges

THanks for that - I have had good growth from my barra, and from your chart see that it will be twice as long to get the same sizes from silver perch - just as well I am going to do Barra and silver perch at the same times

thanks les
C1

If I can get a tank stocked with redclaw at the same time as I get my barra, then I would have one heck of a bbq as they would be ready at the same times

Mmmm, a fingerling can mean almost anything can't it, I've seen them only an inch long or less, right up to 20-25cm... All classed as fingerlings...

Yeah you are spot on with that one EB. Trout are sold as fingerlings over a 9 month period and there is a great difference in size from when they are first available to 9 months down the track. Still, some good information on that chart for basic information. Luckily for most of us there is a great difference between optimum temperatures and survival temperatures for a species. Monyas Barra are testament to that.

Althoughm the small ones are now seem to be getting weaker as the temps are lower and the big ones are attacking them. I scooped out a nearly dead one today with most of his tail missing and put him out of his misery....