Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Freakin' insane! It's a shame to put fish poop in those beautiful tanks.

Thanks Dave, i think?
when you say freakin insane, does that mean me? if so your not a million miles off.....

:goesbacksnikkeringintothecorner:
Have you created a press release yet, or at least
getting some words together?

yer faye has asked me to pull an article together for BYAP, and i'm also in the process of writing one for Fish Farmer and Aquaculture News

Sweet I knew you'd have it sussed

thanks for your confidence creative1

and as always i'll try and feed back all methodologies, leasons learned and research outcomes to the BYAP community.

knowledge transfer is one of my primary objectives.......

knowledge transfer is one of my primary objectives.......

Chich ching Tis my reason for being here
...and the family in all it's glory, worts 'n' all...
...with the occasionall sibbling rivalry

Hey charlie...

are you bonding the insulation to the plywood to make the sides?

can you post some calculations on how to determine the strength needed to hold, say a 400 gallon tank?

thanks
JT

("Welshdragons issue with temp currently bear testomony to the fact that unless manage our temperates then productivity plumets and the systems de-stablises and we have to reestablish the followin spring,")

Just to clarify the above statement-

We have found that using the rainbow trout has proved that even in our temperate climate we can produce, grow salad crops, herbs and some brassicas throughout the year.
One thing surprises us at the moment is the demand for the trout - to the extent that if we sold what is being asked of us - we would run out of fish!
So - far from destabilising - we will have to rethink stocking levels for next winter.
Spring and summer will be another matter but by then our common carp ( for which we are already taking orders) will be filling the gap.
WD

HI WD

please dont misinterpret my comment, in its context it was refering to a question about the finacial viability of heating for AP in the UK to produce consistent production.
We all recognise that whilst for sure its possible overwinter crops and fish and maintain production, my only point was that it would be interesting to explore the real cost implications of using renewable energy to maintain consistent production climates and consistent productivity... and again i'm not even saying this is the best approach, but more one that would be interesting to explore...

so apologies for using your system as an example, but having read your blogs i thourght you'd agree that the winter plays a significant role in lowering our collective production potential,...
my intentions are to explore the implications of energy on AP production (heating, cooling and carbon budgets) and look at how site specific design and resources can effect efficiency.

and with reference to destabilising the system, this was only about the bacterial communities, their abundance and population dynamics. This undeniably changes overtime and with environmental parameters, so shifts in temperature also effect the systems ability to convert and assimilate nutrients over time - what i was rather simplistically refering to as "destabilising"

it sounds like demand for your quality produce is high WD, and so it should be.... i'm really enjoying following your progress from afar, your doing some fanstatic work both interms of food production and in terms of the future of AP, so please interpret all comments i'm making with the best of intentions....

best wishes
charlie

I would have thought that Trout over summer would be viable in the UK?

Anyway, keep up the good work Charlie - thanks for the posts. Most of us can only dream of building systems like yours

Hi Charlie

BTW great system your making.....

questions:

what is the thickness of your GB and FT sides? Looks like 2 x 4" but not sure...

do you bond the insulation to the plywood (which would be like a stressed skin beam)

what thickness of ply are you using...?

im getting ready to build my system and I think the way you are going is a good bet...

how would you calculate the stresses on the sides of the FT to determine how much support you would need

thanks
JT

Just thought it'd be worth resuscitating this thread to say well done to Charlie for showcasing aquaponics on national TV on Monday night - great demonstration of what can be done - well done Charlie!

Yes. Would love to know the current progress. Pix please.

Come on back Charlie!

We've just had our fish tanks and growbeds delivered - it'll be time for a UK AP get together soon!