Day 37 of Recovery - How the Greenhouse Systems Work - Tropical Fish Hatchery

Featuring: Explanation of the Greenhouse structures and how the systems work
Starring: Charles
Cameos: Oso & Maya (German Shepherd Dogs)
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37th Day of Recovery from the Texas Winter Storm of 2021
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We've had lots of requests for a GoFundMe, so we set one up.
Here's the link: gf.me/u/zkkazc
We also had requests for a donation method that will accept PayPal, so we set up a FundRazr.
Here's the link: fundrazr.com/a1mRpf?ref=ab_49...
Anyone that donates can ask Charles a questions that will be answered in a video on our channel.
The overwhelming outpouring of support from the fish community has been humbling and so appreciated. Thank you all!
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[@beawandickloans]

As a biology student I love your scientific approach to the fishbreeding! I read through your website and you talk about speciation, ringspecies and hybridization and it fascinated me a lot. Greetings from Germany

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you. A good basic knowledge of biology really helps in breeding and rearing fish, or for that matter any animals and plants. Ring species are fascinating. They show just how slippery the concept of species is. Nature is a lot more complex than scientific nomenclature would imply. Also, the evolutionary impact of hybridization in nature is just beginning to get the attention it should. The Rift Lakes of Africa are great natural evolutionary labs. Charles

[@anahbopp]

Why would any one thumbs down? Pretty obviously going to be a video for nerds exclusively from the thumbnail and title unsure why someone would come just to leave a bad review? You guys are awesome ! Don’t let the bad apples make ya feel down I’m the dumps!

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you. We don't worry about the occasional down thumb. We are showing our operation good/bad with all the warts. Charles

[@thefishylife6823]

31:16 watch oso go down that entire isle checking every bucket!!! Lol that dog is so funny!!!!

[@goliadfarms7029]

Oso considers the greenhouse to be a sushi buffet. Charles

[@zique9]

Wishing you a strong recovery. Your perseverance and resilience are admired; your knowledge respected. Thank you for sharing.

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you. We have to keep going for the fish that survived. Charles

[@marypaigeflynn4512]

Good morning Mr Charles, Susie, Carl, Stormy, Oso, Mya and all the beautiful Fred's🙏🤗 The journey has been incredible about how you have arrived here and now💯 It has definitely been interesting to see how these different situations have impacted your farm and your fish. Thanks for sharing and I hope you guys are having a blessed and productive day!! Much love from my family to yours 🙏❤️🌿🐟🌿

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you. Every major event has caused changes, this one certainly will. Charles

[@marypaigeflynn4512]

@@goliadfarms7029 oh Susie🤗....Green House 4🤣😁 Mr Charles... You are a character for sure 👍💯🌿🐟🌿

[@goliadfarms7029]

@@marypaigeflynn4512 I have been called worse! Charles

[@apolloravindran]

Oso & Maya complete this video, they are amazing dogs

[@goliadfarms7029]

They are very good dogs...well when they aren't hassling the horses. Charles

[@extremechimpout]

40+ minutes long video! Wohoo I’m gonna enjoy this 😍

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you! Hope you weren't bored. Charles

[@extremechimpout]

@@goliadfarms7029 Bored!? I watched it twice and loved every second

[@goliadfarms7029]

@@extremechimpout Thank you! Charles

[@casmarykay8433]

38:28 I could've sworn I heard Bob Whites calling. I had to go check mine a couple of times before I figured out it's this video! LOL!

[@goliadfarms7029]

We do have Bobwhite Quail on the farm. Their population has been down for the last few years, but that is typical of quail. Their populations crash and then return. Charles

[@angs8068]

Learning how to repair the rubbermaid vats would be neat

[@goliadfarms7029]

We will probably film that next week when Carl is available to video and give advice to Stormy while she welds. She's had to reweld several and, I think, needs a refresher course on welding. I'm glad Carl and Stormy like doing such things since I only like to raise fish. Charles

[@angs8068]

@@goliadfarms7029 I have a bunch of convict cichlids if I knew how to get them to you safely I would definitely be interested if you were.

[@charadreemurr1083]

@@goliadfarms7029 i personally would very much love if you filmed the process of re-welding the rubbermaids! somewhat recently I'd asked to buy a friends rubbermaid horse drinking water tub, but the tub turned out to have a crack formed right next to its bottom drain hole, would love a video on how repairing such a fault is done personally!

[@goliadfarms7029]

@@angs8068 Let us finish rebuilding what we can and maybe we can do something. Where are you located? Charles

[@goliadfarms7029]

@@charadreemurr1083 We plan to do that, probably next week after Easter. Charles

[@COOPERSCICHILDS]

Great update much respect 👏

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you. Charles

[@pato7694]

Really enjoying these videos.

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you. There are more on the way. Charles

[@laurag1076]

Great video. Thank u.

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you. Charles

[@MridulSinghMusic]

It's good to see that the systems are bouncing back! Thanks for sharing!

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you. Our systems are resilient and are recovering. Charles

[@GloryLumajangKoiCenter]

Verry good 👍

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you. We've developed our systems over a long time though trial and error, lots of errors. Charles

[@donwenclawski8239]

Thanks for the tour... Awesome! 👍🐠

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you. Soon I'll do a video of how we cool the greenhouses during much of the year. Charles

[@zeshwonsos]

Glad to see things getting up and running again!

[@goliadfarms7029]

It feels good to have made some progress. We are almost done rebuilding cichlid breeding colonies and have started on livebearers. Charles

[@kentsfish9761]

Thanks

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you. Charles

[@gronk807]

We love these videos. Please keep them coming. Lots of love from Canada. ❤️

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you. We will. We did one today about some very hardy plecos that survived cold temperatures and off the scale ammonia. Carl will post that video next week. Charles

[@BiscuitFever]

So glad to see you folks doing well. Put a smile on my face hearing you talk about a green house 4!

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you. The first task this summer is rebuilding Greenhouse 3. Once that is done I plan to start on Greenhouse 4 before Susie can change her mind. Charles

[@namelast8621]

Such a beautiful facility

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you. It can be messy, but nature is usually a bit messy. Charles

[@kingmark4786]

Thanks, its insane your patient.

[@goliadfarms7029]

Patience is there only because I have no choice. Susie (wife and business manager) will tell you that I'm very impatient. Charles

[@colorguppies]

Really love the sump/plant symbiotic filtration!!!

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you. I prefer to work with nature if possible and it's proven to be very sustainable. Charles

[@SequoiaElisabeth]

Heard most of this b4, still love hearing it though so listened to the whole video. I so love your operation there.

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you. We got so many questions relating to this, that we felt we should do another video. Charles

[@abdulsaboorraza6691]

So much information in one video , since it’s been uploaded its my 6th time im watching.✌️✌️

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you. If you have any questions, just let us know. Charles

[@MasterPhotographer]

It’s great to see how you setup your operation, as well as how you are recovering. I wish you continued success Charles!

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you. Things are slowly returning to normal, but it will be more than a year for us to get back to full production. Charles

[@elissajackson5140]

Pleasant way to start the day. None fish question- how are the wildflowers out your way?

[@goliadfarms7029]

Yes, spring wildflowers are blooming, but aren't really spectacular since we've been in drought. Charles

[@robertforrest7956]

@@goliadfarms7029 here where I live in CA., They're already talking about water rationing again.

[@goliadfarms7029]

@@robertforrest7956 Water will be this century's bid issue I fear. Charles

[@laurag1076]

The set up is just soooo smart! And successful! Would love to see those huge plecos u have.

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you. Next week Carl will post a video of us capturing three plecos that survived the very cold temperatures when we cut off Greenhouse 3 to save Greenhouse 2 and the subsequent very high ammonia levels due to the dead fish in Greenhouse 3 (there is a video in which I harvest dead fish while Carl and Stormy gag and are useless). Charles

[@lohitkumar9369]

Sir Very informative video!

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you. We are trying to provide good information about we do things. Charles

[@bretthendrick934]

Nice job on the audio. It sounds great.

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you. Carl and Susie are working on the technology end. I just raise fish. Charles

[@johnalbernaz8960]

Great experience watching you in your element . Stormy and Carl have the best jobs I envy them . You hiring LOL. I just can't get enough of your sub and the flow way, so naturally how they Intermingle .

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you. I'll let Carl and Stormy know how lucky they are! Charles

[@georgevacherlon931]

Love your setup

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you. It is a fun setup and designed to reduce our workload. Charles

[@georgevacherlon931]

@@goliadfarms7029 what's with the Charles bro my name is George

[@georgevacherlon931]

@@goliadfarms7029 nevermind I got you Charles nice talking to you

[@goliadfarms7029]

@@georgevacherlon931 We're trying to see how Carl and I can separately reply. We are learning slowly. Charles

[@johnalbernaz8960]

And you hypothesize is so right about the selling of the duck weed theory . I think that went over a lot of people's head. Touche

[@goliadfarms7029]

A weed ceases being a weed when it becomes valuable and it ceases growing like a weed instantaneously at that point. It's a basic rule of the universe. Charles

[@Lawrence-St.Lawrence1701]

Hi Charles! I have always found your greenhouse operating systems very interesting. It seems like it was only last year you were recovering from the hurricane (Don't remember the name of it right off) that last heavily damaged your facility and now this. I'm praying for your continued recovery and hoping you have a few decades ahead without any more major catastrophes.

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you. That was Hurricane Harvey three years ago (we are watching the tropics already since it might be a busy hurricane year). We handled two hurricane disasters a lot better than we did this very unusual winter storm. Charles

[@foreverautumn2315]

Natural systems are pretty hardy and recover surprisingly well... just as nature intended... :)

[@goliadfarms7029]

Yes, natural systems are very resilient. Charles

[@kokosnood]

I like when you talk about selection for not swimming out the overflows, and the Trinidad waterfall. Fascinating! I've got Gambusia in all my stock troughs. I've seen some flow out when I overflow the tank. I used to pick them up and throw them back in, but the population is so high I stopped doing it. Now, they don't seem to swim out anymore :)

[@goliadfarms7029]

I've found the same thing with Poecilia latipinna and Fundulus chrysotus that I have in a water trough. The trough used to be connected to our well and had a float. The line connecting it has been abandoned so I have to fill it manually. I almost always forget I'm filling and the trough overflows. After years of that none of the fish overflow with the water now. Charles

[@pacudanjimar6858]

Loving fish keeper from the philippines. God blessed sir.

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you. What fish are you raising there? Charles

[@pacudanjimar6858]

@@goliadfarms7029 african cichlid sir from lake malawi. I learn a lot from your informative video.

[@caewalker9276]

Another very informative video. Thanks guys. Maybe put a cat bell on Oso at night. The coons will work out that he's coming and take off before he can find them.

[@goliadfarms7029]

I think Oso would object to any early warning systems for the coons! Charles

[@cnjhendricks]

I wonder if the concrete blocks also act as bio-media and are helping with filtration. Ingenious idea!

[@goliadfarms7029]

I do think they help in ammonia control by providing large, rough surfaces for beneficial bacteria and algae. I was noticing yesterday the growth of moss on one block. That moss and what grows on it probably uses a fair amount of ammonia. Charles

[@darwinkline2795]

I love these videos. yall should get a few carp from the rivers around there they will eat all the duckweed you can give em, goldfish work to.

[@goliadfarms7029]

We have some Koi and goldfish we use to generate greenwater for Daphnia and Moina, but they can't keep up. Most of the duckweed goes to our litter worm beds to be composted. Charles

[@SerGio-kl6lw]

I love this setup. Where are the plants actually rooted?

[@goliadfarms7029]

They grow roots into the water. Their roots collect mulm and debris to form soil. Someday soon well do a video of us harvesting overgrown plants and replanting. Charles

[@sofjanmustopoh7232]

God speed in the recovery I grew up in Indonesia And I set up concrete pond on top of our house on the fourth floor. I bred guppies, gold fish and rainbowfish It was memorable time for me . You have a wonderful setup Good luck and god speed in the recovery 💪

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you. Do you still keep fish? We were originally located in Santa Fe, New Mexico and primarily raised rainbowfishes. We relocated to Texas in 2000/2001 and expanded into cichlids and livebearers. Charles

[@sofjanmustopoh7232]

@@goliadfarms7029 one one 55 gal tank with some boesemani rainbow n other . Life , career , other hobby and family take a lot of time 😁

[@chadtitan4159]

Use a hot stapler in conjunction with the plastic weld on the Rubbermaid tubs. I’ve repaired many tubs for my cousins horse farm this way. This way the weld will be stronger than the existing material.

[@goliadfarms7029]

Interesting. We will look into that. That might make Stormy's successful welding percentage improve. Charles

[@reecechapman7286]

Love the vids could you do a video inside the tanks

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you. We will do some more in-tank videos. Carl just got an upgraded GoPro for under water filming. Charles

[@charleswieand4445]

We had a toilet bowl type valve mounted on our 55 for auto fill and water changes with a 1/4 air hose out the window. Somehow we got snails and one got caught in valve when it turned on and jammed valve as it turned. Off flooding living room

[@goliadfarms7029]

That is why we have floor gutters. Any leaks are harmless. Before we went to floor gutters, we lost water from the system with leaks. Charles

[@andrey_aquarialka]

Hello and good regards from Russian Far East

[@goliadfarms7029]

Hello to you and thank you. What fish are you raising in that area? Charles

[@andrey_aquarialka]

@@goliadfarms7029 not many angelfish, ansistrus, cory, nanakara blue neon, start whith goldfish

[@robertforrest7956]

That's quite a story on your history so far. 🙂 A friend built a much smaller greenhouse, similar to yours, for his Orchids with bottom liners in order to save water runoff for yard use. Do you have problems with blocks making holes (leaks) over time, or do you use a fabric buffer to prevent that? But overall a very smart design.🧐 For my indoor Orchidarium case in which I grow miniature orchids, has a stainless steel bottom tray that catches water runoff that I drain into buckets and use on outdoor plants.😄 Sorry to hear about trip being delayed, but I'll still be waiting for that video when you do get it. 😊 Greatly enjoyed this video. Thanks for sharing your time, knowledge, and history with us. 👍😎

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you. We use aquaculture rated pond liners that are very resistant to punctures, so we've had no problems with that. We use no underlay. The liner is on native dirt plus sand. I've found plants do very well with water captured under plant pots. I suspect there are many beneficial bacteria and fungi in that water. Yeah, I was so ready to go to Santa Fe to visit our eldest son (our brats [children] grew up there) and to hike to McCauley Springs, but late May should be lots better weather. Charles

[@dianes9778]

Hi .. what is the name of the large leafed plant ? Love your videos ..thanks

[@goliadfarms7029]

The tall one with roundish green leaves is Piper auritum (oja santa), a Central American herb used in cooking. The one with variegated, elongated leaves is cultivar of Dieffenbachia, a house plant. Charles

[@KentAJDK]

What is the expected lifespan of the liner? Nice setup.

[@goliadfarms7029]

Greenhouse 1 liner was installed in 2000. Greenhouse 2 liner in 2003. We did have to add another liner layer under the side rows in Greenhouse 2. I'm not that impressed with that liner. Fortunately, we've found a close by liner supplier with much heavier and sturdier liners. We can pick up the liners there, saving freight charges. Charles

[@alessandrovittoriobernasco2093]

👍👍

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you. Charles

[@TripleJAquatics]

Thanks for the update. This is Fatman aquatics, I had to do a name change (fatman kept being flagged as derogatory). With as much work as the ice storm left for me I can only imagine what y'all are truly going through. As a side note, I had chickens and ducks succumb to an over night raccoon slaughter last year. Damn things are the most adorable nuisance ever! Lol

[@marypaigeflynn4512]

Jakab👋🤗 I love the raccoons too but they can definitely wreak havoc 😥🙏

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you. Yeah, I can see that PC police might object. Raccoons are so cute but are also little killing machines. The annoying thing is they often kill much more than they can eat. Charles

[@giulist10]

Great information Charles! Do you think other fish, besides livebearers and mouth brooders, could be bred in this setup? Killifish? Tetras? Etc.

[@goliadfarms7029]

We have bred killifish, tetras, barbs, catfish, substrate spawning cichlids, and anabantids in our systems. Charles

[@giulist10]

@@goliadfarms7029 thank you for your reply Charles!

[@goliadfarms7029]

@@giulist10 You are welcome. I think if someone spends the time watching one of our videos and comments, they deserve a reply. Charles

[@thomasburns5559]

I'd love to see you take a big net and catch some fish in the sump and show us what you get out.

[@goliadfarms7029]

We have a large piece of netting that we drape in to the water and allow the fish to get used to eating over it. Once they aren't bothered by it, we feed, and quickly lift the net to capture the fish. That doesn't work if you do it too often because those that escape learn to avoid the net. We hope later this year, assuming the pandemic is under control, to have a fish festival here at the hatchery and plan to harvest the fish for the attendees. That will be videoed. Charles

[@thomasburns5559]

@@goliadfarms7029 Thanks for the reply, can't wait for the video.

[@goliadfarms7029]

@@thomasburns5559 No problem. That should be a fun video. Charles

[@eliasnieto7303]

Another great video of your great farm! Two questions. 1. Do you make a special treatment to your vats when introducing a new fish? 2. Do you quarantine or something else your new fishes(wild capture or from another farm)?

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you. All new stock, regardless of source, is quarantined. We quarantine off-system in isolated outside vats, which means we can only bring in new stock during warm months (eight months of the year here). We have a few aquaria in our office that we can quarantine in, but don't do that often. When we quarantine in outside vats we usually treat with a combination of malachite green and formaldehyde for a week. Then we introduce a variety of our fish into the quarantine vats. If everyone is fine after a month, we consider them safe to introduce to our recirculation systems. Charles

[@eliasnieto7303]

@@goliadfarms7029 thanks for the answer. Charles, Susie and the team are an inspiration

[@bobfal]

Could you use the duck week as some sort of bio energy to heat the greenhouse. I'm curious about the potential applications

[@goliadfarms7029]

I know people have used compost piles to heat greenhouses, but that would require a lot of floor space I'd rather use for raising fish. I have looked into a system to create hot water using large outside compost piles of wood chips. Charles

[@bobfal]

@@goliadfarms7029 it seems really hard with energy solutions at the moment, there seems to be no clear front runner in the energy market. Enjoy the content btw keep up the good work.

[@mauricematla1215]

Good too see the system bounce back from a big hit. I was wondering the last weeks do you have any idea if a system like yours is better at recovering then a "hightec" setup. ?

[@goliadfarms7029]

Our systems are fairly resilient and did bounce back relatively quickly from the disaster. That's a good question. I advise some aquarium maintenance customers on large aquaria using hi-tech solutions. Such systems can be temperamental and can fail spectacularly sometimes. Recently we had to advise the emergency use of zeolite to remove high levels of ammonia and nitrite in one very large aquarium. Hi-tech systems often require constant "tinkering" and monitoring that I'd find tedious after a while. For me, the fewer moving parts required, the better. Charles

[@mauricematla1215]

@@goliadfarms7029 Well for what it's over the almost 4 decades aquariuming I found roughly the same. Mostly doing planted tanks so that is what i am speaking on. Very broadly speaking my simple systems take more time to balance and getting settelled (not quite sure how too call it in English) But once they get there it gets hard to "knock them out". Though the high tec methods can have spectecular results it found they get out of wack more easy. Yes the simpler the less to go wrong. Also you don't need a specialist to fix things when stuff goes wrong.

[@goliadfarms7029]

@@mauricematla1215 All very good points! Charles

[@ColorzGuppyFarm]

Duckweed: You can make fish food flakes from it! or feed your chickens!

[@goliadfarms7029]

We used to feed our chickens duckweed, but our neighborhood raccoons took advantage of a short in the electric fence protecting the chickens and slaughtered them all one night. We haven't restocked. Here's a blog I wrote about feeding duckweed to the chickens: goliadfarms.com/duckweed-and-chickens/ Charles

[@ColorzGuppyFarm]

@@goliadfarms7029 thanks for the reply Charles! Sounds like you need a good coop to lock them up at night. Or a chicken tractor.

[@noyezz3690]

EPDM liner glue should work :) ;) let me know if it does

[@goliadfarms7029]

Sorry for the tardy reply. I've tried EPDM liner tape and it doesn't stick long to Rubbermaid vats. I haven't tried the glue. Recently I've found a temporary fix: a sheet of Saran wrap will clog up the leak. Charles

[@jendubay3782]

Have you considered adding passive heating systems? It would make your propane heaters more effective, and also what about diversifying your heating sources? Perhaps a solar system for the days and propane at noght?

[@goliadfarms7029]

The greenhouses collect heat on sunny days, so we do passive heating that way. We only heat when there are several cloudy, cold days in a row. Typically, that averages about three nights a year. Last year we had to heat more because during the Texas Winter Storm we lost power and our old generator's automatic transfer switch failed. That meant for six days while the Texas electrical grid went up and down, we had to manually switch from generator to commercial power and vice versa several times a day. During those manual transfers the two layers of greenhouse film collapsed and stuck together because the inflator fans lost power. That layer of air provides a lot of insulation and heat retention. We didn't have the time and labor resources due to everything else that happened to replace the greenhouse film before last winter. As a result, we had to heat much more than usual. We are planning to install a large compost water heater this fall to heat the water (that's a lot more effective than heating air). Such a compost heater can heat water to 140F. We'll install pumps with thermostats to control system water temperature. This will also allow us to keep water temperatures higher during the winter which will improve growth and reproduction during the winter months. By heating water this way, we can save propane for the generator should the Texas grid fail again. Charles

[@jendubay3782]

@@goliadfarms7029 that sounds amazing! Keep us updated as that goes in. I appreciate you taking the time to explain all that, I learned a lot

[@goliadfarms7029]

@@jendubay3782 We're thinking about having an install-a-compost-water-heater day and invite everyone to participate (translation: provide free labor). Charles

[@matb2733]

The syrup in the soda barrels are highly concentrated. Ingredients like phosphoric acid could burn the skin at these levels. Most fascinating thing is that there is so much caffeine that it it can absorb through the skin and can cause severe side effects.

[@goliadfarms7029]

Apparently some nasty stuff when concentrated. Charles

[@zachsis]

I haven’t heard you go over how the plants are planted in the greenhouse. I would love to know if they are in pots and/or what kind of substrate they sit in, if any.

[@goliadfarms7029]

They are not in pots. For our workhorse plant, Piper auritum (the large leafed, tall plant), I simply drop a stalk into the water between the vats. It roots and sends up shoots. When it gets overgrown, we pull it out feed most of if to our litterworm beds and compost piles and drop another stalk in its place. Sometime after we catch up on processing breeders, I'll do a video of harvesting an overgrown plant and starting a new one. Charles

[@zachsis]

@@goliadfarms7029 Thank you for the response Charles!

[@kokosnood]

How the heck do you catch those plecos with all the tanks and concrete blocks in the way?

[@goliadfarms7029]

Occasionally one of the plecos is a bit too slow or trusting and I manage to grab it. The hollow blocks help since the plecos try to hide in them. Charles

[@LthrWrstlr1]

I wonder if the fish in the sump have the "swim with the current gene" and the fish above the sump have the "swim against the current gene". You should net up a bunch from the sump and see what they do. :)

[@goliadfarms7029]

That is very possible, although some of them are escapees from nets. Setting up a bunch from the sump and testing would make a great science fair project for one of our grandbrats. Charles

[@liquidrockaquatics3900]

How does hornwort compare to najas grass or anacharis for removing nitrates? Are there any negatives to any particular plant that grows in the water column that would cause you not to use it?

[@goliadfarms7029]

I think, based upon growth rates, hornwort removes more ammonia compounds including nitrites and nitrates. Under good conditions, each hornwort tip grows an inch a day. That said, I don't have a lot of experience with anacharis (now in the genus Elodea) since Elodea is illegal to possess in Texas. Najas, which doesn't often root, sinks in the water column and grows upward. In vats, this is a disadvantage since it fills the vat from bottom to top, and by the time it has reached the top, it has filled the vat. That leaves the fish with little room. Hornwort floats, making it much easier to control. We remove at 250 pounds of hornwort a week. It is fed to our scuds and put on a litter worm bed for composting. Our horses also like to eat it. Charles

[@epiphyte8646]

Did I see a Philodendron in the second greenhouse? Right now certain trendy (famous on Instagram) aroids are quite lucrative... such as Monstera albo and Philodendron Pink Princess. They grow relatively easy by putting cuttings into water and both can handle temps into the mid 30s. But I have no idea though how they would compare to Piper auritum in terms of filtration. Regarding the fish, I love the combination of natural and artificial selection. It is incredible how quickly you unintentionally selected for fish that swim against the current. I'm guessing it would take longer to select for cold tolerance. It would seem like perhaps faster progress could be made with hybrids, based on your story of the cross between the convict and the texas, but I googled and evidently hybridization is generally frowned upon in the cichlid community. Seems counterproductive to me. Personally I grow orchids outdoors here in Southern California. A pretty orchid that can't survive the cold is pretty useless to me.

[@goliadfarms7029]

We have Philodendrons in our yard, assuming they survived the 2021 Texas Winter Storm. We do have Pothos, which when it is happy resembles some Philodendrons. Pothos is a great plant for filtering. The test plant filtration system I first set up used Pothos. Philodendrons would likely work as well if you have the space for them. If you deliberately set out to select for cold resistance, I suspect you could make a lot of progress fairly quickly. I once wrote a column for Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine and one month the topic was how to select for cold tolerance. The hobby has purists who reject hybridization. Others embrace it. I feel there is room for both pure species and hybrids. But with a caveat: hybrids must always be identified as such. I'm testing a vanilla bean orchid in Greenhouse 1 now. Charles Charles

[@ralphie14]

With the concrete blocks sitting right on the pond liner is there ever a concern with the rough surface or sharp edges of the blocks ever putting a hole in the liner?

[@goliadfarms7029]

The liners are aquaculture grade pond liners and are very puncture resistant. We've had no problems with after years of usage. Charles

[@MsAngelap3233]

Flex seal might work

[@goliadfarms7029]

We tried that. I did not work. It does not adhere to the material the vats are made of. Charles

[@jeffedwards823]

Have you thought of moving to the Dersert in California or Arizona? No more disasters.

[@goliadfarms7029]

Every place has some sort of disasters. Although our systems recirculate water to minimize water use, they do use water. For example, during the summer when we run fans to cool the greenhouses, we lose about 3,000 gallons a day to evaporation. Deserts by their natures are miserly producers of water. The aquifer we pump from is close to the surface and recharges rapidly, so it doesn't cost a lot to pump the water. Pumping from deeper aquifers in the desert could be much more costly. Also, there is the issue of water rights to consider in those States. Charles

[@jeffedwards823]

@@goliadfarms7029 wow thanks for the reply,love learning about your setup,just a shame you have so many hurricanes,wish you still had rainbows 😭

[@gullerbone4633]

Hello, The usual house heating system work fine with pond Just drawn the radiator (the kind with water into it that goes back to the gas water heater like for regular house) and link the temperature sensor in the water rather than air. Dont heat air to heat water very bad effectivness, heat water directly :) I've seen this in a friend greenhouse with a huge pond full of platy. Simple and effective. That being said, it wasnt off-grid and gas was coming from city pipe not small container.. Sorry for the awfull english !

[@goliadfarms7029]

We've experimented over the years with various methods, most of which worked fine for over two decades. The 2021 Texas Winter Storm was a unique (I hope) disaster. The four counties to our east produce almost all the redfish your eat in restaurants. They lost 98% of their fish and most of the producers will not come back. Charles

[@gullerbone4633]

@@goliadfarms7029 Hard winter.. Thanks for sharing love your videos

[@C.Crockett]

Mr Charles, Mi tocayo. 😂 I have found an adhesive that repairs your 300g Rubbermaid tanks. How do i email you the process?

[@goliadfarms7029]

I'm very interested. Please email me at [e-mail]. I have found a boat repair tape that does adhere. I'm testing how long it'll last now, but I'll look at any other solutions. Charles

[@charleswieand4445]

Are your floors concrete or just lined well?

[@goliadfarms7029]

The floors are lined with aquaculture liners over a sand bed. The sumps are also lined over concrete block walls. We should do a video on the greenhouse structures. Charles

[@canzaquatiz3610]

It's just my opinion if you was to try to maximize your space I would probably still stands over the barrels and place tanks this way you can separate what you're ready to sell or what you're ready to keep

[@goliadfarms7029]

We separate them laterally among the vats in the greenhouses. With cichlids, we usually have five 55-gallon vats and one 300-gallon vat per species/variety. One 55-gallon vat holds 1-2" fish, another 2-3" fish, yet another with 3-4" fish, and one each for adult males and adult females. The 300-gallon vat holds the breeding colony. One issue with placing tanks above the vats is the cost of pumping water. As it is, our pumps only have to lift the water about three feet (

[@canzaquatiz3610]

@@goliadfarms7029 nice maybe you make that a video if you haven't already not sure 😊

[@goliadfarms7029]

@@canzaquatiz3610 We have done one or two but will do another. Charles

[@matthewarcher6461]

If you buy plastic tubs do you have to worry about anything leaching in

[@goliadfarms7029]

The barrels we get are food grade and once cleaned don't leach. The other tubs and vats we use are rated for agricultural use and once rinsed thoroughly have no toxic compounds. It's always wise to rise plastics before use because of residual formaldehyde from manufacturing. Charles

[@ziko88]

I wonder why you guys don't grow plants such as Anubias in the vats. it'll help filtration, give young fry more places to hide, they don't need substrate and you could sell them off easily. Just a thought. Good fish keeping

[@foreverautumn2315]

What a great idea...!!!

[@goliadfarms7029]

I tried Anubias once, but it didn't thrive. Surprisingly to me is that Java moss also doesn't do well in our systems. Charles

[@ziko88]

@@goliadfarms7029 That's so interesting.. Have you tried Java fern?

[@charleswieand4445]

Rubber roof seam tape won’t work?

[@goliadfarms7029]

I didn't rewatch the video, but I assume you are speaking of the leaking 300-gallon vats? If so, nothing I've found sticks to the plastic on these vats. Just today I set up a test of a new tape used for repairing boats. We'll see what that does when I fill the cracked vat. Charles

[@MARKluvsAZcards]

I'd still buy a T-shirt 😉

[@goliadfarms7029]

And Carl and Susie tell me they are working on that! Charles

[@MARKluvsAZcards]

@@goliadfarms7029 I'm excited now, 😀 Happy Easter

[@adriebomhof8776]

Do you ve winter periode and how do you werk up your greenhouse

[@goliadfarms7029]

We normally have a mild winter period December, January, and February during which we can expect 2-3 mild freezes (30F [-1C]). We typically only have to use propane heaters a few nights a year and then only during long cloudy periods when the greenhouses don't get solar heat gain. During those months, we remove the shade cloth that is used to keep heat gain down during the warmer months. We also turn off fans and seal up the greenhouse vents to keep warm air inside. The greenhouses are covered with a double layer of greenhouse film. Inflator fans maintain a layer of air between the layers of film providing insulation to prevent heat loss. Charles

[@adriebomhof8776]

@@goliadfarms7029 thank you very much for the feedback. Is a big help.thank you

[@gardenstategoldfish698]

Do the red mangroves do well in fresh water or do they need salt added to the water?

[@goliadfarms7029]

They thrived in Santa Fe, NM well water and our Texas farm well water without salt. The Santa Fe water wasn't as hard as our Texas water (285 ppm calcium carbonate) and had a lower pH, about 7.4 compared to 8.5 here. Charles

[@gardenstategoldfish698]

@@goliadfarms7029 Thanks! There is one at my LFS in a saltwater tank currently, Do you think it will be okay going from salt to fresh? its only about 10 inches tall right now. My water has very hard GH (close to 300 ppm) but low KH

[@goliadfarms7029]

@@gardenstategoldfish698 Start it at marine levels and dilute with 25% your water every couple of days. It should be fine. Charles

[@gardenstategoldfish698]

@@goliadfarms7029 Thanks Charles! I hope all is going well with the recovery. You have an amazingly positive outlook!

[@goliadfarms7029]

@@gardenstategoldfish698 We are making progress. We're almost done with our cichlid breeding colonies and are moving on to the livebearers. Charles

[@ian5780]

Fellow believer in Murphys law.

[@goliadfarms7029]

You can believe you've covered all the bases, but sometimes things will still fail. Charles

[@cmonbroitsme]

How much of a risk is it of accidently introducing any of these feral fish to the local ecosystem? I found the guppies in Trinidad waterfalls bit very interesting

[@goliadfarms7029]

Almost none. We use excess water from the systems for irrigation and there is no connection to any streams. Also, almost everything we raise cannot survive even our mild winters outside. I did remember the name of the researcher studying the Trinidad guppies above and below waterfalls. He is David Reznick, an evolutionary biologist from University of California Riverside. Charles

[@alfredovillarreal3452]

How can I buy a Goliad farms t shirt?

[@goliadfarms7029]

Carl and Susie tell me they are working on that. I guess they'll put them on our website at goliadfarms.com/. Charles

[@alfredovillarreal3452]

@@goliadfarms7029 Alright looking forward to when I'll be able to buy one. Thank you

[@colinhamer6506]

selective breading animals that don't go a stray is great I know a sheep farmer that has only a one strand very week electric fence around his property that he only turns on for a few weeks after lambing any that stray get the chop most of the year they could just wonder off but they don't

[@goliadfarms7029]

Interesting. There is a goat rancher in Texas who selected for goats that like to eat cedar (actually juniper). He sells them for cedar control. Lots of animal (and human) behavior seems to be genetic. We have several examples of fish behavior changing over generations due to selection pressure of our culture techniques. Charles

[@colinhamer6506]

@@goliadfarms7029 it fascinates me how a lesson learnt by a generation can be passed on to the next especially with things like fish that don't exactly raise and teach there offspring and even physical injuries can be passed down I damaged my eye/pupil when I was a kid and 2 of my kids have a defect in the same eye that looks like mine crazy

[@jd3497]

Has Rubbermaid commented on the persistent cracking problem you're having with the stock tanks? If this is a stress crack, are you drilling a relief hole at the end(s) of the crack to prevent it propagating? Using a virgin rod of Polyethylene instead of aged and weathered piece of tank rim to melt for the repair may be more successful Just an idea. . www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=24504

[@goliadfarms7029]

I thought I had replied, but can't find it. So, here goes again. We did contact Rubbermaid and they recommended what we are doing. Carl does drill holes at the ends of the cracks. I've passed your comments on to Carl. Charles

[@canzaquatiz3610]

I need some duck weed maybe I can buy from you?😕 And hornworth

[@goliadfarms7029]

We have both. We'll be listing hornwort on our website (goliadfarms.com/) soon. I'll have to think about duckweed. I don't know it's value. Charles

[@canzaquatiz3610]

@@goliadfarms7029 ok sorry not computer savvy but will take a look thanks 😔 a little embarrassing ☺️👍

[@apuffofpekingese6443]

Sir !! What is your mailing address ??? How can I ship something to you ? I talked to my community about your story and what happened to you from damages which were made because of the winter storm at the Valentines Day massacre Every fish keeper I know donated a bunch of fish of his/her after hearing the story....now I have a ton of fish on hold.....they are a bunch of cichlids, so many tetras, fancy fancy fancy guppies, long fined mollies, colorful platies, plecos of so many types, so many types of snails, albino and blue crayfish and many more !!!! I rejected koi, goldfish, tilapia and other fish which won’t fit your system So please inform me!!! I need to know when are you ready to take them sir !

[@goliadfarms7029]

Thank you. One issue we have when bringing new stock in is quarantine. Large, recirculating systems without either ozone or UV sterilization like ours aren't conducive to quarantine. We don't have adequate controlled temperature areas in our warehouse for quarantine. Our solution is off-system quarantine in insolated outside vats. We can only do the when it is warm and water temperatures won't drop below 70F (21C). That should happen by late April. Please email me at [e-mail] and we can work on this. Please also send of list of what you have and give me your location. Charles

[@grdbt]

why not to pack stuff together and move to a state thats not hurricane prone. seems like you ve been struggling a lot and new storms will come sooner or later. family owned land for years doesn't mean you have to stay there and take the beating.

[@goliadfarms7029]

Every location has some liabilities. We used to be located in Santa Fe, New Mexico before moving here. Heating costs were prohibitive there. Before moving here, we looked at Carlsbad, California but land acquisition costs were prohibitive and then there are earthquakes. We considered Mexico but regulations on aquaculture were too restrictive. South Texas has a mild winter climate (with the exception of this last winter, although the issue there wasn't the temperatures as much as the failure of the Texas electrical grid and the resulting propane shortages). Here we have good well water and are located on land that's been in my family since 1870. We are here to stay. Charles

[@brianredban9393]

Please don't let your dogs kill the raccoons for the sake of the raccoons and the health of your dogs

[@goliadfarms7029]

I keep telling the dogs they shouldn't kill raccoons. They listen as well as our brats (children) did. Charles

[@brianredban9393]

@@goliadfarms7029 kinda seems like its a joke to you unfortunately

[@brianredban9393]

@@goliadfarms7029 kinda seems like its a joke to you unfortunately

[@lukewylde2691]

@@brianredban9393 my dude. His tone won't change anything. What's wrong with him bringing in some positive energy

[@danzo5521]

@@brianredban9393 i make my dogs fight racoons for my entertainment, most of the time both of them die to their injuries but they're easy to replace :)