Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

After many hours of reading and looking at pictures of members systems I made a start and got things up and running. Who knows how far it will take me and how large will I go.

First of all I would like to thank you all for the wealth of information on this forum without that information I would never have started this adventure. I'd also like to thank my son Brett for his design, modification and welding on the IBC cage.


The IBC had been used for Citric Acid Solution transportation and was quite easy to clean with a pressure spray. The moment I cut it open I had ants everywhere and hosing it on to the lawn killed off the grass within minutes.

This project had received a a very firm and positive "No more Rubbish is coming into the backyard", so it was all built in secrecy under cover until the CEO of the house could be persuaded and convinced it was a good idea. The burnt patch on the back lawn didn't help the cause either.

I tried cutting the plastic liner with the angle grinder and then found the jigsaw was a better option and the masking tape held it together for the final cut.

That's the Citric Acid laying in the corner of the growbed. I purchased an Aerator then cut and extended the tube so it would reach down close to the bottom of the fish tank to help the fish a little, I don't know if it would be as good as a pump and air stone.

I tried to find a Threaded Back Nut for the growbed inlet and had to build it up from other parts that made it far more expensive than it should have been. I've since found the Back nut in Bunning's so the next growbed will run out slightly cheaper.

The paint job was anything I could lay my hands on in the garage, the black coat was from spray cans, and the second coat was from an old can of green fence paint.

So that green was not meant to please please the tree hugger's it was just a can of old paint that would have been thrown out in the next garage cleanup.

This is the original pump ordered from China because of price, it was shipped on 18th. Feb 2013 and still hasn't arrived so I purchased a similar 3000 l/h pump from Queensland and will use the other as a spare if it ever arrives.

The for mentioned Green Paint applied by brush.

My son Brett's handy work on the cage.

The whole idea of this project and what convinced the CEO of the house to agree on it's building is the fact that is replaces that eyesore of a garden bed on the right in the last photo.

And we all know a happy house is a nice place to live.

The fish tank is filled with some of our lovely Melbourne water, the very same stuff they use in VB beer.

The first test of the bell siphon and all went well, I think I would put a few more holes in the next one or have the same amount of hole and make them slightly larger.

The Clay pebbles being added. Currently there's an old plum tree shading the system that's stopped bearing fruit a couple of years ago so that will go in the next week or so and possibly be replaced with a light coloured shade sail to combat frost in winter.

We are in the middle of a heat wave here at the moment and the plants are suffering so the tree has had a reprieve for the moment.

500mls of Seasol has been added to the water to kick it off and a few plants to start the food chain rolling.

Because the Chinese pump is still on that famous "Slow Boat" I set the system up using a non submersible water pump.

Just to get everything up and running I pumped water from the fish tank to the growbed with a short length of garden hose.

The last two photos are with the new 3000 l/h pump running the system and extended aerator works OK from the bottom of the tank plus the growbed empties at a fair rate so I think it's all going to plan.

Looks like your off to a good start! Interesting flow into the growbed. The splashing may cause you some problems with disease if it lands on plant leaves so you should probably keep an eye out just in case. Algae could also become an issue if this area is in the sun.

If all your threads are the same system, it would help if you could have the moderators combine them. Lot less clicking on threads this way .

Glad you got your system going and I hope you get the go ahead to bring additional beds into the backyard.

Cheers

Hey joe... You know when you create a members system thread you just reply in the thread to keep them all in one thread and not 9 separate ones... Looks nice but would be easier if you just had it all in one thread.

Finishing everything off, the decals are just my weird sense of humor and so far the only fish anywhere near the tank.

Those 90mm tubes on the brickwork are an old hydroponic system and may well finish up in the system somewhere.

The progress so far.

Scotty thanks for the info, there's a few changes that water flow was only to fill the growbed in a hurry while setting up and it now runs at a trickle so I think I'm on the right track now.

Because I'm not used to the site yet, I'm hoping the moderators will combine them for me.

Once again thank you for your advise.

Joe

Nice job mate.

Keep up the good work.

Flipper