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LowCarbTNPer
01-12-2011, 06:36 PM
I plan on building my system with a 290 gallon IBC (or something larger if I can find it cheap enough) in a greenhouse, and I'm thinking of using local fish species for my year round stock so I will only have to do minimal heating of the water for times when it gets really cold.

Since I'm in the mountains of Western NC, some of my main local fish are rainbow/brown/brook trout. According to wikipedia, Brook Trout like a wide range of water temperatures from 34 deg. F to 74 deg. F; it sounds like it would make an ideal fish for year round keeping.

Has anyone else tried raising trout in a FT that size? I'd kind of like to add a few every year so in 2-3 years I'd be able to have a few trout dinners every year.

jackalope
01-12-2011, 07:03 PM
Sounds like a plan ..... one of these days, I'll get over to the trout hatchery in Lewistown and see what I can find out about them .... I've thought about that myself. It's just the 2 year growout that bothers me ..... I wanna eat 'em sooner! I'm under the impression that if you just keep the top of the water from freezing (they need the oxygen), that they will survive the colder temps. I'll let you know what I find out!

keith_r
01-12-2011, 07:07 PM
i'm not sure if i get what your saying about local fish, if you're talking about catching in local bow and stocking a tank? it might be difficult to get them to take to feed if that's what you're talking about.. check around for "pond stockers" or "fish farms" in your are where you can find (usually) feed trained fingerlings...

I don't see why you wouldn't be able to raise trout in a tank that size, base your fish load on your filtration (growbed volume)

follow the "rules of thumb" you'll find here for sizing and you should be fine... ask fo help along the way, plenty of info here

LowCarbTNPer
01-12-2011, 07:10 PM
By local I just meant that since they already thrive here in the wild that if I bought some for the aquaponics setup then they should be able to survive in it as well since the water temperatures would be about the same.

Actually, a lot of the fish here are stocked by the state so they are used to commercial feed; catching them might not be a bad idea lol (I'd have to check the laws though).

keith_r
01-13-2011, 07:04 AM
gotcha..
it's a good idea to use a local fish that you know can handle the weather conditions where you live..
but, a smaller volume of water will be more difficult to keep cool if it gets very hot, and trout are more sensitive to higher temps than say, sunfish (bluegill)..
and Tilapia like the water real warm for best growth (above 75), and will kick the bucket under 50 or so
lots of info on different species regarding the temps and water params for them..

whatever you start with, keep track of your water temps through the seasons to give you a better idea of your starting point..

urbanfarmer
01-13-2011, 12:16 PM
Just because it is a local fish, it may still die in your system. I had some red ear sunfish die in my system when it got too cold. The waters around here are heated by the power companies dumping waste water into the rivers and lakes. Also, very large bodies of water take A LONG TIME to cool down with only a fractional temperature gradient change like you describe or that we have here in FL. In other words, if it spikes down to 25 degrees, the rivers might only drop from 50 to 48 but your system will drop down towards 25 since it is so small.

LowCarbTNPer
01-13-2011, 12:34 PM
Definitely good points. Too warm could be a problem during the summer; while the rivers do remain pretty cold during the summer because it is snow runoff a small enclosed system like mine could definitely get pretty warm.

I may just have to try goldfish the first year and keep a log of water temperatures before deciding on whether I can get any trout or other fish.