RTC and TSN for Aquaponics?

[Acro]

I'd like your thoughts on using Redtail Catfish (Phractocephalus hemioliopterus) and/or Tiger Shovelnose Catfish (Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum) or the hybrids, for aquaponics.

This would be in a 1000 gallons (or more) pond or tank, and the fish would be kept as ornamental fish.

What are your thoughts on using the above fish in aquaponics?

[bekateen]

Hi Acro,

I don't know is anyone here works with aquaponics. Maybe @dw1305 might have some thoughts?

Cheers, Eric

[dw1305]

Hi all,

.......I don't know is anyone here works with aquaponics. Maybe @dw1305 might have some thoughts?......

Not really, but I don't see any particular problem with it using an aquaponic approach.

A floating plant like Water Hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes) or Nile Cabbage (Pistia stratiotes) should work fairly well, if they are available to you.

This is the abstract of "Utilização de plantas aquáticas no tratamento de efluentes detanques de piscicultura em sistemas de recirculação de água"

The growth of aquaculture activities for food production in small farms leads to an increase in the volume of wastewater discharged, often without adequate treatment, which can lead to eutrophication of rivers and lakes. The integration of fish farming with aquatic plants can enable the treatment of effluents, avoiding impacts on the environment...... The objective of this research was to evaluate the influence and efficiency of aquatic plants in the treatment of effluents from fish farms. The research ...... six fish ponds with recirculation of water and covered with aquatic plants of the ecological type floating: Pistia stratiotes L. and Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.), ........ Pintado-da-Amazônia (Pseudoplatystoma punctifer e Leiarius marmoratus). Water samples from the fish tanks were analyzed at the site. In the study, it was verified that in the tanks with greater coverage of the water mirror by plants, greater transparency of water.......

@Viktor Jarikov might have a bit more idea about how much water you need per fish.

There are large specimens of both Red Tailed Catfish (

Phractocephalus hemioliopterus

) and "Tiger" Shovelnose (

Pseudoplatystoma tigrinum

) in the water-lily pond in the Princess of Wales conservatory at RBG Kew, but that is a big pond.

cheers Darrel

[Jools]

Same also in the tropical area of the glasshouses at https://www.rbge.org.uk/visit/royal-bot ... edinburgh/

Jools

[Viktor Jarikov]

IDK much abut aquaponics either. My vague impression is that the fish used in aquaponics are of the kind that can handle higher concentrations of chemicals (=nutrients for the plants) in the water, such as cichlids, such as tilapia or mayan cichlid, or carp or goldfish, or walking catfish, maybe channel catfish, etc. In other words these are usually the "bulletproof" fish.

I don't think RTC and TSN would thrive in say high nitrate water.

[dw1305]

Hi all,

....My vague impression is that the fish used in aquaponics are of the kind that can handle higher concentrations of chemicals (=nutrients for the plants) in the water, such as cichlids, such as tilapia or mayan cichlid, or carp or goldfish, or walking catfish, maybe channel catfish, etc. In other words these are usually the "bulletproof" fish.

They are. You ideally want a fish that doesn't make any demands on water quality, is tolerant of overcrowding and feeds on low grade food.

I don't think RTC and TSN would thrive in say high nitrate water.

Because they aren't being produced for food, what I had in mind was to use the plants to reduce the nutrient levels, rather than specifically adding nutrients to make the plants grow better.

Using a floating plant to improve water quality was the original premise behind the <"Duckweed Index">.

cheers Darrel

[Baardman]

You can look at African sharptooth catfish as a bulletproof option as well grow relatively fast,eats anything can cope in high density, can handle a lot of different temperatures, and can survive low oxygen levels

[Bas Pels]

Not being well educated into English names for fish, but I would assume "walking catfish" is Clarias. What is the Sharptooth catfish? It could be the Souyth African name for the same fish.

[Viktor Jarikov]

Clarias gariepinus if I recall correctly.