Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi all,

I am trying to get an idea of the weekly time commitment running a system will take. My system will be a 3000L FT with 3000L of GB hopefully with Barra or Perch.

I would appreciate it if some of the owners of older systems could give an idea of how much time they spend maintaining their systems, planting and harvesting, feeding fish, fixing stuff etc.


Many thanks,
John

G'day John
My system is about half your size. I spend about 5-10 minutes a day feeding fish and checking plants. About once a month I spend about half a day doing maintanence and a bit of tinkering and re-planting. I would like to spend a bit more time so that I could get absolute maximum out of the system. At the moment I just dont have the time but it still cruises along without me.
I also spent way too much time (usually late at night) reading the forum.
Welcome to the madness

that's about it too much time on the pooter not enough time checking plants

Daily time that 'has' to be spent is 5 minutes feeding and looking for dead fish...none yet!!

As for fixing stuff...about the only thing that can happen is blocked drainage pipes, or failed pumps. All quick to fix.

However I can spend 1/2 a day just playing with syphons, trying different stuff

The forum is the biggest time user lol.

Planting only takes 2 minutes per punnet. I dont pull my old plants out, I just cut them off at ground level, and plant new ones in between.

30 min to an hour or more a day, feeding fish takes about 30 seconds the rest is just enjoying and harvesting. I'd spend more time there but the dang wireless don't reach that far.

lol I have already discovered the time that can be devoted to reading this forum

I was starting to get the impression that people were spending hours daily on water tests, tank cleaning, HSM etc.

As with most of my new ventures I am occilating between excitement to get going and terror that I won't be able to do it justice.

Can't learn to swim unless you're willing to get wet and who cares if it doesn't work? No one here will care if it doesn't work but they will help you, if they can.

Things like water tests really aren't done daily on an ongoing basis. I tested daily or every other day when they system was getting cycled. And, when we finally :groan: get our fish, I'll do it again until I'm sure the system is handling the load. Other than that, daily checking is really about it. Occasionally, I'll discover something that needs my attention but otherwise the same 5-10 as the rest of the gang covers it.

And, the main benefit so far for me besides all the obvious has been a great place to escape to. Just can't beat the calming, energizing effects of the greenhouse with the AP system buzzing away in it.

Most of my time on the pooter as for the system havent tested for ages feed twice a day if i remember clean and plant beds when needed and do a lot of sitting and thinking [and drinking the occasional beer]

I am looking forward to the project. There will be a lot of work initially. Need to build PEZ (possum exclusion zone )greenhouse. Put in a water tank. I am building a chook shed at the same time as well. All my neighbours are salivating at the idea of fresh eggs and fish. If I can get the system built by July I will be happy. Now if I can only work out how to keep a cow on 400m2.

I spent about 30 min a day when cycling.

Once stabilized 5 min, including walking to and from the system

it's way lower maintenance than a dirt garden - no weeds to fight, no watering, no fertilizing.
initially you'll want to spend 15 minutes each day checking on it, but once it's mature 5 minutes or less, not counting the times you walk out to harvest something for dinner.

I was asked the same question recently when showing off my system to the rellies John...told them 30 minutes/day, 25 of which was spent gazing at the fish.

Once the system has settled, very little time is required...water testing can take about 15 minutes/month...but that is due to some of the tests needing a 5 minute period to sit before checking on the colour charts

In short - it is not very time intensive

Timmy, the weeding thing is a good point. That was the first thing I realized I expected and didn't "have" to do. I'd go out and look around and wonder what was missing. Nice... now the 5-10 minutes can just be trimming a plant or tying it up... gazing at the fish, whatever. The other side of the surprise it be prepared for the plant growth... oh my goodness. Never seen a cucumber plant so huge....

Heck and most HSM or near HSM are really just people doing something and forgetting to turn off the tap or plug the pump back in after tinkering anyway and so usually only require a moment and perhaps some more water to put right.

If you plan carefully, a huge % of the real HSM situations are already handled with a backup pump of some sort. The rest of us keep telling ourselves to get such backups sorted out before we really need them..............

Anyway, when I'm busy working, the system is lucky if it gets 5 minutes a day from me rushing by throwing a hand full of food in as I head to the car on my way to work. When work is slow, the system gets hours a day of me looking at fish, looking at plants, looking at how I will expand the system next........

The real time hog is the forum!