How We Release Fingerlings Into Aquaponic & Aquaculture Systems.

[@CCbalconygarden]

The little fish look very happy in their new home. You always make aquaponics easy!

[@RobsAquaponics]

Lost a weak one at the start but other than that all is good with all of them feeding well :) Not sure about easy but is most definitely fun :) Will be starting to lay out the new system over the weekend.. That one is going to be a bit more challenging to hook up methinks.. Have a great one, Rob :)

[@honeybacres]

It is great to see the fingerlings in the aquaculture set up.

[@RobsAquaponics]

It does feel great Mr John :) All are well except for a crook Silver that died not long after they went in :/ Cheers mate & all the best, Mr Rob :)

[@mollydolly869]

Good luck with the new fingerlings! Boy that dinner looked delicious!

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hi MollyDolly & thanks... Think the will all do well :) Fish nuggets have become a bit of a hit here ;) Cheers & have a great one... Rob

[@DanCarlyon1]

Excellent set-up Rob, good to see some fish in it.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks Dan.. Is running well so far I think :) Cheers mate..

[@OneYardRevolution]

Those fingerlings appear to be very happy in their new home!

[@RobsAquaponics]

They have settled in nicely thanks Patrick :) Lost one of the Silvers at the start.. Am thinking it was just a crook fish though.. Cheers sir & all the best, Mr Rob :)

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

I am glad half of them made it ! Hope they settle in and get nice and strong !

[@RobsAquaponics]

***** Thanks Mel :) Cheers & have a great one..

[@RobsAquaponics]

All are fine but did lose one of the Silvers Stephen.. Think it was a weak or damaged fish as all he rest are feeding really well :) All the best sir, Rob.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

I am glad ! :)

[@McDowallManor]

I bet you didn't get quite the same excited feeding from the silvers! Wow - 100 new fish mate. You must be a very proud dad!

[@RobsAquaponics]

The are actually better to watch than the jades at the moment Andy :D The Jades only like to feed once the lid has been closed a bit now for some reason.. The Silvers are swarming the feed putting on quite a show.. Sort of looks like a pack of sharks in a feeding frenzy as viewed from a plane :D Am very happy & have only lost one Silver so far... Happened just after they went in so am thinking it was a bit crook to begin with.. How are yours going ? Cheers mate :)

[@McDowallManor]

Rob Bob Great. They had a bit of a quiet two days when the cold snap first hit, but they're back to normal. Gotta be 6 or 7 inches long and still eating pretty well.

[@mediamaker2000]

Glad to see things back on track Rob! It was fun watching you release the fish! Thanks for that! I give this a green thumbs up!

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hey Mr Dale.. Is all still sailing along fine here now mate :) The ammonia & nitrite levels are dropping steadily so it looks like the system is on it's way to being cycled.. **does a happy jig** Sorry we didn't make it to the cook out again :/ Bianca made me play with worms :/ Such a hard boss ;) Cheers & al the best to you both, Rob, the sawn & B :)

[@jimsmij]

Looking forward to watching them grow. Thanks for sharing.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Same here Jim.. The Jades already look like they have put on some size :) Cheers..

[@dr.easymode5345]

Congratz on finally getting some fishies into your new system!

[@RobsAquaponics]

Cheers Jim... All look to be happy so far.. Only had one loss near the start which was probably just a weak fish.. Have a great one..

[@subedei1]

Excellent! Great to see the system moving forward after the pH 'mishap'. And dinner look delicious!!

[@RobsAquaponics]

All is running well now so am most pleased.. Fish nuggets have become a bit of a favourite here now.. Still like them steamed but the nuggets go down better with the youngest ;) Cheers, Rob.

[@1994abbygirl]

One more step to being self sufficient! Awesome!

[@RobsAquaponics]

& it feels GOOD :) Quail are next methinks as we can't have any more chooks here due to zoning laws :/ Cheers & have a great one, Rob..

[@1994abbygirl]

Rob Bob Awesome,we are getting chickens next month! Buff Orpington's, I do believe they hail from your part of the world! Good luck with all your endeavors!

[@RobsAquaponics]

1994abbygirl All the best with your chooks :) I have a friend that has aquite a sizable flock which includes a few Buff Orpington girls :) Very nice mild mannered birds..

[@Golfingferdie]

Hey happy to see you have the Fish, They should be happy in your system. I will have to bullet blend some feed I just received kind of big for some of the smaller fish. Best of Luck and enjoy your fish.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hey mate... Am most happy with it indeed thanks :) All are going well except for 1 loss but that's less than I was expecting after speaking to others :) Have a great one, Rob..

[@davedrewett2196]

Wooohooo. Looked pretty cool when the little fellas came out of the depths on mass and smashed that feed, you must be stoked. I reckon you will see some much faster growth these 2 batches now that your head is really around all the dynamic water quality factors. Good stuff Rob.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hey Mr Dave :) The Jades have become really shy & will only feed with the lid almost closed but the Silvers love to swarm theirs as it sinks.. Polishing out some fine solids that have turned the system a bit cloudy at the moment by turning the biofilter into a trickle filter... Just about time to go down & clean the muck out methinks.. Cheers mate :)

[@SusanRogersMakingItWork4Me]

Nice looking fingerlings you have, they sure are active and hungry, lol Salad and fish looked great!

[@RobsAquaponics]

Both lots are feeding really well Susan so am really happy.. Quite a sight to see actually :) Fish & salad was very tasty **nods** Cheers & all the best, Rob :)

[@gilligan69fun]

As always, great video Rob.Thanks for sharing with us. You make it look easy.Thanks.

[@RobsAquaponics]

HI David.. Glad it looks easy but is also a tad stressful :D :/ Lost one of the Silvers just after they were released but think it must of been a tad crook upon arrival... All the rest are feeding well & looking healthy so am happy with that.. Have a great one.. Rob..

[@TheEmptynester]

I am really enjoying your videos and learning do much. Thank you. Your dinner looks yummy too. :)

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hope they come in hand for you if you knock up a system :) It has become a bit of a favourite meal here & is the best way to make sure the youngest eats all her fish :D All the best, Rob.

[@LindaPenney]

Lovely update thanks for sharing have a blessed week

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks Linda.. Hope you have a great one too :) Rob..

[@trig]

Congratulations, it looks great.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks Mr Michael.. Hope alls well with you & ours, Rob..

[@GregsKitchen]

you have the best garden

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks Mr Greg.. Have you got anything growing out the back at the moment ? Koo wants to make cheese stuffed chook breasts wrapped in bacon for dinner after watching your latest clip.. Pity I have steak out.. Mmmmm, cheese stuffed rump wrapped in bacon :O Cheers mate :)

[@GregsKitchen]

Rob Bob the only thing growing here atm are weeds and foot high grass, you could try it with steak, it would be delicious!

[@lifeinthailand]

Awesome stuff, They look healthy and hungry, Both good things.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Only lost one Silver so far & think that was crook when it arrived.. All the rest are feeding well.. The Jades are a bit more reclusive than the Silvers I've noticed though.. Cheers mate..

[@lifeinthailand]

Did see that on facebook, Loss does happen.

[@UncleBete]

:) Good to see'm in there. It's always great to see fish go for that first piece of food. Suggestion stuff(s): I never, ever put any foreign water into my systems, no matter how highly I think of the place the fish came from. And highly recommend no one does. - A simple way for you to go about introducing fish in your system: Place a 5g bucket on the ground next to the tank. Run air tubing to it from the tank.(no air pump, you'll run water through it) - You can pinch the line to a just flow with anything handy(clothes pin, c clamp, etc.) Or use an air line valve. Dump fish from bag with water into the bucket. Fill the bucket half way or so with your tank water, slowly. A Half hour or so. This adjust water temp and chemistry at the same time. Have a second empty bucket ready. Place a fish net across the empty bucket. Or have a lil helper hold it for you. Dump 5 gallon bucket of fish and water into the net. The water goes in bucket, fish stay in net. Toss fish onto tank. Dump water on a plant. Have a good one! Bete

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hi there Uncle Bete.. Am most happy they're in myself :D Lost one at the start but am thinking it was the crook looking one we saw just after releasing them :( Can see where you're coming from & it does make sense.. Have lost a fair few ornamental fish purchased from small time retailers so don't even bother with them any more :/ I do trust this hatchery as they have to meet the highest world standards to keep their export business going.. They also come highly recommended by some of the top folks in the Aquaponics/Aquaculture industry here in Aust, one of which recommends the method I used.. Cheers & all the best, Rob..

[@baconsoda]

Excellent, I hope they grow into huge monsters for you.

[@RobsAquaponics]

I hope not, they might start thinking I look tasty Brendan :/ They are all feeding well at the moment so that's a plus :) Cheers sir & all the best, Rob :)

[@HotEndRanch]

Well done Rob! I'm following this very carefully as i want to do a aquaponics hybrid system :)

[@RobsAquaponics]

Cheers Anthony :) Think you'll do well with it after looking at your aquaponic system.. Have a great on mate :)

[@Zac400ex]

I was watching another video on a store that provided product for this type of setup. They were showing there tanks and how it worked. They had a fair size bag of oyster shells hanging in the water. They said this was to control the PH spikes. I thought this info mite be something you could look into to see if it could be usefully to your setup. Wishing you all success with the new fish. Have a good one.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hi there Doreen.. Have tried the shell trick in the aquaponics & found it worked for a short amount of time then stopped buffering the pH.. That was with shell grit not oyster shells though.. Was told by the chap that sold us the large aquaponic system to try out an oyster shell filter to help remove solids as well as help buffer the pH.. Is another project on the list of things to try :D :/ Thanks for the tip & the well wishes :) Have a great one, Rob..

[@Zac400ex]

I guess it would be like charcoal in fish filters. Just maybe more natural. I remember using something in fish aquariums years ago that we had to rejuvenate with a salt soak every so often. I can't remember the name but it was white stones of a sort. Nice chatting have a good one.

[@markallen200]

Now that's a proud papa!

[@RobsAquaponics]

Certainly am Mark :) Thanks mate & all the best, Rob..

[@curroption]

Goodluck with them rob

[@RobsAquaponics]

Cheers :) Have a good one..

[@windsorje]

Another nice build completed. Thank you for sharing. I get a lot of good information and tips from your videos. I was wondering about the salt. Is that something you do as an ongoing thing, or do you only salt as needed? I did a quick look for the link and I didn't find one.

[@DavidJH007x]

Haha it's nice when wife n family play out with us lol. I'm planning on either getting a testing system made that will email me the results (I work globally) what tests and what frequency would you recommend or is there something already available on the market? Thanks for the videos Bob always like it when u pop into my subscriptions

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hey mate... Am not familiar with any testing systems personally sorry.. I know a chap that uses a system designed for koi ponds with his small commercial set up but isn't happy with it.. The only other chap I know that uses one is Paul from Earthan Group in the Large commercial trial farm in the UAE he designed & built facebook.com/earthangroup Bit out of our league though methinks ;) Could always ask on a few of the forums & see what they come up with.. Hope you can sort something out.. Cheers mate :)

[@jeffsullivan3362]

I enjoy your videos very much. Thanks for taking time to share your ideas with us. I was looking online for the bio media that you used and it seems rather pricey. Do you have a better source for the media that you could share?

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hi there Jeff.. Whereabouts are you located Mate? Around $29 for a 45L bag is about as cheap as I can get it locally & have to but 10 bags to get that price.. Sorry it's taken a wile to get back to you as well..

[@jeffsullivan3362]

Rob Bob I'm in Michigan in the Detroit area. Not much aquaponics going on here thaty I can find. Lots of hydroponics though :)

[@RobsAquaponics]

Jeff Sullivan The hydro shops is where we source if from here as well.. We have a few aquaponic specialists but they charge like a wounded bull because its a so called specialist field.. I bought all my bits from the hydro, plumbing & aquarium stores with a few recyced odds & ends thrown in... Ended up a fraction of the price the aquaponics chaps wanted to charge..

[@SleestaksRule]

How long will it take them to get to the size of the ones you are eating? Fresh tilapia is currently $5.99 lb. here in the US and I'm considering raising some. It takes 9+ months to get tilapia to pan frying size so I've been told.

[@JosephLorentzen]

Being an aquarium hobbyist and not yet fully engaged in aquaponics, my reading indicates that we should look at the fish as a bonus and the vegetables as our main harvest. Considering the sheer volume of water it takes to raise the fish in, if you are doing aquaponics just for the fish, you might be disappointed. Though surface space is more important than is the number of gallons, a "reasoned" rule is one inch of fish per gallon of water, though a 10 inch fish would be very confined in a 10 gallon aquarium where 10 one inch fish would be very comfortable. In aquaponics you can use tanks with shallower depths and hence greater surface volume, plus you have water filtering through the plant growth beds. I have personally considered tilapia, but the required heat range would be difficult for 2 months of my year. All the fish I am considering like the pH of the water from our tap, but will do well all the way back to neutral or 7.0 pH. I also considered Texas cichlid- also know as Texas perch and have all but eliminated them for the same reason. I am now leaning towards Sunfish. In particular, I leaning is towards the red ear sunfish and the green sunfish. They will survive slightly cooler waters and have about the same growth as tilapia. The green sunfish are very prolific which can be a benefit and a curse.

[@raygrowtx]

why not use a native fish, we have lots of breeds then that kind

[@raygrowtx]

like crappie, or bass , catfish , pan fish , strippers

[@JosephLorentzen]

It is best to use native species. Introducing non-native species has proven to be a very bad thing for the natives. That is why Texas limits us to Mozambique tilapia for stock ponds for non-native as they are unlikely to be able to over winter in most of the state. Texas perch and sunfish are native fish to the state also.

[@raygrowtx]

thanks i live in texas , did know that

[@RealSnowMan78]

I know this is an old video, but I've always had issues with my fingerlings getting into my SLO and making their way all the way to the beds. I've been able to net some out of my solids tank on occasion though. Is their a method you use to avoid this or just get enough fingerlings to expect losses like that?

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hey Mark. I posted an updated version of my SLO video recently & it may help you out with a few ideas. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hIa7YXWFnpKnpdE Sorry it took a while to get back to you.

[@PokePackFire]

yay perch!

[@RobsAquaponics]

**nods** & a WOO HOO even :D Cheers & all the best, Rob..

[@karimjundi2941]

Thanks Rob Bob for another great clip. How long did you cycle your system before you got the fish, and are you registering any nitrates yet?

[@RobsAquaponics]

HI there... The 2 large perch (shown in the bowl at the end) went straight in to start cycling the system.. As long as the system is salted to handle the nitrites & both the water temp & pH are low enough it is quite safe to cycle a system with the fish you want to raise.. I used gold fish with our first systems but thought I would go out on a limb now I know more & go with the perch straight away.. Also heped that I tossed in some biofilter media from the aquaponic set up too ;) As of today the ammonia (NH3) is over 2ppm, nitrites (NO2-) is over 2ppm & the Nitrates (NO3-) is well over 80ppm on the fresh water test card.. Fish are still all feeding & looking fine.. Cheers, Rob :)

[@karimjundi2941]

Thats amazing, I have had my system with 35 goldfish and two grow beds, registering 0.25 ammonia and 1.0 nitrite and 0.0 nitrate. Its been almost two months. No idea what I am doing wrong, also almost no growth in the plants. Weird. Anyway, good luck and keep the videos coming. Cheers

[@RobsAquaponics]

Karim Jundi Some times it can take 3-4 months depending on climate so it could just be a matter of time.. Hope you get some movement in the levels soon mate...

[@SleestaksRule]

Rob - Are the jades the fastest growing allowed in AU?

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hi there Mr Sleestaks :) Barramundi/sea bass will grow faster here but don't like our cooler winters where the Jades can handle it.. Trout are also a fast grower but like the cooler weather & we just don't have a long enough winter to grow them out.. Might be able to stretch the season out if the tanks were buried though.. We have feral tilapia here in the river systems that would be ideal to use.. We can't use them aquaponics as they might escape into the river we would be catching them from in the first place :-/ Still quite can't work that one out yet.. Our Jades didn't like there 11°C/52°F water this morning though :-/ instagram.com/p/p7VK1Hln4c/?modal=true Think they will be off their feed until the water heats back up.. Am thinking of having a serious attempt at a compost water heater this weekend if I can find the right pipe at the right price.. Cheers mate & hope your gardens are going well this season.. Any clips coming? Rob..

[@raygrowtx]

In my small system i had to stop using them pellet food, it made the system too dirty. i use shad from the lake and shrimp now, its clean and the catfish is getting big

[@RobsAquaponics]

Nice one mate.. Always better if you can source the food from home grown or caught.. Looking at having a crack at a cricket farm here after seeing how well the Jades have taken to the grasshoppers.. Cheers & have a great one, Rob.

[@raygrowtx]

i raise crickets in tanks its easy,for my lizards, add a red light and they breed faster for some reason , i have soft shell crickets

[@SouthpawDavey]

Great stuff mate. Glad you got it all sorted. How long is it before you can start harvesting? Looking forward to the the updates. Dave;-)

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hi there Mr Dave :) Hope to have the first one out around Jan, Feb if I can keep them feeding well over winter.. Time will tell though ;) Have an update of sorts I'm just working on.. Hope to have it up by the weekend.. Cheers sir & hope all are well & happy over yonder :)

[@SouthpawDavey]

Eh up Sir Rob. That not a bad turn around then. Look forward to your update mate. Dave and Co ;-)

[@dalton1981]

Aren't you heading into fall in Australia? Your fish can survive that season down there?

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hi there.. First day of winter here today :) The first lot we popped into the aquaponics went in around the same time of year in 2012 & did fine.. Being in the subtropics means that we don't have many hours below freezing every year so these fellers should do fine :) Cheers & have a great one.. Rob..

[@dariolee]

hey Rob, Im from argentina, the winter here is cold, 5 to 10 grades, do you think I need 3 o more heat water to 1000 litres

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hey Dario.. is that °C or °F ? Depends what sort of fish you are running & unfortunately I'm not familiar with many South American varieties.. I know trout like it cooler.. We have used heaters here & will do so again to keep the Jade perch happy as they like water to be 20°C or above to feed well we've noticed..

[@dariolee]

thanks Rob, yes , in winter 5º to 10º ( ºC ), Here there are a lots catfish, but yours flavor is not flavorful.I will look about trout.

[@Hyperjohn78]

Just curious, how much real estate do u require to run your operations, aquaponics, chicken farm, worm farm, bsf farm, etc...

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hi there.. We are on just under 700M², 0.07ha or 0.17ac if that helps.. Still have more yard we can use for both aquaponics & veggie beds.. Cheers & have a great one..

[@Hyperjohn78]

thx rob bob... ur life of versatiliy, self sufficiency is an inspiration to city folk like me...

[@nathangardenfawkes2910]

Congratulations on the new babies Rob :D One question...how long does it take from fingerling to plate in Sub-tropics?

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hi Mr Nathan :) The Jades are supposed to get to 500g in 12-18 months like most of our first batch did.. The Silvers can take up to 2 years according to most thing's I've read so better suited for aquaponic systems than the fish farm.. Am going to see if I can speed things up a bit by warming the water with a heater on a thermostat.. Shall see how we go though & if it gets to pricey to run I'll can the idea.. Cheers mate & take it easy :)

[@RobsAquaponics]

:D OH, it was a double post..

[@johnarizona3820]

Man that's so cool! Are you growing the fish food too?

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hey John... Not as of yet other than a few green leaves & grasshoppers that I toss in from time to time.. Growing duck weed is on the cards as well once we sort out the new aquaponic system.. Hope to get enough worms to feed them more regularly but we shall see.. Cheers mate :)

[@poynerglass]

Thanks Rob I have been waiting for the fingerlings . That was like earth porn to me can't wait to see them grow and go on the table . Thanks Mate

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hey Darren :) Am hoping we will have some ready for December holidays if we can keep them feeding over winter.. Should be easier to do in the fish farm than the aquaponics as the temp in the AP tends to be a fair bit cooler.. Cheers mate :) Rob.

[@stevencox75]

future meals ^^

[@RobsAquaponics]

**nods** Lots of future meals ;) Cheers Steven :)

[@mollydolly869]

Good luck with the new fingerlings! Boy that dinner looked delicious!

[@nathangardenfawkes2910]

Congratulations on the new babies Rob :D One question...how long does it take from fingerling to plate in Sub-tropics?

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hey Nathan.. You comment fell in with the dozens that went missing sorry mate :-/ The Jades can be as short as 12 months to get a 500g plate size fish with the silvers being closer to 24 from what I've been told.. Cheers mate & sorry again for that.. Rob..