Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi there, I am new to this and do not have a system running but have all the bits ready when the spring comes.
My question is about feeding fish.I intend to try silver perch due to vegetarian habits and I see that a protein need is about 28%. Does anyone have experience feeding Gambusia, minced or frozen if disease is a problem, to supplement the protein factor[ alongside a basic diet regime eg dry cat food. I feed Koi a cat food with success.
Gambusia are common and plentiful hereabouts, easily netted and hardy in keeping tanks.They are a pest species and harvesting them is good for the environment. With a basic food, duckweed,gambusia , worms and odd "windfall" insect, I suspect that the fish should thrive. Am I on the right track.
Gre [font=Arial] [/font] at site and I hope to become more involved as I progress.

Hi Pisces,
welcome
I can't see feeding them Gambusia being a problem. Silvers and jades will eat almost anything that falls in the tank. All you will be doing is replacing the fish meal in commercial pellets with Gambusia meal.
Will you have any legal/council/government issues with harvesting a pest species? Or will you not tell them
If you start your system running and cycle it up without the fish using the urine-addition method, your system will be even more ready to go come spring and fish time

VB has done it. we all seem quite at home urinating in our systems now, it would seem. I'm admitting to NOTHING

Ummm.. ever consider worm tea??? thats what i used and had fantastic results.. instead of using pee

The main idea of pee is that it's high in ammonia, this helps to get the bacteria going.

A nother pluss is you dont have to go inside all the time

I would avoid feeding gambusia. They often carry parasites, are illegal to transport, nip fin and can be hard to get out of systems once established.
Hate the things hey.
They are also an excuse for the people with power to give you untold grief if they ever pop over for a look see.
I don't want to discourage you from killing them, or encourage you to swap to a native feeder fish but.... ya maybe buy white bait or protein pellets.

Not to sure if Firetail Gudgeons make it to your area, but they make good feeder fish and are very fecund and easy to breed in large numbers. Best of all they are native fish which clean up mosquitos heaps better than gambusia.