My preference is to avoid pushing more than one variable at a time. You will be pushing thermal tolerance some if in Alabama even without heater. Summer heat normally more problematic unless your tanks well shaded. Water quality will potentially be all over the place with confines of totes that are not ideal for being self-cleaning. Making them self-cleaning has not been properly demonstrated for me as of yet, round tanks much better. I make diets too, although not with intent of selling them. Most of the diets are specifically for Bluegill and used to determine requirements for particular nutrients or ability of a given combination of feed-stuffs to meet those requirements. If diet used is not in excess for all nutrients relative to requirements, then pushing system will not allow finding what needs to be tweaked in your culture system.
I agree with you on totes for growing out fish. Could do a 8' round 750 gallon plastic stock tank for less money. Put a drain in the center of the bottom with two pumps on the perimeter to keep waste moving towards the drain. I am rethinking the flow through system. Calculated the water cost and it would run $200 per month. I could do a hybrid flow through/ aquaponic system more economically. Could send most of the water to the grow beds and around 100 gallons per day to water fruit trees. I could use two large fluidized bed sand filters for biological filtration and the drain would remove the waste. Elevate one tote for water changes and trickle it into the vat. Could do a spray bar over the whole vat with the return water from the grow beds to promote gas exchange at the surface. I am liking the hybrid system idea. The problem with Tilapia is it has little taste. I guess its how you prepare it. However muscadines growing in the grow beds and figs sounds really good.
What do you consider an optimal diet for bluegill's? My experience is working with warm water Cichlids. Maybe Tilapia are perfect for me after all.
