Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi Lovely AP people. I have long admired all that goes on here, and you are the inspiration for my build and many of my choices. I have a blog going that has more of the story and I will be updating that more regularly, but I just wanted to put some photos up here to show how it is going. My design is CHIFT PIST with full IBC for fish tank, hole in the ground with pond liner for sump, and a wooden grow bed lined with pond liner for bed. Media will be pea gravel 14 in (35cm) deep, siphon with bell. Fish species proposed so far is blue gill. They are a hardy fish that that does well in poor water around here, and I know where I can catch some small ones easily. Here some early photos:





Getting ready to install the plywood and liner, and fill it with gravel.

Couple questions:

Anyone else use wild caught fish in their tanks? I assume there are more disease issues.

Anyone else using blue gill? And problems? What kind of low temperatures could they tolerate?

If my pump is very strong, does it make sense to direct most of the flow back into the sump with a venturi for aeration? Other option would be to use a timer right?

I will try to keep you guys filled in as I get it set up and cycling. The blog is here: http://oregonaquaponics.wordpress.com and I will try to keep adding general info there also.

Peace,

Mo

Hi mofish,

First the bad news, Oregon doesn't allow transporting of live fish without a permit. I Doubt they'll give you one to stock your IBC unless you buy fish from a commercial fish stocking outfit but you can try. I have some fingerling bluegill and have only lost 1 out of about 40 this Winter. My water temp got down to 36 F. They'll eat almost nothing in the 30's, just a bit when it's in the 40's and lower 50's. I don't think you'll have any problems with them except that they are slow growers. Bullhead Catfish or Channel Catfish might be a better choice if you want something to grow out faster but they aren't quite as sturdy as the Bluegill (at least in our climate - I have Channel Catfish as well). You might be able to grow trout through the Winter provided you start with big enough trout that you can harvest them out before it gets to warm. I think you can find the trout fairly inexpensive compared to some of the other fish because our climate is good for growing them but it's been a few years since I bought them.



Yes

You may want to consider getting a different pump if the electricity is going to cost a lot. Check the wattage.

Pea gravel is ok but you might want to consider the Volcanic rock (red scoria) that we have around here. It's lighter, has a lot of surface area for bio-filtrations and bigger spaces that won't plug as easily with solids. For the stuff we have I think it's best to flush the fines out of it before you add it to the system.

Howdy mo, goods fun so far! I'm just up the road from ya, I can't decide on fish either. I'm leaning towards tilapia since I'm in a greenhouse. And I'm hoping to keep the water warm enough to hold them through October. Goodluck and can't wait to see more progress!

Forgot to mention scoria does have sharp edges and you might not want to use this depending on the liner you're using. I wouldn't be to concerned using the thicker pondguard (EPDM) liner. You can always stick with the pea gravel or use river rock if you think it will be an issue.

Fellow Oregonians!

Thanks a lot for the comments. In terms of fish I was just planning on catching some smaller bluegill from a pond where I know I can get them, and transporting them under the table. I figure that more mature fish will produce nutrition quicker than fingerlings. Also, the fish harvest for me isn't as important because I can catch my limit of beautiful tasty trout on the McKensie river for much of the year. It is good to hear you didn't loose many fish to this recent cold snap Scotty, although my tank will be more exposed than yours until I get some sort of greenhouse over the whole thing. Once I get a cover I will definitely be considering catfish. That was such a unusual cold we had, and a few of our nice ornamentals like our jasmine died back to the ground.

In terms of media, I think lava rock might be a really good suggestion. The weight, biological activity, and void space benefits will certainly outweigh the ease of use and planting of pea gravel. Maybe I will put down a layer of gravel in the bottom to protect my liner, but it is really thick so it should be fine.

Next step is the build the siphon, and get the plywood installed.

Here's a pic of the garden. The AP system goes in that strange fenced in area in the top right, I think it used to be a boat parking spot or something.



I'd love to come see other peoples setups in the Valley, and once I get mine up you are all welcome to come by.

Rock on,
Mo

How is the AP setup doing mofish?