Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi there!

My name is steve and i'm fortunate enough (:shock:) to have just married Ange who is steve's (the posting god one) future sister in law.

Therefore: My new world is not only Ange, but AP! (steve adds not nessecarily in that order).

Quite a few months ago i agreed to setting up an AP system, i was drunk at the time so how did i know what i was getting into????

We started thusday just passed and planted yesterday 12 midday, so 3 and a half days later i had a fully set up AP system.

I had bought a 4 foot aquarium and stand off ebay about a month ago so that is my fish tank.

We used about 13 meters of 100mm DWV PVC for the "NFT" grow area.

The pump i bought was off Ebay and was rated at 23 meters head (:shock:) 8 meters suction and 1300LPH. A tad extreme,so there is a bypass valve that shoots water straight back into the fish tank.

The pump draws water from the tank and pumps it up into my "bio-bucket" which is a 15L bucket filled with gravel.

From here it gravity feeds to the far end of the 100mm PVC pipe and flows back to the fish tank end where it drains from the CENTRE of the end cap. This means that the plants will always be submerged in water.

The pump runs for 15minutes every 1 hour.

We went for a drive to Kangaroo Ground fish farm, Lyndsay and Glenys took the time to show us around, and were VERY nice. We came home with 15 silver perch (five of which were for the other steve, but are keeping our 10 company for the moment).

any thoughts?

Steve

here are some more pics

Unreal use of space on that fenceline guys. AP is just so flexible,welcome.

Thats awesome Steve..... I assume you're the Steve that I met with Steve a couple of weeks ago..? (Sorry about that chilli mate )

Very good use of space, when you just don't have any, I can't wait to see how the production goes.. 13m is a fairly long run, it will be interesting to see how the flow goes when the plants are growing, and there's some root mass in the pipe. I guess if you end up with flow problems over the long lenght there are a few ways you could deal with it..

Nice work..

Thanks Joel...Yep its chilli Steve, thanks for that experance..there were many tears...
I will keep you updated..

All the best.

Hiya Steve and Ange! Well done guys and girls it is a marvellous looking system.
Steve, congratulations on being one of those fortunate men to have found and loved an O'K girl!

Ange, congratulations on getting someone to marry an O'K girl!

from an O'K girl

Jaymie

See what drinking too much gets ya! wake up with a hangover, an AP system and an O'K girl! does the poor fool realise what he has gotten himself in for I ask myself!
Oh yeah Welcome to the forum, Have fun
Cheers Axl

Thanks Jaymie.....She OK to me too....

Happy Days..

Mine snores just to take home the trifecta Axl.

Empty beer keg transformed into a table....I like it

it is empty????
it is a firkin?????

welcome

Welcome Steve and Ange
What are you using to hold your PVC pipe on to the fence?

I wolud assume that it WAS empyt! I mean who wouldf let a full one get hot in the sun?

Don;t worry Steve, mine snores too! bvut at least he brews REALLY nice cider to make up for it!

A bloke with a bad hangover

HI ELL...Yes it is firkin empty...Damit....

Hi Rupert.....I had rectangular planters hanging in them prior to the pvc..
There just plant holders from bunnings for under $5..

Cheers