Introduce the fish

Once cycling is complete, if you have chosen aquaponics, you can order your fish by filling in this form.

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Timeframe for ordering fish
Fish can only be introduced into the fish tanks at the end of the cycling process, that is a minimum of 5 weeks after installation of the greenhouse.
For the well-being of the fish, it is important that the carbonate hardness of the water is stabilised around 4-6°D before introducing them into the greenhouse. Ideally, the pH is stable around 6.8.

As a reminder, cycling is complete when nitrites are absent from your test strip.

1. Precautions to take when receiving the fish

When introducing the fish into your system, there are three shocks to avoid to guarantee the well-being of your new companions:

Light shock: the fish travel in darkness until they arrive at your home
Temperature shock: the temperature of the water in the transport bag is different from that of your fish tanks
pH shock: like the temperature, the pH is different

Here is how to limit these shocks and gently acclimatise your fish to their new habitat:

For light: when they arrive, place the box containing the fish in your garage at room temperature and in semi-darkness, open it gradually, then introduce the fish at the end of the day when the light level decreases.
For temperature: float the bags for 30 min on the surface of the fish tanks to equalise the temperature.
For pH: make small cuts in the bags to gradually mix the two
waters.

After acclimatising the fish to their new habitat (30 minutes to 1h), you can release them.

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Start feeding
Feed the fish 3 to 4 days after their arrival, without insisting if they do not eat the food. During the first month, their appetite is low; you can feed them progressively (every 3 days, then 2, then 1) until you start the automatic feeder.
See our page dedicated to Fish nutrition.

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Advice
In general, give your fish time to adapt to their new ecosystem. Their acclimatisation, like their growth, will be gradual.

2. Fish stocking density

Our aquaponics system is designed for a stocking density of 1 cm of fish per litre of water. This is the equivalent of 100 fish of 10 cm for 1000 litres. This may vary depending on the fish species, the water quality and the density of vegetation in your vertical growing towers. It is also common to recommend 20 to 50 kg of adult fish per 1 000 litres of water.

For newly installed systems, the ratio of fish mass to water volume must be reduced in order to minimise risks while the ecosystem stabilises.

Goldfish and koi carp remain the species most tolerant of fluctuations in water parameters and temperature variations.

Here are our recommendations for goldfish and carp, based on our trials and according to your greenhouse model:

FAMILY model - 1 fish tank	Start-up	Maturity
SIZE (cm)	5-10	10-15
NUMBER OF FISH	20 fish	up to 60 fish

FAMILY model - 2 fish tanks	Start-up	Maturity
SIZE (cm)	5-10	10-15
NUMBER OF FISH	40 fish	up to 100 fish

FAMILY model - 3 fish tanks	Start-up	Maturity
SIZE (cm)	5-10	10-15
NUMBER OF FISH	60 fish	up to 120 fish

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Reintroducing fish
We recommend introducing the quantity indicated in the "Start-up" column of the tables above when you begin with the greenhouse. These are the quantities included with the purchase of the greenhouse.
Once your system is balanced and the water parameters stabilised, from the 2nd growing season onwards, you can add new fish.

If you have any other questions about introducing your fish, contact us directly at [email protected].