Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hello all,

I'm seriously considering an aquaponic setup. We're located in the wettest part of Australia, on the Atherton Tablelands of North Queensland in the Wet Tropics, where we get 4+ metres of rain a year. Much can't be grown simply because it's blasted out of the soil from all the rain, and not enough sunshine... Bok Choy grows well out here, but not a lot else...

So, my question is this: If I had an undercover aquaponics setup (mesh sides for ventilation) would we have a chance at growing things you usually can't here? I figure a white roof will let in light but not the buckets of rain, and the aquaponics will deliver the needed moisture. Would we just die of mould in the beds or something?

any help you can give is greatly appreciated!!

all the best,

Kaisa

Hi Kaisa,
I've got a roof like you've described over my system. It's only been operational since December, but it seems to be going well. The mesh sides also help to keep the birds and possums out
welcome on board

Wow, a reverso AP

i cant see why it wouldn't work.

Hi Kaisa, welcome to the forum.

One of the moderators(Aquamad) is just below you (Cairns), give him time and he will be able to answer questions relating more to your immediate area...then others will chime in

If you want some light reading 1st, try this - Aquamads system

Sounds like a perfectly normal plan Kaisa... for all the reasons you've stated...

With a shade cover, there'll still be plenty of ventilation, so mould, humidity shouldn't be a problem at all.... indeed inducing a degree of humidity in your neck of the [s]woods[/s] desert could only be a good thing.

Thanks everyone:
When I first heard of it, I thought an undercover AP system would be the answer to all the problems we have here: raised beds to deal with the waterlogging, it would be under a white roof to let in light but stop the rain, and it would get only the water it needed (no more!). I'm ordering the kit so I can get some research under my belt.

Where abouts in the tablelands i spent a few weeks in mareeba and the surrounding area a few years ago?

- light hey

where abouts are ya?
I have family further in than Atherton (in Ravenshoe)...
Give some details and I can give ya some possible answers - should you ever be in Cairns feel free to pop in ... just give me a heads up as the school likes to know who is coming on campus I do more experimenting than perhaps I should (like letting aphids grow unchecked to see if the predatory bugs can match them ) - but you are most welcome

Thanks very much! (I don't want to catch aphids, though!)
Mareeba is desert country. We're in Topaz, which is SE of Malanda. It rains so much here people often can't stand to live in it. Dark and wet... rainforest country.

Kaisa, you'll be able to get fish locally too. Call Tarzali Lakes when you're reading, they have Jade Perch.