Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

is it a flood and drain system or continous flow system?

btw is it better to have your barrel lying horizontally , i mean you get more surface area than using it vertically.

If they convert the boat it will be a portable system

I did not expect so many replies so quick.

First, if this boat had had a bilge pump, I would have saved myself $100 CAD for sure and would have used it. I would have connected it to the boat 12 volt battery which is being charged through the grid and would have had the benefit of a backup in case of a likely shortage of electricity during winter. But sadly the boat uses the most efficient bailing system known to sailors across the world, a bucket and a scared man.

The garage is in the basement, if all of suddent AP were to take the whole basement for sure my governor general (aka my wife) would disolve the house. She needs to be convinced first - and I think that, on this matter, good fresh spinash weekly is the key to her heart. Then maybe I can store the boat in the shed outside and who knows ... a more realistic and efficient plan would be to design a greenhouse for the backyard. I have sufficient sun exposed land space to do that, and, if done correctly, city bylaws should not be an overwhelming problem.

Talking about sun, there is a window on the north side of the house right on top of system #1; but since I live in the northern hemisphere that is of limited use to me. The plan is to use fluorescent tubes. This system is for experimenting and learning, concerns about economic feasibility will come later.

As for converting the boat into a pool, you may not be so far from reality as you think. While working on this boat I have developped fiberglass skills that may turn out to be useful when I build the big system.

I realise that an horisontal drum would be more efficient but this drum was given to me free and was more fitting for the space available.

This is a flood and drain system, and I am glad to report that the siphon appears now to be working reliably.

I had estimated the grow bed to 60 l but after rereading the specs I think that the volume used is closer to 90 l. So two grow beds should be plenty to clean a fully loaded barrel.

The next step is food for the fish.

Does anybody have concrete experience with feeding gold fish automatically.

I would prefer a mechanical on-demand system but will look at anything.

I am also considering dropping enough duck weeds in the tank to feed 5 goldies for 5 days; but I do not know how feasible that is - I don't even know if the fish will eat duck weeds.

Fish don't need to be fed every day. Less food means less growth, but they don't float to the top dead after a week without food. I am aware that there are commercial automatic feeders available, but have never used one. I'm reasonably sure that goldfish will eat duckweed. You could also float a few pieces of lettuce for them to snack on when you are unavailable.

I tossed a few of the prunings from my tomato plants into the pond, along with a slightly larger-than-normal dose of the usual flakes my goldies are eating, and then went away for a week. When I returned my goldies were happily snacking on the soggy remains of the tomato prunings, and a couple of days later they had eaten them right down to the stems. No deaths yet, so I feel fairly confident that I could disappear for 10 days or so and have a slow-release feeding system for my fish at the price I like best - $0!

OK, the food problem is solved. At $0, I like this cost. Specially after having spent all that money on hardware.Talking about hardware, I dipped my hand in the water to pick up some debris today and the water is really COLD!!! I do not need to measure the temperature to know that goldies would go belly up in this water. I figure that I have two options here, either get a fish that will take cold water right away or buy a small heater.

The heater solution is simple enough to implement but getting the right fish is a better solution. I am looking for an omnivorous or vegetarian fish that likes cold temperature. The fish should also be capable of tolerating summer's temperature (around 30 C).

Tilapias are out. I don't want to spend all my spare money heating their water!

Trouts and Arctic Carps will take the cold, are native to Canada, many aquaculture farms are raising them already, but they need protection in the summer and I am pretty sure that they like meat.

Grass Carp is an interesting possibility but they are non native and are only available sterile.

Oddly enough, Koys are becoming really interesting. They will take cold water and with the price that they fetch for the live fish market they can be financially viable - and somehow I like their appearance.

Channel catfish are a real possibility. They grow well in barrels. They eat worms which I can raise. I need to know more on this kind of fish.

I realize that most of you folks are more concerned about heat than cold (good for you!); but do we have anybody on this site that has experience with raising fish in cold temperature? Janet, I know that you do. I remember you writing about this; but, I don't remember if you keep your fish out during the winter? The basement garage is never under 5C but outside can be as low as -40 C (but of course the water outside is more like -4C minimum, otherwise it would be ice).

My goldfish (Sarasa Comets) stay outside all winter. (Except this winter, they are indoors on vacation and providing 'starter poop' for me!!) We get several very cold months here with some snow and ice. Nighttime lows are -generally- not below 20F/-6C. When it gets below 50F/10C, the goldfish should not be fed. Anything they eat will not digest because of their slowed metabolism. It instead rots in their gut. When the water freezes over, my small waterfall provides enough movement at one end of the pond to keep the ice open for oxygen exchange. The pond setup is perhaps 100gal/380 liters total, and only 20 inches/500mm deep.

Koi and goldfish will be about the same as far as their requirements. I believe koi are more likely to root up aquatic plants, and perhaps would therefore be more likely to snack on floated lettuce or garden trimmings. You could give them very minimal heat though the winter to be able to provide your spinach, or no heat at all and just let them sleep for the winter.

I agree that koi are cool-looking, and some of the really really cool ones can bring a sweet price. I just never kept them because they can get pretty big and because I didn't want them eating my water lilies. My Sarasa Comets look very much like miniture Koi, so I'm happy. Before you commit to any ornamental fish, though, make sure you can get small ones cost-effectively, and have a market for the bigger ones. Either that or name them and consider them to be pets.

John GotFish is doing yellow perch in Illinois. I was considering catfish, but after I tasted it, I decided against it.

I'm sorry? What is that? I don't think I've ever heard of "spare" money

Goldfish and Koi both tolerate cold weather. My BIL had some in an outdoor pond in Utah and they did fine all winter. He had a small bubbler and light (which doupled as a heater). I am looking at using goldies to start, then upgrade to Tilapia and keep the water warm. Summers are no problem in NC, but I would have to keat the water in the winter. On the plus side, I understand that heating the roots of plants (by running warm water) reduces the need for heating the greenhouse.

So Goldfish will survive cold water. Thanks Janet and Greenedo.

Good! Excellent! Goldfish it will be.

By the way, this information was also confirmed by the most unlikely source of all -- my mom.

Apparently there is expertise on fish ponds that is closer than I thought!

As for the existence or not of spare money, it all depends on your definition of the word spare Jaymie. In my book if money is not used for immediate survival, it is disposable hence spare. That being said, in case you have not figured it out yet, my first language is French, not English - so the occasional odd looking expression or spelling is to be expected.

It's a real pleasure to be on this site. It helps removing uncertities and building confidence.

I named all mine and they certainly won't be pets:
Monday breakfast, Mon lunch.....etc, then there's Jan,Feb,Mar...........hehehe :sunny:

Julien, your command of English is outstanding. And as far as odd expressions...we all have them. It took me a while to figure out what the Ozzies were talking about when they used the word 'chook'. As in, 'Just feed that to the chooks'. What????

(It's chickens.)

Have you heard the expression 'feed the chooks' Janet? Stu might be able to give you the meaning.

(I looked it up, in urbandictionary.com and found one Autstralian reference that I'm sure you mean.)

Here I was trying to be helpful, and stumbled into deeper and deeper levels of meaning that I did not intend.

Janet, I've had a look at urbandictionary's version of 'feeding the chooks' - we're not quite THAT crass here - 'feeding the chooks' refers to a term used regularly by one of our more controversial politicians, Joh Bjelke-Peterson, premier of Queensland back in the early 70's. Joh would hold a press conference most afternoons, scattering titbits of news for the reporters - this was known as 'feeding the chooks'.

On reflection, the alternate version of the saying might be more apt than I first thought, given some of the drivel he used to come out with.

His wife, Flo, has published a book of recipes and household hints which is my kitchen bible.