Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi, I think after helping load the "little green trailer" i had a sudden erge to get a Ap system and AP is the perfect low nitrate (fast fish growth) fish system. With a Aquaponics professional (and consultant) for a brother he helped allot to setup the system so the credit goes to TimC for a awesome tank

The tank is 100 liters (3x1x1 feet) and currently houses 2x (soon to be 8x) Synodontis Multipunctatus (Cuckoo catfish) and around 7-10 Oreochromis mossambicus (Tilapia).

The system has a 50L "hobby crate" grow bed which has lettuce and zucchini planned for it. The growbed flows to a sump (less media in the filter input) and up to the tank through a spray bar. The tank drains with a TimC created acrylic overflow box which is such a better altrenative to drilling the tank.

Here are some pics:







The tank is a little dirty at the moment beacause i can't stop sturing the filter media

Thanks

Nic

Cool, AP is really a family disease eh!
Good luck with your system
Just done a google on the cuckoo fish (hadn't heard of them before)

The common name of 'Cuckoo' derives from this catfishes habit of swimming between spawning cichlids, eating their eggs and depositing their own. The eggs are then picked up by the mouthbrooding female cichlid and the resulting fry raised with her own fry.

NASTIE little buggers, now I know why they are in a tank with tilapia

Nastie?? you mean little gold mines, not sure if you know their prices but my 7cm ones can sell for around $70ea+.

I am not a huge fan of Tilapia (sorry to many out there) so once the cuckoos reach sexual maturity i am glad to give up the tilapia fry

I have seen some pairs of cuckoos mating before they move so fast its like a orange blur. Such a beautifull cat fish though, one of my favorites next to the L333 Pleco.

Nic

OMG $70 I just googled L333 and there is one 4 sale for $150

Keep breeding them fish NicC you'll be a millionaire before 30

P.S great avatar

$150 each? for you ill do them for $120 each hehe

Their is money to be made in L number Plecos but for now i don't have any too expen$ive. If i can make some money from the fish in the aquaponics system (the Cuckoos) ill have a grin from ear to ear

Btw for anyone wanting to know here is the L333:



Oh and... 3, 2... 1 back on track

Nic

Welcome Nicholas C..... what took you so long

Glad to see your brother spreading the AP word.

Nice easy, simple system Nicholas. Hope to hear more from you.

I am really tempted to pave an area just opposite my 7 tanks and get one 1000 liter and say 1 or 2 growbeds. Lets see how the wallet goes first... oh and the parents

Nic

Talk to Tim C... he's got a [s]truck[/s] trailer load of them... ask for a discount coz he's ya bro

He needs that trailer load and i think the picture of the little green trailer is up in every cop shop here to Queensland

Nic

Good to have you back Nicholas

UPDATE: We strike gold in only a few days

The tilapia have bred in the tank already!! we stripped them a bit early and have eggs though they are in a egg tumbler as we speak and should hatch (be at egg sacks) by 48 hours.

Another female is holding though she is a pain to catch, i will leave her until she has fry (not just eggs).

The fish are better than ever in this new system, we have 3 coloured up black with red finned males who seem to love the water condition. No plants yet but i would love to grow rice though i think it only has a small yeild.

Thanks

Nic

Hi Nic,
We -seriously- need a couple good pics of that egg tumbler!! We've been talking about shipping tilapia eggs around over here--much cheaper than shipping fish. But to make that work, the recipient needs a nice egg tumbler, of course.

Out of curiosity, why did you go ahead and strip the eggs? Tilapia are generally pretty good mommies.

We though they where fry, and they all get eaten as soon as they are free swimmers. I think we have agro tilapia in Aus

The fry tumbler is just a net (with them in) which is on a good angle on the spray bar entry (from the pump) which just tumbles to eggs backwards and forth.

Nothing special, sorry about that.

Nic

Bout time Nic,

you been helping and brainstorming with the LCC crew now for a while.. ..seriously, looks good and im glad your involved. At this rate Tim will have the whole staff on board by the end of the year!!!

Also, we will talk later about those L333, they look amazing.

forgibe the idiot but whats with the L numbers?

good to see you back nick, i hear you're quite the fish expert. any time you want to chuck us a tid-bit, go ahead!