Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi guys and gals, new memver here looking at setting up an ibc system and was wondering what fis type to power my system. I live near Springwood NSW which is about 3 degres cooler in Summer in Penrith and about 3 degrees warmer than Penrith in Winter. I would like to try trout but I am wondering if it might be too warm in Summer. Possibly thinking Silver Perch or possibly Jade Perch.

Any ideas and advice listened to. Also would like to chat to anyone aroubd the Penrith Blue Mountains area who has a system

Hi kadarra,

I would imagine your area would be too cool for Jades. Even in Brisbane heating of the water is sometimes required in winter.

Trout will do well in a water temp range between 10-20ºC, with the optimum being around 17-18ºC. They will handle temps well below 10ºC, down to almost 0ºC apparently, but I can't confirm that, our water temps never get that cold here in Perth. Eastern states bred Trout will handle temps to about 22-23ºC before they stop feeding apparently... our WA bred Trout are tougher and will feed up to 25ºC, that I can confirm.

If you plan on doing only trout you may have a period of 3 or 4 months through summer with no fish in the system, especially through a summer like you guys are having this year.

I would be more inclined to run Silver Perch as your primary fish and plant nutrient provider. They will handle water temps from as low as about 6-7ºC right up to 35ºC. They will usually stop feeding when the temp drops to about 13ºC or lower, mine do anyway. You could run a second FT off the system with a few Trout through winter, I know a number of people that do this. That way you get a bit of variety and a more consistent nutrient supply.

There are a couple of forum members around Kurrajong, but neither have posted for some time.
I can run rainbow trout in my unchilled system from April to November, plenty of time for some of them to get to 1kg, so you'd have no problems doing similar in lower BMs.

Thats sounds like a good idea running both over winter. 1kg trout sounds tasty. I could rub the trout in the sump tank during winter perhaps and silvers in the FT over the the whole year. Would that work?

Depends on your ST and how much water, fish poo, O2 levels etc.. and of course, how hard the rub the fish!

Hi kadarra,

I use to live near Blacktown and just recently moved to the Lower Mountains myself.

For the last 2 years I have run silver perch all year and trout in through the winter (April/May-October/November). I'm guessing the mountains will be very similar to Blacktown just less extremes in temperature.

I had 2 ibc's as fish tanks. in Summer/Autumn I would have the larger Silverp erch in one and new fingerlings in the other. When it came to trout time i would move them all into one tank and run trout in one the silver perch in the other.

I found once the water temp got below ~15C the Silver Perch hardly ate. Would be lucky to eat once a week. While the trout smashed the Food.

Rub the fish - should be "run the fish" but I guess you worked that out

Yes, I figured so However, whether or not you can run many fish in your ST depends on the things I mentioned. I wouldn't run any fish in the ST in either of my systems, they'd be too hard to catch in one, and the water level gets too low in the other.
I have added a 1000l tank beside the main 4500l FT and had 220 trout fingerlings in there for a month or 2 though. Photo here: viewtopic.php?f=18&t=24153&p=501873&hilit=220+trout#p501901