Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Thank you I was amazed at how they left it for a few days .. and then ... nothing but stalks ...

clover, dandelion, groundsel, Carrot tops, beetroot tops, potato skins.. peelings from most veggies .... I think all of these things are high in various minerals ..... can be fed to tilapia... and such variety would be lacking in pellets.

aong with high protein stuff.. like bones .. bacon rind .. yesterdays cheese sandwich .. etc. etc...

worth a try maybe?

You certainly have an advantage in your quest with Tilapia as your fish stock...

But be aware that even herbivorous fish growth is still directly related to the appropriate amino acids in feed... and more particularly the "limiting" amino acid...

Any one feed that might be high in all other aminoids... will still be limited in uptake in proportion to the limiting aminoid...

Lupins and Moringa have been found to provide a good balance of aminoids... but as Chappo reminds us... there's not a single source that meets more than about 45% of requirements...

My concern with the kitchen scrap idea and other things... is the possibility of introducing pesticide or bacterial inputs....

Of course if everything is grown in AP... then it's not a problem...

P.S... Johnnie.... most commercial feeds, for all their possible perceived failings.... have been developed over many years of research and formulated to provide all the necessary growth inputs and variations....

Fats, starchs, aminos, vitamins, trace elements etc..

Balance, moderation and variety are the keys... as mum always used to say...

For sure. Must be careful. Again affirming the reason for off-grid self-sourcing of feed. And edible weeds from own garden would naturally not be treated with pesticides. Too valuable.

Yes, variety is definitely a key. About commercial pellets... wish that were true. Too little variation in diet. I don't believe it to be the superior product sold to be. As in humans, this will not produce optimal health. I would definitely supplement.

And commercially raised produce used to make fish pellets guaranteed pesticide free? No way. Degrees of acceptable contamination is accepted practice in agri-business.

If pushing for standard commercial mass production is the aim then commercial feed is the answer. That is exactly what the pellet is designed for. If a slower growing healthier product is the goal, it is usually opposite to the commercially accepted norm. Some studies are already being done on this.

Something to consider is taste. If commercial scale production is the goal it is also a factor in the market place. I know that farm pellet-fed salmon and wild caught salmon are two vastly different products. I have paid highly to eat wild caught Salmon in Canada and considered it worth the price. No comparison.

This is all aside from the obvious economic benefits of not being locked into commercial prices for fish-feed.

All depends on what you are looking for.

I think many commercial norms will be going through stringent re-evaluation in the not too distant future anyway. Those looking to self-sustaining methods of production are ahead of the wave IMO. And optimal human and livestock health are a serious consideration.

Chelle, I would be interested in the design of your maggotry. It's not a BSF setup, then?

Sure Karen. It's not for BSF. We don't have them occurring naturally here and I like the idea of pulling in house flies and wiping out many generations as resultant larvae become productive protein to my fish and livestock instead of pests.

I have just used what I already had...........

2 buckets... the base of one must fit snug into top of other
Plastic salad bowl with lid. Must fit into top bucket with as much depth down into bucket as possible.
Large funnel.... with wide top

I have taken the 2 buckets.... lower bucket has second bucket fitting snug into its open top..... so bucket in bucket....

Make a hole in bottom of top bucket for funnel point to go through to lowest bucket. Fit funnel snugly... a nice wide mouth is great as resting place for salad bowl on top.

Now place salad bowl as last tier.... 3 tiers. Holes in base of salad bowl leak waste through funnel to lowest bucket..... tier 3 to tier 1..... Holes high up on the side of the salad bowl (but exiting into second bucket) harvest the maggots.... so tier 2 holds the harvested maggots.

I am still building covers to stop them over-shooting the holes in the salad bowl and climbing right up to the lid.... Just using curved plastic from milk cartons as come available. Probably attach with silicon.

Easy removal of lowest waste bucket ... bit of water added and instant fertilizer.

To remove the maggots the top salad bowl is removed... funnel inside harvest bucket removed and hole plugged with wine cork... and maggots taken to fish or birds or frozen.



I'll take some pics for you ...

Bucket in bucket with salad bowl on top (3 tiers)
Funnel fitted in second bucket (tier 2) to guide waste from salad bowl (tier 3)... which is the feeding station.... through to lowest bucket (tier 1)
Holes cut into side of salad bowl to harvest maggots down into second bucket (tier 2).

I can make this for almost nothing...

Hope this helps you do the same!

What about the smell?

This is an outside job. Need the smell to attract flies to scraps in top bucket. Lay eggs.