Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi, My name is JC and I'm just about finished with my first aquaponics set-up. Just waiting for my water pump tubing and filter media. I only have a 20 gallon fish tank and a similar 20 gallon area for my plant bedding. I'm hoping this is a good size to get my feet wet. I was thinking about growing taro and water spinach for starters in the plant beds and for fish I 'm thinking about catfish and/or rainbow trout. I was also thinking about growing a small lotus in the fish tank to help block out the sun directly to the open fish tank since it will be in direct sunlight for 6 hours or so. I am having difficulty finding a supplier of catfish or rainbow trout fingerlings. I was wondering if anyone in the group might have a suggestion as to where I might find a supplier in the Northern California area.

Welcome to the forum JCMeyerSF .

Just so you know the lotus will take up quite a bit of nutrients, most water plants are heavy feeders. I've grown a couple of these in my system in the past.

Cheers

What type of fertilizer did you use for the Lotus. Did the fertilizer affect the fish in anyway?

JC

The whole idea of the AP system is to feed the fish and the fish poop is converted into fertilizer so I didn't add anything specifically for these and the only effect on the fish was to fatten them up . The problem is that the water plants like lotus and water lilies take enough out of the system that you may notice problems with your other plants.

Did you ever find a local supplier for fingerlings? Currently looking for one

"Local" is subjective. I would start with Craigslist to see if anyone in your area has extra fish. Otherwise, J and J Aquafarms is in the N CA area, but likely still a couple hour drive from SF.

Finally, ordering online with shipping is your best bet for quality fish that are exactly what you want. JandJ ships, as does Grennhill Gardens in OR. There is also Lakeway Tilapia. You can even find live fish on Amazon now, though mostly aquarium or feeder fish.

PS: Hello from So CA!

Do you think 20 gallons is enough for catfish and/or rainbow trout?

absolutely no way is it big enough!

That’s what I thought, but wondered what JC ended up doing for fish in his aquarium. I just noticed the original post is several years old. Oops.

Oh, I hadn't noticed either!

Yeah, 20 gallons no way. I've done trout in a 250 gallon IBC, catfish too. But to grow the catfish large they need more space, so I went to a 900 gallon pond. I'd say catfish need 400 gallon minimum and they like to hang on the bottom, so bigger area is more important than depth / gallons. I use a 90 gallon stock tank and I have grown catfish from a couple inches to 17 lbs (5 years old).

Jas, I agree with checking Craigslist or Offerup, you can likely find some fingerlings around there. Maybe not in Clearlake, but maybe Santa Rosa, Oakland, SF, East Bay. I have seen multiple postings over the years.