Aquaculture and A Healthy Food Supply - How To Create Food Security Growing Healthy Foods In Our Own Backyard Using Aquaculture (Aquaponics Book 1) by Bill Johnson

Author:Bill Johnson [Johnson, Bill]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2013-03-17T04:00:00+00:00

Do I Need Lots Of Equipment To Get Started?

The beginning aquaculturist will need to determine the amount of fish they want to raise, the availability of space and the amount of resources they are willing to commit to this project. Whether you intend to raise enough fish to supply your protein needs, develop a sustainable food source or are simply looking to produce a healthy product for your personal consumption, you will need to determine how many fish you wish to produce over a given growing period.

Tank or pond size is determined by the amount of space and fish to be produced. The simplest method for doing this is to determine either how many fish you wish to raise or the reasonable limitations on tank space. The formula is one quarter pound of fish (grow out size) per gallon of water. For example a Nile Tilapia should produce a harvestable fish 2.5 to 3 pounds with in a 9 month period. Looking at a 3 pound fish at grow out, the suggested water volume should be 12 gallons of tank space. This is important when purchasing your initial fingerlings to match tank size to the amount of fish being introduced into the system. To determine your tank volume simply use the formula (Length x Width x Depth = Cubic Ft.) multiply Cubic Ft. x 7.47 = gallons of water in the tank. For a round tank (child’s swimming pool) the formula is 3.1417 x R2 x D = cubic ft. x 7.47 to determine the gallons of liquid.

Example: 10 L x 5W x 5D =250 cubic ft. -----------250x7.47=1867.6 gallons. This would be the volume of water in your tank. To determine the amount of fish that should be introduced into this tank, simply divide the gallons by 12 to obtain your fish count. In this example the optimum fish count for this tank is 1867.6 /12 = 156 fingerlings. This is not a number written in stone and may be adjusted up or down with anticipated variations in results. Increased density leads to stunting of fish growth due to competition for food and increased strain on filtering systems due to increased waste. The introduction of less fish will lead to increased fish size but of course in lesser numbers. The difference in fish size will probably not make up for the reduction in total fish count. The total count should be raised by 10% to account for mortality of fingerlings since this is still a learning curve. The new fish farmer will find fingerlings are available from a variety of on-line sources and can, in general, be delivered within an accessible distance.

Oxygen and aeration

Tilapia are a living breathing organism and therefore dependent on an ample supply of oxygen for survival. Tilapia are capable of living in poor oxygen conditions and will even surface to gulp air, but this is not an ideal condition. The research on oxygen levels and its effects

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