Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

MC are really feeding well now, I have been quite busy with work lately and have not been feeding them much at all, they nearly rise to the surface to take pellet crumble at the moment.

Had some weird behaviour and a death in the MC last weekend. May have over done it with the feed, but found a dead rat in the sump tank last week don't know if it could be related.
They were off the feed on Sunday too which was weird.

Hey Bundy

surely a rotting rat would cause issues, even if just recently dead.

Im no expert but in the past when people have lost fish, you never loose just one - its always a few, even if over a few days or so.

Im a strong believer that when fish die, the stress or possibly other bad stuff (for lack of a better word) is what takes out others. Im no marine biologist or fish expert so I dont know for sure but I have read and experienced so many times of fish (for no found reason) dropping off the perch then one after another others go too.

Example:-

A friend of mine found one of his Perch sucked up into his pump, no signs of infection or otherwse, system running well for over a year. All tests OK, Next few weeks lost another dozen or so. Still to this day no idea what happened. And Ive experieced similar myself.

How many times have I read of someone loosing 1 then 2 then 6 etc then deaths stop. Nothing found.

My theory is something chemical or otherwise is given off by a stressed or dyng or dead fish that consumes others.

Is this possible or have I been reading too many of Bullwinkles threads....

I'm not sure about ur fish theory. All I know is that reading even one of bully's threads is one too many :p

From what I noticed when running SP that was always the case, one would drop then gradually up to 10 at a time, sometime it coincided with weather changes, lots of rain, or sometimes human error like over feeding, turning a pump off and forgetting to turn it on for 12 hours.

First time I have seen a problem with the MC but I am not suprised or disheartened this time however. I now know fish losses are inevitable but would prefer them to be at a minimum.

Only one loss so far, and everything is looking good today, MC back to feeding frenetically, although I have refrained from feeding most of the week.

Some of you may remember I still have a single trout remaining from last years batch, and he went balistic for the feed today I am very excited for his potential growth this year.

Well that trout should be home free for this summer now so yeah, he weeeel be biiiig getting.

Tests all okay, MC feeding great again today. Trout too.

Went out to raid a dam with my apprentice and his old man yesterday arvo. The dam was on a property development and was being drained. Last time they drained one they cleaned up getting chaff bags full of yabbies. Unfortunately this dam had none! Only couple of hundred meters from the last one. Even built a drag net to pull from one side of the remaining water to the other and pulled up nothing! Very disappointing.

Probably got enough in the system at the moment though. Estimate 60 odd yabbies ranging from babies to bait size to a couple of biggens. Was hoping to get a few large ones for a feed last night but had to settle for frozen pizza instead.

couldnt agree more with the rain statement. the first SP I ever lost (followed by another 4-5) was after a heavy rain.

p.s. glad to see your tests looking good mate

quick update.

Have lost maybe another 2 MC since I last posted, doesn't seem to be more than one at a time.
the last one had some funny looking parasites on it. Same white fungi sort of stuff on it but with little worm like wrigglers on it.

Trout is loving the feed at the moment. absolutley smashes it and is growing by the day from the look of him.

Time to plant a few things I reckon, maybe this Sunday. Also reckon its time to get some more trout. Reckon i'll go with 50 and seperate them if I have the FT space. need to eat some yabbies from the sump.

You may have to do a massive salting bundy to rid those parasites. Maybe 6-8ppt all in one go. That will pullem up.

Hey Bundy have to agree.. Salt them heavy, even go to the extent if you can to Salt them in a 10% bath then put them in the 6-8%

Juergen

My salt level last I checked was around 2.5ppt however we have had a lot of rain over the last few months so it would be worth my while checking again. I am planning on getting trout soon so I will pick the salt up again before getting them.
They all look happy and hungry again today.

Just went out to test my salinity and the battery on my tester has gone flat, not I need to work out how to charge it.

If you havent tested for a while you will have none as plants use it as well

G'day guys, Its Trout time!

I salted the system last week enough to make it 3ppt so if there was any left in the system it would be slightly higher than that now.

Went away on the weekend up around Bright, there is a trout farm up there, which we took the girls to to catch there first fish.
Very easy but actually alot of fun, they use bamboo rods with a line attached and skretting pellet mushed with flour as bait. They had a large rainbow pond and a small rainbow pond. A salmon pond and a brook/tiger trout pond.
We got a good feed for good friday and I smoked some up in my camp oven over the fire using a rack in the bottom of the oven and hickory sawdust. It was to die for!

Went back there again yesterday to purchase some fingerlings for the AP. $1.50 each for good size fingerlings. Average size 80-100mm. Bought 75 rainbows and 25 brook trout. Thought I would give the brook trout a go. The guy at the farm said they are more tolerant to low oxygen levels and they were larger stock too. Average size 100-120mm.
Supposedly have a more delicate flesh and skin when cooked.
Caught myself a tiger trout while there too and will be cooking him up for dinner tonight.