A Community and Forum For Aquaponic Gardeners

Ornamental Fish Growers

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For those of us who have fish that we don't plan on eating.

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Guppies + DWC = Income Possible?

Started by Roger Pilon. Last reply by Mike Creuzer Dec 30, 2011. 3 Replies 0 Likes

I have a 64 sq. ft raft system. I am thinking to add guppies in the rafts. Why? Because they should clean the rafts of bugs + they are sold here in Costa Rica at a good prices. Is it a good idea or…Continue

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Comment by Josh on July 4, 2012 at 2:35pm: Hey all. Interesting group, Im surprised there isnt more activity here, I've been experimenting with certain cichlids in my systems. Namely Midas and Mayan as well as spotted tilapia. Not surprisingly, they have proven to be less than ideal in my systems due to their aggressiveness and territorial nature. As it is now, they are all in the same 400 gallon pond and the smaller/weaker ones have been weeded out by the more aggressive ones. This has lead to a low number of larger fish and ultimately malnutrition to the plants.

However, if used differently, i feel the cichlids may be able to work. If the parents are kept in breeding tanks and the main pond is used as grow out tank for the offspring for the young maybe there would be enough nutrients to feed the plants. In this scenario the breeding tanks and the grow out tanks would be connected to the system, just in separate containers.

So long as the offspring are able to be removed from the systems and sold or fed off before they became too aggressive towards one another, I think this is feasible.

I know many tilapia based systems are run in a similar manner, but I dont think they are usually done with the intention of selling off the young. This is also more tricky due to the mentioned aggressive nature of most other cichid species. However, the possibility of income from the sale of the fish might make it worth while.

Has one tried anything like this?

Comment by Ellen Roelofs on August 1, 2011 at 7:12am: oh yeah, leftover corn on the cob. :D Right on, Chi.

Comment by Ellen Roelofs on August 1, 2011 at 7:09am: I have various loaches, freshwater gobies, bristlenose plecos, platies, and guppies, all eating garden veggies.

lettuce, watermelon, zucchini, canary melon, cucumber, sweet potato

Boiled carrots might be good for boosting koi color, but beware uneaten food can foul water.

Comment by Ellen Roelofs on August 1, 2011 at 6:56am: Depends on what kind of fish, I expect. But almost anything will eat boiled zucchini, I've found. This time of year I feed my fish summer squashes and melon rinds.

Comment by Growitright Aquaponics on December 24, 2010 at 12:13pm: Interesting idea. What other fruits or veggies do fish like?

Comment by Chi Ma on December 24, 2010 at 6:05am: I wonder if corn will work. It's in a lot of fish food.

Comment by Growitright Aquaponics on December 24, 2010 at 1:38am: Anyone have a favorite koi food? I am brainstorming some ideas: redworms, soldier fly larvae, homegrown spirulina, etc...

Comment by Chi Ma on November 25, 2010 at 10:19am: Hi y'all! I have a planted tank. Might grow some indoor plants.

Comment by Emma Lysyk on March 10, 2010 at 10:16pm: I figured that this might be a good place to post tips and tricks for ornamental fish, especially since there are some chemicals and methods we can use that those who will eat their fish can't.