hello from the NW

[WAbedroomponics]

Hi I am just starting aquaponics and know very little other then the basics. I live in washington near bellevue. I am currently thinking of whether I should build a tank or if there is something cheap that can be used as a tank. I am also wondering if I need to do anything special about heating because my plan is to have the tank in the garage but the garage isn’t insulated and can get as cold as 15F some winter nights but mostly is around 50F. I am hoping to raise tilapia and any good tasting plants that I can grow. If anybody can help it will be appreciated. Thank you

[JCO]

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.

[WAbedroomponics]

so what folder should I go to to ask about tanks? This seems like the place that has answers I looked all over and no place seemed to know anything about what I needed and here in like 10 minutes I found most of my answers.

[jackalope]

Welcome to the forum, glad to have you here! Questions are always welcome, don't be too skeeered to ask, we don't bite (well, maybe one or two of us, but not all of us ) We love questions, and we especially love photos Please be sure to put where you live in your profile so we know what part of the country/hemisphere/planet you are in ..... someone who lives nearby may be able to help you out personally as well.

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Without more information, it's hard to know exactly what you want in the way of 'tanks.' I don't know how big you want to go for tanks, but we can get a 300 gallon Rubbermaid stock tank with a bottom drain here at Ace hardware for $209.00 - you can get a small 50 gallon one for less than $100, and there are a couple in-between -YMMV! In Montana, because of the idiots that make some laws, I have to raise my tilapia in glass aquarium tanks if I want to avoid going to jail or having huge fines. As far as heating, you will need to heat the water ..... Niles will need 60f+, Mossies 55+, and Blues 45+ - These are 'dying temps' not living temps The ideal temps will be upwards of 70f ..... I keep mine at 85f for faster growth, maturity, and breeding; but plants do best at more like 70f, so if you are going to do aquaponics, rather than fish farming, the 70f range will benefit your veggies rather than the higher temps. Badflash has posted some info about heaters - the best one I have had is the bucket heater he recommends Clik - if you get that one, I recommend you get the thermostatic controller he has linked to in this thread Clik - I controlled mine with a clock/timer and it was near impossible to get it perfect, I had to tweak it every so often to get it right and keep it right.

Just my 2 centavos .........

[WAbedroomponics]

Thanks that is most of what i was trying to figure out. so where would i get the tilapia? I was on another post and saw people talking about using frides and other things as tanks and was wondering if just about any thing could be used as long as it has a sheet of vinyl put in to make sure it is safe for the fish?

[keith_r]

i'm using a rubbermaid "stock tank", 110gallons, bought at a "Farm and Tractor" supply store. IBC's (those big plastic bulk carriers in a metal cage on a pallet) are used (check out "Big Al's" system) and can usually be found fairly cheap, just make sure it was used for food items, not chemicals..
i've seen a couple of systems using swimming pools..

it sounds like it would be to cold for you to raise tilapia, most can't handle below about 55f, i think blue tilapia can tolerate cold a little better, you might want to go with a fish that can take the cold water, like yellow perch, bluegill, catfish, etc.. check for pond suppliers near you, they can tell you what fish are available in your area.. i found a couple of online sources for tilapia that will ship to you, if you want the links, let me know

best of luck!

[urbanfarmer]

I just wanted to say HELLO!

I have found this forum to be a cornucopia of knowledge. The members here are friendly and wise! Your stay will be a pleasant one, WELCOME.

[jackalope]

Thanks that is most of what i was trying to figure out. so where would i get the tilapia? I was on another post and saw people talking about using frides and other things as tanks and was wondering if just about any thing could be used as long as it has a sheet of vinyl put in to make sure it is safe for the fish?

Yup! just about anything can be used for a tank ..... I'm not sure I'd use vinyl sheet, if you go on eBy, you can find pond liner very cheap - I got some for $25.00 for the 475 Gallon tank I'm building - and pond liner isn't toxic to the fish, whereas some vinyl sheeting may be (I don't know this for sure, so that's why I'm hedging). For fish, take a look at the DIY Classifieds first - we like to support our own, so-to-speak ...... then Google "Tilapia" if you can't find any here. Also, if you are planning to go with bass, perch, trout, etc., you can try Zetts or if you give me a holler, I'll hook you up with a private trout hatchery here in Lewistown, MT! Keep in mind that most of the cold-water fish are a two-year grow-out, whereas Tilapia are usually less than a year It's usually a choice between the cost of the heating bills, etc.

Say hi to Bill for us (I can remember when Redmond was just another sleepy little town like Carnation or Duvall - of course, they've probably grown a lot in the past 40 or 50 years too!)

If you go to the Zetts website, download their catalog ....... very interesting! Clik

[davidstcldfl]

Hi WAbedroomponics...welcome to the forum....

[WAbedroomponics]

in a 200-300 gallon tank how many blue gill, sunfish, yellow perch, or catfish would fit? and how warm would the tank have to stay for them to grow? i started looking into aquaponics as a challenge to entertain me with a 40 gallon fish tank and random supplies that i have laying aroung to grow herbs and tametoes on my dresser.... but like always i end up going big or going home because over kill is when the rope is to big to tie the boat on to the dock lol