Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Has anyone had any experience with largemouth bass? I think I've read that they have been used in Aquaponics/Aquaculture with some success.

I believe this is the species that was introduced decades ago to the lake we live on (Lago de Atitlan, Guatemala) that wiped our a lot of the domestic species. I think we may also be able to get tilapia somewhere in the region; but if this has thrived in the local environment it could be a better option.

Cheers ~ Matt

If taking them from the wild, it takes a bit to train them to eat pelleted feed but they are a great tasting fish. They don't grow quite as fast as say Tilapia but they can definately be used in AP. They can survive a lot colder water temps then the tilapia so that might be a plus for your situation.

I have hatched, reared, and feed trained a few largemouth bass. There are two prominent strains of largemouth black bass. The northern strain which is indigenous to most the lower 48 US States. The Florida Strain, as you can imagine originates from Florida. It has been introduced into many states because they live longer and reach a larger overall size than the Northern Strain. The giant bass you hear about being caught in California are Florida Strain. The Florida Strain is less tolerant of very cold water temps. The F1 Tyger bass is a first generation cross between the two strains. Most bodies of water in the Southern US north of Florida have a mix of both. In Guatemala you most likely have Florida strain and low temps aren't an issue.

Northerns, for some reason are easier to feed train. Although its possible with both. If you have access to tilapia, use them in your AP system. Tilapia convert feed much more efficiently and control algae. However it wouldn't be a bad idea to stock a few bass to control Tilapia reproduction. Its very difficult to feed train adult bass. Also, cannibalism is a serious problem with the very aggressive bass.

When keeping bass in tanks, use some sort of cover or else they will jump out.

Hope that helps some.

Thank you for your replies.

I don't know the original source of the Bass here in the lake other then they were introduced in 1958. The climate we have here is quite temperate as we are at 1,500m/5,000ft and average daily temperature is 22c/75f with cooler nights and is quite stable across the year.

From what I have read - tilapia prefer warm water and I suspect (no thermometer so no temperature readings to go by) that the water may be a little to cool to promote strong growth? This was one of the reasons we are investigating fish that have thrived in the local environment - but it sounds like we will have problems feeding them if they we get Bass.

If we do get Bass from the lake would it be helpful to get them as small as possible?

Thank you for the info - I'll post if I find out more info about what is available here.

You have a good environment for bass. Might be on the cooler end of the range for tilapia Smaller bass are easier to feed train, so I would start with 1.5-2 inch fingerlings. Get more than you think you will need and remove the larger more aggressive fish to prevent cannibalism.

In the spring you should be able to use a small seine or minnow trap to catch small bass fingerlings. Good luck.

Matt,
Have you seen this list I just found?
http://fish.mongabay.com/data/Guatemala.htm

Listed are a several types of Cichlids including tilapia's, pumpkinseed, blue catfish and common carp. All potential AP species. Eels may even work, depends on your taste.
The pumpkinseed are similar to bluegill but smaller. Tilapia will probably grow fastest if not too cool in temp.

Well I know Channel Catfish make good Aquaponics fish (they like warm water but still grow well at cooler temperatures than Tilapia.) I expect the Blue Catfish are very similar in culture requirements to Channel Cats. Of course, I really like fairly large fish tanks for growing out catfish.

Blue Gill might be a good choice if you can get them. I know up here farm ponds that are stocked with Bass are usually also stocked with blue gill.

Thank you all for the information.

I know someone here in town who said he could get me some "fish". I'll have to go talk to him and see what exactly the options are - I've assumed Bass because they have been introduced to the lake but could be other options as well. I assume that the smaller the better ie 1-3in size (or is bigger OK)? I also assume it would be better to get them all the same size?

Jdphish - thanks for the list. There is a pretty varied range of geography and climate here in Guatemala from tropical sea level to areas that occasionally see snow - so I would think that only some of the fish would be available locally and would be suited to our local environment. Hopefully my friend here in town will have some info on the options available here and I can apply some of the advice in this thread...

Cheers all!

small fish tend to transport better than large ones but you also don't want them so small that a few days without food will starve them. (as in tiny fry can't go too long without feeding.)
2-3 inch fish is probably a good size range for many types of fish.
Catfish, I would recommend getting 3-5 inch fish since catfish tend to be long and skinny when they are small.

Largemouth Bass (LMB) are fantastic predator fish for controlling tilapia reproduction/recruitment as well. The LMB will grow fast, eating tilapia offspring, and the tilapia will grow fast, not having to compete with the extra offspring.