Fish for small aquaponics systems

The fish drive the whole system. Their feed becomes ammonia, then nitrate, then plant growth, so in a desktop or small system the job is to pick species that stay small and to feed them at a rate the grow bed can absorb.

Our guide to choosing fish covers bettas, nano schooling fish, white cloud minnows, livebearers, and shrimp, along with the popular choices that outgrow a small tank. Feeding and stocking explains how much to feed, how to add fish in stages, and how to recognize an overloaded system. Whatever you choose, add fish only after the system has cycled, which our guide to cycling a new system shows how to confirm.