Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi everyone,

We are new to AP but giving it a go, thought I would post here to keep some progress on what we are doing and get ideas from others and hopefully help other newbies as well.


Pond all dug and lined had a few problems with sides falling in when I walked to close to the edge..but steve fixed it all up in the end. We are getting the pipe work started here. Pond size is 2.5mt X 2.5mt X .40cm deep. Works out to about 2000Lt



Our first grow bed a small one of 150lt with a mix of Hydroton 100lt and perlite/vermiculite 25lt in the middle.


This is our drain tank under the grow bed table which we are going to add sea shells to for the PH.

We brought this tub for our fingerlings, we brought 20 but have lost about half so far.
the plan is to drill holes all over the sides of this tub and put it in the pond. so that they are in a confine area, as they get bigger they will move to the main part of the tank and more fingerlings will go in the tub safe from the others but still in the same pond.


this is where we have joined a pipe in the pond to extend in the next few months to add another large tub for some marron that will use the same pond water but not be able to get into the fish part of the pond.

http://carlingdesigns.com/images/pondfill.gif
All filled up and ready to start testing. The white piping around the top is for the drain back into the pond, we have drilled holes into it all the sides to add some air back into the water a bit as it goes back in.


Now we just have to try and get the flow rate right so that it fills the grow bed over the 15mins the pump is on but not over flowing it, and not overflowing the sump as well. we have put to taps in the pipe work to try and control this but still fine tuning.

Next we are going to go get some pond plants and put the fingerlings in there new home.
We also brought a sail today to go over the top of the pond to help with the heat of the water.

We also went to BYAP today and got some bactria to kick start the whole system.

Any feed back would be great also any hints or tips would love to hear them.

Thanks
Tania and Steve

When you flood the grow bed is it ok for the rocks to rise and fall they are very loose?
or will the plant and the roots move around or the seeds fall to the bottom of the tub.

If not how do we fix this? More rocks?

Tan - hydroton will float until it's been soaked for a while, but even then it will be highly unstable if you fill it too high (ie you need to leave an inch or 2 unfloaded. As for perlite and hermiculite, not suited to flood and drain I'm afraid.

I'd be a bit concerned personally about the ability of your chosen table to hold weight.

Dont know about hermiculite but vemiculite works real well in flood and drain been useing it 2 years and hasent broken down yet

Instead of using a valve to restrict the flow of your pump to get the flood and drain right in the 15 minutes, it is better to have an overflow installed in your bed so that when the max flood height (usually a little below the top of the media, you don't want to flood over the top of the media) is reached, the excess water can simply go out the overflow until the pump shuts off.

As to the media floating, that isn't so good for you plants to have their worlds shifting so. With the clay media, the usual method is to not flood so deep which will keep the stuff from shifting so much. Vermiculite and perlite are both much lighter and more likely to float so I don't know the best way to make flood and drain work with those. I might be tempted to add more clay balls, shells or gravel over the top of everything else but I've not tried that myself.

+1 for be worrying about the table. Lower the flood level to stop the hydroton floating. Even brand new beds should not have the hydro floating.

Thanks everyone, we didn't even thing of an over flow pipe, (to simple to think of LOL)
ok we are adding that now.

The table is only a temp plan just to get us started will have something better when we add the next bed.
Just working out what.

When you plant seedling in the grow bed do you have to wash away the dirt around the roots or do you just add that into the bed as well?
I seen that the seeds are just put into the bed, but we wanted to get some seedlings going as well.
Will have most of it us and running by the end of the day we hope so will put some more photos up in the next few days.

F&F - my reference was to a vermiculite and perlite blend, which I believe is what tan has. or at least it was meant to be - not well worded on my behalf

Hi Steve and Tan,

You should be able top see the fish well in that pond.
Mine is 900 deep and they hide down low except for feeding time.

(When you plant seedling in the grow bed do you have to wash away the dirt around the roots or do you just add that into the bed as well?
I seen that the seeds are just put into the bed, but we wanted to get some seedlings going as well.)

I lost a lot of seedlings that were maybee too young or maybee the water had a little to much salt so I was going to ask that question too.
Maybee they just didnt like being disturbed from the seedling mix.

Catch ya.
Al

Update for today We have a working AP system now...


Seedlings in have a mixture of different things in there.





Happy in there new home some of our fingerlings



All set with pond plants
Many thanks to BYAP for making my day....
we drove around everywhere to find a water lilly one place had closed down
next one was still in the coming soon stage
3rd one was closed on Tuesday
Then final spot was BYAP on the way home and I left with a very big smile...and a new plant.



All the is left to do now is put up the sale which will go up tomorrow.

Tania & Steve

Hi Al,

Yes we can see the fish great in there, as you can see in the photos above.

I found out that you do wash the dirt off the seedlings in a bucket of seaweed wash.
will see how they hold up.

Tan

I dont wash dirt off - I find in hot weather the plant mortality rate is too high. They go in dirt and all.

Your going to have to put some edging around the bed to stop the sand getting blown / kicked into it - can probably make it really pretty.

Woohoo go guys, love your big pond. Most of all have some fun.
Faye

The dirt might have some good microbes on it. Also, maybe chuck some worms in the bed too.