Aquaponic Math...

[Eric Warwick]

Does any one know the ratio of fish:plants. Murry Hallam said 1:1 for grow-bed to fish tank, but stocking densities also matter. (get it) Trout to be less stressed I believe would need less of a stocking density.

[TCLynx]

Very true that trout are demanding of high water quality.  However, many many of the APers in OZ raise trout so it is possible to do in a backyard system.  Seeing as the feed protein % is so high, I wouldn't worry that the plants would be shorted of nutrients by stocking fewer fish in the system.

 

Cycling up a system, how long it takes depends on the temperatures during cycle up.  If it is still hot when you start cycling, it can go quicker.  You do want to be sure your water will be cooler when you stock the trout though.  You might be able to get a system mostly cycled up in a month but it could take 6-8 weeks if it is cooler during cycling.  Keep the bacteria fed until just before stocking (though you want to make sure ammonia and nitrite are both 0 before stocking trout.)  Lots of aeration, plenty of flow rate and lots of filtration are recommended for trout and keeping the temperature cool though not cold for them.

 

I know of people who have done well with constant flow/flood systems for growing trout and keeping the temperatures stable.

[Eric Warwick]

For the aeration I will have have a large water disturbance, (maybe supplemental if needed) for water quality I would lean to starving the plants of nutrients to an over supply. I will be feeding the trout pellets I make from natural food that I will culture. The easy part will be when they eat phytoplankton and algae, and insects, worms, and small fish, the hard part will come when they eat larger fish. (But I'll get freshwater trout) I'll make that my control and then next year experiment with fish feed. All and all it will probably take 3 years; I'll take good notes and publish my findings in a post. Assumeing everything goes to plan. (insert weird emotocon)     

TCLynx said:

Very true that trout are demanding of high water quality.  However, many many of the APers in OZ raise trout so it is possible to do in a backyard system.  Seeing as the feed protein % is so high, I wouldn't worry that the plants would be shorted of nutrients by stocking fewer fish in the system.

 

Cycling up a system, how long it takes depends on the temperatures during cycle up.  If it is still hot when you start cycling, it can go quicker.  You do want to be sure your water will be cooler when you stock the trout though.  You might be able to get a system mostly cycled up in a month but it could take 6-8 weeks if it is cooler during cycling.  Keep the bacteria fed until just before stocking (though you want to make sure ammonia and nitrite are both 0 before stocking trout.)  Lots of aeration, plenty of flow rate and lots of filtration are recommended for trout and keeping the temperature cool though not cold for them.

 

I know of people who have done well with constant flow/flood systems for growing trout and keeping the temperatures stable.