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DIY Urban Aquaculture Manual PDF
DIY Urban Aquaculture Manual PDF
by Jonathan Woods
Sponsored by Heifer Project Internationalwith assistance from the
Evangelical Lutheran Church of America
Table Of Contents
Chapter One: Urban Aquaculture
Chapter Two: Simple Recirculuation System
Chapter Three: An Aquaponic System
Chapter Four: Resources
Chapter One
URBAN AQUACULTURE
INTRODUCTION
Aquaculture is a type of animal-based agriculture that can be practiced in small
spaces. It is suitable for city people who want to raise food animals but have
limited space to do it. Unfortunately, there is little information about urban
aquaculture. This manual was written to give city dwellers information about
aquaculture in the city.
This manual provides some basic knowledge about aquaculture. It tells you how to
build two different aquaculture systems, a simple recalculating system and an
aquaponic system. It also tells you how to maintain these systems and what to do if
something goes wrong. Finally, it list", some good places to find out more about
aquaculture.
Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of using the systems in this
manual.
Advantages
1. You can raise fish and plants in a small amount of space.
2. You don't need a large garden plot or backyard.
3. Fresh fish are a nutritious and healthy food.
4. Food fish are often cheaper to raise yourself than to buy.
Disadvantages
1. Tanks take up space and are very heavy.
2. Tanks have to be kept warm if you intend to use them over the winter.
3. Indoors, an aquaculture system can make a room very humid.
4. Some fish can be tricky to raise.
COSTS
There are two types of costs to think about when you decide to build a system,
construction costs and maintenance costs. You only have to pay construction costs
once - when you build the system. Maintenance costs include things like food,
electricity, and repairs. These are paid for as long as you have the system.
Estimates for construction costs (below) and maintenance costs (opposite page) for
the two different systems are shown. By 'crop' I mean the time to raise and harvest
a group of fish from fingerling to eating size.
Note that some of the materials that you need can be obtained for free or at a low
price. These estimates are based on buying most material new at a large hardware
store like Home Depot. Your costs might be higher or lower than these depending
on where you show, and how much you can get for cheap or free.
BENEFITS
The reason that you are thinking about building a system is because of the benefits
you will get. Fresh fish and vegetables, satisfaction from growing your own food,
and even improved indoor air quality are all benefits that people have gotten from
these systems. Below, I have show the dollar value of fish and vegetable yields that
you can expect from a well- run system.
Then go and get information or experience from other sources. is there somebody
in your neighborhood who keeps tropical fish? They should be a good source of
information.
Public libraries are also excellent places to find out more.
While you are learning about aquaculture from books and people, keep your eyes
open for sources of cheap or free materials. You can save some money by spending
time stockpiling things like barrels, pipe, and rocks.
ASK YOURSELF THREE QUESTIONS
Before you start building anything you should ask yourself a few basic questions.
These will help you focus on what aquaculture is about and how you really feel
about it.
1. Most importantly, do you like to eat fish? What about tilapia? It might be a good
idea to buy a tilapla from a store and eat it, just to make sure that you like the taste.
Remember that fresh fish that you raise yourself will taste better than frozen or
dead ones from the store.
2. Are you (or somebody else who is going to be around to responsible feed and
take care of the system? While you can leave these systems unattended for a few
days, it is better if somebody is taking care of the fish on a daily basis. Things can
go wrong quite quickly with fish, and aquaculturists who check their fish
frequently tend to be successful.
3. Finally, why were you thinking about raising fish in the first place? If it was to
get rich quick, you may want to reconsider. You won't become rich raising fish 'in
barrels 'in your basement, unless they are rare tropical fish and you are an expert. If
you want to raise fish so that you can grow your own food, near your own home,
even in the city, then I think that's fantastic and encourage you to try it!
CONCLUSION
Raising fish in small aquaculture systems is a good way for city dwellers and
people with limited space to raise animals for food. By considering the economic
costs and benefits, and asking yourself what your motivations are, you can
determine whether or not urban aquaculture Is a good idea for you.
Chapter Two
INTRODUCTION
This chapter describes how to build a simple, inexpensive and compact aquaculture system. It
fits Into a four foot by four foot space, runs off of one double-outlet air pump, and is easy to
maintain. This is an ideal system to learn about aquaculture without spending a lot of money.
The system described in this chapter has been built by ordinary people living in Toronto,
Chicago, Little Rock, and Milwaukee. They didn't know much about aquaculture or even
plumbing, but they shared a willigness to try something new and were successful.
In the biofilter tank, specialized bacteria break down toxic ammonia into fairly harmless
nitrates, which can be taken up by plants. Other bacteria and micro-organisms break down other
waste products into forms that plants can use. Particles of waste are trapped by rocks and shells
where they are eaten by invertebrates or broken down by other microorganisms. This tank acts
like an aquatic compost pile, converting wastes into fertilizer for the plants.
Finally, the fertilized water flows into the plant tank, where it is taken up and converted into
plant tissues. Submerged plants and algae add oxygen to the water when the sun shines. Clean
water, oxygen, and green plant food flow into the fish tank, completing the cycle.
SITE
This system should be located in a warm sunny spot with a water source and drain nearby. It
should sit on a strong floor that is level, and should be protected from vandalism and curious
hands.
It is very important that the system is level. If not, the air-lift pumping system will not work well.
Most houses and buildings are built with level floors - test the floor with a level or put a marble
down and see if It rolls. If working on bare ground, try to tamp the earth down with a board
where the system will go. This will prevent compression and uneven settling. A good idea is to
put the system on top of a piece of plywood or a pallet.
3 - 2" L fittings.
1- aquarium air pump with double air outlet. Get a medium-sized one (e.g. the Elite 802 which
produces 2500 cc/min. of air at 4.0 PSI)
Tools
saw - to remove tops from the barrels and cut pipe. A Skill Saw (or "Jigsaw")
is probably the best for removing the tops, but a hand saw works well for cutting pipe.
2 1/4" hole saw (large bore drill bit) to drill holes for through hulls
caulking gun
2 pipe wrenches or large pliers - for tightening through-hulls (optional)
scissors - to cut plastic screen and burlap
Biological Materials
buckets of water (with some bottom mud or sand) from local lakes, rivers or ponds
1 quart of fresh compost
1 quart of good garden soil
1 quart of soil from a forest
CONSTRUCTION PROCEDURE
Most of this system can be built in two days if you can get all the materials together. Washing
and leaching the barrels takes several days to do properly, so plan to do this before the actual
construction. It is a good idea to let the system stabilize for a few days before adding any fish,
so arrange for the fingerlings to be delivered a week or so after you are finished building. Be sure
to read ALL the instructions CAREFULLY before starting to build so that you know what has to
be done next.
STEP 1. Rinsing the barrels.
You can obtain empty 200-litre food grade polyethylene barrels from food factories, breweries,
recycyling centers, and many other places. Big cities often have dealers who buy and sell used
barrels, or you could call your local recycyling organization. Rinse out the three barrels with a
garden hose. Even food-grade barrels could contain toxins, so you should always handle them
with care. Wear gloves, long sleeved shirts, long pants, and safety glasses when rinsing. You can
drain them by tipping them over (hard) or using a sipihon (easier).
You can practice drilling holes through the lids you removed in STEP 3. Even if you are handy a
drill, it is still a good idea to drilling because plastic drills differently from wood.
Take one of the connector pipe/male adapter sets that you made in STEP 9
and wrap several layers of Teflon tape around the threads of one of the
adapters. Be sure to wrap the tape clockwise around the threads, otherwise
it will bunch up. Generously cover the tape and threads with silicon sealant
and twist the adapter through the hole in the barrel. Squirt a bit of silicon
'into the female adapter and begin to screw it onto the male adapter from
inside the barrel. As you tighten, it will become harder and harder to turn
the adapter and silicon will start to squeeze out from between the male and
female adapters. Put on some work gloves to protect your hands and tighten
the joint as much as you can. If you have a couple of pipe wrenches, then
use them to make the joint as tight as possible. Grab one adapter with each
wrench and turn the two wrenches in opposite directions. It is important that
a generous amount of silicon gets squeezed out between the adapters by the
force of tightening, as this makes the joint waterproof.
Repeat this process for the other five male adapters to female adapter
joints. By the end of this step all three barrels will be joined together by
waterproof connector pipes.
Let the silicon dry for 24 hours before moving on to the next step.
Attach an air stone to a five-foot long piece of air tubing. Lower the air stone
into the up-pipe of the fish tank, almost to the bottom of the pipe. Plug the
other end of the air tubing into the air pump and Plug it in. Push it down as
far as it will go without causing any bubbles to escape from the bottom of
the pipe. You should see water moving as the air water mixture rises in the
pipe and is forced into the next barrel.
The airlift is all that is required to circulate water in this system. The system
works best when the water level half fills the connector pipes, so adjust the
water level by adding or removing some water.
The other air stone and tubing should be suspended 'in the fish tank. This
provides oxygen to the fish. You will have to weigh it down with a brick or
rock. Remember to place the air pump above the system in order to prevent
it from being flooded.
bag. Five minutes later, add a little bit more. Do this a few more times, then
slowly tilt the bag underwater so that the fish can swim out of the bag and
into the tank.
STEP 20. The first few days.
It is a good idea to cover the tank after first introducing the fish because
sometimes fish will try to escape from a new tank. After a few days, the fish
will become accustomed to their new tank and a cover will no longer be
necessary.
When fish are first moved, they may not be as hungry due to stress. Feed
them only a little bit at first, gradually increasing the amount of food as they
become accustomed to their new environment.
If all your fish die in the first few days, then something is wrong with your
system, with the fish, or something happened during transit. Call the person
you got- your fish from and try to figure out what the problem could be.
Usually, you can get replacement fish at a discount if you can convince the
fish supplier that there was something wrong at their end.
MAINTENANCE
Regular maintenance helps keep a system healthy by spotting small
problems before they become big problems. The regular tasks that you need
to perform are listed according to how frequently they need to be done.
Daily Tasks
1. Feed the fish. You can feed fish until they stop eating, or feed them a set
amount. Calculating the exact amount of feed to provide is quite
complicated, so I suggest feeding them until they stop eating on a daily
basis. It is important to watch your fish eat. If they aren't eating happily
then there may be something wrong.
2. Check that the water level half fills the connector pipes and add water if
necessary.
3. Check to make sure screens over the inlets and outlets aren't clogged.
4. Check the air stone to make sure that it isn't clogged and that the air
pump is functioning properly. Clean or replace the air stone when
appropriate.
5. Look at the fish to see if they seem healthy.
Weekly Tasks
1. Harvest excess plant materials feed to fish or put into compost.
2. Check sediment levels at the bottom of the fish tank. They should not be
building up but rather be removed by the airlift pump. If they have built up,
use a siphon to remove any excess.
3. Check ammonia levels. There are numerous kits to measure ammonia
available at aquarium stores - read the directions carefully. If ammonia
levels are too high, cut back on feed and/or increase aeration (i.e. add
another air stone to the fish tank.) .
Monthly Tasks
1. Harvest and restock fish, if required.
2. Remove 10 or 15 gallons of water from the system and replace with water
that has sat overnight to let chlorine escape. Chlorine is present in all tap
water and can kill or harm fish. By letting it sit in a bucket overnight, most
of the chlorine will escape into the atmosphere as gas. It is a good idea to
always let water that you Intend to use with fish sit overnight.
Use any water that you remove from the system in a garden. It is an
excellent liquid fertilizer.
Yearly Tasks
1. Remove oyster shell/dolomite layer and rinse. Remove the filter cloth and
rinse out any clogged sediment.
CONCLUSION
You are now the proud owner of a recirculating aquaculture system with live,
happy fish in it. Congratulations! You should read the Maintenance chapter
to find out what you should be doing to keep your fish and your system
alive, growing and happy.
Chapter Three
An Aquaponic System
INTRODUCTION
Aquaponics is the combination of aquaculture and hydroponics. While algae, submerged plants,
and floating plants do a good job of removing fish wastes from a recirculating aquaculture
system, so can lettuce, basil, or many other common vegetables and herbs. Fish wastes can be
treated with a biofilter and then allowed to pass through hydroponic troughs, where the roots of
cultivated plants can remove the wastes as fertilizer.
In this system, fish are fed in the fish tank. Their wastes are pumped with an airlift pump into a
biofilter pipe. This pipe is a smaller version of the biofilter tank used in the recirculating system.
As waste-filled water seeps through the biofilter pipe, bacteria and other micro- organisms
breakdown and convert the wastes into forms that plants can use as fertilizer.
At the end of the biofilter pipe, the water spills out through an irrigation bar which distributes the
fertilizer- filled water into the two hydroponic troughs. As the water slowly flows along the
bottom of the hydroponic troughs, plants in pots draw water and nutrients from the passing flow.
Small plants and seedlings are watered through the wicking action of wicking materials in the
bottom of their pots. Larger plants grow roots out of the bottom of their pots and into tile flow,
soaking tip lots of water and fertilizer.
After passing through the biofilter pipe and the hydroponic troughs, the cleaned water trickles
back into the fish tank, where the cycle starts once again.
This chapter shows you how to build a simple aquaponic system that will produce both fish and
vegetables. Like the simple recirculating system in chapter two, it runs off of one double-outlet
air pump. This design takes up a four foot by nine foot space but can be made smaller if space is
limited.
SITE
This system needs more light than the simple recirculating system, because vegetable crops tend
to need more light than water plants. A greenhouse, bright south-facing window, or protected
outdoor location is best.
If, you want to put it inside, you'll need to use lights to grow your plants.
This system weighs less than the simple recirculating system, but you should get an engineer to
look at any floor you think may not be strong enough. There are no through-hull fittings in this
system, and as long as the hydroponic tray is higher than the fish tank it can be put just about
anywhere. For example, you could put the hydroponic tray on top of an old table with the fish
tank on the floor at one end.
PARTS AND TOOLS NEEDED
Hardware
1- 50 gallon plastic barrel - preferably food grade and semi-transparent
1 - 10' long 1/2" PVC pipe
1 - 1/2" PVC male adapter
The barrel can be leached by filling with water, letting it sit overnight, and then draining the next
day. Do this several times, using hot water if available. This will draw out any toxins that are in
the plastic itself.
STEP 3. Cutting the lid out of the barrel.
Cut the lid out of the barrel as shown. Leave the rim intact, as it provides support for the barrel,
and be sure to leave a small flap to hold the airlift pump. There are several ways of cutting the lid
out, depending on what tools you have available. For example, you could drill a small hole and
then use a skill saw, or you can drill holes all the way around if you don't have a saw.
a piece of pipe to span the distance between the 30" long pipe and the b1ofilter and push it into
the tee fitting. Cut another 6" long piece of 1/2" pipe and push it into the top of the tee fitting.
Cut two 5' long pieces of air tubing and hook them up to the outlets of the air pump. Attach an
air stone to one of them. Remove the air-lift pipe and drill a ?" hole 4" from the bottom of the
pipe. Insert the air tube without any airstone into the hole. You may have to fold it to get it
in. Attach a rock to the to the airstone end of the other air tube and let it rest near the bottom of
the tank. This will provide extra oxygen to the fish.
Begin filling the tank with water and turn on the air pump. As the tank becomes full, you will see
the amount of water the air-lift pumps increase. When the tank is full, the air-lift should be
pumping a reasonable amount of water into the biofilter, the b1ofilter should fill with water, the
irrigation bar will drain into the hydroponic troughs, and the troughs should drain back into the
fish tank. Check for leaks, add more water if necessary, and let the system run for 24 hours so
that it can leach. After 24 hours, drain the system, refill, and let run for another 24 hours before
Inoculating.
Daily Tasks
1. Feed the fish. You can feed fish until they stop eating, or feed them a set amount. Calculating
the exact amount of feed to provide is quite complicated, so I suggest feeding them until they
stop eating on a daily basis. It is important to watch your fish eat. If they aren't eating happily
then there may be something Wrong.
2. Check that the water level in the fish tank is high enough so that the airlift pump is operating
efficiently.
3. Look at the fish to see if they seem healthy.
4. Look at your plants to see if they are happy. Check for insect pests, diseases, and nutrient
problems.
Weekly Tasks
1. Harvest plant materials and eat. Feed scraps to the fish or put into a compost pile.
2. Check sediment levels at the bottom of the fish tank. They should not be building up but rather
be removed by the airlift pump. If they have built up, use a siphon to remove any excess.
3. Check the air stone to make sure that it isn't clogged. Clean or replace when necessary.
4. Check ammonia levels. There are numerous kits to measure ammonia available at aquarium
stores - read the directions carefully. If ammonia levels are too high, cut back on feed and/ or
increase aeration (i.e. add another air stone to the fish tank.)
Monthly Tasks
1. Harvest and restock fish, if required.
2. Remove 5 or 10 gallons of water from the system and replace with water that has sat overnight
to let chlorine escape. Use the removed water in a garden.
3. Check to see if the biofilter pipe is becoming clogged. If It is, remove the el fitting, dump out
the oyster shells or dolomite, rinse, and then replace.
CONCLUSION
You are now an aquaponic farmer, growing happy, healthy fish and vegetables in a recirculating
aquaponic system. Congratulations! You should read the Resources chapter to find out what you
should be doing to keep your fish, your plants, and your system alive, growing, and happy.
Chapter 4
Resources
INTRODUCTION
This chapter contains information that should be useful in running your
system. The information is arranged according to topic, and each section
starts with background material relevant to the tables and lists in that
section.
FISH FOODS
Some fish are fussy eaters; most fish will eat a wide range of foods, while a
few will try just about anything. Garbage in, garbage out is as true for fish
as for humans, but determining exactly what is garbage for a fish is slightly
more difficult than human nutrition. Fish grow faster when there is a lot of
protein in their diet, although they need their carbohydrates and vitamins as
well. A good food to start with (and an excellent back-up food in any case) is
any sort of cheap dog food or trout/catfish chow if you can get it. Another
good all around food for fish is seaweed or kelp meal. This is especially good
for baby fish and can be purchased at garden centers or feed mills.
Feeding ideas
1. Fertilization. If you are raising a herbivorous fish, or if the fish you are
raisin cats something that grows readily in your system then fertilizing the
tank to promote algal (and therefore zooplankton) growth. Compost is
probably the best sort of fertilizer for a small system. Use only a handful or
two and then wait to see what happens.
2. Food scraps. There are a lot of wasted foods out there, and if you can
get your hands on a steady, local supply, you could end up feeding your fish
for free. Tilapia will cat vegetable peelings, as will carp. Many fish will take
meat scraps, fishmeal, or leftovers from the table. There are recipes
available for homemade fish feeds from waste materials - see the book
Freshwater Aquaculture for a good introduction. Here are some suggestions
of food resources in the city.
Stale bread and bakery throwouts
Fish scraps - frozen and ground
Meat scraps - fresh or frozen and ground
Vegetable peelings
Old vegetables from markets
Restaurant wet wastes
These can be found at numerous commercial businesses, as well as public
places like schools and institutions. If your fish will cat it, you probably
produce enough food scraps 'in your house to feed a healthy population of
tilapia. If you do not have a dog, then a tank full of leftover-eating fish can
be your substitute.
3. Collect invertebrates for food. Most fish love eating insects, especially
live ones, - and if you know where to look and are not too squeamish, there
are lots of potential insect sources in and around a city. The first one that
comes to my mind is cockroaches squish 'em and toss them to the sharks!
Many of these can be trapped and (for the intrepid) can even be cultured
right in your own backyard. Here are some ideas.
Earthworms
Cockroaches
Crickets
Snails
Slugs
Flies
Moths
Beetles
Buried beetle and wasp larvae
Big, juicy caterpillars
4. Keep a worm bin. Red wigglers are a favorite food of tilapia and
also help you reduce your household wet wastes into nice, indoor
compost. God's Gang, who have several aquacultural ecosystems set
up in Chicago, grows red wigglers both for sale and to feed to their
fish. Fish fed with earthworms on a regular basis grow healthy and
strong due to the high vitamin content of these little guys.
5. Grow some plants. Fish, especially herbivorous fish, will eat a lot of
plant materials that we do not even consider to be food, Of course, fish will
eat just about all the fruits and vegetables that we eat, so these are not
listed here but are also good sources of food. The following list shows some
of the more exotic parts of the fish diet.
Water hyacinth - fish will not eat it unless you take it out of the tank, chop it
up, and then return it to the tank
Azolla
Duckweed
Carrot tops
Marigolds
Taro leaves
Purslane
Green tomatoes
Much has been written on feeding fish and the references in the bibliography
should give you some direction if you are interested in developing new ways
of feeding them. Fish will eat so many things that it is always worth trying
something new The best way to test a new food is to put a little bit in the
tank and watch for awhile. Usually fish will mouth the new food and then spit
it out - it is their way of testing. If they do not eat it right away, leave them
alone for an hour or so and check again. The food will most likely be gone by
then if they are going to eat it at all. An exception is live foods. Fish seem to
know that a live insect or worm will stay fresh until they eat it (or until it
dies), so they often let it live in the tank for a few days before consuming it.
This is especially true with worms, who can live underwater if the water is
well oxygenated. Just as they think that they have escaped, the fish usually
eats them!
FISH SPECIES FOR AQUACULTURAL ECOSYSTEMS
I am not an expert in raising many different types of fish, but there are so
many experts out there already that you can easily find information about
the fish you might want to raise. Table 7-1 lists several fish species, their
temperature ranges, and whether or not they are easy to raise. The last
category was determined from a literature review generally aquaculture
authors agree about which species are easy and which are temperamental.
It is interesting to note that many widely farmed fish are actually quite
difficult to raise. The reason that they are widely farmed usually has nothing
to do with how easy or hard they are to raise, but rather how much money
they can make for the farmer, and that is why trout and channel catfish are
so popular among North American farmers. In countries where people raise
fish for their own or local consumption, carp, Chinese carp, and tilapia are
much more widely raised.
Good places to go for advice about fish are extension agents, pet stores, fish
dealers, and the library. Anybody who sells you fingerlings must know a
thing or two about how to raise fish, so make sure that some advice is
included in the purchase price. Take advice with a lot of salt, however. I
cannot remember how many people have told me that I was raising fish the
wrong way! Usually commercial fish farmers have little knowledge about
recirculating systems but they still know a lot about the particular species of
fish that they raise.
Ginger peppers
Parsley radish
Beans rapini
Bok choy spinach
Broccoli sweet potato
Cabbage tomato
Chard zucchini
Chinese cabbage cucumber
Corn
AQUATIC PLANTS
There are many aquatic plants available both in a good garden center as well
as in the local pond. Increasing the diversity of aquatic plants in your system
will also increase the diversity of the microorganisms that use aquatic plants
as habitat. Many of them can be quite beautiful, especially if the conditions
are right for them to flower. Also see the vegetable section for plants in
these categories.
Floating plants
Water hyacinth
Water lettuce
Duck-weed
Salvinia
Azolla
Indonesian water hyacinth bladderwort
Submerged plants
Hydrilla
Elodea
Plants that are rooted in underwater soil (emergent plants)
Cattail
Alligatorweed
Pickerel weed
Smartweed
Lotus
Water lily
Water buttercup
Watercress
TROUBLESHOOTING
If you maintain a healthy system and do riot overload it with organisms, you
should not encounter any serious problems. Every, system is different and
therefore each system will experience problems in a different way. What I
have tried to do here is to set up a problem-solving helper based on my
experience of what some of the common problems are. If you come to the
end of this helper and the problem is not solved then it is up to you - be
resourceful!
To use this helper, simply look down the list of problems until you find one
that sounds like what you are experiencing. There are numbers for solutions
listed below. Sometimes a major problem (like Fish almost Dead) will refer
you to a lesser problem (such as Pump is Broken) as problems seem to set
themselves up in a hierarchy. Check each of these possible solutions in order
to see I if they solve your problem. Good luck!
PROBLEMS
System problems
(P1) - Water is not circulating / no bubbles. (S1) (S2) (S3) (S4) (S5)
(S6)
(P2) - Puddles on the floor around the system. (S7) (S15) (P4)
(P3) - Big puddle surrounding the system. (S8) (P9) (S15) (S17)
(P4) - Found a leak! (S9) (S15)
(P5) - Funny smell - rotten eggs. (S10)
(P6) - Funny smell - like manure. (S11)
(P7) - Funny smell - fishy smelling. (S12) (P11)
(P8) - Funny smell - ammonia! (S13) (S12)
(P9) - Cracks in the ceiling in room below system. (S14)
Fish problems
(P10) - ALL THE FISH ARE DEAD THIS MORNING! (P1) (P5) (P6) (P7)
(P8) (S16) (S17)
(P11) - One of the fish is dead, others appear fine. (S18)
(P12) - Fish gasping at surface. (P5) (P6) (P7) (P8) (S19)
(P13) - One fish is swimming funny, covered with lesions, or does not feed
with the rest. (S18)
(P14) - Fish attacking each other. (S22) (S23) (S24) (S16) (P5) (P6)
(P7) (P8)
(P15)- Some fish seem to be missing. (S7) (S17) (S6) (S25)
(P16)- One fish grows really fast, smaller fish missing. (S26) (S25) (S6)
(P17) - Fish do not seem to grow (SI6) (S27)
(P18) - Fish never get very big, more and more appearing. (S27) (S24)
(S16) (S28)
(P20)- Fish are not feeding. (S27) (P1)
Plant problems
(P21) - Plants appear unhealthy. (S30) (S31) (S32) (S33) (P26)
(P22) - Plants do not grow. (S31) (P21)
(P23) - Plants grow but are spindly. (S31) (P21)
(S10) - Toxic hydrogen sulfide is being released! Act fast; provide as much
dissolved oxygen as you can to the afflicted tank. Gently vacuum up any
anaerobically decomposing material from the bottom of the tank. (P1)
(S11) Methane is being produced. Eventually, this can cause problems,
especially if other people have to around your system. Gently vacuum up
any anaerobically decomposing material from the bottom of the tank. (P1)
(S12) - Food is rotting in the system. Locate and remove any obviously
rotting pieces of food. Avoid feeding too much.
(S13) - Ammonia is highly toxic, aerate immediately Prevent future
problems by encouraging nitrifying bacteria in a biofilter. (P1)
(S14) Call an engineer. Your system is too heavy for the building structure move it to the basement.
(S15) - Leaking water can cause rotting problems with wooden structures.
Protect the floor with plastic or move the system.
(S16) - Check the water temperature and compare it with recommended
ranges for your fish.
(S17) Fish tanks in semi-public places are prone to vandalism. Respond
appropriately.
(S18) - Remove fish and inspect for signs of disease or attack. Suspicious
spots, missing scales, funny colored eyes, and other symptoms all could
indicate a diseased fish. Alive still - S (20). Dead - S (21).
(S19) - Dissolved oxygen is in short supply. Aerate immediately by
whatever means necessary. (P1)
(S20) - Keep fish isolated in a well-aerated tank. Feed only sparingly and
only if fish seems willing to eat. (S21)
(S21) - Increase aeration and keep a close eye on the rest of the fish.
Consult a fish disease handbook and do a biopsy if you feel up to it.
(S22) - The attacked fish may be ill. See (S18).
(S23) - The attacking fish may be ill. See (S 18).
(S24) - The fish may be breeding. Consult natural history information about
that species in order to confirm this.
(S25) - Sometimes fish escape into other parts of the system. If they have
you will find them eventually.
(S26) - Fish are eating each other. Either come to terms with this horrible
fact of life, or choose a less cannibalistic species.Increasing the availability of
live food and reducing population density will reduce cannibalism. You could
also try removing all the big fish, or removing all the small fish (called
"grading").
(S27)- There may be a problem with the foods you are giving them. Try
something different for awhile to see if they improve.
(334) 844-9312
(334) 844-9208 (fax)
mmasser@acesg.auburn.edu
This center has put a lot of effort into promoting aquaculture. They have an
excellent range of free publications, many of which are highly useful for
recirculating aquaculture enthusiasts. They are one of the few places which
promote crayfish, Chinese carps, tilapia, and exotic shrimps in the USDA
system. They are also excellent sources of information about where to buy
less common species. Ask for the following pamphlets in particular.
SRAC282 Tank culture of Tilapia
SRAC451 Recirculating aquaculture tank production systems. An overview of
critical considerations.
SRAC 452 Recirculating aquaculture tank production systems. Management
of recirculating systems.
SRAC 453 Recirculating aquaculture tank production Systems.
Component Options
SRAC 454 Recirculating aquaculture tank production systems. Integrating
fish and plant culture.
Herb, Frances Raising snails for food
WEB SITES
Web access is becoming more widely available, and even In the developing
world Internet is available at reasonable prices (approx. US$5 per hour) in
Internet cafes. There are tons of resources on the Internet but beware
anybody can write Just about anything in cyberspace and nobody checks
their work. Be wise about advice and ideas that you glean off the Internet if It sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
The following sites have useful information and will lead you to other sites.
www.jeffcook.com/hbpond.htm1
Jeff's half -whiskey-barrel page, while not quite as funny as Eric's is also full
of information. He has a lot of different opinions from Eric, but the two end
up with the same thing in the end. Jeff 's links are extensive.
www.livingmachines.com
The Living Technologies company site. This site is John Todd's consulting
site. There are some interesting photos, information, and links, as well as
examples of how Todd has applied living machines to industrial problems.
ext.msstate.edu/anr/aquaculture
Access to Mississippi State University's excellent collection of aquaculture
extension information.
www.kloubec.com
- A major tilapia producer in Iowa, their site gives a good overview of this
species.
ag.arizona.edu/azaqua/tilapia
- A large but disorganized site containing lots of information about tilapia.
www.itv.se/rainbow
- Swedish farmers who grow trout and vegetables in a recirculating system,
www.townsqr.com/snsaqua
- Home page of the Sperraneo family who are successful aquaponic farmers
in Missouri.
www.cropking.com/store/AquaM/AquaSystem.htm
A large-scale and high-tech aquaponic system made by a major
hydroponic equipment manufacturer.
keywords to search with for internet information
aquaponics
hydroponics and aquaculture
living and machines
aquaculture and recirculating
alternative and aquaculture