Aquaponics

[politicalcenter]

My pond is about 2,000 gallons and I wouldn't have to water much at all if we could get some rain. We also have some intense sun here in Bama..even watermelon can sunburn. I like the southern peas, tomatoes, and other warm season veggies but my best production is usually fall gardens with broccoli, cabbage, kale and carrots. Water is the reason I am growing is sawdust. I hope to eliminate irrigation all together. Does your local community college have an aquiculture program? They may help with acquiring tilapia for your tanks.

 

[CertifiedChaser]

My pond is about 2,000 gallons and I wouldn't have to water much at all if we could get some rain. We also have some intense sun here in Bama..even watermelon can sunburn. I like the southern peas, tomatoes, and other warm season veggies but my best production is usually fall gardens with broccoli, cabbage, kale and carrots. Water is the reason I am growing is sawdust. I hope to eliminate irrigation all together. Does your local community college have an aquiculture program? They may help with acquiring tilapia for your tanks.

I hear ya about the rain. We're finally starting to get some. Been another hot and dry year for Oklahoma. Best to find ways to save as much water as possible as every year seems to get hotter and hotter. None that I know of. I think OSU or OU might have something but I'm not sure. I know OSU has a good Agriculture division but not sure if they do any aquaponics. Will see if I can find some information on it in the morning but thanks for the idea. Never crossed my mind to check with the colleges.

 

[CertifiedChaser]

Found some hatcheries with bluegill for sale (I prefer native fish anyways due to cold weather) but the closest I've found is two hours away. Not looking forward to that but it seems to be my only option unless I feel like paying for delivery. But I think like everything else that I will have to order the fish next year. Not sure it'd be wise to introduce them so late in the year with only a couple months to adjust before cold weather.

 

[CertifiedChaser]

Also does anyone have any good sources for duckweed? I ordered some a while back through Amazon but I'm not sure if it was the heat or what but it didn't last long. Just slowly stayed alive and never seemed to really reproduce. Will make a styrofoam float with a mesh bottom for the fish tank when I get some. I'm hoping to grow enough to supplement feed the fish as well as any future animals. I've also read azolla is a useful plant as well. Spirulina looks to be way too complicated for me for now.

 

[politicalcenter]

Fish love duckweed. I found some growing in a flooded loading dock at my local CO OP... it was free for the taking.

 

[knjinnm]

Thanks for your comments. We use wall to wall rubber stall floor coverings so no bedding and our two horses do not poop in their stalls so all daily cleanup is in their paddocks.

 

[DesertChic]

Where did you find your fish if you don't mind my asking? I know there are delivery services available but I don't know how much they cost and I imagine it's expensive to deliver fish from out of state. I had imagined tilapia producing more rapidly and growing very quickly but I guess they aren't the "miracle" fish I envisioned. Still probably faster than anything else. I had hoped to raise enough for at least a filet or two a week.

I haven't had enough fish to produce anything yet and I had a late start so next year I hope to grow some beans and greens and a few other things. Hopefully some peppers. Have the plants produced a lot or is it about the same as growing in soil? And my tomatoes were butchered by hornworms but I just chopped up the worms and threw em in the tank. Still got one plant growing but I'm new to gardening as well and tomatoes are probably about out of season if not already. Thanks for the tip on phosphorous and tomatoes though! Will definitely just stick with soil next year for them and use the space for other plants.

Also how often and what do you feed your fish? I usually toss a few mealworms or beetles in every other day or the occasional slug, fly, or whatever I can find but I feel like I should be feeding more and more often.

We have an outstanding local AP and gardening store that sold the fish to me just before our local government decide they were an invasive species and not permitted for sale. Fortunately that store also worked diligently, along with devoted customers like myself, to convince Game & Fish that we want to EAT our Tilapia...not release them into the wild. They've now made an allowance for AP gardeners.

I basically feed my fish whenever they act hungry, which right now amounts to 4-6 times per day. I have Game Fish feed that I add to a jar along with some water to soften the pellet, toss it into the tank and enjoy the feeding frenzy. If after 5 minutes there are still any pellets floating around I know they've had enough. If not, I add some more. Then I wait about 1-4 hours before feeding again. The warmer the water temperature, the more they eat and the faster they grow. When the water's cool the eat far less and grow much more slowly. Tilapia like the heat!

 

[politicalcenter]

Is the water clear? I have heard they are filter feeders and will clean up green algae. Is it true? I have to tint my water to keep the "pea soup" in check. But my pond is in full sun.

 

[CertifiedChaser]

We have an outstanding local AP and gardening store that sold the fish to me just before our local government decide they were an invasive species and not permitted for sale. Fortunately that store also worked diligently, along with devoted customers like myself, to convince Game & Fish that we want to EAT our Tilapia...not release them into the wild. They've now made an allowance for AP gardeners. 

I basically feed my fish whenever they act hungry, which right now amounts to 4-6 times per day. I have Game Fish feed that I add to a jar along with some water to soften the pellet, toss it into the tank and enjoy the feeding frenzy. If after 5 minutes there are still any pellets floating around I know they've had enough. If not, I add some more. Then I wait about 1-4 hours before feeding again. The warmer the water temperature, the more they eat and the faster they grow. When the water's cool the eat far less and grow much more slowly. Tilapia like the heat!

We need more people like that who are willing to stand against stupid government ordinances. However I do understand their point of view since there are idiots in the world who just toss some wild animal into the wild when they don't feel like taking care of it. Wish we had more AP people and businesses around here! It's such a neat thing to put together and watch.

Guess I should increase how much I feed my fish. I felt like the catfish wasn't getting much of anything so I dropped in some bait I had left and the thing just gulped it down. Guess he was hungry. I'm hoping they stay alive just through till next summer. Kind of my learning experience in aquaponics. Keep the fish alive? Check. Next up is actually growing plants.

 

[DesertChic]

We need more people like that who are willing to stand against stupid government ordinances. However I do understand their point of view since there are idiots in the world who just toss some wild animal into the wild when they don't feel like taking care of it. Wish we had more AP people and businesses around here! It's such a neat thing to put together and watch.

Guess I should increase how much I feed my fish. I felt like the catfish wasn't getting much of anything so I dropped in some bait I had left and the thing just gulped it down. Guess he was hungry. I'm hoping they stay alive just through till next summer. Kind of my learning experience in aquaponics. Keep the fish alive? Check. Next up is actually growing plants.

Do be afraid to add some seeds to your grow beds even at the early stages. I actually managed to harvest some pickling cucumbers within the first few months alone with some Swiss Chard and mint. The plants can actually help with the water filtration even if they don't manage to flower and fruit.