Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi everyone. Here is my attempt at a system had it going for past 2 days. Although I need a lot more gravel for the grow beds. Have put in some guppies from the river today and a basil plant that was starting to die in my garden from neglect.

Filled with good quality bore water. First water test and I can't complain.

Wow that’s a big fish tank Mantha, I don’t think that would fit in my yard, so what fish are you going to get?

Ya going to need a lot more GB than that wow!!!

Ha ha yeah will be sourcing some more grow beds next week at the dump shop. Best time to buy a pool in winter only $50 didn't think it was that big. Will have some barra in the next month :-)

Just a very small point be careful adding fish from the river,they can bring with them diseases that are dormant just waiting for the fish to get stressed and spring into action infecting your system,wild fish are always best quarantined before adding to your system.

Also there are no guppies in Townsville, there are however gambusia which are a pest species and are illegal to keep or move.

Yeah quarantining them first mostly baby rainbows. Really I knew they were a pest species but didn't know they were illegal to keep I thought that was just tilapia. I thought I was giving the ecosystem a hand removing them. They will hopefully be barra food.

I was thinking your chickens aren't going to let the fish survive for long, looking at the sandpit they were drinking from. Then I scrolled down to your pool. I think they'll be safe in there.

How many liters is it?

The rainbows are fine, they are one of the things I miss the most about living up there, If I still lived up there I'd fill my system with Tilapia and just keep my mouth shut about it, I used to take the kids fishing for them and cook em up despite the ban. rock on with the gambusia as barra food just don't get caught.

Cheers bentaz.

Colum according to my maths 10,000l . Ha ha yeah the bloody chooks I'm going to have and find a way to keep them out. I've lost quite a few soil seedlings to them. Everyone said chooks eat more bugs but mine love tomato leaves and any thing else they can get to including the dogs bone. Plus don't know if you can see there's a net over the pool to stop birds eating fish.

Just an update. Pool was full of algae ?? Due to small pump. Changed the pump from the small 25watt pool pump to a 45 watt pump I had lying around. And success still so algae but you can now see the bottom. Gb still only 1/2 full of gravel unfortunately the trailer won't empty its self so I can use it for gravel

Help what's happened did a water test and the ph is way up and the rest is zero as per picture. Should I just do a part water change or what. Can someone tell me if my bacteria is all dead.

If your bacteria were dead you'd have ammonia and nitrites not readings of Zero. The plants are using up the Nitrates. I'm not sure why your pH is climbing, I'd be tempted to do a partial water change. Take a look at the top up water, pH and chlorine... before topping up. Are you getting lots of algae in the system? Sometimes algae can drive the pH up. Algae can also soak up the nutrients before they are converted by the bacteria.

Thanks I think that's the problem. Did a water change with my bore water which is 6.8 and now the ph is down to 7.4 time to de algae my system.