Improving water quality in breeder tank

[Scrapiron]

My tilapia have had 3 sets of eggs with no sucess in hatching. I was looking into trying to improve the water quality. Currently there is 10 fish in a 60gal tank, with a 18gal biofilter. Water is pumped into the filter and it spills back into tank. I do have a problem with solids not being sucked up that I am working on.

So I went to the local fish store and was looking at canister filters and UV filters. I read the boxes and there is no information on what the filter actually filters! UV helps with algae and other harmful stuff., Not very detailed. Canister helps with particles??? Not very detailed. Can someone give me insight to where I should go from here. The filters are expensive and I dont have money to waste! haha

Initally I used rain water and it stayed very acidic in the tank. I started using tap water and it fixed that problem. The only other issue is nitrate rises fast. (I assume from the solids on the bottom) Any advise would be appreciated.

[Scrapiron]

Mabey I should clarify a little. What filter should I buy?

[Todd Sowell]

Try looking at canister filters, maybe a Fluval or Ehiem. That Pet Place has some good prices on their website.

I would send a message to Kellen at White Brook Tilapia. I think you can PM him on this forum too. He's the resident Tilapia expert.

 

Todd

[TCLynx]

A filter won't take care of your high nitrates, to reduce nitrates you either need plants or you need to do water changes.

A UV filter, some of them will just tend to kill algae and others will work against bacteria and other possible pathogens, I don't think either of those are giving you problems for your tilapia.

The canister filter (if you don't have any sort of grow bed that would filter solids and grow plants) will help with particles but only if the flow or pump manages to get them into the canister filter which will have ongoing replacement costs.

Why not just hook up a grow bed?

[Todd Sowell]

How old are your fish? It was recently posted on another forum, Murray's, that many times the parents are too young and that they will get it right eventually.

Nitrates or Nitrites?

 

Todd

 

 

 

[Scrapiron]

I got the fish from a Ugandan Missionary around November and they were 3-4 inches. Now they are 6-7 inches. The first set of eggs was 5 weeks ago. Nitrate is the one that rises pretty fast. Every 10 to 14 days it rises over 20 or 30ppm, and I do a water change. Never thought about putting a grow bed in. That would be cheaper than a canister filter, and more rewarding! I just assumed the bio filter would take care of most everything.

I am just a little frustrated with the latest set of eggs. I did a water change last Sunday night, and Monday morning a female was laying. Nice fresh water, I just knew I was going to have fry this time. No biggie though, it will happen sooner or later.

[RupertofOZ]

The canister filter... is actually what's producing the nitrates.... nitrification of the ammonia...

(It will be removing some/most solids/particulates... depending how good it is....)

 

Yep... add grow beds. with worms... and suck them nitrates up with plant growth...

[TCLynx]

Tilapia don't mind high nitrates really.  Mine were happily breeding with the nitrates so high that I had to dilute the samples to figure out what the actual reading was.

Yes add grow beds, that will be far better than doing water changes.

[Scrapiron]

Thank You for the help!

[Russ Grant]

Is it possible to use an existing AP system as a water source? Just put your breeder tank "in line"? I have never attempted breeding but I would like to try - maybe late summer once I start harvesting from my stock. I was considering putting a breeder tank in my greenhouse, right on top of the FT, pumping water from the sump into the breeder tank and have an overflow down to the sump tank. I'm assuming that would take care of any filtration issues since it's a active/healthy AP system?

[Scrapiron]

Russ, that is my "newest" plan. My AP system is out in the greenhouse, and the breeder colony is in the basement. Everything is about 3/4 ready in the greenhouse for this summer, so I am just going to work toward getting them inline with the system. I am building a rocket mass heater out there for next winter, so temps will no longer be an issue and I can leave things running.

I have been busy the last 2 days. Finally got to sit down for a while downstairs.... and to my suprise there is 2 females with eggs, and 1 with the male spawning. Wow, Papa has been busy. Mabey the more frequent water changes helped. I just set up a 15 gallon birthing tank. Mabey that will help the process. I plan on moving all 3 mommas into it tomorrow.  Thanks again.

[TCLynx]

Beware the mommas can get aggressive too when they are getting ready to release fry so perhaps it would be better to move daddy to the birthing tank and let the mommas stay in the bigger tank if you can't put each in their own tank.