Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I have a small indoor system, a blue barrel cut in half, one half is the GB, one is the FT. Are there any edible fish that are small enough for this system? Asian cuisines often include small (maybe 6 inch) fish. I don't mind dealing with the bones, I know some people wouldn't want to bother, but I like eating small fish just fine. I also know I couldn't raise a whole lot of them in half a barrel, but it would be better than having no edible fish at all. I might get more barrels in the future, maybe use a whole one for fish. I plan to do an IBC outdoor system in the future, but we have very long winters here, so the outdoor system could only be at the most an 8 month thing if I'm lucky. Also, I'm in New York, so please let me know of fish I could get on the US. Thanks.

Sorry, just realized I accidentally posted this under the wrong heading, meant to out it under 'fish' of course, don't know how to fix that!

Done

goldfish are edible...

bluegill...
there are quite a few members of the lepomis family that grow big enough to eat..

Thanks, I was wondering about bluegill. Any advice on how many I could stock in approx. 25 gallons? I know it depends on how many plants I grow, but just an approximation would be helpful. Also, I was wondering how it works when raising fish from fry to eating size... When they are small they won't make much waste for the system to run off of, but stocking enough fry to have enough waste would lead to way too many fish once they grow up. How does this solution get solved?

It might be a stretch but a Bullhead Catfish along with the Bluegill could work. Bullheads typically get to two pounds and if the size difference is too great they will eat the bluegill. They're tolerant of water quality issues. Watch out for the spine if you do get one of these. Six inchers are edible, the New Alchemy institute used to skin and fry them in butter.

Your system won't need or handle many fish. Look at the oft repeated rules of thumb thread for stocking density information.

i wouldn't put a bullhead in a 25 gallon tank..
as far as number of bluegill, i'd go with 3 or 4..
smaller fish eat more..anywhere from 5-10% body weight daily, while adult fish eat about 2 to 3% body weight and are more active so "breathing" more and expelling more ammonia from their gills..

No doubt that Bullhead would quickly outgrow the tank Keith. My thinking on this is Bigger (like 50 gallons or more) would be better tank wise but I think these should work fine if you're harvesting as small fish in the 6 - 7 inch range. They also grow much faster than Bluegill and aren't picky eaters. If you're stocking close to adult size fish then Bluegill would be better and Bullhead would be too large. Bullhead might be more prone to turf battles than Bluegill but I'm not sure of this. Both these species can take in enough chow that shouldn't be a problem except in the cold season (if they're where they'll be affected).

One downside of using Bullhead is that you will have to restock more often and that could be a pain.

Cheers

good point!