Comment

Comment by TCLynx on February 21, 2012 at 8:01pm

Use the cheap pools at your own risk.  Some people have used them fine, other people have struggled with unexplained deaths of fish possibly due to the pool having anti algae and anti bacterial chemicals in the vinyl that leaches into the pool water.  I don't know how to tell which pools will have the chemicals and which will not.

There are lots of people interested in solar power.

Comment by Michael Welber on February 21, 2012 at 6:05pm

I'm using solar power in that I have 2.7KW of panels on my roof and they power the pumps during the day. I was going to purchase separate panels but it made more sense to tap the solar power I'm already generating. I figured out that it would take at least one 200W panel and possibly more to power the two pumps and recharge the backup batteries and would cost about $800 to do it. 

Comment by Kim Hartline on February 21, 2012 at 5:58pm

has anyone used the cheap pools from walmart? does anyone use a solar panel coupled to a deep cycle 12 volt battery to power their pump? would anyone be interested in a solar powered stand alone pump system? 

 

Comment by Michael Welber on February 20, 2012 at 5:24am

It's in between what you have described. The bottom is not covered but there are a few places where it has collected. I did put in an air stone at the bottom a few days ago and the fish seem to really like it and hang around it sometimes. Most of the waste is suspended in the water giving it a cloudy look. I have monitored the ammonia numbers and they aren't increasing so I'm not concerned about the fish. The tank for the fish, by the way, is an old hot tub so the bottom is uneven and not flat like a circular tank. 

Comment by TCLynx on February 20, 2012 at 5:07am

Michael.  How much is a lot if fish poop?  Is the fish poop eventually sinking and getting sucked in by the pump or is it enough fish poop that if it all settled the bottom of the fish tank would be completely covered by fish poop?

To decide if you need a stronger pump or better circulation, Well, is there anything settling in the fish tank on the bottom?  If you are getting accumulation of fish waste/uneaten feed in the bottom of the fish tank, then you should take steps to correct this (might be as simple as placing an air stone so water circulates around the tank to allow the fish waste to be sucked out the overflow.)

If the bottom of the tank is clean and the floating fish poo is less than the amount of food you give the fish at a time, then it is making it's way out of the fish tank and you shouldn't worry too much about it unless you need crystal clear water for showing your fish.

Comment by Dave Lindstedt on February 19, 2012 at 9:17pm

Mike, problem is this and uneaten food will start to decompose and cause an amonia spike.  This will cause a major fish kill..... I've been there.   I now have installed a 70 GPH "fountain pump" from Lowes ($20) about 1 foot from the bottom of my tanks.  This has a built in sponge filter.  At 70 GPH it will filter over 1,600 gallons in 24 hours. Now you will have to remove and clean the sponge filter about every two days and reinstall it.  DO NOT set it on the bottom of the tank as it can suck the tank dry.  I just discharge the pump into my grow trouths.

And yes, cover your tanks.  I also heat my tanks and insulat the tank covers.

Comment by Michael Welber on February 19, 2012 at 7:29pm

There is a lot of fish poop floating around in my fish tank. The water in the sump is clear so the garden beds are doing their job and returning clean water. Should I be concerned about this? Do I need a stronger pump? The fish seem happy and are eating well. 

Comment by TCLynx on February 14, 2012 at 6:21pm

Michael,

    Fish tank covers are a good thing.  Not only might raccoons get at the tank but you also want to keep fish from jumping out and children and other pets from falling in as well as keeping leaves and other debris out of the tank.

     That said, the fish don't need sun but there should be enough light getting into the tank so that the fish can tell day from night.  I usually have at least a small section of cover that is actually just netting so I can drop feed in and light/air can exchange but I try to keep the rest of the tank well shaded with shade cloth or filter material or covered with a solid cover.

Comment by Jeff Davidson on February 14, 2012 at 10:45am

"Hybrid" or "Pure Strain" Tilapia?

Hello from Arizona!

 

I would like to get the opinion of the folks raising tilapia in AP (both commercially and as a hobby) which do they prefer to do. Use the offspring from a breeding pair of different species to produce "all male off spring" (hybrids) for the grow out OR use a pure strain and use both the male and female offspring for the grow out.

I've read that to produce "all male" fish, the breeders (Mommies and Daddy) need to constantly be replaced because after a short period of time because the hybrid offspring become weakened and hard to grow out and that this fish is somehow NOT as healthy for you to eat as a "pure strain" fish.                                         Therefore it is best to use a "pure strain" and just grow out males and females together and somehow sheild the bottom of your grow out tanks to keep the new females from getting to their eggs that fall to the bottom of the tank.

I am in the "research" mode of a future project and just trying learn as much as I can. I would really appreciate some feed back because something doesn't seem right to me. I feel I'm missing some thing in regards to "hybrids" being un-healthy to eat. Just because two Tilapia are from different parts of the world, the fact that they can inter-breed and produce all male off-spring should be ok to eat right?

 

Anyways, have an awesome day everybody!

JD

Comment by Michael Welber on February 14, 2012 at 10:39am

A friend who has raised fish for many years stopped by and saw my tank. He said that the top should be open so the fish can get sun to regulate their biorhythms. I have had the tank covered to keep out mosquitoes and raccoons and cats. I can leave the cover off during the day and keep it closed at night since raccoons only come around at night. What do others do?

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