Backyard Aquaponics
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A couple of weeks ago I got 10 trout and put them in my new IBC system. Now there are only 3. They are about 6 inches long and look pretty happy and healthy. The three that are left are eating.

I have read and it is pretty obvious, they are either being eating by other fish or something else is eating them. There is not a trace of anything in the tank, no scales, nothing. Studying them today one has pretty much no fins except his tail fin and it is pretty shredded.

The GB is on top of the FT, there is maybe a 6 inch gap at the front, I wouldn't have thought it would be big enough for a bird that is large enough to take the fish to get in and out.

So are the trout likely to have been eating eachother or do you think something is getting in and taking them.

Thirdly what type of fish could I put in with the remaining three to get my system firing.

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Jumping out?

Don't think they are jumping out.

Trout have been known to jump out.

You said that one of the remaining ones is tore up pretty bad? Is it possible they are getting sucked into you pump? the other option would be a predator is eating them.

I'd make sure they can't get sucked into the pump and also cover the tank with a net of some type. Small enough so they can't jump through it.

I don't know if trout attack each other, but that's exactly what my goldfish did. Apparently they do this under stress even though they might appear to be happy.

Pump is a smallish submersible water gaps are probably only 1/8th of an inch or so couldn't see them getting sucked in. Might put a little cage around it just in case. Will put some shade mesh or something across the front to stop bird and try and put together some sort of cover for the fish in case they are jumping out.

Any idea on if can introduce silver perch in or will the trout eat them

Silver perch will get bullied with trout that are big. You need perch that are at least 15cm+ to run with trout.

You could put a basket in with silver fingerlings and then release after your trout harvest in nov/dec.

Big trout will eat little trout but there would have to be a decent size difference. Maybe a cat or bird? Small trout will also eat small SP but once again it's a size thing.

I wouldn't be getting trout this time of year unless it stays cold in your area.

Hi bathursthayman

To put your mind at ease I have 85 400g trout and about 30 2 year old silver perch in the same tank. If anything the perch are not as skittish as they used to be. Definitely put a net over your tank as trout love to jump.

Then when you feed them watch their antics when pellets get stuck in the top of the net.

There would have to be a massive size difference for rainbows to eat other alive, dead on the other hand would be alot closer. Im talking 3kg vs 50g would need to be the difference for them to even consider it. We currently just stocked 2 different year clases together for space reasons that would be 3-4kg vs 300g and we dont have a worry in the world about the 300g ones being attacked by anything other than cormarents so we put a bird net over the top. Id say its either cormarents(or any birds) or cats. Water rats leave the scraps sitting on the edges of tanks etc so they are easy to know.

Could also be nankeen night heron

http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species ... aledonicus

Always best to have a tank cover for trout to stop them jumping out but also for predators such as herons


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We lost a number of trout to jumping out. Once they had left the fish tank, the cats would scoop them up for a snack making it difficult to figure what the problem was. A cover over the tank fixed the problem. (Shadecloth in a frame)

Thanks for the comments. Still not sure if the might have jumped out and than been snapped up by something but will put a net/shade cloth over the top, and try and put something else in with the trout maybe put a divider in the tank and keep them separate.

Cats. I have lost koi to those varmits