Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Well I think you can get pretty good meat from a 300mm size barra. Why not harvest them now?? The amount of electricity you spend heating the tank, I think it would pay for some barra at the markets... or more trouts that would love the cold weather...

Hi Ivan,

I will build that enclosure soon,it's just that I should of but didn't/couldn't build it earlier.
I agree 100 per cent with you,but just this once,and once only,I think I'll push through,at this stage.I guess it's the learning of how to keep them through winter and to a much lesser extent the challenge of keeping your first aquaponically grown barra going over winter that does it.Plus,I am really looking forward to having some nice large barra on the barbie Christmas,if I can,stupid I know but maybe others can learn from my experience too.Having said all that and it does get way to hard and out of hand then It'll be Christmas in July or September.Baby barra are nice eating.

Last night I turned off the grow bed at 17.5 and put them on this morning at 22.3,it was definately not as windy but a bit fresh 6C@ 0630hrs,grow bed now on.It is definitely true IMO that turning off your grow beds at night does help in maintaining a good temp in your fish tank.

Cheers.

I was talking to a trout farmer out east yesterday and he grew barra over summer in dams as a trial, he was impressed with the growth and had his last lot in a pontoon and was going to share them around and eat them on weekend, they all died because of cold weather, I toyed with the idea of trying them down this way, but is no way I could keep them going at this time of year without having lots of heaters, I would agree with Ivan, eat them well eat some and experiment with a couple, the experience will be interesting, but the power cost maybe shocking

Hi folks,

Water tests for today,

Ambient 12.8 and feels a lot less cold than of recent days,still and cloudy
Tank temp 9.6
Ammonia 0
Nitrites about the same as the day before yesterday 1++ 5--
pH down7.7
Nitrates up 50

Feeding fish same three times a day and all look happy.

Nocky,got some netting the other day from Cheap as Chips put it over the top of the tank yesterday tightened it up a little and temporarily holding over the top of the tanks with pegs.Will try and do a bit of permanent work later with the poly pie etc.It's heaps better already I think don't have to remember to put the lid on.

Cheers.

No worries BD, before I made the frame I had a piece of wire on a roof beam hanging down and holding up the centre to make a cone like this pic

don't pull net to hard or it will tear

Cool,that's excellent Nocky,good picture of the trout in mid air.

I don't have a roof yet but I'll think about something to rig up.

Ambient temp 12.8
Fish tank temp 8.7
Nitrites slightly less 1++ not 2 less than 5
Nitrates 20
pH 7.7

Funny thing.. fish have decided not to eat to much since last night?
All as happy as.. running a muck.
Plants powering on.

Cheers.

I hope you actually added salt to your system... at least 1ppt...

Ivan, why would he add salt to the system?

its freezing cold and the pH is high and the system isn't finished cycling yet. Salt should be a last resort when you cant keep things in check, not a constant addition.

looking good BD, as long as the fish are happy, just feed when they want it, and keep on hanging on in there for it to settle down.

Nitrites level?? As far as I know, nitrite poisoning is not affected by temperature or pH...

Adding salt would help mitigate against nitrite poisoning...

Hi folk,

Just a quick update,lightly fed the trout tonight and they seem to have fed OK,it's just a bit weird they didn't feed for about 12 hours.Does this happen to trout sometimes.

I know with my barra,like Rupe says,if there is a low coming our way they will go off their tucker for a few hours,and if the tank gets below 20 C they basically tell me to stick my food,not interested.

Are trout moody like that or don't they give a toss they just want food all the time?

Cheers.

Mine want it all the time, but sometimes a tad slower and dont eat as much

Same thing BigDaddy... all fish do it...

Cheers Rupe,

So there is nothing wrong with my trout,they just felt the weather yesterday,even though it was fairly clear,cool....but come to think of it,some clouds did come over yesterday afternoon.

Water tests for today,

Ambient temp 12
Fish tank temp 8.5
Ammonia 0
Nitrites 1 down ever so slightly from yesterday
Nitrates 30
pH 7.7

Will start to ramp up the feeding today slowly,fish are eating and are happy.

Cheers.

Barometric pressure always falls before the front arrives... what you describe is totally normal...

Hi everyone,

Water tests for today

Ambient temp 10
Fish tank temp 8.5
Nitrites slightly more than yesterday,if anything 1++
Nitrates 50
pH 7.7
Ammonia 0

I wish those nitrites would come down Plants looking good fish are still happy.Now eating OK
Cheers.