Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

but it makes the heart race, great for low blood pressure and improving circulation

added the next 2 growbeds , need to cut the original one down to the same size then distribute the gravel from that one ( at the moment its 660L of gravel ... ) to all three , then top off with clay balls

Also have to take the old black 100L bunnings planter-pot growbed and empty it , paint it with the black sealer & then refill it with something nicer than perlite and gravel . I dont trust the black plastic its made of , its fading in the sun too quick for my liking

Awesome, got to check it out soon eh?

yeah after I get the broom out , its still a bit of a mess

Wow , did I really not post completion shots of this system before I left ?

well , here's a couple shots

ALL the silvers are now in this system , temp is sitting at 18 degrees , pH now perfect , ammonia & nitrite zero , cant be bothered testing for Nitrate

All three new beds are up and running , and sprouting radish like mad . snow peas and other stuff are coming up too and Ive transferred all the mint to one of these beds ( until I make a dedicated mint bed )

Boris, how are those legs attached and I reckon you should brace them back to the wall if you haven't already, they don't look to safe from the angle the photo is taken. Could be ugly if your young ones ride a bike or something into one?

Theyre pretty sturdy , dont look it from the pictures , but I just gave one a decent kick and it didnt move . Theyre tek-screwed in & the rim of the IBC cage sits inside a groove cut in the legs

Here's a shot of the whole thing

needs :
- 2 black lids ( reduce noise & keep direct sun off the Sikatite bitumous sealer - prolonged direct sunlight can cause it to craze / crack

- decking or something to clad the GB's

- paint the front of the pond black

- someone to eat all the radish that will be ready in a couple weeks

REEEALY have to rip that mint out , its taking nutrients away from the other plants

Ive finally figured out what the spaces under those three growbeds are for :

initially when I was planning this system , I'd intended to build storage spots under there , but theres somewhere else I can do that .

Now its for ...

Quail pens !
enough room for 4 lots of breeding boxes ( 2 female 1 male in each one ) , and 2 bigger "growout" or whatever pens

Eggs are in the incubator now , since our dopey chickens refuse to sit on them despite being broody .

Anyone in Perth got a thermostat they dont want that I can throw in Duckponds old bar fridge to make a "better" incubator than the one Im borrowing ?

as a side note - I think radishes are yuck , why did ALL the seeds have to sprout out of the 400 that I threw in this system !?

And heres the quail

LOL. Guess what, if you throw turnip seeds in, I think all of them will sprout too.

I like to feed turnip and radish leaves to the chickens and tilapia. Maybe the silvers and quail would like the leaves?

Hell yeah, every single seed sprouts

Yeah pretty much all my turnips sprouted aswell , but there was less seeds , a few of them are growing alot slower than the radishes , and Im not sick of them cause they go great in mashed potato

Our 2 laying hens REFUSE to eat radish and turnip leaves , but the hatchlins we've got plus the quail and rabbuts eat them ( mainly the rabbits - they tear through em )

New shots of this system for no other reason than I was walking around with the camera

yeah, it's a mess, but the Silvers in there are eating heaps and growing a bit more than they used to

this systems changed a bit since my last post.
No more quail or silvers

top tank has a submersible pump with a venturi for aeration

Monster artichoke there mate, have you had anything off it yet?