Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

hum? let me think about that. Lowering the water level much will mean the water will get quite shallow. It is only a stock tank as fish tank and they are only 2 feet deep to begin with.

Realy if salting you should work out what ppt you want to go to and salt in one hit it shocks the bug that way

The big system I find it's really hard for me to estimate the exact water volume anymore (after adding the raft bed and having a few beds that are constant flood) to be able to add the salt by weight and know what ppt value I'll get. I really don't want to overshoot the salt level since the catfish really don't do well with too much salt. And since the salt takes so long to dissolved, even if I dumped the entire amount in the sump at one time, it would still take most of a day to dissolve anyway.

I would have added it all in one day though except for the fact I ran out of salt yesterday and hand to get another bag today.

Ok, harvested 15 fish from the big system today. Running low on room in the freezer, time to organize.

So the Big system is down to 35 fish. I think we will do another harvest of 15 some time soon which will leave us only 20 in the big system. The it will depend on a few other things as to if we harvest completely and restock the big system with new fish or hang on to the last 20 for a while.

However, the water cress has hogged all the nutrients so at this rate I might have to supplement to be able to grow any tomatoes this spring with the reduced fish load.

Influx of very small bluegill. Couldn't get any catfish till at least June so we have bluegill in quarantine in the isolated front porch tank. Now sure what I'm protecting with the quarantine though since the front porch system was connected into the main system till the day before yesterday when I isolated it and dosed with ammonia to check that the bio-filter would be up to handling some new fish.

Anyway, we now have lots of really tiny bluegill in the front porch tank. Paid for 200 and got 240. Only one seemed in really bad shape from transport and that one went to the quickest chicken.

Once quarantine period is over, I'll probably only leave 12-24 in the front porch tank for grow out and most of them will move to the 300 gallon system and if we get more catfish later, I expect I may share some blue gill out to people who want them. They seem an appropriate fish for smaller tanks where catfish would be too big and one doesn't wish to heat to support tilapia but people still wish to grow edible fish. Bluegill may be small but they are good eating.

Hey, I love reading about your systems! You're very inspirational.

Did you notice you reached 2000 posts on this thread? Congrats!

I'm too new to help with the disease, though. I'm still in R&D.

LOL, I hadn't noticed the post count on the thread. I've been counting by the page and I remember noticing when I passed 100 pages.

There is probably very little I can do about this disease other than keep water quality good and avoid stressing the fish. The fish in the big system seem to be doing fairly well at this point.

jdphish has been helping by pm as he can but there is very little that can be done in an AP system without sterilizing and starting fresh. I've thought about a UV sterilizer on the feed to the fish tank but at my flow rates it would be a large cost to get one with enough capacity. I would have to drain and sterilize the tank and then re-fill with sterilized water. Perhaps that would allow for keeping the fish tank safe from bacteria without having to totally start over but I don't think I'm going there.

I haven't had any more fish deaths in the big system (aside from the 15 we harvested several days ago.)

I've got new bluegill in the front porch tank in isolation so hopefully they can take over residence in the 300 gallon system when I remove the rest of the fish from there and life goes on.

Hi TC,
I joined the forum just so I could say thank you for taking the time to post about your trials and successes. I read the intire thread and have learned a good deal.
Thanks again. Now on to your 300 gal. system thread. And then, of course, the many other interesting threads here in BYA...

Mikey

Well thank you.

There are a few members over in TX so you might search them out and see if anyone is near you since their system threads might be of use to you.

Amazing system tcl! I just finished reading from page 1 and I feel I learned a great deal of useful info to help me in the planing of my own system. I have an 1800ish gallon shell sitting in my backyard the invision as my ft so I'm exited to get started.

Hay Dave,

1800 gallon that is a big fish tank!!!!! Sounds like you have your work cut out for you
Welcome to the addiction.

Yeah I sss able to get it for free and I live on 2acres zoned agr4 here in north jacksonville. I figured can always just put 50 fish in it to start with one big bed and put in additional beds later to keep me and my new adiction appeased. I wkll also have a dirt garden as we are going to start composting an area for that soon. Now I have my wife thinking she may be able to tolerate a few chickens as well do ill see how that goes.

Maybe you could talk her into ducks and a duckaponics system too?
http://www.aquaponiclynx.com/aquaponic-lynx-live-garden-cameras/duck-tv
However, I've got muscovy ducks and they are really prolific so unless you are up to killing and eating them, you can easily become overrun in ducks.

Nah I have a pond in my back yard as well as my neighbors and enough wild ducks an geese to drive me insane. I'm pretty sure the wife and kids aren't dowm for the killing and eating of ducks either. I have tried in vain to a pig or cow to put back by the pond but that's stol adef NO! Iill just bide my time and ease them into it

What's the minimum sized area you need for ducks? My backyard is kind of small 60 ft x 40 ft. I would love to have prolific ducks! =)