Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I have some cycled fish tanks and was planning on using water change water and some gravel to speed up the cycling process for my system when finished. I have also read that "mature" (established2-3 years with all the good organisms) AP systems are much more productive than newer systems.

Is it standard practice to find a helpful APer with an older system and get a bucket of gunk and gravel to kick start brand new systems? Anyone in FL interested in helping me out when I'm ready?

SOP if you're nice and are close

Having a bucket of mature gravel will cut your cycling time by around 2/3rd.

I can stick a couple of paint strainer bags into one of my tanks so it will be seasoned when you are ready. Actually, I already have several bags in by the sump pump in the monster bed. My system is not that old (closer to 6 months) but it is cycled.

When I set up my inside breeding aquarium system, I used two paint strainer bags full of media that had been submerged in the catfish tank. They were really gunky and I tell you, the indoor aquarium system was pretty much cycled from the start (granted, half the media into that system was pre-seasoned.)

So if you are gonna have reason to make a drive up to central Florida to get some seasoned gravel, pm me. (granted, I'll be out of town for the next three weeks.) I'm in the NW corner of orange county, almost to Mount Dora. Have to decide if it is worth the gas. What kind of fish are you planning on?

On the other hand, using gunk and squeezings from your aquarium filters should help you when starting. Another option is fishless cycling which can usually go about twice as fast as regular cycling with fish. Much less stress involved with fishless cycling. Getting some good gunk and seasoned media or even pond water can help speed all this up.

Thanks you very much for the offer TC. BTW your system looks fantastic. My planted aquarium is around 3-4 months old so I don't know if I need to make the trip for 6 month old gunk. I was hoping there might be a really old system nearby. Is there anyone in FL with a 2+ year old system? Can that gunk be overnighted from elsewhere without all the good stuff dieing?

Goldfish for now until I figure out some of the pitfalls. Eventually I'll expand and try food fish. Possibly bluegill.

Tilapia would be perfect in your climate, really a no-brainer. They are a perfect fish except for the temperature requirements (here in PA that is) I plan to try bluegill someday soon as well, would be nice to not have to heat the water all the time. Tilpia breed almost without effort, they taste great and are get big enough for fillets unlike bluegill which are tiny in comparison. Bluegill also take a long time to grow out compared to tilapia and tilapia can live on nothing but algae and duckweed, but from what little I've researched so far bluegill require some amount of animal/insect feed. Bluegill haven't been as well proven in recirculating systems as tilapia, I think because they are predators.

In FL you could get more tilapia from a neighboring golf course pond, so easy...

Evil, It won't take long to cycle down here with the high temperatures. I did a little gravel watering for a couple of weeks while I waited for permission to start my unit. I started with aquarium goo /rain water and used fishless cycling. Then on July 10 I set up the unit outside using pond and rain water and more gravel. I think I've nearly cycled. The water cleared up. No NH3 and some no2. The third parameter of nitrates hasn't been tested. (waiting UPS truck!) I've added more NH3 and I'll test again.

Just watch the city water.

I think Joyce has had systems for quite a while longer than myself and Jazzplayermark but I haven't seen her on the forum in quite some time. Morningstarfishermen over tword tampa has been around a while (where I got my tilapia) but they are doing mostly DWC culture so little/no gravel. I don't know if there is anyone else in South Florida up and running though there are a few of you getting started. Perhaps some on I don't know about will pop up to help you out.

Chances are, if you start fishless cycling in a small system to get started, you will have some good gravel to use in whatever Main system you get going. A small starter system can be as simple as a couple 5 gallon buckets and a tiny pump. An ounce of urine a day and in several weeks you have a bucket of cycled gravel in time for the bigger system you are working on in the mean time.

Or you could add a small gravel bed to one of your aquariums.

Then again, do you know anyone with a nice ornamental pond near you? A nice source of gunk is the filter in the skimmer box that probably needs to be hosed off each weak and replaced each year. Offer to provide them with the proper replacement filter if they will give you the old gunky unwashed one. Put it wet and gunky into a bucket and take it home to cut up and stick into your grow beds. Alternative might be to wash their filter into a bucket that you take home and pour into your grow beds.

Bluegill are a pain to feed, but they live in almost any water temp. my tank gets 3" of ice on it in the winter, and gets to up to 80f in the summer, and they keep eatiing in all the temps. from fry to eating size takes me about 2 years. Tilapia from what I hear grow to eating size in 8 months.

For tilapia, I expect that the 8 months to eating size is under perfect conditions all male grow out with good feed and perfect growing temps (as in above 70 F all the time.)

Wow! this forum is helpful! Some very good ideas.

I figured bluegill would be easy since as a kid thats all I caught in the canals around here. Tilapia sound like a better fish but right now I plan to start with 55 gallon tanks so I dont know if they would fit very good.

If I can find a good breeding system for the bluegill, then I would prolly just stay with them only, but I loose most all of the baby fish to stuff.

5 months is our normal in Thailand,,,for both normal and the Red's,,,yep all male, control fed,warm temps but water quality is far from perfect.We douse the best fingerlings,,,GIFT etc.