Which Fish?

[Kentanner11]

Hi I am new to aquaponics and would like to start small, very small. If I have sucess with this I might take over the backyard. I have experience in saltwater and freshwater aquarium keeping, as well as various reptiles.
I havent started building... yet.... but want to plan everything out well before hand. I am thinking about doing something like this for my trial system... (Bottom of page)http://www.aquaponics.net.au/education2.html

Quick question: Which fish should I use? I am not doing this for raising fish (dont eat them personally) but just growing plants. I was thinking of goldfish knowing they generate alot of waste and can have some tolerance to parameter build up. I was hoping to keep it more "pet store fish" does anyone have any recomendations?

[doug.a]

kentanner,
Welcome to see some of the best ideas go to search at the top and put in links then select site links in there are a lot ofoptions including barrel ponics which is really simple and it also shows what fish are used in your neck of the woods. Anyway enjoy the site and as i always say the only stupid question is the one not asked i am sure you will find everyone here helpful.
Good luck.
Doug.a

[Martin A1]

Welcome Kentanner,

I would recommend you consider Koi carp (those big colourful goldfish - I think they originated in Japan?).

They are worth a bit of money fully grown I believe so you may be able to sell them back to pet stores/fish pond nurseries when grown to recover some of your feed costs?

Here's a link but I am sure there are hundreds more http://www.vcnet.com/koi_net/. I reckon they would be as tough as nails too??

I reckon you could also consider yabbies. They are very interesting to watch in a glass tank I reckon but not sure how much waste they produce for the 'ponics' side of your system.

I reckon you'll do very well having had aquariums before - knowing how to control water quality is 85% of the task from my non aquarium background.

Personally, I have learnt that aquaponics is more about "practical" food production than decorative fish tanks and plants - not that it can't be I suppose? The system you are considering is more of an educational tool. This forum is a testimant to the fact that aquaponics works so I reckon you should get into the backyard and think a bit bigger and leverage the veggie production possibilities if nothing else. Start with 500 -1,000 litre water capacity. This is small enough to manage effectively but large enough to give you some options to grow out larger fish and veggies later on.

My old man always said when buying a boat you should always buy once size up from what you think you need as you will always regret not having the extra capacity. I applied this to my first and only house purchase and ten years on I am glad I did! I think this applies to aquaponics systems as well. You might as well make the investment into something that is not going to become a dust collector later once the AP bug takes a hold.

It's got me well and truely and I only had 10 goldfish and 10 yabbies to begin with... oh yeah and 1 silver perch but 100 more are on there way as is my next 1800 ltr system!!

Goodluck mate and please keep us posted on your progress, learnings and personal AP outcomes in any case.

[Murray]

Hi Kentanner11,
Welcome to the forum. Always good to see somebody getting started in Aquaponics. It is a good idea to start small but as Martin says, be prepared to want to go bigger. When you see just how well it all works, the grow beds are never big enough.
Good luck and please get on here and ask questions when you have them.

[Kentanner11]

Thanks for all the kind responses! Still on the planning side of things...... always fun! Looking for some systems located near me as I am unsure of the right plants and fish for my area..... Tucson AZ can go from 115 F (46.11 C) to 28 F (-2.22) (rarely but maby twice a year it gets that cold) I would say summer months are usually 98-100 + , winter 50's ish.

[Jonathan Dyer]

G’day Kentanner

Sounds like you live in a part of the world that is almost identical to where I live in Western Australia we get from +47C to -3C today its 38.5C inside my house. As Martin recommends Koi are great and any type of goldfish will do exceptionally well. In my system I have Koi and shubunkins (a type of goldfish) growing and are worth much more than a fish like tilapia; also another suitable fish to grow in a system. Koi and tilapia are both edible, remember that a koi is just a common carp but taken to Japan and in the 1800’s a colourful carp was born ‘Koi’ and since then they have been breed all over the world. I have seen in the states some prices of koi over $2,000 US each and now compare that to tilapia of just $7.00 US so maybe koi is something you may want to think twice about eating.

Most leafy plants will and are suited best lettuce, silverbeet, spinach (especially in the winter), strawberries and a vast range of herbs parsley, basil, chives, and rosemary will do very well where you live.

[Kentanner11]

Dont suppose I could have Koi In a 10g (37.8 L) tank ? lol. How many could I have in a 55g (208 L) ?
My local pet store sells Koi really cheap, so I wont go anything fancy. Not looking to eat them/any fish, but looking for the best fish for my particular set-up. Thanks again!

[Murray]

In a 200 ltr tank I would only go for 5 or 10 max. Koi can grow pretty big so you may need to take some out as they grow.