Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

no worries, lol, strange how these things happen, i've even managed to get it in my signiture, to avoid pissing people off further,

any questions please shout...

cheers,
charlie

as long as its not about my spelling

heh, that edit button sure did come in handy sometimes

ahha i see, sorry about that, didnt know you could.....

qu: how many posts do you need to not be a Newbie ?

after 50 you become a valued contributor

you will need to be a bit more patient, Rupe
as I am ashamed of posting pictures of a system in the building stages that is cluttered by my own disorganization

I am a rather complex person who starts a lot of initiatives in a hurry and then needs time to finish them
and then some more time to make them presentable

posting comments on this forum has taken heaps of my time

but I benefit from it, as it has forced me to think and rethink and thus avoid mistakes that would force me into investing even more time in correcting them
(that is what I console myself with )

but I can tell you this:
I am building a pilot project (the first in Belgium I hope )
with four parallel rows (from north to south)
first (north) row is mainly NFT (finished)
second is individual growbeds (finished)
third row will be one large growbed with baskets that hold the media and the plants, so their position can easily be changed according to plants growth and consequent shading
most south row (sun oriented in our part of the world) will be a floating raft system
in this way I will have the best possibilities to adapt to shading
all on working height

and the pilot project will serve it's purpose: to show all (or most of) what techniques are possible in AP

I am however caught up by the seasons: winter is nearing
and I have been late in sowing seeds
so plants are not impressive at all
and consequently I will have to keep fish density low

but I will have a head start when spring arrives

here is where I will need help:
I think I have shown a good and sometimes novel insight on technical matters

but plants are unexplored territory for me
what can be grown during winter?

frank

OH jezz Frank... you've shattered all my allusions about you... here I was thinking you were abnormal ...

Seriously... we've all gone through the same process...



And that's just not fair... we all did it the hard way... then went back and fixed it up... or re-designed it....



Kewl... was hoping you were implementing your ideas in some sort of parallel fashion.... was my intent when I asked the question...

To understand how you were going to incorporate your ideas... whether in seperate mini systems or encompassed within a single design...



Suppose the short answer is what sort of seasonal vege/fruits/flowers are available (fresh) in your local area...

Being on opposite sides of the equator, it's hard to tell... but I'd assume such things as we do here through the winter months...

Cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, carrots, broadbeans, peas.... other stuff may depend on whether or not you're enclosed in a greenhouse... or the severity/mildness of your local area..

Your local garden clubs might be a good place for answers...

I have taken this subject to a new thread: winter vegetables
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=4348

frank

i think its the pics during the building stages that make people understand the process....

although makes me question wether i should have held back posting pics till things wer completed, but its a work in progress, slabb in second greenohuse got laid today, and equipment being deivered to site for the second and final fix on the 10th-15th Nov..

Anyway would love to here/see your plans... tthey sound very interesting

cheers,
charlie

Good to see some one 'coming out', now I feel brave enough to publish pics of my own system.

likewise i know where your coming from frank

Good morning Plachon

At this time of the year we sow and grow winter lettuce,salad rocket,mustard and pak choi ( Joi Choi,Hantang ) and some winter/spring cabbage. All do well in hydroponics without any heat although everything is under cover. In AP we have the same plants plus water cress and herbs and all are doing well even though our morning temperatures are down to 4 Centigrade. Hope this helps.

WD

I will take the liberty of copying this message to my thread about winter vegetables:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=4348&p=155276#p155276

frank

Was only thinking about using dams. The idea would be to add enough fertilizer to create a large algae bloom. Then add a few thousand fingerling's to feed on the algae. Was thinking more for using the water to irrigate crops. If you add enough sea salt to the dam also you would be in turn remineralising the soil while adding nitrate and trace elements and bacteria. The added bacteria that goes into the soil would also better help with converting fertilizer that is normally put into crops. If you use a fish that breeds well you would only have to put up a few night lights over the dam and create an algae bloom around the breeding season. If some fish end up going through the pump they end up as fertilizer as well.