Tilapia food

[Chris Smith]

In an attempt to become more sustainable, on my farm, I have started researching how to make my own fish food. I live in Hawaii and we are totally dependent on imported food for both humans and animals. I am looking for alternatives to Aquamax and the other available fish feeds. I grow mainly tilapia for my systems. I am interested in any recipes for fish food that anybody has. Does anybody make their own food?
I have many potential sources of  ingredients(for fish food) that are by-products of current aquaculture operations in my area. I would like to use their waste to make fish food for Hawaii. Any input will be help full.
Aloha
Chris
Coastview Aquaponics

[KManna]

fish poop grows moringa year around and fish eat crushed moringa leaves

build small screened in room/space with fake ficus trees and grow bsfl year around indoors and fish eat it and more poop

have brood sets so you can produce more fish as you eat the fish and feed it to the bsfl

leftover grrens and cow/rabbit poop get fed to worms and non gmo kitchen compost

rabbits eat greenhouse green

wood plus woodstove equals heat for house plus greenhouse plus heat water

sawdust from woodstove plus from fish you can make homemade fishmeal foro protein

[KyleTaiwan]

Hello, I am new to this site.  We are going to be designing aan aquaculture/farmland on some new land (we are still buying land) in southern Taiwan.  For those that dont know about Taiwan, it has a huuge aquaculture market, but it, in my opinion, uses all teh wrong ideas and they simply want biggest amount of weight fo rbiggest profits...meaning lots of chemicals.

We are doing things differently.

anyway, my first question is, are snails (african land snails) safe to use if you are positive they are from a clean area?  I know about fly larvae and worms etc, but i am specifically wanting to know about snail safety as i read htey can be hosts of some kind of lung disease passed on by rodents to people.  Would stripping of shell, cooking well, drying and grinding into food be a possibility? 

We plant to produce about 3 animal crops, fruit, veg and mushrooms on the land.

Thanks for your answers if anyone knows :)

[Paul Smith]

Chris,

I suggest that you ask the folks at Friendly Aquaponics that question.  I seem to read where they have had some experience with snails in a system.

Here is a link to their latest newsletter.  you can contact them from it. http://sz0001.wc.mail.comcast.net/zimbra/mail?app=mail#12

Paul.

[Chris Smith]

Hey Paul, I know Tim and Susanne. I visit their farm on a regular basis. Their snail issue was with water snails in their troughs, not land snails. I get the news letter too. I feed my tilapia and koi land snails/slugs on a daily basis. They love to eat them. Despite what I have been told the fish will eat food that sinks to the bottom. I know because I regularly dive mt tanks to see what is on the bottom. I love free fish food like snails and slugs!!!!

[Paul Smith]

Hi Chris,

That is great info.  Here in SW Washington, we have slugs in abundance, not any snails that I know of.

I don't have an aquaponic system up and running yet.  We are just getting used to our new digs here in Longview, Washington.  It is a great community, smaller than our old digs in Portland, Oregon.

I do have plans from Tim and Susanne for a home system.  I do devour every Friendly newsletter. I hope to get to Hawaii and see their operation.

[Bob Vento]

Chris,

I have read and plan on using rabbit food along with lettuce scraps cut very small as feed for my tilapia. 

In the states it's about $8 for a 25lb bag, but wonder how much it would be out there on the islands?

What waste product do you have access too?

Bob