Squeee we has tilapia!

Fish. Live Fish.
When I got the e-mail from tilapiafingerlings.com saying they would ship late last night, I went to the web to re-watch Murray Hallams discussion about getting new fish and how to deal with them.


I carefully reviewed the instructions in the e-mail:
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Receiving and Acclimating Your Fingerlings

In order to properly acclimate your fish to their new environment you will need to follow the steps below. You should already have a tank established and ready with de-chlorinated water, proper ph, and an air stone with sufficient air bubbling through it. You will need to begin the process below immediately after receiving your fish.

1. (Thermal Acclimation) Remove inflated bag from styrofoam box and place sealed bag in receiving tank. Sealed bag should float on top of the tank for 15 minutes in order for the temperature of the water in the bag to slowly equalize with the water in the tank.
   
2. (PH Acclimation) Remove the clip on the bag and roll down the sides to make a float around the sides of the bag. Then place a bubbling air-stone inside of the bag since the sealed up oxygen will have escaped when you opened the bag. Over the course of 15 minutes, you will slowly add an additional 1.5 gallons of water from the receiving tank and pour it into the bag, in order to gradually acclimate the fish to the ph of the receiving tank.

After step 2 you will tip the bag over to let the fish escape. They will generally go straight to the bottom for a few hours until they get used to their new environment. It may take a couple of hours until they are ready to eat food

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We had one little guy who was clearly "not like the others." As in, they were swimming and he was not. Seems he got caught in a crease during shipping and suffocated. The new tilapia are significantly smaller than my goldfish, so I got a pop-up hamper to protect the tilapia. It isnt that the goldfish would eat the tilapia, but my comet goldfish liked to badger their fellow goldfish. I can only imagine the fun theyd have chasing baby tilapia - until, that is, the tilapia "stopped swimming..."

Ill post more in a few days. Hopefully the tilapia will continue to do well!

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Just a Quickie

Just a Quickie


Seems I have neglected water PH and understanding water So I will start including this in the Blog as I find anything on my spider..... Like now......

These Guys have to have a pretty good understanding of fish needs regarding WATER 
http://www.goldfishkeepers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1771&page=3

  
Many of the elements most used by plants in their growth are less available when the pH is in the acid range, below 6, and many of......http://www.rainharvest.co.za/2010/06/28/effects-of-rainwater-and-water-ph-on-plant-growth/ 

Likke I said, This subject will continue to be addressed in the future... But for now
Take care.........
Ozzie

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Loving me some Bluegill

Lepomis macrochirus, aka Bluegill

So in considering my outdoor aquaponics system, I was at a loss for what kind of fish I wanted to do.

Channel catfish were looking excellent. I figured out a layout if I were to do channel cats. TCLynx in Florida recommends at least a 300 gallon tank for catfish, but I worried because even she had a problem with fish deaths because it got cold and the channel cats stopped eating (while the automatic feeder kept dispensing). Thats Florida cold, not DC cold.

I mean, what is OK in warm water and OK in near-freezing or even frozen water? What is legal for me to have outside (i.e., NOT tilapia)? What eats just about anything?

Turns out Bluegill may be just what the doctor ordered.

Bluegill will eat just about anything. They are pretty prolific, but in ponds are usually kept in check by larger predator fish (think largemouth bass). As for eating, its a clue that they are called "pan fish."

They do OK in freezing temperatures. In fact, some ice fishers swear they are amongst the best fish to try for. Theyre fierce, making them a good sport fish, though they tend to run small.

And I finally found the list on the DGIF website for local commercial fish hatcheries. So now I know where to go to buy fish.

Ill have to ask about what size tank Ill need, and whether I should add a largemouth bass or two to help keep the eventual juvenile population in check. Since I need to be permitted for these fish as well, Ill be asking if I can amend the permit I already got for the tilapia (its the same form).

So do I do bluegill or catfish?

The greenhouse layout with a 300 gallon tank Id need for catfish would be 3 feet longer (18x8), which was getting a bit big for my tastes. And a 300 gallon tank runs a bit over $210, while I can get a 150 gallon tank I originally planned for is $130 (higher price per gallon, but lower unit price). At this time I dont know whether or not Id need the 300 gallon tank for bluegill or not.

I see a bit more research in my future, but its fun knowing I have multiple options for making this work.

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