small scale tilapia idea

I have this concept I was thinking about for raising tilapia on a small scale using 55 gallon drums.
It would use three 30 gallon drums for a solid filter, a lava rock filter and sump tank with a heater. Possibly these filter drums could be smaller, though having larger ones might make it easier to expand the whole system if desired

In the summer I would set this up in an unheated room in the house using four 55 gallon drums. In the winter I would just use two 55 gallon drums and move everything to the heated part of the house where space is more limited putting  possibly 12 males in one drum and 12 females in the other. Then when it’s spring I would try to breed some fish and expand, then harvest and contract in the fall. I live in new England where it gets pretty cold.

I like the idea of using 55 gallons drums because they are smaller to work with. It does mean however a separate bubler system for each drum.  I’m just learning about tilapia so I have a lot more to consider I am sure.

I like this type of setup in this video and I picture the same type of thing on a smaller scale. This guy has a solid filter that seems simpler to me than some of the other solid filter designs I had seen. This whole setup seems fairly easy to understand:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=li_0qoQYVww

Why is everyone into raising tilapia so much, if they need heating?

If I heat the talapia inside my house in the winter, wouldn't some of the heat from the tank also contribute to heating the house ? During the summer, less heat would be needed

Other things about tipalia that sound appealing:

- I find it easier to kill fish than birds or other livestock, it bothers me less
- It sounds like setting up an automatic feeding system with tilapia might be easier than quail or at least just as easy

There's probably some disadvantages also. I think mainly I need to think about raising such protein due to possible economic downturns in the US economy, food shortages, high food prices, general instability, some kind of retirement project etc.

Sure, raising fish as a food source sounds tempting, I'm just wondering why are tilapia better than other fishes. But I haven't been successful with anything other than guppies yet ;)
Around here, seems like carp is the most popular, but I don't really like the taste and it's difficult to also grow plants in the same pond, so I'm looking at other coldwater species.

Be aware that while fish have like a 30 degree temperature range they are happy over if the temperature changes of more than like a degree a day it can make them sick.  

I had counted on the thermal mass of the water in my thinking being able to swing it over the whole range.  When I learned about the need to do less temperature it shot that  idea down much to my disappointment.  So do your homework on not just how far a particular fish species can swing the temperature range but how fast it can happen safely too.

Now as for feeding one of the suggested cheaper answers back when I was researching this was to use the automatic game feeder stations used for hunting.  They were way less expensive than the automatic fish feeders.  In one case someone pointed out the bucket feeder was exactly the same just sold for different purposes.

C. Letellier wrote:Be aware that while fish have like a 30 degree temperature range they are happy over if the temperature changes of more than like a degree a day it can make them sick.  

I had counted on the thermal mass of the water in my thinking being able to swing it over the whole range.  When I learned about the need to do less temperature it shot that  idea down much to my disappointment.  So do your homework on not just how far a particular fish species can swing the temperature range but how fast it can happen safely too.

Now as for feeding one of the suggested cheaper answers back when I was researching this was to use the automatic game feeder stations used for hunting.  They were way less expensive than the automatic fish feeders.  In one case someone pointed out the bucket feeder was exactly the same just sold for different purposes.

I guess a thermostat controlled heater keeps the temprature somewhat constant ? One degree is not very much. I had never heard that

Flora Eerschay wrote:Why is everyone into raising tilapia so much, if they need heating?

I wonder that too, although I barely know what tilapia are, so maybe there are lots of reasons.

I've often thought of raising fish for food, but I think I would go with Bluegills, a common pan fish in my area. I have a few now, as pets in a small, 300-gallon outdoor pond and commonly have to thin them out as they seem to reproduce easily. A pump keeps it from completely freezing in the winter and moves water through a little stream area full of plants, mostly wild mint, and that keeps the water nice and clean. The water can get quite warm since losing my shade trees to emerald ash borers and a down spout can rapidly cool it off during a storm. I haven't noticed any ill effect on the fish from that.

I haven't yet expanded to a larger food producing set up, largely because it is totally dependent on electricity to run the pump. It would rapidly degrade to a stinking mess without it, and I haven't figured out an alternative yet. Other than finding a new place to live with an existing large pond that doesn't need a pump or alternatively setting up a solar system to run the pump.

I used to fish for trout, I also occasionally ate some bass. Other than that I mainly eat haddock and salmon. I might be described as a little fussy of an eater. I have had tilapia from the store however and I consider it to be very good quality white fish, though not quite as good as haddock, it's still very good.

I've never seen bluegill at fish markets. I know of survivalists and other that eat lambs quarters, sweet potato greens and all kinds of things. I definitely would eat that stuff if I had to but things like tilapia to me is in a class all by itself. I probably ate a bluegill once many years ago, I ate yellow perch once also, I don't recall it being much to remember from my perspective so I wasn't out there catching those fish and eating them but I ate a lot of native trout that I fished from mountain streams in NH back in the old days

I had considered raising large mouth bass because it seems to have a good temperature range, I think tilapia might be better eating but bass seemed not too bad and can tolerate warm temperatures whereas trout like it fairly cold and that could be a problem in the summer. I suppose if I obtained trout fingerlings in mid September, if they where harvestable by May, it's possible that would work because getting them through the summer seems like it could be a problem. The side room in my house is not heated so it would be cold or cooler in there

I think Tilapia are favored because of the mold taste, fast growth and omnivorous feeding patterns.
Carp are preferred in many places because of their robustness, but the bones and the taste are off putting to many, especially in the USA.

I would like to raise koi, as a hobby that could produce animals for the pet trade or an  emergency food source.

Flora Eerschay wrote:Why is everyone into raising tilapia so much, if they need heating?

It's been a while since I was researching aquaponics, but I think the reasons for tilapia are: they can be more heavily stocked, tolerate dirtier water, eat various things - not just fish meal pellets (so could supplement with duckweed, azolla, algae), and their temperature range.
Heating isn't as much of a problem when combined with keeping a heated greenhouse for vegetable growing, the thermal mass of the tanks helps with keeping the greenhouse warm and vice versa.

A cold-water fish like trout, needs a cool location (seen examples of tanks in cellars) and/or a constant source of fresh, cold water, such as a spring or a stream. More often an aquaculture than aquaponics.

William Bronson wrote:I think Tilapia are favored because of the mold taste, fast growth and omnivorous feeding patterns.
Carp are preferred in many places because of their robustness, but the bones and the taste are off putting to many, especially in the USA.

I would like to raise koi, as a hobby that could produce animals for the pet trade or an  emergency food source.

Yes, that's true .. I think tilapia will eat duckweed that you grow yourself, you could probably feed them bugs, worms, grasshoppers , etc. salad greens ?

I used to get frozen tilapia from trader joes which was pretty good. I don't have a favorable impression of carp either but definitely trout or bass sounds good.

I have not heard much about bass in aquaponics but I do see articles if I do a search such as below ..
I have a small outdoor pond that I need to clean the leaves out of, I think it is maybe 2 or 3 feet deep at the most and it's about 150 square feet I estimate, something like bass might work in there it had occurred to me but I think tilapia tastes a little better. I would eat some bass though definitely

https://farmingaquaponics.com/caring-for-largemouth-bass-in-aquaponics-systems/

Most aquaponic gardeners immediately go for the most common fish such as tilapia, catfish, or even crustaceans to use in their system. Surprisingly, raising largemouth bass is also relatively easy because they are not fussy, and can tolerate a wide range of temperatures, making them perfect for growing a variety of crops. Though proper practices are still required when caring for largemouth bass in aquaponics systems, their growth potential and delicious meat can make for a truly rewarding harvest.

Here are some quotes on tilapia food I found on the web, it sounds like if I had extra lettuce that I couldn't eat or other things I don't eat much of like say turnip greens that I grow for green manure, then perhaps tilapia would eat that. Some bananas are getting a little old and you can't eat them, so feed them to the fish ? I wasn't aware of the possible wide range of food sources and I would be growing greens indoors as well

Tilapia does very well on a diet of pellets and pellets are a good basis for their diet. Try to use a pellet that contains Spirulina powder and other greens. Vegetables: It is good to provide them with some vegetables in their diet. Suitable vegetables include lettuce and peas.

How do you make tilapia feed?
Puree a vegetable medley; use greens, such as lettuce or spinach, root vegetables, fruit or seaweed. Add protein to the mixture: This can be any type of fish meal, or sea food medley, dried, frozen or fresh, whichever suits the budget. Continue to blend until the mixture is very smooth.

Tilapia is resistant to diseases and parasites.
They can handle a wide range of water quality and temperature challenges.
They can survive longer in a toxic water environment with low oxygen or high ammonia levels.
Tilapia is easy to breed.
Tilapia grows to maturity faster than most other cultured fish.
They are tolerant of overcrowding in the fish tank.
They are omnivorous and enjoy diets composed of animals and plants, thus eliminating the need for expensive fish food.
When cooked, tilapias have a delicious firm and white flakey flesh.
Tilapia culture and breeding can also be profitable.

Tilapias are omnivorous feeders and can be grown on a low protein, herbivorous diet. They eat phytoplankton, insects, larvae, aquatic plants, and bacterial slimes in the wild. Commercial fish food pellets are the most common feed for tilapia in aquaponics, although many aquaponics growers have used alternative fish feed for food.

Other Fish Food Alternatives
You can feed your plant feeder fish with vegetables that can also be grown easily in your aquaponics grow beds such as kale, lettuce, watercress, and fruits like bananas, apples, and grapes.

Moringa is a fast-growing tropical tree and drought-resistant. All parts of the tree are edible for human consumption, but for aquaculture, the leaves are used to feed the fish.  It can be propagated easily through cuttings or seeds, but they are intolerant of frost and could not survive in colder climates. For leaf production, the leaves are harvested and can be fed to the fish fresh or dried.