Aquaponics

[politicalcenter]

And...... we've already lost all but 5 of the fry. Our foot long Pleco in the indoor tank likes to splash the water at night and at some point he hit the brooder and knocked a bunch of the fry out into the aquarium where they were eaten by the other fish. This morning when I went to check on the remaining ones there were fewer in there than when I went to bed indicating that something (shrimp, aquatic frog, etc...) else in the aquarium had gotten in there and done some feeding. *sigh* We've got a larger and more secure brooder on the way hoping that this problem can be corrected. I really need more fish in the AP tank.

Tilapia are mouth brooders. You may need to move mommy with the babies. And if you could give them a lot of hiding places in your tank.

I have lot of goldfish. My plant tank has about a hundred in it and they had to come in on plant roots.

I am going to pick out the ones with the most black in them and try to breed a black comet.

I will probably do a lot of culling.

 

[RichnSteph]

Tilapia are mouth brooders. You may need to move mommy with the babies. And if you could give them a lot of hiding places in your tank.

I have lot of goldfish. My plant tank has about a hundred in it and they had to come in on plant roots.

I am going to pick out the ones with the most black in them and try to breed a black comet.

I will probably do a lot of culling.

I'd considered moving the female and babies but I don't have any place to put them. If I put them in the aquarium in the house she'll probably eat most of the small fish in there and the plants not to mention being a terror to anything she doesn't eat. I'll see if I can figure out how to isolate her and the fry in one corner of the AP tank at least until the fry are larger and I can safely put them into the aquarium to grow.

I'd wanted to have a bunch of goldfish in our tank to help up the nutrient levels but every time I put any in there the bass and large perch eat them right up.

 

[politicalcenter]

I'd considered moving the female and babies but I don't have any place to put them. If I put them in the aquarium in the house she'll probably eat most of the small fish in there and the plants not to mention being a terror to anything she doesn't eat. I'll see if I can figure out how to isolate her and the fry in one corner of the AP tank at least until the fry are larger and I can safely put them into the aquarium to grow.

I'd wanted to have a bunch of goldfish in our tank to help up the nutrient levels but every time I put any in there the bass and large perch eat them right up.

I am at a loss. The only thing other than a small kiddie pool would be to put a lot more cover in the big tank.

Wal Mart pools should be on sale in your area. Just a thought. I have one with just water, duckweed and plants in it. The last time I moved plants I ended up with a bunch of goldfish.

Anyway good luck!!! I hope you work the bugs out.

Or...with a few cement blocks and some plastic sheeting you could build a temporary tank to raise the fry in.

 

[lazy gardener]

I'm starting to be thankful that I live in the frigid nasty cold 9 months of the year north east! B/C if I didn't, I'd be up to my eyeballs playing with AP. I'd hardly ever make it into the house to cook a meal, and housework... well... there are so many things that are so much more fun, like watching things grow!!!

 

[RichnSteph]

I spent some time out there today pulling nearly a dozen useless tomato plants out of the grow beds. Some of them were over 9' tall and had not a single flower or fruit on them. I chucked them into the compost bin and will be starting over next week with some new plants. This time I'll take more of an active approach to them and ensure that they are properly supported and have all the suckers removed. I'm also planting some zucchini and yellow squash out there in the hope that they produce better than the last ones considering that the weather is cooling off and we've got a lot more nutrients in the tank since the fish are more numerous and larger. I'm also heading to the lake house tomorrow to throw the cast net and collect as many perch as I can to drop in the tank. I'd love some minnows and shad also but they don't transport well.

My hope is that with the larger nutrient load available due to more fish and fewer large plants we'll start getting some fruit and plants that are healthy enough that I can over-winter them. Our pepper plants have started to really produce well and although the fruit is small at maturity they are pretty tasty.

 

[politicalcenter]

I'm starting to be thankful that I live in the frigid nasty cold 9 months of the year north east! B/C if I didn't, I'd be up to my eyeballs playing with AP. I'd hardly ever make it into the house to cook a meal, and housework... well... there are so many things that are so much more fun, like watching things grow!!!

When it gets so hot and humid your eyes burn with sweat and your clothing sticks to your skin you will head for the house.

 

[RichnSteph]

When it gets so hot and humid your eyes burn with sweat and your clothing sticks to your skin you will head for the house.

I had to laugh at that comment. I've been outside digging post holes (with a manual digger) and running fence this past week in 101 degree South Texas heat/humidity. I'd walk in the house for a glass of water and the wife lady would ask "How close are you to being done?". I'd tell her I was "close to finishing" and head back out. After spending some time up in North Dakota and that bone cracking cold I'll never complain about the heat again. I'll take heat and sweat over frost bite any day of the week.

 

[lazy gardener]

When it gets so hot and humid your eyes burn with sweat and your clothing sticks to your skin you will head for the house.

It's been that here this summer. I don't do heat. I so don't do heat.

I had to laugh at that comment. I've been outside digging post holes (with a manual digger) and running fence this past week in 101 degree South Texas heat/humidity. I'd walk in the house for a glass of water and the wife lady would ask "How close are you to being done?". I'd tell her I was "close to finishing" and head back out. After spending some time up in North Dakota and that bone cracking cold I'll never complain about the heat again. I'll take heat and sweat over frost bite any day of the week.

You be careful out working in that heat. It can put you flat on your back before you realize it. I'll take the bone cracking cold over the heat, any day. At least when it's cold, I have the option of putting on more clothes, or curling up by the fire to warm up. But... when it's that hot... there comes a point where there's not much more one can take off without getting reported to the authorities. I'm looking forward to cooler weather to do some serious work on the outside tasks. Got a new chain saw that I'm just itching to use!!!

 

[RichnSteph]

It's been that here this summer. I don't do heat. I so don't do heat.

You be careful out working in that heat. It can put you flat on your back before you realize it. I'll take the bone cracking cold over the heat, any day. At least when it's cold, I have the option of putting on more clothes, or curling up by the fire to warm up. But... when it's that hot... there comes a point where there's not much more one can take off without getting reported to the authorities. I'm looking forward to cooler weather to do some serious work on the outside tasks. Got a new chain saw that I'm just itching to use!!!

New chainsaw? Oh do tell! I've got a Stihl 025 that I bought years ago that still does fine for the small work that I do around the place.

 

[lazy gardener]

Stihl 180, 16" bar, easy start. Looking forward to playing with it. But, I won't use it until hubby is here for safety reasons, so may have to wait until next weekend.