Well, I got 100 hybrid bluegill in my greenhouse tank and the little buggers are doing just fine eating fish food I got from the grain elevator. I need to post again with pictures to show how I finally ended up setting up my biofilter, etc. Still not technically doing aquaponics but I am watering my greenhouse crops with the water from the fish tank and then making up with clean water.
Ok i have to say a few things about this subject. As we stocked my aunts pond with Hybrid Bluegills. These are a few facts that happened in a small 1/4 acre pond. We were told that they would not reproduce for atleast 2 years. Yes mother nature finds a way when their are no females in a group to revert a few back to breeding fish to countinue the species. Well now after 3/4 of a year we had breeding fish and well we were over run with baby gills. So makesure you have space as they tend to overpopulate once they get going. Hybrid's are easy going given enough food. Pellets are what they are designed to feed on. They do gain considerable size pretty quick with plenty of feed and enough room to grow. Thing to consider with Hybrid Bluegills are do you want alot or quality fish. Remember that a small fish can only grow as big as space allows then growth tapers off. Granted this is from my experience and others depending on conditions will vary.
Spoke with AZ Game & Fish rep. and he said getting a stocking permit for bluegill would not be a problem and they tolerate the temperature swings here in the high desert fairly well. Could someone recommend a source for fingerlings.
Just picked up my order of bluegills today! 100 at 1"-2". Here's some pics of the process:
Fish Truck
Weighing and packaging
More Weighing/packaging
Close up
DOA
There were 11 dead when I got home (5 minute ride) and opened the bag. There were around 130 total. I ordered 100. After 1 hour, I found another 9 dead. We'll see what 24 hours brings.
Sorry to hear about the losses, scott. Usually when one dies it's just an early warning that something was wrong and others continue to die. I recommend getting the dead fish out of the water as soon as you see them and i am sure it wont be a total loss. if you got 13o you may end up pretty close to 100 after everything stabalizes.
By the time it got dark yesterday (7:30), I had lost a total of 27. I got to the tank at 6:15 this morning. By 7:30 am, I had pulled out another 57 for a total of 80. I don't know what the issues are. The 30+ goldfish have been fine for the last month. Finding 11 dead after a 5 minute ride home did not set well. Finding that I lost almost 2/3 of the fish in less than 18 hours bothers me. I did let them sit in the bag for 1/2 hour to adjust to the temperature. I did slowly add tank water so as to not shock them. I do check pH, ammonia, etc. weekly and nothing out of the ordinary occurred.
At this point I'll just have to chalk it up to experience. I won't be in such a hurry (is waiting 4 months being in a hurry?) to purchase from these people again.
I would suggest you clip and edit out the name of the company in the first photo that you purchased from until you determine what the problem was and how the supplier will handle the issue. The rules do not allow unpaid advertising anyway and it would seem this companies practices may be questionable at best.
JCO
Irish eyes are always smiling but
"In the eyes of the world, you are only as good as your last success"
I would suggest you clip and edit out the name of the company in the first photo that you purchased from until you determine what the problem was and how the supplier will handle the issue. The rules do not allow unpaid advertising anyway and it would seem this companies practices may be questionable at best.
Thanks for the heads up. It's been deleted until I can correct it.