dissloved O2 content

[Darryl Hinson]

Tilapia, tilapia, tilapia.........Shesh!

Hello everyone....

What is the dissolved O2 content needed for sunperch....like bluegill.......Centrachidae....

Here in the Southern USA we have a lot of them and they are good to eat....

i'm trying to pick a pump and need some guidelines.....300 gallon tank....

I dont know how many fish i will have....so I'm looking for a dissolved oxygen ratio.....

any info....

I'll check the WEB also....

thanks

DArryl

[TCLynx]

off the top of my head, I think bluegill want less than 5 ppt of salt and better than 5 mg/l of dissolved oxygen pretty much the same as channel catfish. However, if you can keep the dissolved oxygen as close to saturation point (which changes with temperature) as possible it is probably better. I know the catfish eat better with extra aeration.

What type of system are you planning? That will affect the type of pumping and aeration most appropriate for your situation.
300 gallon tank, I'm currently using a couple of Quiet One 4000 pumps and one 35 watt air pump on my 300 gallon system and I have 30 catfish in it at the moment. I think it could run just fine with only one Quiet One 4000 and the air pump, the second Quiet One 4000 is sending water to the towers.
Here is a link to a blog post about that system (I will hopefully be adding another 300 gallons of grow bed to it soon.)
300 gallon system blog post

[Darryl Hinson]

TCLynx said:

off the top of my head, I think bluegill want less than 5 ppt of salt and better than 5 mg/l of dissolved oxygen pretty much the same as channel catfish. However, if you can keep the dissolved oxygen as close to saturation point (which changes with temperature) as possible it is probably better. I know the catfish eat better with extra aeration.

What type of system are you planning? That will affect the type of pumping and aeration most appropriate for your situation.
300 gallon tank, I'm currently using a couple of Quiet One 4000 pumps and one 35 watt air pump on my 300 gallon system and I have 30 catfish in it at the moment. I think it could run just fine with only one Quiet One 4000 and the air pump, the second Quiet One 4000 is sending water to the towers.
Here is a link to a blog post about that system (I will hopefully be adding another 300 gallons of grow bed to it soon.)
300 gallon system blog post

[Darryl Hinson]

Thanks TC Lynx
by the way...what are those rubbermaid containers made of....do you consider them safe..?
I know that livestock drink out of em.....
Darryl

[TCLynx]

HDPE structural foam I think. As safe as most other things in use for AP though they are not certified food safe by the USDA or FDA
I figure they are better than most liner materials.

Cheapest place I found to get them is Tractor Supply, the 100 gallon and the 300 gallon are the best price per gallon.

Darryl Hinson said:

Thanks TC Lynx
by the way...what are those rubbermaid containers made of....do you consider them safe..?
I know that livestock drink out of em.....
Darryl

[Darryl Hinson]

TCLynx said:

HDPE structural foam I think. As safe as most other things in use for AP though they are not certified food safe by the USDA or FDA
I figure they are better than most liner materials.

Cheapest place I found to get them is Tractor Supply, the 100 gallon and the 300 gallon are the best price per gallon.

Darryl Hinson said:

Thanks TC Lynx
by the way...what are those rubbermaid containers made of....do you consider them safe..?
I know that livestock drink out of em.....
Darryl

[Darryl Hinson]

i like those black tubs cause their deep and cheap....we have a tractot supply store here and I'v seen em there.....I bought a blue tub at another place but it's shallower and I'm a little worried about the depth of the water column......might get a 300 gallon Rubbermaid...
I have 4 barrels cut in half...(8 gb's) with 3/4 inch gravel...all have siphons and they work great....each barrel needs about 7 gallons to fill and I have a 55 gallon barrel which will be my sump....I plan a CHOP system and will try to build Murray's Chop #2....I have access to catfish and /or bluegills....no Tilapia legally in Louisiana...dont know where to get a permit yet. i'm told that I can have them with permission....maybe.
I have a 950 GPH Pondmaste mag drive pump (106 watts)...or so they say....I'm going to build a power interrup switch and have the parts for that....we have very poor power here and it goes haywire all the time....Anyway, that's it...porbably
all I've got now....iI saw some towers that were neat and were loaded with strawberries....I'd like to do that ....
All I need now is to clean my gravel, buy an air pump and stone,etc and put up a loop green house as winter is coming....
lots to do but this is really fun...
Darryl

[TCLynx]

I know the catfish handled the heat just fine here and we decided we like them better than tilapia anyway so we have quit bothering growing tilapia and have been doing catfish the whole time. One day we might try blue gill, I know they are good eating from growing up catching them in Michigan. In my opinion, tilapia are over rated unless you are growing indoors or in a truly tropical climate. (Even here in central Florida, it got too cold the past two winters to keep tilapia alive in a flood and drain system in an unheated cold frame (hoop house) type greenhouse without heating or constantly pumping in well water and draining to waste.)

If you need a fast growing fish, catfish can grow big fast. If you want a fish fish and don't mind them growing a little slower, blue gill seem like a good choice to me though I haven't grown them yet myself.

Through the hot months definitely have supplemental aeration going and you should be able to keep the dissolved oxygen levels good. I think mine are usually only a touch below the normal saturation level for the temperature between my flow rate, spray bars and air stone.