Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I'm interested in the application of Aquaponics in Dryland Permaculture situations.

To this end, I was wondering if people have been tracking the water additions made to their systems over time.

Do many people keep weather data for their sites? Farmers habitually keep rainfall data. Daily temperature would be interesting too.

Any information on this topic would be much appreciated.


Regards

Gnoll110

We're in the dry tropics, we've had 1100+mm so far this year. Our soil is very rocky, not very soily, and not very fertile up here on the hills.
Our temps range from 5oC - 22oC in winter (the dry), to 25oC - 38oC in summer (the wet).
I have yet to build my system so I don't know how much water we will use, via evaporation and transpiration.

While I live in Brizzy, I have a 300 acre property out west QLD growing Cypress. If I ever move there, an AP system would be top of the list. It would need to be solar powered though. Wife has adapted well to my AP system, I wish she would do the same for my property

derekh

I guess your on the semiarid/subtropical transition?

Given climate change, I suspect that if your not semiarid now, you soon will be.

If you ask around, I think you may fine that the short term average (last 20 to 30 years) is 2 inches/50mm less than the long-term average!

Hmmm, Cypress, well you should have enough sand for most things

Do you have any solar gear yet? Stirling engines are an interest of mine.

If you get to live on your property, Il'd get a rain gauge ASAP. Given your on a small block, one would do.

regards

Gnoll110

Isn't it always that way! You find that related thread, just after you raise a new thread. Doh!

Water Consumption http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum ... .php?t=601

Water consumption in warmer weather http://backyardaquaponics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=556

I was really hoping that with global warming and rising sea levels, Roma might become waterfront property

Sand, yes. Hence it is very poor soil for gardens. To live there is only a pipedream. Its hard country but such a different pace of life. You're right, out there 300 acres is a small place. A very crappy website with pictures: http://members.optusnet.com.au/~dhibbs/

I'll look into Stirling engines.

I lived in Canberra (Monash) for 12 years while I was serving in defence and love the place.

I guess no matter what area you are in, aquaponics is VERY water efficient, so in dry areas this is an extra bonus, but even if I was living in an area with extensive rainfall I'd want an aquaponic system.

My experience to date is that quite a lot of water is lost through transpiration - though compared to a soil based garden it is nothing. It would be very easy to supply all your water for your aquaponics system from water collected from the roof. This is my intention.

am I correct in assuming that to date no one has done an experiment to compare water usage in soil b ased gardening versus aqua... it would require a garden bed the same size of a growbed, each planted at the same time with the same kinds and quantities of plants...

off you go then, we'll wait for the results. You'll have to track rainfall too!

Very old thread. But has anyone looked into combining AP and Permaculture. I am a fan of both as well as no dig and SFG. I want to convert the backyard and find that one of the main things is compost and mulch. And if I could locate and move 50ton of the stuff into my back yard it would be great. But I think it is going to be a slow process.

With AP and its ability to grow duckweed and salvina that can be added to the garden as mulch as well as the fish waste that can be used to help compost. Another thing I would like to try is growing fodder to be used as mulch. Most of the hydro systems produce from seed in days for cattle feed. The 50 ton of straw etc would be a lot easier if it came in as 500kg of seed. Straw bales are avaliable but how were they grown and what has been sprayed on them. Mulch and composting seem like great a great way of improving the soil. Maybe if I catch some of the tumble weeds that roll around in the backyard and start with them.

Duff - like a few of us here, permaculture was my original interest. I intend to run AP and my permie dirt gardens in parallel to a large extent, growing the plants most suited to each of the two methods using the appropriate method (eg leafy greens and my fruit fly prone veggies in the AP). One thing I do intend to do though is harness the excess nitrates as a source of fertiliser for my AP gardens, by using some solids collected via a basic swirl filter and water from the system to fertilise the permie gardens (particularly the nitrogen loving plants - such as the winter broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower etc).

There will be other crossovers no doubt, but I guess at this stage I need to give some attention to getting both methods up and going. The permie gardens ground to a halt when the water restictions kicked in (before I got my rain tanks) and the big AP system (with greenhouse) is going to have to wait until early next year - cos I've gotta finish my long winded degree this year.

The first garden developed here on our 4 acre property was based on permaculture after a visit to City Farm (East Perth)
Three large areas were sectioned and fenced around a central enclosed chook pen. Each had a gate and while two areas were planted, the chooks foraged in the third. We have gutless hydrophobic- water repellant sand and after hundreds of dollars of sheep manure, pea hay, rock dust, compost and water it tends to want to revert to sand. Quick sand. When I saw Joel on Gardening Australia with his aquaponics system I said to my husband that looks like the way to go. Its funny because everyday I hear customers in the shop look at me and say "This is the way to go." The thing is that water has become more precious and a lot of people waste it. We have been regulated and allowed only to water 3 days per week. I can't grow lettuce in the ground in Summer without breaking the rules. Why would I want to now anyway, as the rabbits turn them into organic pellets, sand splashes on them and the bugs eat them if the sun doesn't scorch them. With my aquaponic beds I can be harvesting lettuce leaves 4 weeks after planting them. My original permaculture gardens still house the chooks and I have begun to add fruit trees which cope well on 3 days a week watering to establish them. I can still grow lots of potatoes which rely on the winter rainfall. The aquaponic system provides us with fish, plenty of greens for the chooks and lots of tomatoes, herbs, spinach, lettuce, beetroot and all I have to do is feed the fish each day. My vegetable growing has evolved and I now use much less water, save time and spend less money.

Here Here good one i will save this one for people who ask is aquaponics that good