Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Long time since I've posted, my work got way too busy with constant travel so after tinkering with my 2 previous systems with some success and some failures I'm starting fresh in a new locale.

I've recently moved to Rockhampton in central Queensland (for work) with the better half and am keen to set up a new system.

This one will be using 1000 litre trough from Betapoly - http://www.betapoly.net.au/Troughs the downside with it is the height being only 550mm high.

I do have a small 46 litre trough for a grow bed and a 300 litre cut down IBC from my last system as a grow bed.

Being in a warmer temperature zone I'm looking at trying Barramundi in this system.

After some opinions as to whether a second 300 litre grow bed is too much, if my figures are right I'm looking at round 220 litres of water going into the grow beds once the grow media is done. To try and keep the water flowing quickly I was going to use siphons in the grow beds.

Thoughts?

So 1000 litre fish tank

646 litres of growbeds

Once filled with gravel, the growbeds will hold roughly 30-40% water (assume 40% to be safe)

So they would hold about 260 litres of water.

I'd say the 1000 litre fish tank would be fine for this. You could always run the GB's constant flood if you're worried as then the water level in the FT would remain constant

Just for comparison, on one of my standalone IBC setups here I have a 700 litre FT feeding 750 litres of GB's (3 x 250 L), two of which are running auto siphons and one constant flood.

The water level in the fish tank fluctuates about 10-20cm, and the fish don't seem to care but they are carp (I'm running an experiment with carp)

ps what's the rough price on one of those poly tubs if you don't mind me asking? I've seen a few around, very attractive

Around
$399 for the 1000 litre trough.

YAY!!!!

LV is back! Wooot - woot.

Remember we like pics, tony

Getting the general layout sorted.

It will be 646 litres of grow bed with 2 IBC grow beds going on a compacted bed of deco or crusher dust. They will be supported on concrete blocks draining back into the fish tank between them.

The fish tank will have a timber cover and the small 46 litre grow bed sitting on the timber frame.

Most likely I'll be running the pump constantly with auto siphons in the grow beds.

OMG your lawn! Green! Soft! Mind if I come up and lay on it for a while, my dry crunchy 'lawn' doesn't quite cut it.

Yep for those of us stuck with drought stricken, cat-eye infested brown dry grass right now, that pic is a bit of a tease!

Work is slow on this one, my 'real' job has kept me busy. I've started digging out the area for the base material today, getting too old and soft for a mattock and shovel.

I'll post up some progress photos soon.

Back to making some progress on my system, been sorting out the grow beds in the yard first. I hope to have the crusher dust compacted by the end of the week and be ready to start cycling over the next two weeks.

This has been a long time in the planning stage.

Some more progress shots, I would like to give Barra a go just not sure how they'll do in winter as I don't want to heat the water.

You could probably build a support out of 2x10 or 2x12 on it's side (like joists) spanning the FT. Then you could have the GB's over the FT which would save you a ton of space leaving room for expansions.

The base area has settled enough to get construction underway, at present I'm sorting out the fish tank covers. The grow beds are in position the fish tank has been filled with water.

Only some plumbing of the grow bed taps, setting up the grow bed drains and setting up the autosyphons to go. Hopefully it'll be cycling by the end f the week.

I'll post some updated photos tomorrow.

Got cabs, hocks and australius

Some progress shots, the covers are sun shade timber frames from Bunnings. I figured it was easier to cut them down than make them from scratch.