A Community and Forum For Aquaponic Gardeners
Types of fish for aquaculture
Hello! I am all new to this, and I am seriously considering starting my own indoor aquaponic system; a small one to start. However, with recent claims from the scientific community that tilapia is has an unhealthy balance of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, I am wondering what other options there are for fish species that can function well in an aquaponic system, and are healthier on the table. Salmon? Perch? I have also read that the reason tilapia are so favorable is their quick turnover for breeding. Are there other fish that also have a decent turnover rate?
Thoughts?
Thanks!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by George on
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Where you are, water temperature may be a determining factor. Not sure if they still do but Growing Power in Milwaukee was using lake perch. Trout might be an option. Omega balance may be determined more by the food but I don't know.
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Yes, feed matters but that whole thing was taken out of context. The authors of the study were trying to say that Tilapia might not be the best choice for people who have been instructed by their doctors to eat more fish. Tilapia is perfectly fine as part of a balanced diet.
“We never intended to paint tilapia as the cause of anything bad. Our goal was to provide consumers with more information about their fish,” Chilton said. “If your doctor or cardiologist is telling you to eat more fish, then you should look for varieties that have higher levels of omega-3 and avoid those with high inflammatory potential.”
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Assuming my tilapia survive the winter, I'm looking forward to trying them next year. Imported tilapia from you know where? No thanks.
David - WI said:
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Permalink Reply by Jeff S on
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I'm growing Tilapia and unless you have a catastrophic event they are hard to kill. pH swings, temperature swings, water chemistry swings are all survivable. Only time I lost fish were when the power on one circuit went out and the air was dissipated. I have since put my air and water pumps on separate circuits. I have been toying with the idea of adding Koi as a cash crop along with Tilapia as a food source. It's amazing what a 1 pound Koi sells for.
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Holy smokes! I looked up some koi sales. I see why you would consider raising koi for sales.
I have read that about tilapia as well. I am also gathering more and more that feeding them the right things can keep the omega-3 balance up (such as flax seed). I also do vermicomposting, which results in many excess red worms, which would serve as great food for them as well. I have heard perch do need cooler temperatures, but still are more hardy than others like salmon.
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Planning a trip to Growing Power within the next month with a few buddies that are also interested in aquaponics! Thanks!
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The best place I've found to grow worms is my grow beds (compost bins also do real good). Just dump the worms in your grow beds to break down solids into plant nutrients, multiply quickly and you'll benefit in 3 ways. Takes a lot of worms to feed fish though.
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Permalink Reply by David Gallentine on
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Didn't know where to post this little piece of trivia I ran across so I'm dropping it here.
The catfish has over 27,000 taste buds (more than any other animal).
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Permalink Reply by Alex Veidel on
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Since you live in WI, trout could be an option for you. They have a great turnover rate, but their water shouldn't be allowed to warm past 70F.
I'm in the process of revamping my indoor setup and I think I'm going to go with a combination of catfish and bluegill myself. Their temperature preferences match our environment perfectly.
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