We've been busy finishing the aquaponics system. The lights went up, 4, 4 foot T8 fixtures with 2 bulbs each spaced about a foot apart.
The towers were pretty easy to soften with the heat gun. Here are a few pictures showing the process we used. The slots were cut with a miter saw and a metal blade and then a heat gun to soften up the plastic to form the pockets.
The large bottom pocket is sized to get my hand in to clean out the drain in case it ever clogs. The bottom cap will fit over the edge to prevent spills out the bottom.
Here are the seedlings ready to be put in the grow towers.
It was really hard to figure out how to put those baby plants into the grow towers as the clay pellets kept falling around into the hole I made. So I had to get a little creative on how to do it. I used one of my big metal serving spoons to hold back the balls (had to wrap the handle in cardbaord to make sure I didn't accidentally break the florescent bulbs. The excess growing media was washed off in water and then I used my plastic knife to slide in the roots...
OK, the towers are up but I have to wait till morning to take a picture as florescents are too bright for a photo at night...
Replies
Would it help to have something like a densely planted tank? I know plants would probably be ripped through pretty quickly with these fish, but maybe something like yarn mop heads and things like it to create hiding places for the smaller fish? I've seen people cut the large PVC pipes and stack them up in the tank to create a lot of hidey holes to swim through, that might help provide more cover. Maybe even a divider in a larger tank to compress the fish into a smaller space that can be moved or eventually removed as they grow... You have certainly given me a lot to think about. I've designed probably 5 different outdoor systems in my head and on paper for three different locations out there and just can't decide on which one would work the best with the fewest maintenance issues and optimal food production. That's how the indoor experiment was started first. :)
You're right, plants would be torn up, and some probably eaten since tilapia eat vegetation. The hiding tubes work if you can build them strong enough, and yes, dividers help. We have one divider we bought at the pet store, but it's kind of weak & falls apart easily. They can push through it if they really want.
We built another by making a PVC frame and covering it with shade cloth. We used flexible irrigation tubing as clamps to hold the cloth on the frame. It's really strong and works really well, and it effectively allows us to make two tanks out of one. We use it a lot to separate fish for various reasons.
Whatever you decide, your creativity will make it work. I don't think there's any perfect solution, and what works for one person may not work for another. That's the fun of it! :)
Liz,
Thank you for documenting this for us! Noticed the other day, that there are a lot of babies in my front pond. You are welcome to come and catch what you want.
Oh - you have no idea how tempting that idea is!! We are often near your house as we usually meet my sister after her church (which is in your neighborhood) for lunch... I might do it - I'll let you know before I just show up if I'm going to.
I went to Aquatouch on Cactus near the 51 freeway and was most impressed with their knowledge, selection and the facilities overall. I got a number of plants for upper aquarium and some cherry shrimp for the same tank and it looks great.
Now that it's all up and running, I think the two outside towers need to move in a few inches so the outer pockets get better access to the light... hmmm. I'm also trying to decide if I am going to do goldfish below or if I should get a few tilapia to keep in the bottom tank. If anyone has an opinion to share, I'm open to ideas!
If you're wanting to sit back with a glass of something and enjoy the peaceful beauty of your creation, go with goldfish. If you like to sip on a cold beer while watching the fights, tilapia might be the perfect choice.
Tilapia are aggressive cichlids that are very territorial, and they have a very powerful pecking order. They have no problem tearing the hide of their tankmates if they want to prove their dominance or if they want to mate. And then there's the splashing and thrashing. You have a tile floor, which makes it easier to mop up their mess.
They're less aggressive if they're overcrowded, but the optimal number changes as they grow and you have to think about what to do with them. As long as you have a larger system to move them in & out of, that can be OK.
I should add that tilapia are very active and entertaining (we have 4 tilapia tanks in our family room). So they aren't boring fish. :)
Well, I'm torn about the fish. I believe you that the tilapia can get hyper agressive. Rachel was having that issue with her fish in her aquaponics system because there were not enough of them for the fish to feel crowded and/or not enough cover for the fish to hide from an aggressor. With a crowded tank the fish can hide behind each other and the aggressor would get distracted. However, I bet they have a great personality and my 2 year old would have more fun watching them than some calm and peaceful goldfish happily simming about. I just don't think I wuold have an outdoor system to move the fish out to for at least a couple years and they grow faster than that!
I'll read up about ciclids and how to keep the aggressive type of fish together. Most recommendtions are to get them little and grow up together. I was kind of hoping that I could eventually use this set up to breed fish for my future outdoor system. If I got little baby tilapia and crowded the tank with hidey spots could I raise them to breeding age in a 55 gallon tank? How many could fish should I get - one male and one female? one male and a few females? or do they like to pair up? So many questions!
When they're little they'll school, and they gradually become independent as they grow. You shouldn't have any problems until their 6-ish months old and starting to mature from juveniles into small adults.
They'll grow at different rates - the stronger ones will get more food & grow faster. The reason you want to get them at the same time isn't for social bonding as with chickens; it's because it prevents smaller ones from becoming dinner.
Size is everything in TilapiaWorld. The bigger ones will be more dominant, will grow faster, will become territorial & will chase others out of their declared space. Both sexes are territorial, but as they mature, the males take over, and their territory will become a nesting space. This is when they may start jumping and splashing. Your daughter will have a blast watching that. :)
Overcrowding does help with the aggression, but the challenge is how to overcrowd them at 6", and still have room for them to grow to eating size.
In a 55 gal you can handle about 10, 6" fish. As they grow, you might want to move them out one by one to give them growing room. but anything less than 5 can be cruel to the non-breeding fish. It helps to have at least 3 for the male to pick on. But by watching their behavior, you might be able to find a male & some females for a breeding colony.
Sheri, we have decided not to go with tilapia if we put in a pond but I'm fascinated by your description of their behavior - thanks for the insight! :-)
-
1
-
2
-
3
of 3 Next