Fish for a 55 Gallon Tank?

[Rospy]

Hello, I'm a new member to the forum.

I have about 2 years experience with hydroponics, but want to give aquaponics a try.

I have a 55 gallon aquarium and I am thinking of converting my current ebb & flow system as a foundation by swapping the chemical buckets for the aquarium.

I have 2 questions I can't seem to find good answers for.

#1
My current ebb & flow system is a "fast-fill, slow-drain" system and runs 3-4 times a day.
How important is it to have a "slow-fill, fast drain" (bell siphon) system?


#2
What kind of edible fish can be used for a 55 gallon tank?

I would like to do tilapia because i've heard so many great things about them, but I think my tank is to small.

I was also looking at yellow perch & green sunfish, which seem smaller, but I don't know where to buy them. Local hatcheries in my area (washington dc) don't seem to sell w/o commercial license.

What other fish would you guys recommend? and do you know of a supplier I could use?

[Pugo]

Welcome to Aquaponics HQ !! Glad to have you with us. Slow fill and fast drain is important as the plant roots need oxygen as well as the bacteria. I haven't tried a system with a small tank before so I not sure how much help I can be, I know many people with smaller systems like to use timers. But there are many members here with ever shape and style of system. I am sure will someone will chime in and be happy to help you out.. once again welcome to the forum.

[vihalvor]

you could try with a vertical setup, continous flow .. i grew my basils that way and MAN did they grow....there will be little effect on the water levels in the 55gal tank as 1-2 gal would be enough to trickle through 4 x 1m high vertical towers.... thats what i did... and it worked.....my fish loved it ..
I had kois in it thou.... should work with 3-4 tilapias....but if i were you, i would take the advice of nearly everyone here whos successful in AP, and put some efforts into a pre GB filtration system.. part mechanical part bio ...your plants will be VERY thankful for it....

[tpilk]

Hi Rospy,

Considering your location, Bluegill are a great option and will grow just about anywhere. They were my preferred fish to raise when I was living in Colorado, which gets pretty cold as well. I think they're about as good as it gets to eat and they do tolerate a very broad temp range. Tilapia are great too, but as I'm sure you've read, they will need heat in the Winter, unless you live in Key West, Houston or maybe San Diego. DC gets a bit chilly for Tilapia without a good heater, though 55 gal tank is not that expensive to heat. As Vihalvor mentioned, just keep your numbers down in a 55 gal tank. I use similar size tanks for Tilapia breeding (2) and I can grow 25 or 30 fish up to about 4 inches, then I need to kick them out because my filters can't handle it. You'll have GB's on your system - just need to make sure you don't over stock because Tilapia's produce a lot of waste. You've got a while to worry about that though, depending on how you choose to cycle your tank. Some folks do fishless cycling, I always use smaller Koi. Comets are great too, as they tolerate all temps as well.

Good luck

Chip

[Rospy]

Thanks for the great advice everyone.

Pugo //
My current "fast-fill, slow-drain" system does allows oxygen to touch the roots, but are you saying that that's not enough time?

Generally I flood the tanks for 4-5 minutes, then it takes about 15 minutes to completely drain.

I guess I'm still a little confused on the difference between the two types of systems.

-----------------

Vihalvor //
I agree, vertical is great. That's how my current ebb and flow system is set up. I have 3-tiers of garden beds that drain into each other with the tubs of chemical on the bottom 4th tier.

What is a "pre GB Filtration system"?
I already have 2 used normal looking filters I could use. I don't know the proper names but they looks like this:
http://www.petfishsupplies.org/wp-co...ium_filter.jpg
If I set up both, I could have 4 filter chambers going at once.
Would that be sufficient?

-----------------

Tpilk //
Bluegill do look good. Wiki says they only grow to 12 inches (much better than 16 for Tialpia). I don't suppose you know where I could mail order some?

I was thinking about going to an asian food market, but not sure if they are safe to buy from there.

------------------

I noticed that two of you use koi instead of edible fish. Any particular reason for that?

[vihalvor]

Hey there.. Pre-GB , meant pre- growbed , i.e beffore water enters the growbeds... its where the plants cantake up nutrients, only, if there are solids, the roots tends to clog up, and you might very well get root-rot .. not good :P

yeah the filter you have would work for a while if placed before the growbeds .. i had a 4 stage filter installed beffore the growbeds, and it worked... ( had it first just directly into the fishtank.. also worked, for as long as the fish was small.. :P ...now.. the fish is a LOT bigger.. and the filter isnt that effective ....heheh.. i know.. cause i have nearly the same and have to clean it EVERY day ... my tilapia poops as if they got paid for it :P ....for as long as the water coming out of the filter not is nice and clear, youre on the right track ... Im assuming you have them in a inline fashion so that there is less and less chance of solids coming through ...
its a good setup for starters, and will give you lots of interesting times .. do keeep us updated on the progress

[tpilk]

Hi Rospy,

I do currently have two species, but it's mostly because my Koi were used to cycle the system and now I have too many and they're too big to put back in my Koi pond (overcrowding).

So, I will find a good home for them. They are awesome for new systems - I've never lost one through several system cycles. They are also really fun fish - very tame and people friendly. Kind of grown attached to them. The goal eventually is to have only Tilapia and my tank maintenance crew (big Plecos).

Remember, you don't have to grow the Tilapia up to max size, many people prefer them smaller. My wife knocks them off at about 3 inches for her Thai recipes, though I like them maybe a pound and a half for the grill. It 's up to you.

As far as availability, I read often about people in the South and Mid-west that have Bluegill available. I'll forward something if I run across one. I really do like the Bluegill and they are easily trained up for various food.

Chip

[keith_r]

i have yellow perch, bluegill, crayfish, rosy red minnows and scuds in 55 gallon tanks.. hopefully they'll be moving to the pool soon then my glass tanks will turn into some kind of breeding setup for the minnows, crayfish and scuds

[Rospy]

I found a guy who will sell me some bluegill. The local state hatchery commissioner referred me to him. I asked him to try can catch me 2x 4-5inchers. a male/female combo. I noticed that bluegill seem a lot more difficult to tell the difference so I hope I don't get a sneaker or cuckolder.

I set up the aquarium yesterday to let the water stabilize. It's kind of a mess right now because the big chemical buckets are on both sides of the system with hoses all over so I can keep the my plants fed while I wait for the fish.

I'm still worried about filtering though. Can I just put a regular square fish filter pack at the top where water comes out to feed the plants?

also, I'm not sure where I'm supposed to put my water pump: at the bottom of the tank (where all the poop is) or in the middle where the water will be clearer? I thought the poop was a good thing, but now I also worry about clogging.

[tpilk]

Hi Rospy,

If I might make a suggestion...hold off a little while before purchasing your bluegill. Look at the many systems on the site and how they are setup, then recreate what you like, that most resembles what you have to work with (or are willing to purchase). There are a number of ways you can successfully run a system - once again, keep digging in the threads. Now that you've got fish to keep healthy, the stakes are higher. Mistakes will quickly leave you with a tank full of dead fish.

It would also be good to read through threads on equipment, filters, water chemistry, etc. and develop an understanding there as well.

Post some pics of what you have in place so folks can make recommendations.

Consider fishless cycling, as mentioned in earlier posts. Or, buy some goldfish or carp/koi. Hold off on those bluegill for now. They're pretty tough but they may or may not survive the cycle process. The goldfish, comets or koi will survive, if you are reasonable about how many, as well as feeding.

Cheers