Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi All, well this is my first year of growing rainbow trout, so have no comparisons - and like so many things u read about, experience is the best teacher for me...... i was told not to put rainbow trout in my pond over summer, but i'd ordered the fingerlings for July, had a few personal problems couldn't get them till October, they were about 40mm long (2 inch ) when they went in, fed over summer plus pumper in colder (16degree) water, never saw a floater - just caught our first 3 yesterday - all just over 1/2 kg (30 to 33cm long - 1foot) and tasted beautiful last night. i can't believe a fish can grow soooooo quickly. i catch black bream for sport - bit fussy don't like the flavour but the taste of these trout was simply delicate. had an Italian fisherman with me - he just rolled trout in plain flour, melted some butter in olive oil and cooked in frypan, took one out just like that, left second one in and for last 2 mins sloshed some red wine in. both lovely, i recon the red wine flavour was just ahead. cheers ST

Well done southen trout. I'm new to AP too .can't wait to eat that fish. Prob try trout next winter. Silver perch seems to be my best option at the moment with out running heat. Keen to try jades thou. Met some one today trialing with a compost hot water bin. Very keen to see how good it works. Could safe alot in heating cost, and quiet a basic concept. Enjoy those trout!!!

Probably not the quickest growing but another alternative to consider would be Tandanus Catfish

Compost bins... and other means of heating have all been tried before....

Unless you've got your tank insulated, or enclosed within a shed/greenhouse.. and preferably your grow beds as well... you'll lose any heat gained during the day... through the night...

Thanks again rubert. Do u not see my status newbie. If only we all new as much as u. Old for some is new to others. Ur quick to shut people down and plug freshbynature.

In order to gain heat from compost, you need a lot of compost material and it takes a lot of work. I think Aquamad may have worked at it some one winter but the heat rise was usually short lived after turning and adding to the compost. Probably got a week of meaningful heat after the compost first heated up and then each successive turning/additions gave shorter runs of heat.

And flood and drain grow beds are impressive heat exchangers. This might sound like a good thing until you realize that overnight, every time air gets sucked down into a bed as it drains, that cool air is chilling down the media and then the next time the bed floods the media is imparting that chill to the water. You will have far more success keeping your water warm in winter by keeping the air around your grow beds warmer.

He sells BYAP gear and this is the BYAP forum. You dont think he is allowed to plug it?
And I dont see that as shutting you down, more as saving you from trying something that has been done before and doesnt work.
I am a newbie too, but sometimes it can be difficult to see the forrest for the trees.

Please dont take this as me being argumentative, I really think he was just trying to help you out with some advice.
If you dont believe him, prove him wrong!

Huh.... no mate... I was merely pointing out that other people had tried it, and other methods... and while it works and would seem an intuative thing to do... the temperature losses through the night time are often unforeseen... and insulation is required...

And where did I mention "freshbynature"????

tadpoles....?

Hay Rupe, they my see your signature as the "plug". I wouldn't worry about it though.

Well it is a "plug"...

As are the web/blog sites in the signatures of many other members...

Heck, a few days ago he seemed grateful for some information that I gave to him.... didn't even charge him for it...

You have been aroujnd answering the same questions for a long time now Rup and the way you keep your sentences short and abrupt makes it appear you have lost your patience. I too roll my eyes when I see the same questions asked over and over again, but hey when I was a newbie I asked them too, because sometimes its easier to ask then to spend hours sifting through the search function to find a million and one different opinions.
However you are a wealth of knowledge on this forum, and if it wasn't for you making these comments for the benefit of all newbies then the mistakes would be made time and time again.

Heating/Cooling systems is a hugely debated and discussed topic on this forum, there is even more than one regarding compost heating. The biggest point that keeps being mentioned is the losses encountered during extremes, the energy put into heating is lost over night unless a lot of different aspects are put into place to prevent it.

By all means give it a go, as thats what AP is all about, experimenting and trying new things. Every little thing you can do will help to a degree. Insulate tanks, run water through solar poly coils, Greenhouses, Hot water Services heating coils in pizza ovens. Its all discussed on the forum.

Yeah go for it redrocket, I love seeing people waste time doing things that clearly do no work.

And then abuse people who have been doing this for years longer than you have. Good job.

As we always recommend to people, grow what suits your climate/environment/water temps. Don't even bother trying to heat or cool, the gain is generally very little while risks and costs are increased.

Fish have an optimum temperature. You can grow them outside these temps but you're not going to get optimum growth, and there will be more risk of disease.

If you have a system totally enclosed, thats a different story possibly..

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