Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

If a person wants to raise plant ROOTS for fish to graze on,

which plants are prolific at constantly regrowing their roots?

Why bother growing plant roots for the fish... they wont be a complete diet anyway...

Just keep the fish away from them... feed the fish something more beneficial... and grow the plants for yourself...

I don't have an answer for you, but I'm intrigued. What's your plan?

Oh, also... you probably know, but... duckweed is a floating plant that some fish love if you're looking to turn water soluble nutrients back into fish food.

My watercress in floating rafts have roots about 30cm long...

@Rupert -"Why bother growing plant roots for the fish... they wont be a complete diet anyway...
Just keep the fish away from them... feed the fish something more beneficial... and grow the plants for yourself..."

You make a great point and is probably the most efficient use of space, equipment etc. I need to find info on the requirements for some fish and how they calculate a balanced ration like they do for livestock. i.e. the the bible for livestock- Morrison's "Feeds and Feeding" or the " Nutrient Requirements for Beef Cattle"

@kthignight24-"I don't have an answer for you, but I'm intrigued. What's your plan?"

Basically I'm trying to learn aquaponics by doing a lot of reading, asking a lot of questions publicly and of myself (some times out loud, sometimes sort of brainstorming). Learning by discovering the answers to a lot of questions.

For example:

What are the possibilities and factors for raising my own fish food? Assuming herbivore fish.

This would look like a table of columns and rows. Possibilities in the first column and factors in rows for each possibility.

Another question would be:

What is the present situation compared to the ideal situation? Again using a table format.

Eventually I hope to learn a lot and find a system or systems tailored for my situation.

"Oh, also... you probably know, but... duckweed is a floating plant that some fish love if you're looking to turn water soluble nutrients back into fish food."

Yes I have read about it. I'd like to learn more like how much space is required, it's reproduction rate, nutrient requirements for growth, and how much to feed etc....

@werdna-"My watercress in floating rafts have roots about 30cm long..."

Thanks, I want to look into it. Any other plants that come to mind? I'm not a big fan of watercress nor mint but maybe I would use them sometimes. I could harvest tops and roots. But optimized for fish food.

My thoughts where about all the invasive plants I've read about in grow beds and waterways and is it possible to tame them for feed? Also look at how the livestock industry has advanced Intensive rotational grazing systems.

Alternatively, can we feed the roots of harvested vegetables like lettuce?

Chances are that fingerling grow out has to go the "feedlot" route as in feeding pellets in a confined space?

But what about controlled breeding tanks, like for tilapia? The females have to hide from the male at times. And one probably wants the breeders to have plenty of space to reduce stress.

Any way that's kind of the way I approaching things for now.I have not formed any conclusions for my outside greenhouse system (to be built). I am starting to "Remodel" my kitchen system and get ready for NFT strawberries and lettuce in a CF gravel grow bed, powered by a 10 gallon aquarium for a fish tank using Comet goldfish. For the nutrient imbalances during the different stages of strawberries, I'll try some foliar feeding of calcium and potassium.

Thanks again guys.

Any more thoughts? Anyone?

i completely understand where you're coming from.. i have some buckets growing green water, and a few small tanks growing daphnia, a tank with a marmokreb i got recently.. another tank with glass shrimp, scud (scuds are in most of the tanks) and crayfish, a pool with minnows and crayfish, and finally the ap system with my yellow perch and bluegill..
the pool is eventually going to be my main ap tank, right now it just has a diy pond filter so it's lightly stocked with the minnows and crays.. after my current work project is done i'm going to get going on the expansion
anyways (boy am i talkative today, must be this crazy weather), i'm growing all kinds of stuff, but the main feed i'm using for the fish i plan on eating some day, is a commercial fish feed pellet.. all the other stuff is for supplemental feed.. even pond owners that develop a "complete" ecosystem use commercial feed for best growth... speaking of ponds, ever hear of "jeff foxworthy bass", or "condello baird" bluegill?
i think i set a personal record for the amount i said in a day...