Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

OK, i know that SP's are meant to be the armoured tnak of the AP world, but i seriously don't see it.

I have had FAR FAR less trouble with my trout then i had with my SP

The silverse will be fine one day then all swimming near the top and a bit sore looking then fine again. water temps are around 20 - 25 and they're feeding but i woldn't write home about it after seeing the trout.

I'm looking for some open and honest feedback on what you guys think of SP overall.

We haven't eaten any silvers yet, so we can't compare them taste-wise, but the Jades definitely out-grow the silvers.

they suck and im sorry i got them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

after all the reading on here and elsewhere i was lead to believe they were EASIER to look after than trout......nuh uh lol give me trout any day.

my trout are still kicking even after all the hot weather (both day and night) that we've had.

not sure if its an inherrent problem with the lot we got off numbnuts or theyre just no good in vic?

i was more looking for health, robustness and growth.

i was going to pick below average, but i haven't got a baseline for average

F&F, what do you think?

Trout and Barra are definately faster growers but for most of us in southern climates can prove difficult to get thru a whole calendar year without heating or cooling the water. On saying that though I did lose a few Perch this winter for reasons I dont know. They seem much happier now that the water has warmed a bit. Like BK my trout are still going strong even though the water temps have got up to 24c on several occassions. As far as eating goes I rate Barra on top followed by Perch then trout.

At the moment my silvers are doing well havent lost one for 6 weeks now trout are excellent but they dont like summer heat at the moment planning silvers all the year and trout winter time. Not planning heating or cooling just what will be will be

How does the cost per fingerling compare? Would silvers make a cheaper 'mistake' for noobs?

Same price as trout just take longer to grow out so silvers cost more to the plate. But if you are going to heat or cool thats different

Trout you will have trouble keeping them in the far north, Barra, on the other hand, you would have to heat in the really southern regions, ie Tas, SW WA.... But the middle section of Australia (excluding deserts) i think is an ideal region for the trout/barra setup.

How are your Aus. Bass fairing steve? It would be interesting to see how they go... How big were they when you got them? I am even giving them fair consideration as a first fish for my system. Too late for barra, too early for trout, silvers I am unsure about.

I've found the SP to be the toughest of the lot in many ways... A few times I've arrived home to find one or two have jumped out of the tank and they are laying covered in dirt, for who knows how long... Whack em back in and away they go..

Might I also add that this is a rather biased debate... We have bugger all choice of fish to grow here in the west, it's SP, or trout/barra.... Damn you people with choices...

how about black bream aka sooty grunter?
i've had them before they are good eaten

Try googling Fish in farm dams then go to your relative state lots of reading

I have only had SP, so not able to compare to the other species although made an attempt to have a go with barra this season.

Prices on SP range from $50/100 to $140/100 in Qld (some require freight costs to be added).

I have lost 6 SP fingerlings in my latest lot, these were all the smallest of the bunch and were probably around 25mm - the remainder are thriving.

Growth rate - on my 1st lot of SP (purchased Nov 06), my main concern was keeping nitrate levels reasonable so food was restricted on occasions, hence smaller sizes...this lot I have kept the feed to the fingerlings as the system is developed sufficiently to cope...will be comparing growth next year at this time.

SP are a tasty fish (thanks vb ) and I personally prefer them to jades.

For a fish for the newbies - goldfish are way out in front, with silver & jade perch being easily kept...prefer perch for eating tho

But veeeeeeerrrry slow growing... Trout and barra get there in 6 months, silvers in 12-18 months, black bream your looking at something like 3-4 years....