Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I think I got it! Again....love the site, user friendly in the extreme!

Okay....my systems.

Firstly I made hubs dig a hole for a pond (2 1/2 years ago) this is a rental but I thought, what the heck, I'm going to make it comfy.
Plain ole concrete pond and river sand in the bottom, knee high in the deepest spot.
The pond has been self sustaining for about 2 years, no food to the fish even except the occasional piece of bread, no pump or aeration, except a top up hose every week or so.
We started out with only 3male/3female rosy barbs, this number has swelled to over.....
actually I have no idea, but there's LOADS!
The guy at the pet store, we bought the fish from, said the concrete would kill them....but it seems to have the opposite effect.

Anyway
Found a bath (cast iron) in a frame and initially just ran water through it and set up some floating beds, out of Styrofoam. Works pretty good for lettuce, but had to add shade as 'she's cooking now'! Actually worked well for some seedlings too.
Over the top of the pond I put in some Hydroponics, pvc pipe, then ran this to the bath, then the bath flowed back to the pond.
Because of mozzies I chucked a few fish into the bath, and a couple of days later it was full of babies!
Dead set! Can't kill a Rosy Barb!

The weekend just gone I finally finished this system (so far) by filling the bath with gravel, and the surrounding area of the pond, I have put a fruit salad tree (citrus x 5) into the bath and so far that's all there is.
Cabbage does amazing in the hydroponics by the way. I have left some in this system and moved some to another system, which I'll show you shortly, and so far so good.

I managed to remove 99% of the fish from the bath (before adding gravel), a couple of little one's were sacrificed, but I've found now there are babies in the hydroponics pipes too.
As this leads to gravel, they are doomed sooner or later
The merrygolds you see in the pics were also pulled from the ground, stood in the hydro, then sat in the pond, they wont die either The fish go mad swimming through it and rubbing themselves on it, same with the big rocks I placed in the pond.

All the plants that you see in my pics got ripped out of the ground, (except the floating seedlings)

Over the top of the whole thing now I have 30% shadecloth doubled, instead of the lace, although it was pretty

That's about it for the first system, I'll show you the next one...

Next system...
We had a 220lt fish tank in the shed, I managed to get hold of another two, had no idea how I was going to join them without drilling into the glass.

Then saw a link (on this site I think) about aqaubridges, amazing! The clear stuff is about $200/lm so couldn't really justify that.
Used pvc pipe and it flows like a mongrel, even strong enough to suck up the little fish and transfer them to the sump tank (right in pics no weed)

I used some of the pond water to kick start this system and the pump on this system is probably a bit big. I do have plans to add hydro to this as well though
The weed is from the pond too, and very prolific, quite often (with the pond) I rip hand fulls out and throw it on the grass.
One of the glass tanks I'm going to paint blue (light spectrum growing rates experiment) and today I'm going to order my red claw.
I plan on making somewhat of a hotel, out of pve pipe stacked, for the red claw, so I can fit more in.
Haven't decided on stocking ratio yet, but probably around 30-40 and see where that gets me, split up between the three tanks.
The sump tank (even though there's no splashing water) has oxygen bubbles on the flotsam in the bottom, and the little fish aren't dead yet, so I reckon it will be fine for red claw.
From what I've read they're pretty hardy little things too.

I'd like to point out at this stage, that it was only today that I read you guys add liquid seaweed etc. I haven't yet added anything to my systems, but
is Yates seaweed booster okay? If I need to that is...and should I anyway?

All very inventive Amanda , great stuff

Those rosy barbs must be randy little buggers

You can add seaweed concentrate to help the plants along but its not necessary if the plants are doing ok.

Thanks mantis,
some of the plants are a little unsparkly but they've had a traumatic start, thought I'd just watch and see for now...

Oh dear, I can see there will be no stopping you AmandaC. How long before system no.3 makes an appearance?

Just a thought, that maybe you should fashion some sort of covers for those glass tanks, as ammonia, sunlight and water = algae. Black them out somehow if you can.
I have a tank the same in the shed and not for algae but for insulation I got some Styrofoam and painted one side black and stuck it to the sides of the tank. You could wrap something around the sides of the tanks and make lids for them. The fish will like the darkness as well

Thats some dam good lookin stuff you got there amanda!!!

Fantastic design!

My wife often looks over my shoulder when Im navigating through the BYAP forum and it just so happens that I was looking at your photo's this time and I got the ...Why don't you build something pretty like that?...so yea...thanks for that

(ahem) Actually it's sitting cut ready to go in the back yard
found a new friend who can get the 1000lt cubes tanks for $50 ea. Grabbed 4, now have 3 x tanks, 4 grow beds and a sump tank to go.
My husband keeps reminding me it's very close to Christmas...

Lol, why am I not surprised Amanda ? Lol

That actually can be another thing I'll measure. I think that because it's flowing at such a volume, and it gets morning-ish sun and afternoon sun only it wont be so bad.
Plus I want to colour one blue, but I'm keeping a close eye on the fish, they're my Canaries

sounds like your wife has good taste tell her thanks
It is a challenge making it look nice, but lots of gravel helps.
The dirt patch behind the drums is what is left of the 'old gardening me'

what?! I have no idea what you're talking about....!
just kidding

It's a bit addictive but....you know that spot you get to when it's done and you sit back and there's nothing else to add (for today anyway) and you go....what now?...is that it?
I'm there...have to do more.

Do you guys have a community garden in Townsville by any chance?

Jaymie, are you there Jaymie?

Does that mean there's been discussion there....?
Or yes there is one.....?

I can send 'my' people to see 'your' people of you like