Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi guys,

I have been reading the forum for around 6 months now and recently acquired an Aquafarm from the US.

I thought it would be a great way to start off the hobby until I can build a big outdoor system for the veggies.

Below are some images so far, I've only had the system up and running for 3 days so the tank is still cycling. Unfortunately the little bottle of beneficial bacteria that comes with the Aquafarm didn't make the trip over to Sydney so it will take my tank a couple weeks longer then it normally would have to cycle.
I may still try and source something similar from my local aquarium shop to speed up the process and provide a nicer home for Bluey the Betta fish quicker.

Welcome HP - all the info you need is here. Thanks for the pix - keen to see how it goes!


Nup, won't make any noticeable difference.

Not sure how many herbs you will grow with just one fish. I would chuck in a few hungry active danios to keep the nutes up

Thanks chillidude, yep there is a lot of very helpful info in this forum and hopefully I can add to it with my experiences.

Hi mantis, yes 1 fish doesn't seem like much but it's only an 11ltr tank and Bluey is quite a good size. I will keep and eye on the nitrate levels when the tank has cycled and see how it goes. I may add some then, as long as they all get along .

Water parameters so far:

--------------25-Jan-14--------------26-Jan-14--------------27-Jan-14
pH------------7.4 - 7.6----------------7.4 - 7.6----------------7.4 - 7.6
Ammonia-----0.25ppm----------------0.5ppm---------------- 0.25ppm
Nitrite----------------0----------------------0-------------------------0
Nitrate---------------0----------------------0-------------------------0

I think the ammonia dropped today slightly because I did a 30% water change yesterday afternoon to try and clear the water up. Its still a bit tea coloured from the drift wood releasing tannins.

It's hard to gauge the exact pH level as the low pH test shows 7.6 but the high pH test shows 7.4.

Day 2


Day 3


Bluey the farmer

The layout

If you want to speed up the cycle, you can buy bacteria culture from the pet store. or if you know anyone with a fish tank get the dirty sponge of the filter and squeeze some into your water. That will get you going in no time. Also change the gravel that came in it to a porous material. that will give the bacteria needs more surface area to grow. Lava rock is cheap but be careful some lave rock will cause ph to change. You could also try something called matrix. I used it for my aquariums but its pricey if you need larger quantities.

I grabbed a product called 'Stability' today. It's used in new tanks to speed up the process by assisting the growth of beneficial bacteria which will hopefully help.

Also the basil has started sprouting so I'll post some pics in the near future when it looks a little more exciting.

Still waiting on the Spinach, Mint and Rosemary(which I know can take up to a few weeks).

I tested the water after leaving it for a couple of weeks. Ammonia levels are still around 0.25ppm but the nitrite levels have jumped to 2.0ppm. Nitrates still showing 0 but it was a pretty dark yellow, almost like there was a trace of nitrates there.

Also my Basil hasn't grown much in the last 2 weeks, the seedlings are still only about 1". Is there anything I should add to the water to help with herb growth. Still waiting on Spinach, Rosemary and Mint to sprout.

Hi mate,

That system looks really great! I made a similar system at home (for about $50) which doesnt look as fancy but is doing the job. have a look at the pic.

I made a little youtube clip (very novice haha) which I'll put up on my blog for people to see soon.

That's a great little system AIC.

Time for an much needed update. Sorry I've been so slack lately but we picked up a little puppy Boxer a few weeks ago and for anyone who's been through that knows how full on its been here at home haha.

So on to the Aquafarm.

I did a water test on 15 Feb and it read:
Ph 7.4
Ammonia .25ppm
Nitrite 2.0ppm
Nitrate 0 - Although it's getting close to the first registrable colour but it's not quite there.

Anyway its good to see the bacteria growing and soon there should be plenty of Nitrate for the herbs.

I added a desk lamp over the top of the system as there just wasn't enough light coming in the kitchen window and the basil was really struggling. Now it's taking off plus the mint and parsley are sprouting too.

Pics to follow hopefully when I get home from work.

The basil is doing well with the mint sprouting as well. The Parsley sprout died I think, maybe I need a better light source.

Tested water again tonight after a week of using Ammo Lock.

Ph down to around 7
Ammonia at .25ppm
Nitrite is gone at 0
Nitrate looks very close to 0.5ppm

I have an LED light rack coming which will hopefully help a lot.

LED lighting is up and made a big difference. The basil loves it and now the mint and parsley have taken off.

I had to re-cycle the tank after a bad case of fin rot on the Betta fish but it's bouncing back quickly.

Latest water test showed:

Ph 6.8
Ammonia at 2.0ppm
Nitrite at 2.0ppm
Nitrate at 20ppm

Whats your water temp?

It stays between 24 - 26 degrees C. I use a small Aquaone heater.