Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi,

Well, its taken a while (so many things to do, and so little time), but I finally have started to put all the pieces to together. So, the work completed now:

1. Assemble the greenhouse, and bolt it down to the old slab. This used to have a tin garden shed, but it blew away in a storm a few years ago. The greenhouse is made of aluminium and polycarbonate sheeting. Which has held together in our summer storms.

2. Get some IBC's and cut them up. I also gave them a coat of weathershield paint (on the outside), from one of the many tins with 3" of paint left over from painting the house. This gives the fish some shade!

3. Build some frames to hold the grow beds.

4. Dig a sump, to hold the sump tank, and ensure there is sufficient fall on the drainpipe.

5. Move the growbeds, sump and fishtank to the greenhouse.

6. Start assembling the pipework (and of course, knocking over the glue, so now there is a big blue splodge on the floor and me with a light head after sucking in all those fumes).

7. Oh - and pumping water from my 25KL rainwater tank into the fisktank and sump.

So, whats left?

Get the medium, finish the pipework, buy some fish, do some electrical wiring..... Maybe by easter!

Now my question.

Using my current setup of a 1000L fishtank and 3 x IBC growbeds (1.2x0.9m), with a 700l sump tank.
With a submersible pump and flood drain, via a Constant Height fish tank, how many silver perch should i buy?

I will probably get some goldfish or something else while I get it working.

Is dam water good to help start it off?

Cheers
Simon

Looks very neat and professional!

I would start of with 20 silver perch. Others may have different views.

+1

Looks great

After the system is up and running you could even add another 10, our older SP's have never attacked fingerlings

I would not use dam water. You dont know what nasties are in there.

To kick it off, save the goldfish and use charlie carp instead to start cycling the system. Will save you having to worry about goldfish and provide additional nuts to help kick start the system. Also dose with a cap of seasol a week. Get the plants in there as soon as you have water flow and media

Note: There is nothing wrong with using goldfish, but having no fish will give you no stress/concern while everything is cycling.

One question, why have the sump outside of the greenhouse? You will loose any heat that you could potentially have retained....

Sump is outside to get the fall. I will build a casing around it, but am not to worried about the cold. We do not get frosts here, and even the subtropical fruits grow here.


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Will get some pictures tomorrow, but the system is cycling, seedlings and seeds planted, and the charlie carp added to the water. Still have a few mods to do, but things are looking good.
Thanks for all the help,

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Two weeks later - some minor modifications completed (and of course, I have a few more to do now that it is cycling).
The water test kit arrived and the results are in
pH is a little low (6.4),
Ammonia 2ppm
Nitrites 3ppm
Nitrates 2 ppm

But the plants are looking a little healthier this week. The seedlings from Bunnings are growing and a few of the seeds that I sprinkled over the top have sprouted. I will continue to fishless cycle until after easter (heading away for a few days, and I want to be there to monitor the fish).

So far I have added Seasol and Charlie Carp (and a little bit of wee).

There is some green slime in the fish tank, but the water is clear. The slime is working its way through the pipes and coming out the holes in the pipes in the grow beds. What is the best course of action?

And the growbeds - so far the plants were all bought as seedlings.

OK, it has been a few weeks now, and I am still cycling with Charlie Carp and Seasol (and the occasional wee). I have been testing the water each day, and it looks like the ammonia has been converted to nitrites and the nitrites to nitrate (there was a nitrite spike). The pH is low, and I have added some gardening lime to the sump tank, and finally the pH went up! But has dropped back down to the low "6's". I will continue to add some lime to help bring it up.

I have planted a dew seedlings and some seeds have finally started to sprout. The plants were a mixture, and most have been going well (the spinach and beetroot is going gang busters). Some of the Asian greens are good, but a few have not grown at all - they just look like these are trying to hand in their.

The water test today:
pH = 6.4
Ammonia = 0.1ppm
Nitrite = 0ppm
Nitrate = 160ppm (well its really a dark red)

Any suggestions?

Thanks
Simon

Cant say Ive ever got all my seedlings to take. Might be part of separating them from the punnnets and shocking the plant or maybe the seedlings just are niot as strong as the others. Nothing to be worried about. Simple gardening techniques are required.

Is that a snap and grow greenhouse? System is looking great.

I have seeded tomatoes directly in the media and had them sprout. I've read that adding chelated iron is helpful. Sure makes the water a funny color. Just dissolve it in an old clean soda bottle and dump it in your sump.

Great looking system you have there. Coming along nicely.

Silver perch would be my preference.

Maybe add another fishtank with trout over the cooler months, and have some more grow beds outside the greenhouse.

Rockman, How is the system doing? I was wondering how the sump outside of the greenhouse
is working out. I am considering doing the same.