Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Here at last with photos.[attachment=0]Aquaponics 2009 002.jpg[/

More photos:

System in place just over a month. Fishless cycling using worm wizz. Tried to introduce trout on hottest weekend in October and had 100% kill .

Looking for yabbies? Anyone out there with any?

That's a nice looking setup there. Did you you clear or opal polycarb on the roof?

It's a very translucent material that MOH calls Alsenite? fibreglass material that he's had in his "resourse store" for ages. Would have cost a fortune for polycarb! When the Aquaponics bug bit I expected he would try to build the system himself from his odds and ends but was delighted that we went for the ready made one from Backyard Aquaponics.
We had originally planned to cover the area with light shade cloth but after reading somewhere on the forum about keeping the rain off we put the proper roof over.

Can't believe it's over a year since we set up our system. Overdue for an update.
Going back to Jan this year, running on Hummonia and worm leachate. Adding Iron chelates, as some plant struggling. By April had eaten 3 nice rockmelons, about 3 kg tomatoes, basil good, no zuchinis, tiny beetroot. Photos following.

Yum - those rockies look great! I've just planted a bunch myself - hopefully they are as abundant as yours!

Thanks for the update Hellsgate. Peter and John went past your way today on the way to an install in Dunsborough. Peter has a sense of humour, he reckoned they found the Bunbury ten pin bowling alley and threatened to stop in and get some practice for the upcoming staff xmas party. I just laughed, we were only going to let them practice on the Wii. That should be fun.
Annual updates are better than none

Another update. Can't leave it another year. Had an extended holiday from May to Sept (winter here in West Oz) so, as we had no fish we shut the system down by plugging the drains in the grow beds at half full (to try and save the bacteria) and put some mallee roots in the FT (bring down pH?). Pulled out remains of plants, left only some self seeded lettuce.
On our return the lettuce was still growing, weakly, the caretakers had been picking some leaves. 1st October cranked up pump again, put drains back in place in GBs (still had some water in them). Gave GBs a good dose of worm leachate and some Iron Chelates and planted out beans, capsicum, corn, leeks, rockmelons, Jap pumpkin, tomatoes and zuchini.
The pH was still on the high side but every thing we planted took off!

More Photos.
Mentioned Wicking beds and " lo and behold ", That's a good idea, we'll have some of them! My Husband really is a dear.
AND finally got some Silver Perch. By the time we contacted TM he only had the dregs left but we took them, tiny, very shy little things. On the only couple of warm days we,ve had so far they showed themselves to feed but for now we only get a glimpse of one or two at a time. Husband keeps asking if I'm sure there's 50 in the tank. Also put 35 small yabbies in a separate IBC we've linked into the system by shutting one tap to one GB and directing water to IBC to overflow via SLO to this GB.

Good to see your making some good use of sandy country there, and lovely little shelter there for the system...