Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi folks,
I guess it is time I stopped lurking and finally posted my plans for my system. At this stage I have done a lot of reading and planning and ordered the tanks and dug a VERY BIG hole for my fish tank.
The basic system will be flood and drain -very like the big system Joel outlines in his excellent book and DVD.
My fish tank is a 4500litre squat team poly tank- about 1350mm high and 2250mm wide. The big hole is so that this tank will be buried just over 1000mm into the ground. Two main reasons for burying the tank- I live near Canberra and the winters are cold and- my whole system will be solar powered so I want the return water to get back to the fish tank via gravity. The grow beds, which will be on steel stands which will put the working surface about 1000mm above the floor, are 1200litre round stock water troughs also from teampoly and are the same as the ones Monya uses. I had planned on 4 grow beds but I don't think I will be able to fit more than 3 in the available space.
The available space is one end of a big shed I have and which I am going to reclad part of the northern and western walls with polycarbonate to make it into a greenhouse.
I have a large battery bank and a couple of solar panels on the shed which with an inverter I got from e-bay some time ago should enable me to use a 240v bilge pump which I intend to buy from Murray.

So to a couple of starter questions for the forum:-

Do members reckon a couple of inches of rigid polystyrene around the fish tank is worth the bother?

I want to use float switches but as I want the pump on the bottom of the fish tank I expect I will have to use a piggyback arrangement. Can anyone point me at a post or explanation of how to use both ON and OFF float switches ?. The explanation on Murray's web site seems to use just one and looks like it will not turn off the pump. My plan is to pump about 1000litres out to the grow beds and then for the return to take about an hour.

At this stage I am still dithering about what fish to grow- Sleepy cod look like they would be perfect but I don't know if I can keep the water warm enough. I will not be able to heat water electrically. Perhaps Jade perch might be a better bet .
Thanks in anticipation
Jim

Welcome Jim... another New South Welshman....

Curious how much you paid for your tank and growbeds.... local agent seemed to price himself outta the ball park with me.....

Regards fish, sleepy cod seem to be becoming the flavour of the month in chat amongst aquaculture guys, especially around NSW.

I'm going to look into them more, any info or liks you have would be appreciated.

Jades are just too temperature dependant for down Canberra way Jim.... go the Silvers... even then I suspect that growth over winter will be next to nothing...

Maybe have a look at Australian Bass or Golden Perch... both slow to grow though....

Only other choice would be trout.

Edited:

PS..... Burra, that's out in the Kosciosckyo National Park near Tumbarumba correct???

Good to see ya Jim. Try silvers first up.

IMHO, yes to the polystyrene.

Piggy back float I have turns the water on when the tank is full and off when you have pumped the pre-determined water amount out, according to what you have set it.

Any other q's, fire away.

Hi Rupert,
I can't find the quote for the tanks but I think the 4500l will be about $1000 and the 1200l troughs about $450 each- will know when they arrive- very soon.
Most of my info re sleepy cod came from http://www.ausyfish.com/introduction.htm

Couldn't possibly grow bl......dy trout- feral fish!!
I have grown golden perch in my farm dam- lasted almost 10 years until the big rain in Feb this year dumped lots of silt into the dam and they ALL died- I assume suffocated. We tried to eat a freshly caught one a few years ago but it was terrible- very muddy- chooks loved it!
Jim

Yep, concur with Monya on the polystyrene.... know how cold the ground gets down your way Jim...

Anything that can provide some insulation would be great.

Hi Stu,
From what I have read the silvers are fairly slow growers?
Still I suppose I might not have much choice given our location.
Eventually will have to experiment with water heating via solar
Another big question - seems to be hard to obtain supplies of fish food- seems OK if in QLD but much harder down south

cant go wrong with the silver perch. what about tandanus tandanus (eel tail catfish) if you prefer to stick to the natives. Ugly looking fish with a painful spike, but reportedly a very nice eating fish.

Stu,
forgot to ask what brand/type your float switch is?

Steve,
I have caught and eaten tandanus catfish when I was a kid and remember it as perhaps the best eating fish I have ever tried- Big potential hazard with the venomous spine but we always held them with pliers while skinning them so it was not often a problem.
Any idea what sort of growth rates people are achieving?

Rupert,
Burra is about 25kms south of Canberra slightly east, sort of on the way to Cooma

Got ya Jim

Will let Steve and others comment on the Tandanus.... most people (here) have only recently begun stocking so I'm not sure what sort of growth rates they're getting.... think off hand I read about 12 months for plate size.

Silver Perch on the pther hand are quick growing... fingerling to plate size in under or around six months.... dpends somewhat on water temperature...

No problems with Silvers through Spring to early Autumn around Canberra I reckon....

Will you cover the top of the tank Jim.... actually I think from looking at the teampoly catalogue the squat tank has a cover built on doesn't it

Jim, you have made me a happy man with your comments on the catfish!

I have some tandanus in my system, can't rememebr how many, maybe 15 odd?

Can't give you growth rates yet, i got them as VERY small fish, maybe 3cm big..........

venemous spike good, stops people stealing your fish LOL

Steve,
we all have these odd memories- I still dribble when I think of fried catfish fillets on toast for breakfast which is what my mum used to make.
Rupert,
Yes the tank has a moulded on roof- I plan to cut out most of the roof , ala Monya, so that light gets in and for feeding etc. I will however have to put heavy flyscreen covers to keep fish in and some lizards who live in the shed out- don't want to drown them
Actually slow growth rates are probably not really such a big deal as the fish are really a bonus- main reason for setting up the system is to actually get tomatoes and to use MUCH less water for gardening.

I think the 6 months to plate size for silvers is pretty optimistic.

Maybe they are slow Jim, but they won't die when the temps go dowm, neither would the catties. I would say battling nature is a mistake. Go for the climate friendly fish that grow slower will result in lots less stress in the long run.

Float switch is one of Murray's with 10m lead.

My Tnadanus also small. Have noticed growth, but could give no indication as to growout times.

What? missing on on free food for fish?!