Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I thought it was about time I set up threads for my new systems.

It's been a big day here. I have started 2 systems in one day.

This first one is on the lounge.

DH wanted some decorative fish in here so I have set him up a tank for white clouds and danios. We already had some of these little guys living with the goldies. However, since the goldies have grown so much the little guys seem to be disappearing and I think the goldies have been eating them.

Only planing on growing a few shade loving herbs on this system as it doesn't receive much light and the tiny fish wont produce much nutrients.

The system at the moment......
a 2' tank,
a 600l/h filter, (used as a pump)
a small plastic tub full of aquarium rocks as grow media.

When I was putting this together I was wondering what I was going to use as a pump when I remembered that a couple of my filters have an optional fountain outlet! How could I have forgotten! So I will be using one of them as my pump to the tiny growbed.

The growbed will empty by auto-syphon back too the tank. I will need to check how fast it will fill. I am hoping to run it continuous as I think it will fill slowly enough not to be a problem but I need another power point to test it. (I need to go find a spare power board.)

Currently waiting for the chlorine to go and I'll be ready for the tiny fish in a day or two.

Savage

PS. No pics 'cause I don't have a camera, sorry.

Great stuff SG....



That's alright SG..... you can pick one up when you go and get another power board

Well, the system lasted a long time, not!

Had to dismantle it 'cause the stand started wobbling when someone walked past it. Drat this uneven floor, I've tried everywhere in the lounge and nowhere is stable enough for it. Looks like I need a different stand. I couldn't stand it if I cracked the tank and lost my fish.

I may put it out on the slab in the sunroom temporarily but DH wants it in the lounge so I will have to solve the problem somehow.

Cut the old floor out SG....

Form up a pit... pour concrete... fill with water... add fish... problem solved

chainsaw

is it a stand issue perhaps?

Where in VIC are you? I'm sure some1 would love to drop over and photograph your efforts :-)

Hehehe, I'd like a new floor but I might have problems convincing the landlords. Though an indoor pond might make a loverly feature.......

Is that what they call a sunken lounge Rupe?

All the floors are warped here, it's quite an old house. I was planing to have the 2nd bedroom as a 'fish room' but I've had to accept only the pored slab in the sunroom/veranda will support the tanks. My poor goldies are currently in a plastic tub on the bedroom floor. (hiding from the cats, the kitten has already been swimming once! )

I did have the tank on the TV cabinet which it was on at the old place and then I tried a steel framed table and that rocked too. Nothing in this house is actually 'square and level', least of all the floors. The door frames are pretty amusing too, they have planed the tops of the doors so they can close.

try putting down a big sheet of MDF, enough to cover at least 2 joists (check which way the joists run too and put your ank over as many as possible) this should even out your floor a bit.

Thank you KudaPucat. Thats a good idea, I'll have to try it.

The other thing is, if ppl walking on floorboards is disturbing and wobbling your tank, it's just not big enough.

The tank shown above is 600L, and I estimate almost 1 metric tonne. Nothing wobbles this tank, however if the fish get frisky, I imagine the TV may wobble

Dave Donley says: 'When in doubt add more fish' But honestly, it's gotta be water you're adding. You need a bigger tank, I'm sure DH would approve :-)

that'd have to be a 6 footer then?

Just a note on the MDF, it doesnt like getting wet and form memory releases formaldehyde if it does.

True - nasty cancer inducing stuff (Illegal in the US I hear) but it'll be on the floor.
If you buy 'yellowtongue'? I think it's more water resistant than the standard.
I used a sheet to level off my stand (which kept breaking tanks much to my chagrin) and never had a problem. Then I am an Engineer, and we tend to 'suck it and see :-)

LOL, not many countries sell it any more, but we're tuff in OZ

i challenge anyone to go to bunnings and buy a sheet and then ask them to cut it for ya................post back with the reply

HUH! I bought 2x6m treated pine, and they said 'Saw's busted' so I said can we just use a hand saw (to cross cut them roughly in half to fit in the car) and they said 'Sorry, it's against OH&S Policy' !!!! and that was treated pine! So it has arsenic bah! So I had to buy a saw i didn't need and cut it at the cat! Then I go to my local B another day, and pick up some more. The timber door is locked cos it's 8:00pm, and I try to wheel 6m lengths through the entire shop, looking for some1 to help. 6 ppl looked at me, and became VERY busy else where. I get outside, and an employee I recognise is there, I ask if he can hold it while I cut. He says " We've got a saw inside you should have got us to do it" I tell him my sob story from the other B and then he says "Our saw is out of commission too, but we could cut it with a hand saw" then he follows it up with "and why didn't you get some1 to open the timber door so you could get this out?" It's a pity I liked this guy and he was helpful, cos he would have had an earful any other day!

So the moral of this story: if you can't get something done or find something out at B, it's more likely because the employee is lazy than actually not possible.

2nd moral: If you can manage it during business hours, shop somewhere else!

Whilst I'm ranting about B, there's my local in Thomastown, and opposite is a pump shop - I forget the name.

They are cheaper than B for pip fittings, (only $5 for a 1" tank outlet vs $10 from B) and better yet, you get served! All you do is ask for what you want and they get it for you, or you can look yourself like you do at B (and in my case never find much) It's so easy and so much cheaper, I will NEVER go to B for fitting again, unless it's a sunday or late at night and I'm desperate.

OK rant over :-) hope I didn't hijack this thread with Bunnings bashing