Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

No problem Stuart, but others, besides myself, did get that impression - 2 years of...







supported by 2 years of;

Jun 19, 2009



Jun 23, 2009



Jun 26, 2009



Jun 29, 2009



Jun 21, 2010



Oct 11, 2010


The simple, obvious thing to do to put detractors in their place would be to post a photo, not have a hissy fit. Gemmel and Rupe don't seem to want to lend any support to the claims either.

Other than an enquiry some time back about some bio-bloc cubes as possible filtration... I've had no involvement with the project...

Gemmel was selected by McFarm to "consult" with regards to the project...

In fairness, McFarm has indicated that he was installing a 10kw solar system... not cheap, even with the rebates... and I believe this was an integral part of the overall concept...

I did drop some trout out to the farm a while back.... but didn't have the time to chat/ask about progress on the concept... in truth I was so focused on getting the rest of the trout home, that I forgot all about it...

It could well be that the project has been "on hold" until the solar array was installed recently...

I read thru some of mcfarm's website today. Apparently the solar array is install and waiting for acceptance (I think) so it can be connected to the grid. This was October 2010 I think.

If you haven't already been to mcfarm's website it might be an idea to - may learn something more about the man. I found it interesting.

Yep, interesting stuff.

Thanks Freoboy. I found it under mcfarm's profile and foolishly thought everyone would think to find it there (but given the repetitive questions posted on the forum lately I should have included the URL).

Wow, three years and not a single pic!!

Sorry, I know I am still a noob and certainly not trying to stir the pot, but has such a thing ever been precedented anywhere in the interwebs??

Someone call Guiness Records!!

So what is the say..

No Pictures so it did Not Happen..


I guess this whole thread/farm Did not Happen..

To bad..

Juergen

When I last visited.... there were no systems running...

The previous trout system had just been, somewhat hurriedly, turned back on to restock trout...

However it seemed that some contamination may have been within the system that was not flushed... and the trout died within a week...

The proposed "trial commercial" system had not commenced at all...

as has any "commercial" system...

That's a shame

What's happened to that Saudi uvi setup?

Currently running 250 eel tailed cats in the system John saw. The catties came from Murray Cod Hatcheries Wagga, and they are the best eating fresh water fish I have tasted - and no scaling and no pin bones! As John says, lost the 2nd lot of trout due to not allowing enough time for water circulation to completely flush out the toxic stagnant water.

The fish system now is 1 x 2500 litre and 2 x 5000 litre squat water tanks with lids removed and shade cloth covers. I use the smaller tank for fingerings and then grade the fish into two size groups into the larger tanks. These sit on the side of the dam, water is pumped from the dam and gravity feeds back into it at some distance from the inlet. This uses the dam as biofilter and makes the fish easy to harvest. I am running 3 of Murray Hallam's clam pumps - claimed to be 10,000 per hour, but closer to 4000 lph at 1.5 metre head and he no longer sells them. The other reason for running such low numbers in the bigger tanks is when the power goes out the fish have a DO buffer. In short the fish have been relegated to a personal consumption hobby.

Most of the IBC's have been cut in half and are now wicking beds. They are growing veggies extremely well. The rest will be done as time permits. An IBC produces 2m2 of wicking bed for $100 ready for planting. Wicking beds offer so many advantages that it would hard to justify AP for veggie growing, and using the dam as biofilter settles the question against AP anyway as I can raise fish by other means.

I got very enthusiastic about AP in the beginning, and whilst I spent several thousand dollars (and a couple of years) on researching AP, and several thousand more on the materials to build a small scale commercial system, I reached the conclusion that in my particular circumstances AP is less viable than other methods for growing fish and veggies. In the end this conclusion was reached simply on ROI. More specifically triple bottom line ROI, and I have no regrets. The only materials I am not using now are the air pumps and blowers, and the 50mm bulkhead connectors that were for the IBCs.

So my two bobs worth for those contemplating a commercial system - think long and hard about the cost benefit of the system and your ROI. The margins are tight and the risks high. That is not to say that it can't be done, but the jury is still out whilst the pioneers come and go.

Thanks for the update Mcfarm.

Still did not happen NO Photo's..

Juergen