Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I have a full sized pickup. The large tank/cistern fit just fine. My neighbor has a trailer if things get to big. Can utes pull trailers?

jtjf-1 pgs 66-71 of the aquaculture manual is wood tank wall design.

ROFL!

Who else isn't feeling validated!

Hey! - single word posts now you've graduated to double posts, got a ball for the trailer but it is as wide as the ute (or whatever), calls for a WIPM break

Yes, utes can definitely pull trailers.

For a more indepth understanding of utes as Australian cultural icons, see http://www.uteman.com.au/ or http://www.beaututes.com/portal.php

Mine has an aluminium (aluminum) flat tray with drop down sides, got to check what the maximum legal overhang width is or if I can put it on vertically

What can we learn from these systems that haven't worked. There are some points already discussed.

Lack of specialised knowledge.
Lack of business knowledge.
Lack of Capital, or time to realise a profit.

MF made an excellent point that folk like myself do indeed assume they can scale up fairly easily having watched the parameters of ranges of small volumes of water closely. But there is a curve.

If there is a curve in nutrient uptake, there could also be a curve in how pH behaves, a curve in iron deficiencies, etc...

A small inacurracy at 1000 litres may amplify tremendously at 20 000 litres. Something they never saw coming?

I'm thinking crop failure or fish death or both for some operations, and everything riding on a harvest.

ie: A tomato harvest and they get tobacco mosaic, it's systemic and they read they have to tear it all out, the new owners tear it all out at once, the fish die...

I know a guy who got $16 a kilo for his garlic. He wasn't watching and free trade arrived and garlic dropped to 69c overnight. Two weeks before his planned harvest. Cost more to dig it out than it was worth. That was the end of that venture. He's on his feet again, and watches his industry news closely. It can happen easier than you'd think if you don't hedge your bets.

I think a modular system with several types of crop would be wise practise especially with the industries infancy. There are other advantages to modular systems, and obvious drawbacks too.

That's why I want to sit in the drivers seat of at least a 120 sq m (240 if I can afford) greenhouse and pond system before I think of telling anyone how to grow veg in industry.

AQUAPONICS!

I'm hoping the bed - water culture goes well. Good production etc. The double use of one water stream appeals to my conservationistic (word?) nature, and saves on power consumption of course.

Now Marine....

There are several things you can mix it up with in Marine Aquaponics.

Fish, seaweed, prawns, bivalves/filter feeders, abalone, and fish.

Polyculture of bivalves and seaweed to filter nutrient water from snapper and abalone, clams etc to feed snapper and seaweed feeding abalone.

Mmmmm, snapper

I said fish twice

you know why....

Hi Red,

Below are the parameters that you prescribed:

AU $50-$100 ideally, $200 max.
*MUST be less than 70cm wide
*idiot proof. It's a hobby
*dismantalable
* childsafe
* floor space
* needs minimal / no electricity connections
* looks nice ... I suggest beige.....

I propose a mega bin because:

They have a water capacity of 700 litres and, at 780mm high they will fit through a doorway like yours......by juggling.

They are beige in colour and they look nice.

They are square (1162mm by 1162mm) and you could support a growing system on top of the tank......with a small access door to get at the fish. This would keep your child out of the tank and provide a growing platform at a good working height. It also reduces the footprint for the system.

In the absence of gravel growbeds, I would recommend a trickling bio-filter to assist the conversion of ammonia and nitrites to nitrates. This then frees you up to use a wide range of growing systems and media.

You will need to run power to a pump......but given the capacity of your tank and the fact that it will probably not be a flood and drain system, you could go for a 12 volt pool pump with a capacity of 1000 to 1500 litres per hour. I'd personally prefer a 240 volt aquarium pump but a 12 volt one would meet your concern for electrical safety.

You could recirculate the water from your fish tank, but you could also (once the nitrate readings support it) operate a nice little 'run to waste' system on coco-peat.....or perlite/vermiculite mix.

The other advantage of using a 'run to waste' system is that you can mix up nutrients (hydro or organic) while you are waiting for the nitrates in your fish tank to kick in. For sheer simplicity, portability and versatility, you would do well to consider satellite pots or a simple tray system.

A complete system of the tupe that I've described would set you back about $350 - $450 for the basics......assuming you bought it all new.....and you could add new grow system elements as the nitrate levels of your system began to accumulate.

A basic test kit would enable you to drive this system with a reasonable degree of safety.......and you would certainly get more than a couple of feeds of fish out of it.

You would probably be able to achieve self-sufficiency in salad vegetables and soft herbs for your family of 2.2 people.

......and this is just one way of doing it. I'd be happy to help you to develop the idea further if you like the basic concept.

I don't want to hijack anyone's thread ... and this one has been very interesting so far. Just wanted to give AA some feedback about one type of customer for small systems, and the issues that are important to them.

GD, thanks for your ideas, perhaps I'll start a separate thread

Excellent feedback and food for thought red swirl. Unfortunately I doubt you'd get what you want in that price range if it included a fish tank. A nice custom tank will set you back your whole budget without adding the rest of the system.

I don't know how many Aquarium stores you've been in lately but a well made low maintenance Aquarium with toys to keep it low maintenance starts from $1800 NZ!.... I'll be retailing from $1000...

The looks are important though, no one in their right mind is going to buy a couple of boxes stacked with pipes coming out all over the place. I'm keeping plumbing completely minimal, and internal.

For an aquarium, there will be a power supply it's neccessary. But you raise a good point on the safety aspects, some folk might want theirs in a conservatory, on a balcony, etc. I think a trip switch installed on the actual unit would be wise.

For the pond unit, yes, it will be tidy, and modular. a power supply is expected in/close to peoples ponds. If they don't have one a simple set up can be arranged so there's no danger. I have the expert to show me the procedures and it's very simple.

Now you could build this unit for 200. But there's no way I'd sell it for that.

200 in parts plus 4 hours = 300. plus admin a life etc etc 400.

Feedback on that welcome mate, tell me what sucks about it.

You're probably right $150-$200 is what I want to make it for. Might stretch to $400 if it was r.e.a.l.l.y nice looking. $1800 - no way, only commited aquarium lovers would pay that, and then they'd be so mad about whatever fancy sort of fish that they wouldn't want the plants! Also I think that sort of pricing is for an indoor, sits in the same room as your sterio, plasma TV etc type product.

I reckon you gotta think competition for the leisure dollar ... for $1800 I could buy most of a shiny imac for instance; 2 CRT TVs; prolly a 'feature' pot and 'feature' mature tree; dishwasher etc.

That said, if your design is pretty enough, you might be able to charge more - I'm thinking the difference between an eglu http://www.omlet.co.uk/shop/shop.php and the normal sorta chicken coup. Also don't know how well eglus sell, actually.