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  1. #1
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    Hello from Southern California

    Hello,

    I've been involved with hydroponics for the past five years, and last year decided to try aquaponics; I purchased 25 tilapia fingerlings last November, and they've gotten a bit bigger in my 90 gallon tank:

    Six of the seven females in the pic are carrying eggs; I'm having no problems having them spawn, but a big problem keeping the fry alive; hoping to pick up tips and tricks to reduce my infant mortality!

    I've torn down my old hydroponics greenhouse and am rebuilding it for aquaponics. I tend to take a lot of pictures so I'll be sharing my progress with the group.

    I look forward to learning a lot from you folks.

  2. #2
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    Re: Hello from Southern California

    I take the fry from the momma after the second or third day of momma fishie trying to chase the others away from her (and usually has a dark band across the front of her face);
    I place the fry in their own 10 gallon tank with good bio & mech filtration, low/zero ammonia, fully cycled, feed 6-7 times a day with pulverized flake food, change 20% of water 2X a week;

    Most of the fry make it to 2 weeks, but about 2-2 1/2 weeks after "birth" I lose about 2/3's of them in 2-3 days;the remaining fry get put in to my "teenager" tank, very rare for me to lose one in that tank.

    I've read that I should expect about a 20% mortality rate on each spawn, but this delayed dying off takes a good 2/3's of them; they're not getting eaten because they are all the same size; I've already made that mistake, putting new ones in with their slightly older cousins, which was not a good thing to do;

  3. #3
    Moderator davidstcldfl's Avatar
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    Re: Hello from Southern California

    Hi Riverside...welcome.
    I too, am trying to get some breeding going. Sounds like your ahead of me.
    "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same." - President Ronald Reagan

  4. #4
    Moderator JCO's Avatar
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    Re: Hello from Southern California

    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
    JCO
    Irish eyes are always smiling but
    • "In the eyes of the world, you are only as good as your last success"
    so never forget
    • "MAN IS ONLY LIMITED BY HIS IMAGINATION"

  5. #5
    Moderator badflash's Avatar
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    Re: Hello from Southern California

    I think you don't have enough water volume and bio activity. It is rare for me to lose fry or fingerlings unless I let them get overcrowded. At the first sign of floater you need to thin them way out. I have a 4 tank system as my main mossie breeder. 1 20 gal for the breeders. 3 other for the grow out tanks. They share a common sump so there is no shock when they are transferred.
    The best fertilizer is the farmer's shadow

  6. #6
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    Re: Hello from Southern California

    badflash-
    I am waiting on a donated 20 gallon which would solve the water volume question; as to the biofilter it keeps the ammonia/nitrites way way down, but of course dumping 100 fry into a system loads it a lot, I'm thinking the bigger water volume would help address that issue; working towards a common sump in an old 50 gallon tank I need to repair; final system should be the 90 gallon main tank, two 20's a 15 and the common sump;

    earnie-
    I used to put the momma fishie in an isolation tank also, but had the same problems, as per the attached pics now I just net the momma, put her in a small plastic box, and, using nitrile gloves hold the momma gently so she can't squirm around and stick me with her spines and "milk" the fry out of her; takes about a minute and then momma's back into the main tank; I'm not sure of the exact type of tilapia; pH and temps all good; if the fry still have yolk sacs I let the momma suck them back up and put her back in the main tank until they're "done" <g>

    To everyone else thanks for the warm welcome.

  7. #7
    Moderator badflash's Avatar
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    Re: Hello from Southern California

    Here is what I think happens in a small tank. It is not a lot different than over havesting a mature aquaponics system. Put in a large fish with babies and the beneficial bacteria ramp up to deal with it. Once she is removed and only the tiny babies remain, they starve and their decay produces an ammonia spike. This effects the fish and also feeds the remaining bacteria which multiply like mad and by the time the fish show stress, the spike is long gone.

    In a multi tank system the bio load doesn't change. No spike.
    The best fertilizer is the farmer's shadow

  8. #8
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    Re: Hello from Southern California

    an ammonia spike was the first thing I thought of the first time it happened, but the ammonia never got more than .25; ppm, probably about half that; I know smaller tanks are less forgiving, but 1) momma fishie never gets into the fry tank; 2) temperature, pH, ammonia all good; I did find an article about massive fry death due to gas supersaturation, maybe I'll make a degasser for the fry tank, but I'm still clueless as to the reasons why I have so many fry die.

  9. #9
    Moderator badflash's Avatar
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    Re: Hello from Southern California

    Something I do with my fry is thin them to about 100 per 20 gallons once they reach 1". They jostle each other a lot and that can open small cuts that lead to infection, then that spreads to the general population. Disease is always present and if the immune system gets depressed there is big trouble.
    The best fertilizer is the farmer's shadow

  10. #10
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    Re: Hello from Southern California

    That's a great idea; I should be getting another 20 gallon tank this week which works out perfect; so far I've been very lucky as to disease in the big tank;

    BTW, I believe you raise your fish in aquariums, how do you control/remove the prodigious amounts of poop? Internal filter, external with overflow box, ???

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