[edessex]

I'm intending to set up a couple of rainwater tanks to collect water for the chickens.  I read sonewhere about keeping small fish in the water tanks to eat any bugs breeding in the water, and to clean the water and tank.

Does anyone here keep fish for that reason?

I will need to top the tank up every now and then with tap water, will that kill the fish?

[colliewoman]

I keep goldfish in my waterbutts as I get eaten alive by mozzies otherwise
A friend keeps them in her water troughs too

[doganjo]

So you don't need to feed them either I presume 

[fairhaven]

Great     I read this one out of curiosity but I shall be getting goldfish for all our butts - mosquito's are awful here & I'm usually eaten alive every evening.

[colliewoman]

So you don't need to feed them either I presume 

Mine have been in the same water butt for 5 years and I have never fed them!
They eat enough nasty bitey things

[YorkshireLass]

What kind of fish do you use?

[suziequeue]

We've got lids on all our water butts. Will that stop mosquitoes from breeding?

[bloomer]

We've got lids on all our water butts. Will that stop mosquitoes from breeding?

nope they'll find away little sods


fish in water butts are fine so long as they neither run dry or freeze solid in winter


goldfish are very hardy and will tolerate some tap water being added in necessary to keep them alive.

[mab]

Wow! what a great idea - If you don't mind me asking a silly question, how many fish to a butt?

[suziequeue]

Yes - and what kind of fish??


Very interested in this :-)

[fairhaven]

Sorry if this is a silly question, but when I suggested this to the OH, the first thing he asked was "Don't the fish crap in the bottom of the butt make the water grotty for the animals to drink?"     

[bloomer]

ok i was assuming we were talking water for veggies where fish poop means food!!!

[AndynJ]

interesting post, we have 2 26000 litre tanks we run 17 toilets from them and water chickens /dog/patch
we have no light in our tanks can I still put fish in ?
How about carp just thinking we could then eat a few now and then
 

[hexhammeasure]

so long as the water is flowing through the tanks build up of ammonium will not be a problem. Stagnant water will lead to high ammonia content and de-oxygenation which will lead to fish deaths. you can use fish in aquaculture where fish poo is broken down into ammonium nitrate as a fertiliser by microbes which then feeds plants grown in the water

[AndynJ]

I have googled this subject I have spoken to a couple of fish farms no conclusive answer, my question is,
 
I have 2 very large rainwater tanks (really large) we use the water for toilets, chickens, veg
I would like to grow fish (ie carp or another suggestion) to eat, my tanks are underground so dark.
I don't want to trial & error as this would mean fish suffering for no reason.