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Fish Frenzy
01-15-2011, 10:26 PM
Hi, all,

I am new to this forum. I have only recently come to know about aquaponics and am thoroughly intrigued. Therefore, I am planning to start something small this spring. Do you happen to know where I may obtain tilapia and carp (any variety) fingerlings within the US?

Thanks!

LowCarbTNPer
01-16-2011, 12:15 AM
Google turned this up: http://rdaquafarms.com/index.html

It looks like it's right up the hobbyist alley.

Ironfish
01-16-2011, 07:46 AM
Hi F-F,

Welcome, There is a lot of info on this forum and a lot of people willing to help.

Ironfish

JCO
01-16-2011, 07:49 AM
Welcome to the show....pull up an easy chair, relax and stay awhile. New voices are always a welcome addition to our family..! Whatever questions you have on you mind, this is the place to get the answers so pick a topic of your interest and start your own thread and Enjoy. Please go to your profile and list the city and state you are from. There may be someone near you.:mrgreen:

Fish Frenzy
01-16-2011, 09:11 AM
Thank you all for your messages! And thank you, LowCarbTNPer, for the link; it looks like an excellent source. If anyone has feedback for this seller, feel free to share.
I have also found another seller in Missouri that has many stock.

I have a 300 stock tank from a previous project and it will be turned into an aquaponic system this spring. Can't wait to start! However, I haven't had a chance to find the grow bed containers for this tank yet. If you have any recommendations please share. I can probably have 3 approximately 100-gallon grow beds. The 100-gallon stock tank is too tall for my design...

rfeiller
01-16-2011, 10:01 AM
are the carp for food or ornamental? i have koi and fancy goldfish in mine.

Fish Frenzy
01-16-2011, 10:09 AM
Oh, food only!

Fish Frenzy
01-16-2011, 02:12 PM
Hi, Kellen,

Yes, I stumbled across your website the other day and would definitely consider your stock once we have things going here. Lots to build! If you happen to know where to get carp please let me know. Yes, I just prefer the meatier carp then others; tilapia is closer and more readily available.

Thanks.

urbanfarmer
01-20-2011, 11:51 AM
Don't forget your permits!


Iowa
Permit required.
http://www.iowadnr.gov/fish/programs/aquaculture.html

It appears that there may be an exemption for private use, if anyone finds out, let me know.
Thank badflash: State Tilapia Regulations (http://www.diyaquaponics.com/forum/showthread.php?636-State-Tilapia-Regulations/page3)

:mrgreen:

urbanfarmer
01-20-2011, 11:55 AM
Oh that's just funny. I clicked the link to take a look, and long and behold LOOK what it says on the front page:


Where To Buy Fish

Iowa State University (ISU) performs a survey every few years to create a list of Iowa aquaculture facilities who provide fish to the public. The link below comes from the 2008 survey.

Iowa Aquaculture Producers and Species for Sale (*.pdf file)

It says 2008, but someone must still be in businesss! LOL
http://www.iowadnr.com/fish/programs/files/fishforsale2008.pdf

Fish Frenzy
01-20-2011, 12:32 PM
urbanfarmer,

You are fantastic! Thank you very much for the information. I have already contacted one of them. Can't wait to start the system.

grimsteph
01-21-2011, 08:51 PM
Hi Fish Frenzy,

I'm in Iowa too! I would love to hear more about your system. We are doing it pretty simple with a barrelponics inspired system that we have expanded a little bit. My hubby and I are waiting to do the full expansion until we move back to Arkansas since it will already be a lot of work to move our existing system.

I got tilapia from White Brook Tilapia Farm in Kansas City, Missouri. Sara is absolutely the sweetest young lady. She explained a lot of things for us on how to care for the fish. We also met their hatchery manager. I forget his name at the moment, Kyle or Kirby, maybe? He was really helpful and gave us some instructions on how to test our water, how to breed the fish and a bunch of other info too. Super nice people, the both of them. We road tripped it down there and stayed with some very good friends of ours over a weekend to save on shipping costs. The fish are doing great, but we did lose a few at first. It was our fault though. I forgot to turn the pumps back on after fixing a leaking pipe. I really need to pay more attention to things like that.

I would also be interested in a source for common carp. If you find one, please pass along the info. I hear carp are compatible with tilapia in the same tank, so it would be fun to add a few once we move and upgrade the system. Right now we wouldn't have enough room for carp since they get so big but the upgraded system would be perfect.

Fish Frenzy
01-24-2011, 05:48 PM
Hi, grimsteph,

What urbanfarmer posted is a good starting point:

http://www.iowadnr.com/fish/programs/fi ... le2008.pdf (http://www.iowadnr.com/fish/programs/files/fishforsale2008.pdf)

I haven't called any of them yet but will soon. Instead of waiting for the green house I plan to build, we just made some room in our laundry room dowstairs to house a 110-gallon stock tank and a 50-gallon grow bed. It would be good for fingerlings to grow out as well as for the winter. Do you have recommendations on veggies to grow indoor?

urbanfarmer
01-24-2011, 08:40 PM
urbanfarmer,

You are fantastic! Thank you very much for the information. I have already contacted one of them. Can't wait to start the system.
You are very welcome. Happy to have helped! :D

If you need any other help let us know! Also, feel free to post lots of pictures or videos on your setup. :ugeek:

Bioritize
08-07-2011, 12:59 PM
I wondered if we had any updates from the other Iowa people. Glad to find others in my crummy state that have something going. I would be interested to see how things are going for you.