Nice job on your rebuild. I was curious how you kept you fingerlings from getting out of the tank through the bottom drains. Now I see. Pretty slick! I wish I had seen this video last week and I would not have changed my plan to use the bottom drains in my rebuild. Too late for now. I have already installed the 3" SLO drains, but I may change them back to the bottom like you have. Thanks.
For David Lewis. I have a 1000gal system with only 500 fish in it so I only have to clean the solids filter every 2 - 3 weeks. The larger the bio load, the more often it needs to be cleaned. Also the smaller the water volume the more often it will have to be cleaned.
Thanks John, check the message tab on your youtube channel. Somehow linked comments won't let me reply or I just don't know how......probably the later.
That's great Mark. How many fish do you have now, call me when you can about maybe working together a little. No partnership or anything like that, I just think that we could help each other in a couple of different ways. Thanks, Greg
Hello. What solution did you have for capturing the rocketing fish? How do you transfer the smaller fish - fry - into the larger totes? What do you use third empty tote for? Cameron
I have a question. I have a breeder Colony which I selected from the batch off 100 tilapia I purchased. There were some with genetic defects such as gill plates missing. Fast-forward..I have 5 female tilapia and one male. They breed pretty frequently, I take the eggs and place in a tumbler and they develop fine. Once they go through their yolk sack I feed them the algae pellets. However, once out of the tumbler there are a significant number of fry which lay on their bellies. By day 10 all fry even the ones which swam at first die. I looked up belly slide syndrome and was wondering if you have ever came across the issue. No ammonia, 80° temp no nitrates or nitrites PH 8 just as the breeder tank. I use rain water so no chlorine.
I like your setup, still working on getting mine completed,.. I have only been doing aquaponics for a little over a month, and I'm constantly trying to improve my system. at this point I have 2 IBC totes as fish tanks and 1 IBC tote as a sump tank, no filters in my system yet and only 1 - 220gal DWC growbed and 2 - 12gal media beds. the only fish I have in my system so far are about 50 goldfish and about 15 flatthead minnows... also 4 pleco algae eaters... I've been having a bit of trouble getting the permit to keep live 'wildlife', so no tilapia or channel catfish or bluegill yet. It's looking like it will be a couple months before I have any edible fish in my system. I noticed on the homepage on your website you have a typo in the word 'source',... you left the r out of it.
Thanks for the typo tip Anthony, I will get that fixed ASAP. Sounds like you have a good start on things. If you are going to keep doing the Aquaponics gig, your growbed will be your filter so you won't need the same type of filters I have. Your beneficial bacterial are probably already in the growbed cleaning your water. What state are you in? Blue Tilapia are not a regulated species in most states, especially in the northern tier where they cannot survive in the wild during the winter. Thanks for the heads up!
Mineral Springs Tilapia I'm in southern Nevada. The Nevada department of wildlife (NDOW) restricted (invasive) species list classifies tilapia as "All species in the genera Tilapia and Sarotherodon". so I might have found a loop hole and may be able to get nile tilapia Oreochromis Niloticus technically they are a cichlid related to tilapia, but do not share the same genus... I'm going to have to contact NDOW on monday or tuesday to see what they say about the nile tilapia. At this point its just a matter of getting all the proper permits to be able to have edible fish in my system. then the process of getting them delivered will be another hurdle I am going to have to jump through. have to have importation permits every time I order any fish that could be considered 'wildlife'. because of how hard it is to actually get the permits to keep the fish and import them, I want to make sure I get a type of fish I can breed and not have to worry about importing any more.
Anthony Jensen Well, the Oreochromis Aureus is the Blue Tilapia that I breed and raise. So if you can get the "Oreochromis" permitted, I can ship you some fish.
Thank you for reply. I do not get what kind of motor/ pump (watt/ horse). Oxygen system you used. Because of water purify. Oxygen mixes her. Bactria etc. if don’t fill disturb explain.
OK, The center barrel is half full of lava rock for the bacteria to grow on. In the sump there is a 1500GPH submersible water pump to return the filtered water back into the totes. There is a 72LPM commercial air pump with 2 lines into airstones in each tote and one line into an airstone that is deep into the biofilter not at the bottom but deep in the lava rock.
I had asked yesterday night if all of the tanks are connected how do you regulate all of the tanks so that each tank stays at the specific temperature that it needs to? You had replied and told me to see this video but I am still not sure how you were able to make sure that they are a) all at the correct temperature and b) how you have a connected system but not all the same temperature or is it?
There was a heater in the sump (third barrel), it heats the water to the proper temp and is returned constantly into the tanks. The water is within a degree or two in all tanks. The water circulates through the system at the rate of 1200 gallons per hour so it is constantly heated. That is shown in the video "Filter System Details"
+monkeylaughter On my barrels, I used a 2" electrical adapter with slip sections. I used the male section and screwed it in from the outside and sealed them with a bead of silicone. That was a while back. If I was doing it again, I would use 2" Uniseals. Thanks for the comment....Greg
Does the 1.5" pipe in the drain fit snug or is it just laid in that hole? I'm going to have to go swimming in my totes to install these in mine since I forgot to do so before I filled that tank. I hope that water is not too cold! I want to make sure I have it all in place before I dive in!
Tom Brueggen Ok, what I did was build the pipe with the holes and the cap. The pipe will fit snug in the drain hole so you will have to take a hammer and a small piece of 2X4 diving with you. Place the pipe at the opening of the drain, put the 2X4 up against the cap and tap it hard enough to seat the pipe in the drain hole. I put a small bead of silicone around the pipe to seal it around in the drain holes, but since you are going to be under 3 or 4 feet of water, I wouldn't worry about that>>>>holy crap that's going to be funny.....Have you wife film that operation and post it up.
I used 2 inch pvc with a 4 inch rubber boot. The boot is flexible enough to go over the pipe and over the threaded end of the drain to connect the 2 sections together.
The filters do a good job with ammonia and nitrite conversion, but the fact that the water has to be pumped into the filter barrels makes keeping the pool clean of settled solids very labor intensive. The pools have to be vacuumed of settled solid waste. If they are not vacuumed almost daily, ammonia levels begin to spike in the pool. So I am going to have to rethink how to do this. In order to grow the fish to full size in as short a time as possible they have to be fed intensively producing excessive solid waste. I am rethinking this situation and will post something if I can figure it out.
Do you use culinary water? If so, how do you remove the chlorine from your water?I have heard of people adding pure vitamin c tablets or filtering it through carbon shower attachment filter. what have you found that works for you?
+Evan Kenison In one of my videos and also on my website I talk about a product called AquaLife Complete. It is approved by the FDA for use with food fishes and that is what I use to condition my water. Here in Knoxville, I have to use city water, Aqualife Complete removes the chlorine, but does so much more.
hi sir i have a larger system using filter i have a question im using a water pump but it cant clean the bottom of my pond and all the fish poops stacks there any suggestion? thanks
antot alvarez Yea, that will happen in a pond or pool. If you have a drain and can make sure that the water and poop moves around in the bottom of the pond, it will eventually run near the drain and get sucked in the filter. If it collects in one spot, you have to manually remove with a vacuum every 2 or 3 days.
Hi, I saw the video & I want to set this type of RAS fish project. Are you helping me to set this type of project? I don’t understand how it set. Which pipe drill which drums? How it filters west & purifies water to send main fish tank. How many litters water each fish tank & how much fish in each tank. If you don’t mind then descried & project map please (how it install).
If you watch the video "filter system details" there is a lot more detailed information on that video. I will be glad to answer any other questions you may have. The large white tanks are 275 gallon IBC totes. The barrels are 55 gallon barrels raised to the same height as the totes. The PVC pipe is 2 inch diameter coming from the totes to the barrels and connecting the barrels together. The first barrel is a solids filter, the second is a biological filter and the third is a sump where the water is heated and pumped back into the totes, Greg
I use lots of air running through simple sponge filters. You can usually buy sponge filters fairly cheap on ebay. You have to do frequent water changes and keep temperatures up....at least 80.
Haven't had an aquaponics system since I started this tilapia project 5 years ago. If I did have an aquaponics system, I would use the water from the fish tanks after the solids had been filtered out. Wish I had room for an aquaponics system up here, I really love the idea and would love to be more food independent.
Greg, is the bucket heater handling the increase in water volume? How often and how long do you leave it on to reach and maintain 70 degrees? At what temperature do you turn the heater on? What's the difference in the temperature of the water in the sump and the water in the fish tank? I'm also having a temperature problem and ordered a bucket heater after seeing your video. Have you tried using a timer with the heater? Thanks, Butch Richmond, Va.
butch gardner Good morning Butch, Under normal winter conditions, the bucket heater keeps my water in the mid 70s. I have a second bucket heater in the sump for days when we get temperatures in the single digits and as a backup for the first heater. I have had to plug it up for two days this winter so far. I have the first heater on a timer and normally I only have it running from 6pm to 8am. If the temps don't get above 20 during the day, I have to run it 24/7. The water is moving thru the system so quickly that there is very little temperature difference between the water in the sump barrel and water in the other parts of the system. Thanks for the comment. Greg
claudia gamino Hey Claudia, I buy Aquamax made by Purina from my local County Farmers Co-op in 50 pound bags. You should be able to get it from any dealer that sells Purina.
I used a submersible pump capable of moving around 1500 gallons of water per hour. Since my system was around 1100 gallons, I moved the water through the system at least once per hour. It was an EcoPlus pump purchase off of ebay, however, I would check with my local hydroponics store to see what they have.
Hi Greg, I was wondeeing where you sourced the IBC totes. And what are the prices for your fish. Also, any chance I might be able to stop by sometime before spring to see your setup before I start mine? Thanks.
jeremy crowder Hey Jeremy, you are welcome to stop by and see what's going on over here anytime. But things are a big mess over here, I am trying to build a breeding building where I can handle all my fry and fingerlings and it is proving a little harder than I anticipated. My IBC totes came from a lot of different places over the years, but I have been seeing Craigslist ads for totes that are up on Raccoon Valley Rd just off the I75 exit. I have not looked at them, but the prices range from 40.00 and up. As long as they have not contained toxic chemicals they can be easily cleaned and used for your fish. Tell me what you plan on doing, are you just growing out to eat them or are you going to try to start a breeding program or what? I've got a lot of fish at different sizes and they range from 50 cents each to 3.00 each depending on size. You are welcome to call me at 865-604-6136 if you want to talk. Thanks for the comment...Greg
Thanks Greg, I have also seen that ad on Craigslist but was worried they aren't food grade. I am currently not interested in breeding, especially since you are intown, but who knows. Right now I am interested in using one tote to grow out some fish and run a couple of aquaponic lettuce and herb beds. Just to get my feet wet. Thanks for your number, I will give you a call after this weather warms a bit and see if I can stop by.
The holes on the inside pipe are 1/4 inch....as many as you can resonably drill into it to let the water flow. The piece of PVC is one and a half inch PVC with a cap on one end and you have to put a couple of holes along the top edge to release trapped air. The entire piece of PVC is 10 to 12 inches long. When you install it, you will have to tap it into the hole. I also used some sand paper and tapered the end that went into the drain hole as well as a bead of aquairum safe silicone.
Do you have any issues with mosquito's? If so. How do you eradicate them. I'm in munford tn and im gonna duplicate your system in my garage> but i'm concerned about mosquito's
Ron Mckinney Good morning Ron and Happy New Year. I do have a lot of mosquitoes over hear in Knoxville, but not in my fish productions systems. If I have an aquarium with water and no fish, the larva shows up very quickly, but all I have to do is place a few 2 inch fish in the tank and they will be gone in a few hours. Your tilapia will take care of any mosquito issues in your tanks....they love to eat the larva. Just be careful about leaving unused water sitting around. I do grow duckweed outside during the summer and if I leave the screen cover off of the tub, it will get filled with larva quickly. Window screen covering any non-fish systems will keep the female mosquitoes from reaching the surface of the water to lay her eggs. I have seen a mosquito land on the water in a fish tank to lay eggs and be immediately picked off by one of the fish. You can use repellents but not too close to your tanks. Repellents will leave what looks like an oil slick on the surface of the water, so be careful. Thanks for the comment, Greg.
Hi! I can order Aquamax Pond Fish 2000, Aquamax Sportfish 500, or Aquamax Sportfish 600. I'm not sure which one you would need but Which one of these should I buy greg. I have regular tilapia like yours. First time I order purina ok. Thanks for all your help and info.
claudia gamino I am not familiar with these products, but if that is all I could choose from, I would get the one with the highest protein content. You want to get as close to 50% protein as you can, even if you have to chop up large pellets.
Mineral Springs Tilapia If you can get these, you should be able to order Aquamax 300 Fingerling Starter Pellet or Aquamax 400. Both of these are 50% protein.
Rogers Caribbean Hey Rogers, if you are growing fish to harvest size, you need to give them 5 gallons of water/fish. If you have highend filtration systems and air delivery, you could cut it to 3 gallons/fish.
Since this video was shot a while ago, I have changed my focus. The tote system is great for growing your own fish to provide for you and your family. I probably would not have made a profit selling full size fish on such a small scale. Now, I only breed and grow fish to fry and fingerling size up to breeder size and sell them online....that is where the profit is, however, developing a market for fry, fingerlings and breeding colonies is not easy and takes time. Though I made some money the first 3 years, this has been my best year by far and I have actually made a significant profit from selling these fish....that is how I was able to build the new hatchery.
The electric and water runs about 65.00 per month, I check my pH every other day. pH will slowly decrease over time so I normally have to raise the ph. Since I change some of the water in all tanks on Sundays, I adjust the pH up at the water change, I use a buffer you can buy from your local hydroponics store. It is appropiately called "pH UP"
I just use the big system to grow fish for myself. After I get into the new hatchery, I should be able to do about 50K in sales. This year has been good so far and I am already in the black including the 4000 I have spent on the new hatchery. Looking forward to 2017....should be good.
Greg, I have a 75gallon tank set up with seven females and one male. My temp is at 80 degrees and my ph is a little over 7. About how long do you think till i might see some eggs?
Well, that;s hard to say. If your water chemistry is OK, and the male is chasing the females around waving on them you should see a female carrying eggs in a few days. If you just put them together in the 75, it may take them a day or two to get comfortable with their new surroundings. I have put 5 females in with a male in a new tank and had a female with eggs the next day, but I have also put 5 females in with a male and it took 10 days for a female to get eggs. Just make sure you don't have any ammonia or nitrites in the tank and you should get a female with eggs pretty quickly. Be sure to have a flower pot in the tank so the female has someplace safe to lay the eggs. Thanks, Greg
hello very nice. i plann to to this with only one ibc tank and a pond filter. i want to do ith in a room under our balony wich is not heated. how deep temperatures can these tilapia resist ?
They can survive in water in the 60 degree range, but they will not eat well, grow, or breed. If the water gets too much colder than 55 degrees, they will die
i know this wit eating and growing. the growing rate sinks normal 10% per degree Celcius with other fish. very nice idea with the gravity filtering. there is a video on youtube of mini aes fishfarm. the realized everything with gravitation only the pumping back system ist supportet by an air pump. i think its great to save costy but mybe the system there dos not with the ibc because the form of the tank and easy to access and not round. what for temperatures do you have there and ho much can you heat up the water ? is it possible to heat from outside air 32F up do maybe 60F in the fishtank ?
hejazzer This past winter, we had a lot of cold days in Tennessee, Lots of teens and twentys and 2 days where the temp was -2F, The water in my system never got below 70F. That was using the 1000W bucket heater shown in the video
dear sir, i am from Mauritius island i really appreciate your videos, i want to to start my aquaculture with two ibc totes only thing i dont understand is how to run my pump, either for 24 hours or? just let me know, thank you
+JD Stewart I do supplement their aquamax food with duckweed in the spring and summer, to have enough, I have to grow it outside and it dies back in the late fall and winter.
The portable garage and greenhouse are both two years old and both are completely intact, however, they have no insulation and it is expensive to keep the water warm during the winters here in Tennessee. I am in the process of building a small breeding building that I can insulate and keep much warmer for next winter. Thanks for the comment... Greg Sowder
+Mpoki Mwasimba Good morning Mpoki, a biological filter is a part of the system where your beneficial bacteria grows. The first to grow in the bio filter is the bacteria that changes Ammonia into Nitrites and the second one to grow changes Nitrites in Nitrates. You need these in your system because Ammonia and Nitrites are deadly to your fish, Nitrates are not deadly to your fish. Hope this helps. When you are looking at the web next time look up "The Nitrogen Cycle in Aquariums" this will give you lots more detail.
Hello there, thanks alot for the response,I had no idea of what bio filters are, again thanks, I'll check for The Nitrogen Cycle in Aquariums as U suggested.
Hey Chris, I run air thru sponge filters I pick up on ebay. Give them plenty of air and the sponge filters give the bacteria some place to colonize. Make sure you are not feeding too much of the fry powder...just a small pinch 6 or 8 times a day. Also make sure your water temp is at least 80 degrees and you are doing water changes frequently and when you siphon the water from the tank, make sure you clean the bottom where uneaten food gathers....I will post a video on this tomorrow that may help you out some. Don't feel too bad, you are bound to loose some fry, I loose about 5% over the first 3 weeks. After that they are stronger and tend to live despite what I mess up!!!
I am looking for about your product place leave me a message,when I post this, I am looking for more information on this.you set this all up and put all this together and what kind of things are you raising tilapia or catfish I mean how is the weather there do you get cold nights or snow or rain or what weather do you have and everything what do you have your system running on write me back so take care of yourself and be safe on this Coronavirus
Check my website, mineralspringstilapia.com and you can see what I have up for sale. I have just restarted my breeding program...I don't sell much in December or January....so I probably won't have new fry for a few weeks, I have a female holding right now.
Almost. If someone wants a breeding colony or if I'm replacing or adding one of my own, then I grow them from my own stock. This year I have sold nearly 12,000 fish and 8 breeding colonies. That's why I'm out except for fry.
I just changed the brand of food that I am giving my adult tilapia today and they are not thrilled about it. Have you ever done this? I'm wondering if this is something that they will get over or if I am going to have to go back to the old feed. Thank you for the video. Looks like you have some really great things going on there. I got mine at, maybe a little smaller than fingerling on March 30th and they still haven't started breeding. I'm starting to think they are all males :(
Hey Eric, I have never changed my food, but I do think that they will start eating. I have always fed aquamax but these fish are omnivores and they will certainly eat before they starve. If you still have a little of your old food, mix a little with the new food and see if they just pick out the old food and leave the new alone. They should be large enough to breed. Have you set up a breeder tank? Give me a few details on what kind of setting you have your breeders in. Do you know if you bought Blue Tilapia or another species or some kind of Hybrid fish. Depending on the parents it is possible to get a hybrid population of nearly 99% male. You can call me at 865-604-6136 anytime. Thanks, Greg
Hey. Thanks a lot, Greg! I have 7 tilapia in a 115 gallon tank along with a few rosy red minnows that I used to cycle the system. I know that 5 of them are blue's but 2 of them look really strange. Almost like they are partially albino. Most of their skin is pink but around their heads, they have blotchy dark spots, and they have not grown nearly as fast as the others. The guy I bought them from said there were Blue's and Red's but the ones he claimed were reds, I'm pretty sure were nothing more than rosy red minnows because they didn't have a chance to get bigger before the Blue's got big and ate them all. Also, they were more streamline-shaped rather than the oval shape of the Blue's. I keep the tank around 82 degrees. The PH ranges from 7.8 to 8. I have a 4' clay pot and a 4' plastic pot in there for their cave, along with 4 or 5 8-9 inch sections of 3' pvc for more structure. It stays pretty dark on one side of the tank because I have a lettuce grow bed sitting on top that takes up about half of the tank. I use that for filtration. The other side is lighted pretty much 24 hours a day. Sorry for the novel. Any advice you might have would be helpful. I think I might just have to go find some adult females.
Eric Mastenbrook First question, is there a male that stays in the pot and protects it then comes out periodically to chase the other fish around? Have you tested the water to see what your ammonia and nitrite levels are? Are the blues you have left in the 4 to 5 inch range? It is really hard to get a group of "Blues" that are not mixed sex. Usually a male that occupies the pot will have a pinkish color with a dorsal that is trimmed in black. Let me Know.. Thanks, Greg.
No. I've never really seen any of them using either of the pots for more that a minute or two. I can tell that they are a little territorial, just not of the pots, in particular
Robert Madden Bream and Crappie don't breed nearly as often or as easily as tilapia. Also, I don't know what the market is like for these fish. One breeding colony of Blue tilapia will have upwards of 20,000 fry during the summer season. Don't know if you could hit those number and even if you could, I don't know if you could sell them. A tilapia will grow from a fry to a Harvest size adult in eight and a half months. I do know that bream and crappie don't grow nearly at that rate.
Probably around $750.00 for all components including pump(air and water), totes, barrels, PVC pieces, heater, water pump, filter mats, lava rock, basically all components. When I was still using that system, I was growing around 60 fish per tote and harvesting one tote every 2 months.
+ Benevolent hand You are correct... Everything I do here is constantly evolving and new lessons are methods are discovered every day. Thanks for the the comment.
Sorry, I don't have specific plans for this system....it is my own design. If you have a specific question, just ask and I will answer your questions by email at gregsowder12@gmail.com
Hey Chris, you can set up a colony in a tote, but you will miss a lot of fry. It is very difficult to look down on a female and tell if she is holding eggs or not. They will breed, but as soon as she spits her fry, they will be eaten by the other fish. I have recovered fry from a tote.....just not a lot.
Figured as much,was looking into installing viewing panels onto the totes but might just go with building large plywood tanks with glass fronts for breeding
If you can see them from the side, you can tell who is carrying eggs, when she laid them and when you need to harvest the babies. A Plexiglas viewing port in the side of the tote would work ok.
Hi. Could you please provide details of how you did the plumbing for the outlets of the ibc totes?
Nice how clean the water is. You did a great job.
Trust me, it's not always that clean, I have to do a lot of partial water changes.
very cool... i like your set up
Great video- what a nice guy to offer help to folks.. Thanks
Nice job on your rebuild. I was curious how you kept you fingerlings from getting out of the tank through the bottom drains. Now I see. Pretty slick! I wish I had seen this video last week and I would not have changed my plan to use the bottom drains in my rebuild. Too late for now. I have already installed the 3" SLO drains, but I may change them back to the bottom like you have. Thanks.
Very nice and keep up the good work...
For David Lewis. I have a 1000gal system with only 500 fish in it so I only have to clean the solids filter every 2 - 3 weeks. The larger the bio load, the more often it needs to be cleaned. Also the smaller the water volume the more often it will have to be cleaned.
Thanks John, check the message tab on your youtube channel. Somehow linked comments won't let me reply or I just don't know how......probably the later.
LOOKIN GOOD !!
Sir, you are amazing! You should continue and try to find ways on making it profitable by selling full grown fish.
I just don't have enough room up here on the hill to produce enough fish to make a profit.
Advertise some sort of crash course / hands on course. Many people would pay to learn first hand. Cheers!
Looks great Greg.......Love the new setup. I have 3 outside now, and 4 in the garage.......ahhhhhhhhh.
That's great Mark. How many fish do you have now, call me when you can about maybe working together a little. No partnership or anything like that, I just think that we could help each other in a couple of different ways. Thanks, Greg
Hello.
What solution did you have for capturing the rocketing fish?
How do you transfer the smaller fish - fry - into the larger totes?
What do you use third empty tote for?
Cameron
what water you use for your aquaponics system? rain water ?
I have a question. I have a breeder Colony which I selected from the batch off 100 tilapia I purchased. There were some with genetic defects such as gill plates missing. Fast-forward..I have 5 female tilapia and one male. They breed pretty frequently, I take the eggs and place in a tumbler and they develop fine. Once they go through their yolk sack I feed them the algae pellets. However, once out of the tumbler there are a significant number of fry which lay on their bellies. By day 10 all fry even the ones which swam at first die. I looked up belly slide syndrome and was wondering if you have ever came across the issue. No ammonia, 80° temp no nitrates or nitrites PH 8 just as the breeder tank. I use rain water so no chlorine.
I like your setup, still working on getting mine completed,.. I have only been doing aquaponics for a little over a month, and I'm constantly trying to improve my system. at this point I have 2 IBC totes as fish tanks and 1 IBC tote as a sump tank, no filters in my system yet and only 1 - 220gal DWC growbed and 2 - 12gal media beds. the only fish I have in my system so far are about 50 goldfish and about 15 flatthead minnows... also 4 pleco algae eaters...
I've been having a bit of trouble getting the permit to keep live 'wildlife', so no tilapia or channel catfish or bluegill yet. It's looking like it will be a couple months before I have any edible fish in my system.
I noticed on the homepage on your website you have a typo in the word 'source',... you left the r out of it.
Thanks for the typo tip Anthony, I will get that fixed ASAP. Sounds like you have a good start on things. If you are going to keep doing the Aquaponics gig, your growbed will be your filter so you won't need the same type of filters I have. Your beneficial bacterial are probably already in the growbed cleaning your water.
What state are you in? Blue Tilapia are not a regulated species in most states, especially in the northern tier where they cannot survive in the wild during the winter.
Thanks for the heads up!
Mineral Springs Tilapia
I'm in southern Nevada. The Nevada department of wildlife (NDOW) restricted (invasive) species list classifies tilapia as "All species in the genera Tilapia and Sarotherodon". so I might have found a loop hole and may be able to get nile tilapia Oreochromis Niloticus technically they are a cichlid related to tilapia, but do not share the same genus... I'm going to have to contact NDOW on monday or tuesday to see what they say about the nile tilapia.
At this point its just a matter of getting all the proper permits to be able to have edible fish in my system. then the process of getting them delivered will be another hurdle I am going to have to jump through. have to have importation permits every time I order any fish that could be considered 'wildlife'.
because of how hard it is to actually get the permits to keep the fish and import them, I want to make sure I get a type of fish I can breed and not have to worry about importing any more.
Anthony Jensen Well, the Oreochromis Aureus is the Blue Tilapia that I breed and raise. So if you can get the "Oreochromis" permitted, I can ship you some fish.
Thank you for reply. I do not get what kind of motor/ pump (watt/ horse). Oxygen system you used.
Because of water purify. Oxygen mixes her. Bactria etc. if don’t fill disturb explain.
OK, The center barrel is half full of lava rock for the bacteria to grow on. In the sump there is a 1500GPH submersible water pump to return the filtered water back into the totes. There is a 72LPM commercial air pump with 2 lines into airstones in each tote and one line into an airstone that is deep into the biofilter not at the bottom but deep in the lava rock.
Hi sir thanks for the fast reply.. I have 8500 gallons system maybe i need to vacuum it every day w/ 3000 fish on it.
antot alvarez You are probably correct....I didn't know that you had that many fish.
How do you do extensive drain
I had asked yesterday night if all of the tanks are connected how do you regulate all of the tanks so that each tank stays at the specific temperature that it needs to? You had replied and told me to see this video but I am still not sure how you were able to make sure that they are a) all at the correct temperature and b) how you have a connected system but not all the same temperature or is it?
There was a heater in the sump (third barrel), it heats the water to the proper temp and is returned constantly into the tanks. The water is within a degree or two in all tanks. The water circulates through the system at the rate of 1200 gallons per hour so it is constantly heated. That is shown in the video "Filter System Details"
Just wondering, what kind of seals are you using for the adapters you have for your 55 gallon barrels?
+monkeylaughter On my barrels, I used a 2" electrical adapter with slip sections. I used the male section and screwed it in from the outside and sealed them with a bead of silicone. That was a while back. If I was doing it again, I would use 2" Uniseals. Thanks for the comment....Greg
Does the 1.5" pipe in the drain fit snug or is it just laid in that hole? I'm going to have to go swimming in my totes to install these in mine since I forgot to do so before I filled that tank. I hope that water is not too cold! I want to make sure I have it all in place before I dive in!
Tom Brueggen Ok, what I did was build the pipe with the holes and the cap. The pipe will fit snug in the drain hole so you will have to take a hammer and a small piece of 2X4 diving with you. Place the pipe at the opening of the drain, put the 2X4 up against the cap and tap it hard enough to seat the pipe in the drain hole. I put a small bead of silicone around the pipe to seal it around in the drain holes, but since you are going to be under 3 or 4 feet of water, I wouldn't worry about that>>>>holy crap that's going to be funny.....Have you wife film that operation and post it up.
I love how the PVC is connected to your IBC totes at the bottom like that. What size PVC and other items did you use to do that?
I used 2 inch pvc with a 4 inch rubber boot. The boot is flexible enough to go over the pipe and over the threaded end of the drain to connect the 2 sections together.
Can you make a video on how to build this set up without the heater
What do you feed your talapia
How r the pools turning out? Very interested in knowing? Like the idea of using intex or summer escapes.
The filters do a good job with ammonia and nitrite conversion, but the fact that the water has to be pumped into the filter barrels makes keeping the pool clean of settled solids very labor intensive. The pools have to be vacuumed of settled solid waste. If they are not vacuumed almost daily, ammonia levels begin to spike in the pool. So I am going to have to rethink how to do this. In order to grow the fish to full size in as short a time as possible they have to be fed intensively producing excessive solid waste. I am rethinking this situation and will post something if I can figure it out.
Do you use culinary water? If so, how do you remove the chlorine from your water?I have heard of people adding pure vitamin c tablets or filtering it through carbon shower attachment filter. what have you found that works for you?
+Evan Kenison In one of my videos and also on my website I talk about a product called AquaLife Complete. It is approved by the FDA for use with food fishes and that is what I use to condition my water. Here in Knoxville, I have to use city water, Aqualife Complete removes the chlorine, but does so much more.
Cant you tell me how much you sell fingerling and how much you sell then for
What size the drill holes
hi sir i have a larger system using filter i have a question im using a water pump but it cant clean the bottom of my pond and all the fish poops stacks there any suggestion? thanks
antot alvarez Yea, that will happen in a pond or pool. If you have a drain and can make sure that the water and poop moves around in the bottom of the pond, it will eventually run near the drain and get sucked in the filter. If it collects in one spot, you have to manually remove with a vacuum every 2 or 3 days.
Hi, I saw the video & I want to set this type of RAS fish project. Are you helping me to set this type of project? I don’t understand how it set. Which pipe drill which drums? How it filters west & purifies water to send main fish tank. How many litters water each fish tank & how much fish in each tank. If you don’t mind then descried & project map please (how it install).
If you watch the video "filter system details" there is a lot more detailed information on that video. I will be glad to answer any other questions you may have. The large white tanks are 275 gallon IBC totes. The barrels are 55 gallon barrels raised to the same height as the totes. The PVC pipe is 2 inch diameter coming from the totes to the barrels and connecting the barrels together. The first barrel is a solids filter, the second is a biological filter and the third is a sump where the water is heated and pumped back into the totes,
Greg
And which brand of filters do you use for the fry? Thanks
I use lots of air running through simple sponge filters. You can usually buy sponge filters fairly cheap on ebay. You have to do frequent water changes and keep temperatures up....at least 80.
The heater is simply an added feature, if you don't need heat, just don't put one in the sump.
Haven't had an aquaponics system since I started this tilapia project 5 years ago. If I did have an aquaponics system, I would use the water from the fish tanks after the solids had been filtered out. Wish I had room for an aquaponics system up here, I really love the idea and would love to be more food independent.
Greg, is the bucket heater handling the increase in water volume? How often and how long do you leave it on to reach and maintain 70 degrees? At what temperature do you turn the heater on? What's the difference in the temperature of the water in the sump and the water in the fish tank? I'm also having a temperature problem and ordered a bucket heater after seeing your video. Have you tried using a timer with the heater?
Thanks, Butch
Richmond, Va.
butch gardner Good morning Butch, Under normal winter conditions, the bucket heater keeps my water in the mid 70s. I have a second bucket heater in the sump for days when we get temperatures in the single digits and as a backup for the first heater. I have had to plug it up for two days this winter so far. I have the first heater on a timer and normally I only have it running from 6pm to 8am. If the temps don't get above 20 during the day, I have to run it 24/7. The water is moving thru the system so quickly that there is very little temperature difference between the water in the sump barrel and water in the other parts of the system. Thanks for the comment.
Greg
butch gardner
Where do you buy your tilapia food? Nice information in your videos.
claudia gamino Hey Claudia, I buy Aquamax made by Purina from my local County Farmers Co-op in 50 pound bags. You should be able to get it from any dealer that sells Purina.
What size sump pump, make model do you use or recommend?
I used a submersible pump capable of moving around 1500 gallons of water per hour. Since my system was around 1100 gallons, I moved the water through the system at least once per hour. It was an EcoPlus pump purchase off of ebay, however, I would check with my local hydroponics store to see what they have.
Hi Greg, I was wondeeing where you sourced the IBC totes. And what are the prices for your fish. Also, any chance I might be able to stop by sometime before spring to see your setup before I start mine? Thanks.
jeremy crowder Hey Jeremy, you are welcome to stop by and see what's going on over here anytime. But things are a big mess over here, I am trying to build a breeding building where I can handle all my fry and fingerlings and it is proving a little harder than I anticipated. My IBC totes came from a lot of different places over the years, but I have been seeing Craigslist ads for totes that are up on Raccoon Valley Rd just off the I75 exit. I have not looked at them, but the prices range from 40.00 and up. As long as they have not contained toxic chemicals they can be easily cleaned and used for your fish. Tell me what you plan on doing, are you just growing out to eat them or are you going to try to start a breeding program or what? I've got a lot of fish at different sizes and they range from 50 cents each to 3.00 each depending on size. You are welcome to call me at 865-604-6136 if you want to talk. Thanks for the comment...Greg
Thanks Greg, I have also seen that ad on Craigslist but was worried they aren't food grade. I am currently not interested in breeding, especially since you are intown, but who knows. Right now I am interested in using one tote to grow out some fish and run a couple of aquaponic lettuce and herb beds. Just to get my feet wet. Thanks for your number, I will give you a call after this weather warms a bit and see if I can stop by.
What size holes are in your drain pipe at the bottom of the totes?
The holes on the inside pipe are 1/4 inch....as many as you can resonably drill into it to let the water flow. The piece of PVC is one and a half inch PVC with a cap on one end and you have to put a couple of holes along the top edge to release trapped air. The entire piece of PVC is 10 to 12 inches long. When you install it, you will have to tap it into the hole. I also used some sand paper and tapered the end that went into the drain hole as well as a bead of aquairum safe silicone.
Do you have any issues with mosquito's? If so. How do you eradicate them. I'm in munford tn and im gonna duplicate your system in my garage> but i'm concerned about mosquito's
Ron Mckinney Good morning Ron and Happy New Year. I do have a lot of mosquitoes over hear in Knoxville, but not in my fish productions systems. If I have an aquarium with water and no fish, the larva shows up very quickly, but all I have to do is place a few 2 inch fish in the tank and they will be gone in a few hours. Your tilapia will take care of any mosquito issues in your tanks....they love to eat the larva. Just be careful about leaving unused water sitting around. I do grow duckweed outside during the summer and if I leave the screen cover off of the tub, it will get filled with larva quickly. Window screen covering any non-fish systems will keep the female mosquitoes from reaching the surface of the water to lay her eggs. I have seen a mosquito land on the water in a fish tank to lay eggs and be immediately picked off by one of the fish. You can use repellents but not too close to your tanks. Repellents will leave what looks like an oil slick on the surface of the water, so be careful. Thanks for the comment, Greg.
Hi! I can order Aquamax Pond Fish 2000, Aquamax Sportfish 500, or Aquamax Sportfish 600. I'm not sure which one you would need but
Which one of these should I buy greg. I have regular tilapia like yours. First time I order purina ok. Thanks for all your help and info.
claudia gamino I am not familiar with these products, but if that is all I could choose from, I would get the one with the highest protein content. You want to get as close to 50% protein as you can, even if you have to chop up large pellets.
Mineral Springs Tilapia If you can get these, you should be able to order Aquamax 300 Fingerling Starter Pellet or Aquamax 400. Both of these are 50% protein.
Good day.. What is the most amount of 1lb tilapia a tank could hold?
Rogers Caribbean Hey Rogers, if you are growing fish to harvest size, you need to give them 5 gallons of water/fish. If you have highend filtration systems and air delivery, you could cut it to 3 gallons/fish.
Hi,
I love your work and your video!
Would just like to know, given your current setup this way, are you profitable?
Thank you!
Since this video was shot a while ago, I have changed my focus. The tote system is great for growing your own fish to provide for you and your family. I probably would not have made a profit selling full size fish on such a small scale. Now, I only breed and grow fish to fry and fingerling size up to breeder size and sell them online....that is where the profit is, however, developing a market for fry, fingerlings and breeding colonies is not easy and takes time. Though I made some money the first 3 years, this has been my best year by far and I have actually made a significant profit from selling these fish....that is how I was able to build the new hatchery.
Thank You for your reply!
Still... your video is most inspiring!
How much is your monthly electricity bill? How often do you check the PH in your tank and how do regulate your PH?
The electric and water runs about 65.00 per month, I check my pH every other day. pH will slowly decrease over time so I normally have to raise the ph. Since I change some of the water in all tanks on Sundays, I adjust the pH up at the water change, I use a buffer you can buy from your local hydroponics store. It is appropiately called "pH UP"
My utility rates are on the low side in Knoxville, Tn.
I am living in Toronto Ontario.do you ha any idea where I can get the store to setup this system
I built this system myself, it is not available in any store.
+Mineral Springs Tilapia you such an amazing man very creative boss am huzaifa from Uganda
Please, can you help me build a similar filter system?
I don't have a lot of spare time here at the hatchery, what would you like me to do?
Nice setup! Does this setup leave you with a profit at the end of the day?
I just use the big system to grow fish for myself. After I get into the new hatchery, I should be able to do about 50K in sales. This year has been good so far and I am already in the black including the 4000 I have spent on the new hatchery. Looking forward to 2017....should be good.
Greg, I have a 75gallon tank set up with seven females and one male. My temp is at 80 degrees and my ph is a little over 7. About how long do you think till i might see some eggs?
Well, that;s hard to say. If your water chemistry is OK, and the male is chasing the females around waving on them you should see a female carrying eggs in a few days. If you just put them together in the 75, it may take them a day or two to get comfortable with their new surroundings. I have put 5 females in with a male in a new tank and had a female with eggs the next day, but I have also put 5 females in with a male and it took 10 days for a female to get eggs. Just make sure you don't have any ammonia or nitrites in the tank and you should get a female with eggs pretty quickly. Be sure to have a flower pot in the tank so the female has someplace safe to lay the eggs. Thanks, Greg
Thank you Greg for the response. They have all grown up together in the tank (since they were fry).
hello very nice. i plann to to this with only one ibc tank and a pond filter. i want to do ith in a room under our balony wich is not heated. how deep temperatures can these tilapia resist ?
They can survive in water in the 60 degree range, but they will not eat well, grow, or breed. If the water gets too much colder than 55 degrees, they will die
i know this wit eating and growing. the growing rate sinks normal 10% per degree Celcius with other fish. very nice idea with the gravity filtering. there is a video on youtube of mini aes fishfarm. the realized everything with gravitation only the pumping back system ist supportet by an air pump. i think its great to save costy but mybe the system there dos not with the ibc because the form of the tank and easy to access and not round. what for temperatures do you have there and ho much can you heat up the water ? is it possible to heat from outside air 32F up do maybe 60F in the fishtank ?
hejazzer This past winter, we had a lot of cold days in Tennessee, Lots of teens and twentys and 2 days where the temp was -2F, The water in my system never got below 70F. That was using the 1000W bucket heater shown in the video
dear sir, i am from Mauritius island
i really appreciate your videos, i want to to start my aquaculture with two ibc totes
only thing i dont understand is how to run my pump, either for 24 hours or?
just let me know, thank you
The pump runs all the time, It will keep the water moving which is good for the fish and it will also keep it cleaner.
dear sir thank you very much for your help i really appreciate that and i hope to go fo rward soon
Have you ever considered using duckweed to feed all the fish?
+JD Stewart I do supplement their aquamax food with duckweed in the spring and summer, to have enough, I have to grow it outside and it dies back in the late fall and winter.
how is the HF garage and little green house holding up?
The portable garage and greenhouse are both two years old and both are completely intact, however, they have no insulation and it is expensive to keep the water warm during the winters here in Tennessee. I am in the process of building a small breeding building that I can insulate and keep much warmer for next winter. Thanks for the comment...
Greg Sowder
Good to know, I'm in Maryland and planing on getting my operation up and running. Heating can be expensive here.
🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐠🐠🐠🐠🐠🐠🐟🐠🐟
I'm in barbados
So if i watch the rest of vids i will get an idea?
Yes, concentrate on the playlist called "Breeding Tilapia"
Whats the typical price for the 50 lb bag?
claudia gamino I pay between 55 and 60 dollars for a 50 pound bag.
What are bio filters mentioned here, can one put it in simple terms please!
+Mpoki Mwasimba Good morning Mpoki, a biological filter is a part of the system where your beneficial bacteria grows. The first to grow in the bio filter is the bacteria that changes Ammonia into Nitrites and the second one to grow changes Nitrites in Nitrates. You need these in your system because Ammonia and Nitrites are deadly to your fish, Nitrates are not deadly to your fish. Hope this helps. When you are looking at the web next time look up "The Nitrogen Cycle in Aquariums" this will give you lots more detail.
Hello there, thanks alot for the response,I had no idea of what bio filters are, again thanks, I'll check for The Nitrogen Cycle in Aquariums as U suggested.
I have some babies tilapia but one by one keep dying can you share some light on how to manage these babies...?
Hey Chris, I run air thru sponge filters I pick up on ebay. Give them plenty of air and the sponge filters give the bacteria some place to colonize. Make sure you are not feeding too much of the fry powder...just a small pinch 6 or 8 times a day. Also make sure your water temp is at least 80 degrees and you are doing water changes frequently and when you siphon the water from the tank, make sure you clean the bottom where uneaten food gathers....I will post a video on this tomorrow that may help you out some. Don't feel too bad, you are bound to loose some fry, I loose about 5% over the first 3 weeks. After that they are stronger and tend to live despite what I mess up!!!
Thanks a lot for the support Greg will do....
I am looking for about your product place leave me a message,when I post this, I am looking for more information on this.you set this all up and put all this together and what kind of things are you raising tilapia or catfish I mean how is the weather there do you get cold nights or snow or rain or what weather do you have and everything what do you have your system running on write me back so take care of yourself and be safe on this Coronavirus
How to breed them and at what size ?
That is the subject of this whole channel. The answer to this question would take a day to write.
Do you sell fry if so how much and do you ship
Check my website, mineralspringstilapia.com and you can see what I have up for sale. I have just restarted my breeding program...I don't sell much in December or January....so I probably won't have new fry for a few weeks, I have a female holding right now.
Do you sell all of your fry?
Almost. If someone wants a breeding colony or if I'm replacing or adding one of my own, then I grow them from my own stock. This year I have sold nearly 12,000 fish and 8 breeding colonies. That's why I'm out except for fry.
I just changed the brand of food that I am giving my adult tilapia today and they are not thrilled about it. Have you ever done this? I'm wondering if this is something that they will get over or if I am going to have to go back to the old feed. Thank you for the video. Looks like you have some really great things going on there. I got mine at, maybe a little smaller than fingerling on March 30th and they still haven't started breeding. I'm starting to think they are all males :(
Hey Eric, I have never changed my food, but I do think that they will start eating. I have always fed aquamax but these fish are omnivores and they will certainly eat before they starve. If you still have a little of your old food, mix a little with the new food and see if they just pick out the old food and leave the new alone. They should be large enough to breed. Have you set up a breeder tank? Give me a few details on what kind of setting you have your breeders in. Do you know if you bought Blue Tilapia or another species or some kind of Hybrid fish. Depending on the parents it is possible to get a hybrid population of nearly 99% male. You can call me at 865-604-6136 anytime. Thanks, Greg
Hey. Thanks a lot, Greg! I have 7 tilapia in a 115 gallon tank along with a few rosy red minnows that I used to cycle the system. I know that 5 of them are blue's but 2 of them look really strange. Almost like they are partially albino. Most of their skin is pink but around their heads, they have blotchy dark spots, and they have not grown nearly as fast as the others. The guy I bought them from said there were Blue's and Red's but the ones he claimed were reds, I'm pretty sure were nothing more than rosy red minnows because they didn't have a chance to get bigger before the Blue's got big and ate them all. Also, they were more streamline-shaped rather than the oval shape of the Blue's. I keep the tank around 82 degrees. The PH ranges from 7.8 to 8. I have a 4' clay pot and a 4' plastic pot in there for their cave, along with 4 or 5 8-9 inch sections of 3' pvc for more structure. It stays pretty dark on one side of the tank because I have a lettuce grow bed sitting on top that takes up about half of the tank. I use that for filtration. The other side is lighted pretty much 24 hours a day. Sorry for the novel. Any advice you might have would be helpful. I think I might just have to go find some adult females.
Eric Mastenbrook First question, is there a male that stays in the pot and protects it then comes out periodically to chase the other fish around? Have you tested the water to see what your ammonia and nitrite levels are? Are the blues you have left in the 4 to 5 inch range? It is really hard to get a group of "Blues" that are not mixed sex. Usually a male that occupies the pot will have a pinkish color with a dorsal that is trimmed in black. Let me Know.. Thanks,
Greg.
No. I've never really seen any of them using either of the pots for more that a minute or two. I can tell that they are a little territorial, just not of the pots, in particular
Wow, very cool. Are you making any money doing this? Thanks for sharing
Robert Madden Enough to completely support the hobby and some left over!
That's good to hear, thanks for replying. Think it possible to raise bream or crappie with the same results?
Robert Madden Bream and Crappie don't breed nearly as often or as easily as tilapia. Also, I don't know what the market is like for these fish. One breeding colony of Blue tilapia will have upwards of 20,000 fry during the summer season. Don't know if you could hit those number and even if you could, I don't know if you could sell them. A tilapia will grow from a fry to a Harvest size adult in eight and a half months. I do know that bream and crappie don't grow nearly at that rate.
How much is the setup cost
Probably around $750.00 for all components including pump(air and water), totes, barrels, PVC pieces, heater, water pump, filter mats, lava rock, basically all components. When I was still using that system, I was growing around 60 fish per tote and harvesting one tote every 2 months.
pengembangan dan riset sangat diperlukan
+ Benevolent hand You are correct... Everything I do here is constantly evolving and new lessons are methods are discovered every day. Thanks for the the comment.
On
Hi, Can you give out complete design of the build up setup for the filter and tanks pls. If yes,I can send my email , if ok. Thanks
Sorry, I don't have specific plans for this system....it is my own design. If you have a specific question, just ask and I will answer your questions by email at gregsowder12@gmail.com
Can you not set up a breeding colony in a tote?
Hey Chris, you can set up a colony in a tote, but you will miss a lot of fry. It is very difficult to look down on a female and tell if she is holding eggs or not. They will breed, but as soon as she spits her fry, they will be eaten by the other fish. I have recovered fry from a tote.....just not a lot.
Figured as much,was looking into installing viewing panels onto the totes but might just go with building large plywood tanks with glass fronts for breeding
If you can see them from the side, you can tell who is carrying eggs, when she laid them and when you need to harvest the babies. A Plexiglas viewing port in the side of the tote would work ok.
Thank you,you have really been helpful