Our aquaponics system

[flythebee]

I don't know if anyone out there has ever tried growing with an aquaponics system and if there are any success stories but we have had a good experience with our homemade version. We don't have any garden as such and all available grass area is filled with kids toys so at present it's tucked round the back of the shed where it receives a fair bit of light most of the day. last summer we had tons of lettuce, peppers, cherry tomatoes, basil and strawberries which was great as thats salad and pudding . Our fish we had in the system grew fairly quick and tasted good, not at all rivery like most freshwater fish.
I added a fair few self caught crayfish into the system at the end of the season and they have been hiding out under tiles i placed in the rearing tank....my question is does anyone know if the crayfish would have reproduced and could i expect to be eating them this summer?. by the way we were raising trout in the system but i would like to try something else...any suggestions would be appreciated.
p.s by the way we are in France so tropical species are out of the question im afraid!

 

[baymule]

What types of fish do you have in France? I would go with something native to the area if possible. Here in east Texas, several types of perch and catfish are popular. We can also get tilapia, but they won't live below 55 degrees F so must be heated in winter. I would love to do some aquaponics myself in the near future. My hat is off to you for your successful venture! (insert smiley tipping cowboy hat)

 

[Joel_BC]

I don't know if anyone out there has ever tried growing with an aquaponics system and if there are any success stories but we have had a good experience with our homemade version. Our fish we had in the system grew fairly quick and tasted good, not at all rivery like most freshwater fish.
I added a fair few self caught crayfish into the system at the end of the season and they have been hiding out under tiles i placed in the rearing tank....my question is does anyone know if the crayfish would have reproduced and could i expect to be eating them this summer?. by the way we were raising trout in the system but i would like to try something else...any suggestions would be appreciated.(

Great that you posted here. Trout would be a good flavorful fish to raise. Congratulations on your success so far!

Did you feel the experiment has worked out to be cost-effective for you? Cheaper or more convenient than buying fish at the local fish market? Or a bit of expense at the beginning, but probable cost savings later?

Also, do you have any pictures you could post of your set-up? If yes, then please do!

 

[MetalSmitten]

i'd also like to see photos of your setup

i've been wanting to try aquaponics for years now, i think this spring we might actually do it... we're trying to figure the logistics of having an entirely outdoor system (no greenhouse).

 

[BrandedX]

Congrats on the awesome set-up!

I agree that trout seems like it would be the cheapest and best tasting option. I've seen channel cats raised very successfully in tanks as well and they tolerate a fair bit of cold. Sun/pan fish typically need more darting room and warmth. Smaller breeds of bass may work but I don't believe they would fill out very well being contained.

This makes me want to build a fishery.

 

[rebecca100]

I'm working on an aquaponics system right now! As for the crayfish I think it depends on the setup. .
http://www.crayfishworld.com/breeding.htm. Maybe this will help?

 

[pinkfox]

id LOVE to see pics of your set up.
you might want to consider tilapia as an easy food fish.
and assuming the cray do well in your climate i cant see why they wouldnt reproduce in a healthy system

 

[flythebee]

i will get some photos up ASAP once i work out how to do it......as for the tilapia im not sure they would survive in our climate as im guessing they are a warm water fish i was thinking maybe eels but it seems they are very slow growing and i think its illegal to kill them now? not sure i like the thought of eating any other river fish. This summer im going to try growing some root vegetables just to see if its possible or not.
I must say though for the size of the system it really produces a lot of useful food that we can use every day. If your interested i can post the address of the site i got all my info, though to be honest there are many sites that offer this info. good luck to all of you having a go, its well worth the effort and you learn a lot.

 

[flythebee]

it did'nt really cost a lot to build as we just pulled as much stuff as we could from the recycling plant, you know those big blue 50 gallon barrels you get cooking oil and suff in, apart from this we bought the pump and air pump and some connectors for the hose. i would say we spent about 50 euros at the most and we got a lot more back.....like i said though we caught the crayfish in the local river and the trout we caught with rod and line.....there was more work involved than money but it was interesting work and i got to spend some quality time with my little boy.

I don't know if anyone out there has ever tried growing with an aquaponics system and if there are any success stories but we have had a good experience with our homemade version. Our fish we had in the system grew fairly quick and tasted good, not at all rivery like most freshwater fish.
I added a fair few self caught crayfish into the system at the end of the season and they have been hiding out under tiles i placed in the rearing tank....my question is does anyone know if the crayfish would have reproduced and could i expect to be eating them this summer?. by the way we were raising trout in the system but i would like to try something else...any suggestions would be appreciated.(

Great that you posted here. Trout would be a good flavorful fish to raise. Congratulations on your success so far!

Did you feel the experiment has worked out to be cost-effective for you? Cheaper or more convenient than buying fish at the local fish market? Or a bit of expense at the beginning, but probable cost savings later?

Also, do you have any pictures you could post of your set-up? If yes, then please do!

 

[Wannabefree]

can't wait to see pics of your setup. I am wanting to do this too.