Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Sounds like you are on the verge of HSM

What you need is a break - get away for a few days vb

SP are looking better every day (won't be game to put up any fish kills now )

No HSM - just a major pain in the arse really.

have been ringing around for some fish today. One at Murgon went to message bank "we have no fingerlings due to the drought and water restrictions" so no barra there. Rang another one "hopefully have some barra by christmas". Cost $1 each, size 30mm. Sounds awfully familiar to me. He will sell me 50 though and didn't sound to worried when I said I wouldn't be able to pick them up until some time in january which would mean a bit of extra growth before I picked them up. He did tell me that he only knows of one commercial fry supplier who has any fry this year and they are looking after their own needs this year and the guy I was talking to spoke like he was getting any leftovers as a mates deal. Also reckons about 10 months min to market size so they may not grow as fast as I thought they did, might get too cold for them if I can't get them before january so will need lots of heating in 6 months or so.
Cod fish

Who are the CF?

Needless to say - I'd recommend against buying at 30mm. 30mm is very small once you take into account the tail. Expect high mort rate at this size - much different to 50mm.

SEQ Fish. I don't know how quick they grow but if they could get to 50-60mm by mid January when I could pick them up it could be worthwhile
Cod fish

That's if they don't all sell out by then CF. How many are they getting in?

was told 1000 but who knows
cod fish

I expect that once mortalities (including those from cannabalism) are factorred into normal selling that those 1000 would be gone very quickly.

I normally pride myself on the fact that my only fish deaths (except for a couple in my very first batch of feeder fish) have been in no way related to my treatment of them (my only real mortalities have been the die off of the tiny barra from the purchase that is discussed in this thread).

Anyway - nearly stuffed up my record entirely. Have been extremely busy with work trips and then uni exam preparation. Uni over now so today (at lunch time - I am working from home today) I decided that I should move the remaining barra in the 50 litre aquarium out into the nursery. Thought I'd do a pH check first to compare the nursery to the 50 litre aquarium. Also took a reading from the big system (with my mature perch in it).

Bloody shock (though should not have been unexpected) greeted me. pH in 50 litre was below 6 (and so incidentally was the big system). Moved the fish to the nursery straight away - in a less than ideal way. Removed most of the water from the 50 litre, netted the barra (probably about 60 of them) and transferred them via a 3 or 4 or so litre stainless steel bowl with half half water in it. No adapting them to the pH change, so cross fingers that I don't kill or permanently damage them. Will put some more salt in to help with the stress.

Subsequently took a reading from the 50 litre and the ammonia was only 1ppm - no probs at that pH and the nitrite was quite high - maybe 3+, but with 4ppt of salt in the aquarium, this should not have been a prob either. Therefore I've probably been a bit hasty in making such a quick move over - but too bad, at least it is done now. Will give them (and the ones that were already in the nursery tank) 24 hours to settle before I start feeding them again.

oooh, :fingers crossed:

PS - one slight surprise was that the nitrate was only about 80. I expect I had some aneraobic gass off in the biofilters, which I was running continuously flooded.

Thanks Jaymie - I think they will be fine. Must put that salt in.

hey vb,

sounds like we weren't the only ones that had a day of learning curves. sure hope they recover well.

good luck.

Fingers crossed for ya VB