Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

What fish are you getting torcz

Rainbow trout.

No change from the cap full of CC, so I added another plus one of seasol. The next day I could see the spinach was looking great again, and generally some lift in the plants. Day after that ammonia was 0 and nitrites 0!!. It's been two days like that so I think I will get some fish in there.

I was planning just 15 fish to begin with. Does this sound alright for a ~1500L fish tank? I only have two grow beds totaling 900L, so obviously I need to under stock quite a bit. I will be adding probably 6m of piping for strawberries etc in a couple months, otherwise that will be the extent of the system.

Thanks for the help.

I think BYAP's general stocking recommendation is no more than 25 fish per 500 liters of grow bed. It is generally OK to stock less fish within reason, especially if you are going to feed high protein feed and supplement with a bit of seasol as needed for the trace elements.

I'm the same as you with possibly a little more water in sump and I have 30 trout which was recommended as under for safety so I would get more

So the question I have is what kind of fish are we talking about? Is it one that can coexist with smaller fish? If so, go ahead and start with 15, then add more if you need to. 15 is fine to start with, it will just take longer to build up nutrients. Seasol most certainly could help with that. The thing is that the price difference between 15 and 30 fish is usually negligible, because the shipping is usually the expensive part.

Ok, I've decided to go with 25 trout. They will only be 12cm, so the system shouldn't take a big hit initially.

I'm picking the fish up from the farm and the bloke said that it would be best to just take them home in the aerated bag they provide. It's an hour and a half away. I was actually planning on brining an esky full of tank water and the air pump, but maybe its not neccessary..? It's going to be a wild ride through the hills either way.

The trout farm will pack them into an oxygenated bag that will survive well past the hour and a half...

While your trout might be small when you get them... you'll be feeding them hard... and they'll be growing quickly...

So watch your ammonia levels...

Hour and a half sounds like Glenwaters? If so, I got some in an oxy bag that were picked up by another AP'er, then sat for about 2 hours till I got to melb, then survived just fine a 2 hour trip home. i.e. you won't need the esky.

Ok, sounds good. I will bring the pump just incase. I'm picking them up from the Buxton farm. Reminds me .. if anyone needs trout in Melbourne CBD, let me know and I can pick some up .. they are $1 for 12cm fingerlings.

Exciting
Next time I'm in melbourne I'll come have a look at your fish.

They give you a big plastic bag and they fill it with oxygen and zip tie it.
When I first got 7 fish the guy said they would last up to 4 hours with the cold weather.

When I got 50 fish he said about 1-2 hours.

I would get yearlings if you can.

Picked up 25 trout this morning. They didn't seem too concerned by the drive. The pH levels where basically the same so I just briefly brought the temperature back down then put the fish in the tank. The fish seem pretty happy, swimming around all levels and corners of the tank. I'm running 30 mins on/off at the moment and not adding any additional aeration - there are no fish gasping for air, and the majority are in the lower half.

I read that people generally don't feed the fish for a day or two. Is that a good rule to follow? I'm actually away on the weekend and would hate my friend to get to feed them for the first time! I was planning to feed late this arvo or tomorrow morning.

Congratulations! I was in the same situation when I got my yearlings - I had to go away for a few days when I first got them and apparently they can last up to 2 weeks without feed - not sure about fingerlings though.

Thanks! I'm super pumped man .. trout in my backyard!! I slowly fed them half a cup of 3mm and it was all taken within a few minutes. I'd say out of the 25, only 10 or so were actually feeding, the rest were huddled in a dark corner.

I was thinking the main reason I probably shouldn't feed them too much is because of the impact it would have on the system..? I took a reading tonight and there is no change.

I'm quickly building a cage lined with netting because there were a couple jumping out of the water already.

Welcome to swing by next time you're in Melb.

Yep.. get a cover on... or they will be in your backyard...