Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hello everyone, I had a system back in 2009 in South Africa and my wish was then to migrate to Aistralia and also get into Aquaponics. March 2015 one wish came true as I migrated to Perth. This week my last wish came true as I finished the IBC system.


Starting IBC tank. Bought 3 for $100



The tank took me a fair bit of elbow grease to scrub and clean.



I followed Fays step by step instructions from ththe video and cut the IBC Tank according





I found a advert on gumtree for Pea Gravel. The person let me fill my GB for $30.

I do not have a UTE so I made a plan to get my grow media. Had to load a wheel burrow, empty the when burrow with a shovel into the car, empty the car at my house with a bucket onto the grass, wash the gravel and used the bucket to get it finally into the GB on top of FT.






I made a custom fitting with normal fittings bought at Bunnings. Used a marine type silicone to glue the components together. The IBC cap has a smaller cap in it, so I made a fitting that screws into that cap.





Testing my auto syphon to see if it breaks the cycle. I had 1 pipe in but after a few trial runs another one was added to break the cycle on the outside.





Now that the system floods and drains I have the following questions. Please help me out.

1. Flood time is 6min40sec and drain time is 1min55sec. I have a 1400 l/h pump so I manage to get about 7 cycles in an hour - Is the timing ok?

2. I have about 300l of GB. - Should I only fill my FT to 300l to have the perfect 1:1 ratio of can I fill the GB to about 600l for a bit more space for the fish?

3. Today is the 1st day that the system is cycling. - How long should I cycle for the bacteria to form?

4. I have no fish in yet, should I get my pH towards the mid 7's before adding fish?

5. I have no temperature controller. I am thinking of Silver Perch for my system as I have read they can survive from 10 to 30 degrees in water. Just that their feeding and growth rates will be effected by those harsh temperatures. (Correct me if I am not fully correct on this)

6. When can I plant the vegetables... once I have a certain amount of ammonia in the system, or once the bacteria is formed and the nitrate levels are ok?

7. With keeping the timing in mind, should I have an additional return to oxiginate the water or would every 7min of water flushing in be enough for the fish to survive?

That's in advance for the help and advice. Will update the thread as the system progresses!

Happy growing [SMILING FACE WITH OPEN MOUTH AND SMILING EYES]


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Hiya Jacko, great start to the thread, pics a bit big though...
Fill your ft, it will add stability to your system, your goal is to turn the ft water over every hour.
Run your system hydroponically on Charlie carp or similar for your ammonia source(aim for 2-3 ppm) and get some plants in now. It will take some time for your system to cycle with this weather and it's not worth getting silvers just yet as they won't eat much this time of year(too cold).
Once the bacteria gets established the pH will drop. A higher pH helps with cycling.
Provided you don't overstock aeration should be fine. Remember 1 fish per 20-25 litres of wet media.
Hope this helps and look forward future updates of the inevitable expansion.

Sorry for the pics, I used Tapatalk and could not choose the size. Will see if I can edit them on the PC.

I saw now that I can buy Charlie Carp at Bunnings. Will get that tomorrow. Also will try to get a water test kit to post the test results.

Just to make sure I understand the quantity of fish. If I have 300l of wet medie in the GB I would have about 12-15 fish in my system?

All the other info is awesome thanks!


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I bought this stuff called Ag-Grow grow. From the label at the back I assume the needed nutrients will do?

As I understood the dilution its 5ml for medium strength. That is for seedlings. So I used my GB 300l and I used 60ml of the Ag-Grow in my FT. Does that make sense?





I got seedlings to speed up the process.
Tomato
Strawberry
Broccoli
Lettuce

I got these seeds, there were no seedlings:
Capsicum
Cayenne chilly
Cucumber

I washed the roots before I planted them





Finally my GB is planted (the White rocks is just marking of the seeds I placed under the media)





Where can I find the test kits that the guys have to test for Nitrates, ammonia and pH?


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Hiya Jacko API freshwater test kit is the popular choice can be purchased on eBay but if you don't mind paying a couple more dollars Cheidys in Jandicot have them on the shelves, great for a wander through the different systems or just for the free lollies while you're there. Some hydro stores sell the kits also.
On the subject of hydro, I'm not sure about that plant feed, I've not seen it before, there are some heavy metals in it and perhaps too lower ammonia for cycling your system. Mr Damage would have a better idea on the suitability of the solution. There are some things you can feed plants that don't agree with fish, hopefully someone else will pipe up.
12-15 fish would be the limit with that size GB.
Hth

I was advised to get Charlie Carp but the Lady at Bunnings argued so strongly that I bought the Ag-Grow in stead.

Would that have been better?

Hope Mr Damage would help with advice then I can take it from there.

Think I will order one from EBay and maybe a ph tester. Doubt that I will have fish in the next 2 weeks.


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Looks good!

Maybe start a new thread regarding the plant feed, post the bottle pic and ask the question.
I wouldn't put it in my system without further information....

I posted a tread. From the information I read online and also the description on the bottle, I can't seem to see why I can't use it in the system... It's formulated for hydroponics, but surely if the back terai forms and the pH is lowered along with fair levels of Nitrates then it would be safe to add fish.... Well that's how I understood what I read.

Jacko,

Good start. With nothing in your system, you will need to go hard with supplements to get things growing. Don't expect too much this time of year, as there is not much heat.

I got my system running about this time of year a few years back. I used sea sol and bottles of old wee. My system was originally on a timer, but then just left the pump running.

Come spring it went green for a few days, I stopped feeding (sea sol and wee) for a few days, then, clear again, then I kept it going with sea sol until I got fish (Silver Perch) from Gavin. 12-15 is a good safe number, I have more now, but my feeding ratio is not high, (5 kgs of food in one year) and my system is mature.

Personally I'd take the nutrient back to Bunnings... I doubt the woman working there would know much about aquaponics..

says a man of authority and knowledge.

I returned the Ag-Grow stuff and got Powerfeed as per this post by Mr. Damage.
viewtopic.php?t=24344

This is the one for Tomatos and vegetables.



I got a API test kit at City Farmers... 1st time owing a test kit so very excited to see what my test results would be.



I am going to test my water and post results later. Then Will add the 2 caps of Power feed and test again in a day to measure the Ammonia levels.

This forum is awesome and the people sharing their knowledge with us that are in the beggining phase.


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I did my tests and these where the results.

pH - 7.6 (I figured I rather need to test the high pH as well)



High pH - 8.2 it looks like to me



Ammonia - 0.5 ppm (Maybe the Ag-Grow I put in added a small amount of ammonia)



Nitrites - 0 (I did not bother to test for Nitrates at this stage)



After I did the tests I added the Power feed into my system. Only 2.5 caps where added in. Will test again in 2 days to see how the ammonia levels have picked up.

Today is day 7 of the system running. On day 5 I added the Power Feed. As of today its still fish less. Also to keep in mind that we had rain in Perth (Wanneroo) for the last 2 days so that have an impact on the water test as well?
Readings of todays water tests:

I did not bother to take the normal pH reading as I thought it would still be high and it was. I tested and the pH High and it came at 8.2



It looks like the ammonia picked up to 1.0 ppm. That is good news I think?



For the Nitrites it still gives me a reading of 0



I am confused about the Nitrate test I did. I understand that one bacteria takes the ammonia, converts it to Nitrites, then another bacteria takes the Nitrites and converts it into Nitrates. How can I have Nitrates in my system but no Nitrites. Could it be from the Ag-Grow I added on day 2 that I got Nitrate readings? The Nitrates looks to me like 0.5



I made a graph just to keep a track record of how the system is doing that might be easier for the people helping me with advice to see what is going on.