Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Use gutter guard to block off the connection... the holes are big enough for crap to move through but usually small enough to keep fishes from migrating to the wrong side of the tank...

When Barra are fiesty, and feeling great and king of the tank, they might not still eat their smaller rivals. At the start of the year I still had a few rouge Mangrove Jacks and Grunters that I couldn't catch, and they hasseled the barra to no end, pecking out there eyes and being nuisences in the tank. The Barra in the end got the upper hand I think and beat them back up, one by one those guys became floaters, then the tank was back to harmony

What are mangrove jacks like, Im assuming they are a cold weather fish or are they like perch all year round.

Another day goes by and mine still havent fed, even went and got some blood worms today to try and treat them into eating, nope still not ready. Tank is completley covered now and no one can look in or anything, dropping the food threw a corner, so will see what happens buy the weekend, waiting to hear that magic sound of thrashing fish when the food is put in.

I think you got your barra much earlier than mine... so in reality, they should be quite settled and hungry by now... I believe you got the same sizes as the ones the BYAP shop got... those are feeding, with people around ...

Maybe you should try changing the fish pellets... the GP ones may not be tasty enough or maybe they somehow associate the GP ones with stress...

Geeze you should go for a fishing trip North if you don't know what a Mangrove Jack is....they are awesome. They are a Warmer water fish, and great fight on the line, and great in the pan. Just a great fish all round.

Once I changed the pellet brand to Skretting , all was good, and the barra just went for it. It seems to have all the qualities Barra love in a feed. Keep us posted, this is really quiet interesting....for me anyhow

Well I use Skretting as well... so maybe that's it... actually I am also interested to find out...

Simso, I am happy to give you a couple of handfuls of my Skretting Nova FF 3mm to help in finding out the problem...
I am SOR if you are interested... PM me...

Where can I get some skretting from "shop wise""

The BYAP shop sells good quality feed as well... not sure if it is Skretting... call them and ask...

The feed that GP sold me was ridleys aqua feed.

I guess when they get hungry then they will start feeding. Frustrating,

I also have some sinking pellet food from BYAP, they dont touch that either

Sorry to hear that you are still having griefs... I presume your water test results are all fine??

Unless they have already been eating the silver perches that have swam into the barra tank by accident...

Yeh the water testing is all good, same shared water as the silver perch just different tanks, and the perch are pigs. When there hungry they'll start, just have to be patient until then

Not to sure if there feeding yet, I think they might be becuase there tank is so clean its ridiclous, theres a couple of bits of old food congested in an area but not much, so Im guessing they are but havent seen them eat yet, only time will tell, either they start eating each other or start becoming floaters

Thought I should share my experience today...

This evening when I was about to feed the barras, I lift the side of the tarp covering the tank and saw a row of barras that seem to be hovering just slightly below the water surface around the location where I usually drop the food in... actually I saw a row of red looking eyes... it felt like they knew that it is almost feeding time... in fact, when my hand slipped under the tarp, the sound of them hammering at the surface started even before I dropped the pellets in...

If it is the same tomorrow then, I believe they are getting into the routine... I will be getting an auto-feeder delivered shortly, so it would be interesting to find how they would respond to the feeder....

not sure if mine are feeding... had them for 3 weeks now... if it wasn't for the water in the tank, they woud have cobwebs on them by now. Give me trout again... if only i could put their heads back on....

got the 300gm'ers from GP, 60km drive home, welcome to tank all good.... then just sit in there doing nothing.
All temps and water tests great.

larger fish are harder to transport it is true...