Backyard Aquaponics
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Netted and cleaned 43 tilapia today. Total weight was 30 lbs, so average was about .75 lbs. Letting the rest keep growing.

Father-in-law in town so having fish for dinner and sending him home with a cooler full.

Here they are before cleaning.



The eight we are having for dinner are being stuffed with basil and wrapped in banana leaves (from the GH) before going on the grill... New recipe, so I'll take a few pics and pist results..

CB

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My GH system thread

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Good to see another successful AP harvest Countryboy....

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Thanks, Rup!

That should leave me about 175 more fish that size in the main tank and I have 300 more about half that size in a "nursery tank." Need to eat/sell faster so we can move them over.

Here are a couple pics from dinner...





Sauteed some tomatoes, onions, carrots and bell peppers in some garlic oil with a little basil and lemon juice... (All AP except carrots and garlic.)

Fish and veges both were excellent!!

CB

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My GH system thread

My Wood Fired Brick Oven build thread at Forno Bravo

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DD's Landing Page

Way to go Countryboy!!

Nicely done.

CB, so, how many adult Talapia do you have left in the system? Keep an eye on the "ites and ates" as you may upset the system with so large of a change in the system. (But not an upset stomach, eh.)
Nice going on the whole deal. Read your thread from beginning to end... Scratch that last word. From beginning to now. Keep up the posts, you are doing great. Love to see the pics.
MrBill

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Mr Bill

The difference between a dream and a goal is a plan. You just have to be able to modify the plan.

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Just finished reading through the entire thread. Very nice system. I like how you go for a DIY approach to just about everything. How are things working out this winter? Are the tilapia doing well with the cold weather? What about your banana and pineapple; have they managed to bear any fruit for you?

Again, nice system. Keep up the good work and don't forget to keep us in pictures!

Edit: It looks like it took you about 9 months to get your tilapia to about 3/4 lb. each, starting with 1" fingerlings. Is that about right?

Great system!
Really enjoyed all the progress and pics. Keep up the great work.

Here's a little update with focus on water warmth....

First, to answer CC, it took me 9 months for the fish to get to a really nice eating size, however, I struggled with water temps in the early Spring. I'm confident now I can get there much quicker this year...


Overall, everything is going very well minimal daily input.

Water warmth has been an issue as we battle the coldest Winter in 50-100 years!!! Multiple times my big tank has been to 50º F without any floaters... I can pull it back to 64º pretty quickly (3-5 days) when I get some nice sunny days strung together.

Currently I am adding supplemental heat in three ways:

Free: 500' of 1/2" black water pipe in rafters of GH and a small pump on a timer that runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It pumps a steady stream of warm water into the tank. This, along with the sump tank being buried have a lot to do with temperature stability, IMO.

Low cost: I have a thermostat controlled 175,000 btu blower heater that is aimed at the tank. Late at night when the GH air temp dips too low (35º or so) it will come on for short bursts. Seems to use about 10-12 gallons of diesel a week. ($45/wk) I am not using this continuously. I only need this when night temps head below 25º a day or two in a row... Highly unusual in previous years, but this global warming is killing me this year!!

Higher cost: I fabricated a 5 gallon bucket with a 1500 watt heater element that I cycle water through to add warmth to tank... added about $70 to December heat bill.. Only run this when I feel I'm getting close to the razor's edge... Looking at other solar air heaters for better gain in GH to use this option less...

Currently, strawberries are producing HUGE pretty fruit. Onion, beets, cabbage, broccoli and lettuce are doing well. Bananas have suffered with the cold. Six dwarf citrus trees seem to be holding their own.

Looking forward to late Feb. when (in previous years) things start to warm up!

CB

_________________
My GH system thread

My Wood Fired Brick Oven build thread at Forno Bravo

Surely an update like that deserves some pics.

+1 on pics

Strawberries in JANUARY. Very cool.

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Mr Bill

The difference between a dream and a goal is a plan. You just have to be able to modify the plan.

Mr Bill's System
Mr Bill's Future System
Mr Bill's Dirt Garden

Thanks for the update CB, your the fish look great.

how did the 4" pipes work? when i seen that..well i seen some green pipe holed out in a pic's back ground then...bamm..your berrys. good job
the pipe method could be the way i need to grow lettuce and greens. do you think with air added that the pipe could work as a constant flow system?
i imagine 100' pipes with a basket every 12" i have been busting my head trying to figure out the best bed set up, and after tripping thru you set up i think i have a direction...well...if you think the pipes do well enuff?

The pipes work well. They get flooded about 6 or 7 times a day and drain quickly with about 1/2" of water remaining in the bottom. Because the water is coming straight from the tank it is oxygen and nutrient heavy.

The pipes would be very good for basil and lettuce, though a raft tank would work as well.. A bit of a pain to keep up with strawberries as the plants shoot runners all over and it is hard to reach to the middle to pick, etc... With help I can pick up the middle pipes from the ends and move to the outside or onto a rack to tend the plants, then put back, but this is not very efficient use of 'hands'.

I use net pots with rockwool cubes and a section of rope dangling down into the water that helps draw additional moisture between floodings.

While I am enjoying the strawberries, and they are good cold weather plants, I think they are a pretty inefficient use of space based on productivity. These are 'ever-bearing' meaning (so far) two harvests per year. During the heat of the summer they really took some time off... LOL!

Lettuce and greens do well in constant flow... I may transition these over to lettuce and basil soon to see how they do.

CB

_________________
My GH system thread

My Wood Fired Brick Oven build thread at Forno Bravo

Hi countryboy- I'm hoping you get notified when someone posts here:) I'm in Irmo, thinking about starting something...I scored a 1/3 hp sump pump off of Craigslist for $25 so I'm past the "that sounds interesting" stage. I'd love to come take a look at your setup if you do tours:) my email is kellybryson02(at)hotmail(dot)com. Thanks!
Kellyb