Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I have been researching fish for my Aquaponics system, for use in the cold/hot Canberra environment

To my Despair there is no native fish like (silver Perch, Trout, catfish) that can breed within my Aquaponics kit.
To setup a truly Self Sufficient system I would like to not have to buy fish every 6months or so.

In my research I have come across a Tilapia breed that I cannot identify as Illegal in Australia.
The oreochromis aureus (blue Tilapia) is not listed by its Scientific name on any Government documents that I have found as an illegal fish. But it is referenced in some places but not exclusively as illegal.

It’s good for temps of 8c to 30c (roughly).
So it seems great for the purpose of Aquaponics in this state, (but for this reason it must be illegal)

Does anyone really know what the law is around this breed? or does the Australia law against Tilapia cover ALL these strains??

It’s really frustrating trying to pick good fish to use in this climate.
Alternatively I am guessing I will need to use Silver perch and or trout, or eel catfish and use heaters or coolers to run outside of season.
But I think it’s just disappointing that the only fish we are allowed to have require government approval or cannot breed themselves in our systems.
(besides koi/carp/goldfish of course)

Try living in Tassy you cant even fa.t without a licence. That's why we are the poor trash of Australia. way, way, way, way over governed.

Any breed of Tilapia is frowned on here in Australia and not worth the trouble if found keeping them, making them a very expensive fish the keep.

http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries/pes ... es/tilapia

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I suspect that each state has it's own rules and you can thus find same on their web sites

Naturally, you could try emailing them if you find it hard to find..

I am told that in Qld. You are required to kill and that are caught whilst fishing and mustered not throw jack

Saw a doco, some time back about how they were trying to detect their presence in waterways, by water sampling and DNA testing..
Clearly, authorities are seriously concerned about the species that would destroy local species if they escape..

And... I see a NSW site post that may clarify the position

PS... you can understand official concern about using them commercially in Aquaculture... consider the result if you lived in those flooded areas of Qld..... but up there it sounds like it may be too late.. for many areas..
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Perhaps something to research and I have no idea if it's possible, but could you build your AP system to allow them to breed? ie: give them somewhere to swim 'upstream' ? Could be more expensive than just buying the fish each year or maybe it's just not possible.

I'm in Canberra too - from what I understand trout will grow to plate size before it gets too hot (say March through to Dec) so you may not have to cool them at all....my dilema has been what to do in those few really hot months....

Yea in the hot months you can do silver perch, both trout and silvers can make it through both seasons with some help.

I personally have been trying to find a fish that can breed and all AU natives can only breed with injections that the government manages
or naturally with an array of difficult to achieve conditions like the following
by the moon being in the right place
and the water having right temp
and when the late winter snow melts in africa then they can breed naturally.
I just guess thats where we are at then your not allowed to be producing your own fish to eat. you need to buy from the gov fisheries etc.

do people not have ponds and small lakes with sustainable fish populations? I just dont believe it should be that hard for a fish to breed or it would become exinct.

I found a lot of great info on breeding natural US species on a forum dedicated to managing these types of ponds. I think you call them "dams"

Nope. Our natives will not breed in captivity, this includes dams and ponds. They will however in the wild, this is why they are not extinct. A dam or pond is not the wild where tidal changes and tenpurature changes spike spawning etc.

There are plenty of fish farms that are not government owned. Fish farming is a business like any other. Fingerlings are well priced anyway.

You have multiple options in Canberra. You could use trout during a possible 6-10 months of the year depending on system design and temps then just run fish less in summer. Or still run trout and have a seperate tank with SP all year round. Or if you purchase large silvers they can share the same FT as the trout. Same with Catfish.

Any fish species that will readily breed in your tank, will also be a threat as an invasive species in the wild... I gave up being upset about the fish restrictions a long time ago, and hey supporting small hatcheries by buying fingerlings is a good thing..

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Plus one for SILVERS breeding in captivity..



Were that correct then there would be no fingerlings.. Every Silver breeder that I have seen, has dams for breeding and growing..

Proof... the chap at hornsby giving away fingerlings, that just appeared year after year in his swimming pool.
Don't know the whole story, but sounds like he started in AP and then needed to remove the pool.. he drained it and just let the birds have a feast..
http://aquaponics.net.au/forum/threads/free-silver-perch-fry.7617/
As obvious, he did nothing to encourage them.. it just happened..!
(Remember they are gone now)

Likely very hard to replicate conditions for trout.. Cichlids will breed vigorously, as proven by their pest status in Qld.
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I am missing the concept of how a native fish breeding in captivity becomes an invasive species? Please explain.

That is the first time I've ever heard of anyone thats had silvers breed naturally in captivity in about 14 years of doing AP, so not something that can easily be replicated, more freakishly lucky..

The process of breeding silvers successfully in captivity is very long and complicated, Carl used to work for me at the BYAP shop, he has done it many times and used to go down and help Troutman with the breeding there, he has explained the process to me a few times and the ponds are only used after you have fry successfully growing in your tanks insude.

The OP was talking about species of tilapia that would successfully breed in tank, he wanted some species that he could breed so that he didn't have to buy fingerling, all native Australian fish are not ready breeders in captivity, so you'd have to look at introduced species.. Well, no useful Australian species, some small fish breed very easily in captivity.

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Thanks JOEL...
That one guy had it happen possibly by almost neglect, does not make it happen as normal..
I can stupidly suggest that the variable depth of a larger pool could replicate the right/better conditions, whereas an IBC would be a most un-natural situation..

How do they breed them commercially..
I would assume they net ponds for fat females and strip eggs and milk them etc.etc...

Leave them alone and the eggs may get fertilised naturally, but would likely fall foul of predation..
So I suspect that same female could be placed with a male in a separate tank and "watched" for the time when eggs are laid and then remove the parents.. and if this is practical, you may get to produce fry..
But that would require a special nursery tank... something that you would have as spare...

Tilapia.. Cichlids.. Mouth Brooders.. they are successful, soooo successful because of their brooding techniques..
I would like to think that one could be naughty and fish for a male and female and then start your own program and if you tell no one, and you know of the need to be environmentally responsible, and NEVER risk the setup to possible washaway during floods..

Naughty... but possible... "Gone Fushin " comes to mind
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several pond biologists in my state told me i cant breed bluegill in an aquarium too.. and they told me i cant feed train crappie cause they will only eat live/moving feed...

i have since sent them youtube videos of me doing both things...

for the record they didnt respond to the feedback.. heh

things sometimes "arent possible" until someone does it

Very informative, thanks everyone,
I have searched for ages am an glad I joined the comunity here to get some insite and not just my own sparce view,
Looks like I will be marching the straight line and purchasing fish every season or trying to make them survive the winter or summers depending on breed.
Its just a large demotivator not to be able to do what the people in the USA and other countries can and breed your own fish also.
if I move to a warmer climate I may go quiet and responsibly breed tilapia in my personal system, but there is many if's in that statement.
There is however some posts on the eel catfish breeding in large tanks with stoned bottoms, may need to look into that a bit more.

but it
Looks like I will be a trout guy and try chill my water for the couple of months around dec to keep them alive if they are not finished growing, and swap between trout silvers and catfish.

Thanks again everyone,