Aquaponics systems

[baefull.wolfbunnies]

Hey guys,

So within the next year I'm going to have an aquatics system in place. Other then Duckweed and Cat tails what would you suggest for rabbits.

 

[Dood]

Water spinach - http://www.feedipedia.org/node/136

Mosquito fern - http://www.feedipedia.org/node/565

 

[Ramjet]

I built an aquaponics system about three years ago , designed it myself from the ground up.

Worked fantastic but was costly to build. The grow bed was 32 square feet , the tank was 770 gallons filled with about 400 catfish & tilapia.
For the substrate I used pea gravel rather than that expensive clay based stuff and it worked just fine.

I planted mostly tomatoes , peppers , squash , broccoli , green beans , okra , cucumber & strawberry all in a space of 32 sq ft and every plant produced well above expectations. Outperformed my traditional garden at least 5:1.
You can put plants practically right on top of one another as they don't really have to compete for resources at the root.

I wouldn't go thru all that expense & effort just for rabbit food when it will produce people food prolifically ....

 

[baefull.wolfbunnies]

Thanks. Ramjet, it wouldn't be just for the rabbits. I've been looking into a aquaponics longer then rabbits I even have an area set aside on my garden plans for it. I was considering either Talapia or Trout. But I would really rather raise snapper; but with them being more of a tropical fish I don't think that would work. Without special equipment.

 

[Ramjet]

Thanks. Ramjet, it wouldn't be just for the rabbits. I've been looking into a aquaponics longer then rabbits I even have an area set aside on my garden plans for it. I was considering either Talapia or Trout. But I would really rather raise snapper; but with them being more of a tropical fish I don't think that would work. Without special equipment.

When considering which fish to use keep water temperature in mind.

Tilapia require relatively warm water to survive and will start to die off once the water temps dip below 65 degrees so you might have to heat your tank.



Being in the deep south I was able to raise tilapia easily in the warmer months but Nov thru Feb they would die off if not processed .... until I built a heating system for my tank which had the added benefit of keeping the plants warm too. But that heating system was a real pain to maintain as it was basically a copper coil thru a firebox and keeping the fire going for days / weeks was a chore tho it did cost nothing to operate.

Catfish were much hardier and would survive the warm months with ease and tolerated the cold down to temps of about 50 before becoming stressed.

Trout were a no go here as the water is just too warm most of the year. There is only one body of water in Texas where they survive & reproduce naturally. They die off once the water temps rise above 59 degrees.

Prior to heating my tank I kept a few koi to keep the system going as they can tolerate pretty much anything above ice water.

Snapper are a salt water fish ... Doubt the plants would tolerate a salt content high enough to support them.

Aquaponics is a very efficient system , done right you can produce both fish & plants year round .... but the devil is in the details.

 

[baefull.wolfbunnies]

Yep, I'm not sure what ambient water temp is around here. Washington is a pretty damp place but highs can be up to 88 in August or as low as 19 in Mid December. I was thinking Trout because I know that they are fairly common in the Cascades. Or I could just do Dime Goldfish and not worry about Fish production at the moment.

 

[Dood]

Apparently sun fish species like bluegill are an option in cooler regions but finding a fry supplier might be a problem <br /><br /> __________ Wed Feb 04, 2015 5:08 pm __________ <br /><br /> Oooh here are some Oregon suppliers . Looks like Crappie and hybrid pan fish are also popular

http://www.dfw.state.or.us/resources/fi ... r_sale.pdf

 

[michaels4gardens]

I used water hyacinth , and water spinach, - but both like relatively warm water, I also raised apple snails,[Pomacea canaliculata ] in the last fish tank in the system, [they were the most productive thing I have ever raised.]-- if you like snails [also channel cat works well in cool water--. and they like red worms from the worm beds under the rabbits] they also grow well on mosquito fish.

 

[alforddm]

I also raised apple snails,

Do you eat the snails?

 

[Ramjet]

Yep, I'm not sure what ambient water temp is around here. Washington is a pretty damp place but highs can be up to 88 in August or as low as 19 in Mid December. I was thinking Trout because I know that they are fairly common in the Cascades. Or I could just do Dime Goldfish and not worry about Fish production at the moment.

Those trout live in waters fed by cold mountain runoff .... quite a bit different than a pond in a closed system. Also larger bodies of water aren't subject to such violent changes in temperature as a small tank would be , they also have deeper holes that are affected even less where fish can hide from temp changes.

Goldfish (koi are goldfish) will survive damn near anything but probably aren't suitable for consumption but will "power" your plants.

Apparently sun fish species like bluegill are an option in cooler regions but finding a fry supplier might be a problem

__________ Wed Feb 04, 2015 5:08 pm __________

Oooh here are some Oregon suppliers . Looks like Crappie and hybrid pan fish are also popular

http://www.dfw.state.or.us/resources/fi ... r_sale.pdf

I kept coppernose bluegills for one growing season , they taste great but don't grow as fast as the alternatives and really aren't cold tolerant , other subspecies may be more tolerant of the cold.
I liked keeping them because they cost me nothing , I could catch them by the droves and fatten them up over a few months time. This was a big deal to me as I the cost of fish is really high - some places tilapia are ~$3.50 for a fingerling! That doesn't do much to help the food budget ..... as you have to feed them for ~6 months before they are eating size. Kinda defeats the purpose of the entire thing.

Crappie are a tricky choice because its very difficult to get them to eat pellets or un-natural food. But man do they taste good , probably my favorite fish to eat. They are not legal to keep in Texas being a game fish .... without a permit.

Lots to think about when choosing a fish species to keep ... It took me two years to get my system to produce year round.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Goldfish (koi are goldfish) will survive damn near anything but probably aren't suitable for consumption but will "power" your plants.

Koi and Goldfish are both in the carp family and have been used as a food source in Europe and Asia for thousands of years.

 

[baefull.wolfbunnies]

Thanks for the suggestions. I such at fishing so no live catching for me. I have not eaten snails but don't think I could keep a tank at the right temp for them. I will look at the link later. Keep the suggestions coming.

 

[michaels4gardens]

I also raised apple snails,

Do you eat the snails?

yes

__________ Wed Feb 04, 2015 9:29 pm __________

Thanks for the suggestions. I such at fishing so no live catching for me. I have not eaten snails but don't think I could keep a tank at the right temp for them. I will look at the link later. Keep the suggestions coming.

I used mirror carp, they worked great.[but also need purging] -but --had to keep some breeding pairs in a separate tank, as replacement stock is a little hard to find sometimes.[got mine from Chico game fish farm]

 

[Ramjet]

Thanks for the suggestions. I such at fishing so no live catching for me. I have not eaten snails but don't think I could keep a tank at the right temp for them. I will look at the link later. Keep the suggestions coming.

You don't have to be good at fishing .... Just learn how to throw a cast net and you can fill your tank for free. Its easy enough that my 10 year old can do it.

 

[michaels4gardens]

I also raised apple snails,

Do you eat the snails?

yes

__________ Wed Feb 04, 2015 9:29 pm __________

Thanks for the suggestions. I such at fishing so no live catching for me. I have not eaten snails but don't think I could keep a tank at the right temp for them. I will look at the link later. Keep the suggestions coming.

I used mirror carp, they worked great.[but also need purging] -but --had to keep some breeding pairs in a separate tank, as replacement stock is a little hard to find sometimes.[got mine from Chico game fish farm]

incase you don't already know, Mirror carp are also known as european table carp to some, - they have a bone structure like a catfish with no small bones like "wild carp" they are great tasting ,and have essential oils like cod.