Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi all AP's
I have been interested in AP for a while and have built a duckaponix setup. I use the water from my duckponds to feed my growbeds. The specs are:
2 x duckponds approx 800 Lt
1 x sump 50Lt
1 x Aquapro 3500 Lt/hr dirty water pump
8 x half HDPE drums total 800Lt
5mm blue metal grow medium

This is my grow beds. They flow into a drain pipe back to the ponds.


This is my ponds, they gravity feed out the bottom into the pump sump



This is my nutrient production team(free range)


I have been running my pump on a 30min on / 90 min off cycle for a few weeks and have had a few plants in but nothing serious.

I tested my water today for the first time andthe numbers are:
pH 7.2
NH4 4.0
NO2 0.5
NO3 0

Is the Amonia level too high?
If so how can i drop it without harming my ducks.

All comments greatly appreciated

Just love the way people find ways to work with the space and materials they have on hand....

Don't have to tell you to get "quacking" Duckpond .... you've already done it..... and you've posted pictures as well.

Welcome to the forum

Nice work Duckpond, I wouldn't worry too much about your ammonia levels, especially since you don't have fish in there, ducks aren't susceptible to ammonia levels like fish.

I'll be interested to see the production that you get from the system, duck poo is a good fertilizer..

What typw of ducks are they? I used to have a couple of muscovies a while back, and looking at your brick paving reminds me why I haven't got any more ducks recently, I like to walk out the back in bare feet..

hey ducka (thats what i call MY duck )

The as joel said the ammonia is not of concern for you, but you will find that it will drop to zero after about 4 weeks as the same bacteria that we rely on will colonise your growbeds!

I should really set something like that up for my duck

good work mate.

The ducks are 1 x Khaki Campbell, 2 x Appleyard and 1 x Saxony(drake)
I built a wall between the paving and the garden to keep them off the pathways, but havn't installed the gate yet.

TT has a door in his GH but no cover

very well laid out DP

I am soo impressed with aquaponics!! My pond water is crystal clear after only 5 days of cycling through gravel. No algae, no smell just clean clear water. My levels are abit high, but i'm not woried because:
1 no fish to stress
2 its only 5 days old

Thanks for the idea AP'ers

no worries.

If you have found that your nitrates are hgher than what then would have been in the pond then you'll probably also find that there has been a corresponding drop in ammonia?

No I went from:
Ph 7.2 to 7.6
Amm 4 to 8
NO2 5 to 5
NO3 0 to 10
Dunno why, The ph going up surprised me cause duck poo should be acidic??

LOL!
ammo is going the wrong way, ph is going the wrong way

Buggered if i know why!

maybe the media had a buffering effect?

are your ducks crapping more? (ammonia)

Maybe he's just stirring up the water more right now, so sediments are giving off stored ammonia?? I would also guess at a buffering effect from the media. I'd say run it a bit longer and your numbers will straighten themselves out.

Could be on the money there janet.

Ducka, time to plant some tommies

Hi
I got beans, and watermelon seedlings in and they are doing well. I also put basil, lettuce, pea and bean seads in directly. THe basil and lettuce are sprouted, but no sign of peas or beans, prolly still early

basil will go crazy

I had a similar idea but someone on here suggested that duck poo is harmful and shouldn't be used on the plants. Any thoughts?

I'd certainly like to set something like this up for our duck/goose pond.

If it keeps the water nice and clean, you could even set it up with a separate fish-pond in series (need to keep the birds out of there or they might eat the fish).

Do you have an update for us?