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Comment by Phil Slaton on November 23, 2014 at 3:21pm

Come on over and join West Coast Tilapia.  We look forward to your input!

Comment by Tradewind on July 7, 2014 at 3:20pm

I have been away from the Aquaponics web community for a bit.  But now my system is entering its first full year as I started late last year.  Everything is growing well and I learned about how the heat causes fish problems.  Thinking that the Texas heat might be the biggest hurdle and cooling water is rather expensive I just opted for Gold Fish.  They tolerate the heat and cold well.  Last winter I had 3 inches of ice on my fish tank and the grow beds were frozen solid.  Surprisingly some of the plant survived and the fish seem to love it.  The summer is taking the water well into the  90's and they do not seem bothered.  I pump air directly into the fish tank as well as run a good flow rate on my water.  The gold fish are getting much larger than I expected in the time I have had time and are providing enough nutrients for my grow beds with squash, eggplant, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower and basil and for my NFT system with lettuce and Kale.  I am posting from Silsbee Texas about 20 miles North of Beaumont.  Anyone else in the area I would like to hear from you.  I will be posting an update picture soon.

Comment by Tradewind on August 7, 2013 at 10:52pm

Sandy,

5-6 ppm at 95 degrees. I have a ton of air going through two air stones and I am aerating the water at every point that I can.  So DO is not the problem though you are correct about it falling with it gets too warm or the pH rises.  It just happens to be very difficult to sustain Golden Shiners at that temperature.  I felt that if I can maintain them, I could maintain any fish.  Shiner suppliers keep their fish at 65 degrees and I have been told they will die within one our after temp reaches 70 degrees.  Well, I have bested that, but not 95 degrees.  I have been waiting until fall and I will stock blue gill and hybrid striped bass.  I can't get them from Overton Fisheries until it cools off for the very same reason I am having these problems.  I am just trying to keep my system cycled and my plants growing until things cool off and then the real fish will come on board.  But come summer again it could still be a problem.  95 degree water is just too hot.  

Speaking of Tilapia i found the following on the fisheries website:

"he TPWD has recently clarified its regulations on mozambique tilapia in Texas.  Currently, Mozambique tilapia are legal to stock in private waters without a permit IF THEY ARE DELIVERED DIRECT TO YOUR LAKE, POND, OR AQUAPONICS SYSTEM. However, it is currently against TPWD regulations to purchase and transport your own tilapia.   

Sold Out as of 5/15/13.  Should have more Red Mozambique Fingerlings by Mid-Summer
We are offering our current stock of mixed size 6"-10" Red Mozambiques for Aquaponics and Home Aquaculture.  These are advanced size mixed sex fish and are ready to stock in your grow-out system. These have not been treated with hormones or any other chemicals, and so they are a perfect product for grow-out in your production system.  No permit is required for you to purchase and raise your own tilapia in the state of TX as long as the fish species are Mozambique." end of quote

It is my understanding the Mozambique species are not at all hardy in cold water and that is why they are the only ones allowed.  They do not want an invasion of the species so they only allow those unlikely to survive through the winter.

Comment by Sandy Mathieu on August 7, 2013 at 10:17pm

Your problem may not be the temperature per say, but dissolved oxygen, when the water get hotter it losses do. This is why tilapia are so preferred, They tolerate very very low do. So one quick thing you can try is to add aeration. I have had both blue gill and tilapia do okay in your temps, but with Xtra aeration.

Comment by Tradewind on August 7, 2013 at 10:04pm

Randall,

I am going to try something.  I having been trying to tear into a compact refrigerator and get the works out of it.  Not an easy task as they basically put everything is place and then filled it with pour foam.  But I am whittling away and cutting metal as I go.  I think I can take the evaporator coil wrap it in a plastic bag and stuff it in waste basket.  I have an flow back into the sump that relieves the un-needed water pressure for the grow beds and I will route it to the the waste basket and overflow the waste basket back into the sump. If I can just get 10 degrees off of my highest temp, I should be ok.  I am uncertain if that little unit will have enough btu s to do the job however.  It gets very cold but it is the heat exchanger that may be the problem.  If I had one of those titanium evaporator coils like they use in the pricey units, maybe I would have better luck.  But that coil costs much more than I paid for the entire refrigerator.

Comment by Tradewind on August 7, 2013 at 10:19am

I have been cycled about two weeks now and the only problems I am having is with the heat.  I thought about tearing it all down and sinking all that I could into the ground, but my neighbor has a 8 foot deep pool and it is still running 90 degs.  I fear the only solution is to move and that is not an option.  I just have to find some tough fish that I like to eat.  I don't much care for Talapia, maybe Hybrid Striped Bass could handle the temps.  I am running with Shiners at the moment and I lose a few every other day.  They just can't handle the temps.  I have a lot of flow and a lot of air and my pH is not spiking, but the hat still kills them off gradually.  I know the supplier keeps them at 65 degrees using a chiller.  I could keep my Lone Star in his tank.

Comment by Michael M. Moore on April 14, 2013 at 8:23am

Found it, and thanks.

Comment by Michael M. Moore on April 14, 2013 at 8:15am

Do you have a link for their group?

Comment by Michael M. Moore on April 13, 2013 at 11:42am

Just researching at this point on the different types of systems and implementation due to location, South end of Houston near Clear Lake City.

What I am looking at, besides cost, is using Talpia with harvest average of 2, 3 or 4 meals for a couple a week.  I am not sure if batch harvest or weekly harvest is best yet.  Probably some kind of greenhouse with heating/cooling (Talpia temperature), and appropriate bed count.  Still not sure of floor footprint or bed size/count.  Also not sure of sump count, fish tank count (main, purge, breader, and fingerling) needs.

Anyway still reading books, Sylvia's too, taking on line courses and reading blogs.

Later,

Mike

Comment by Andy on March 26, 2013 at 9:18pm

Rick, hope to see you there!

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