Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

It works!!!
Water goes up, through and back again.

OK with a limited amount ($200 "if I’m lucky" says my Darling) I surged ahead to making a system that will eventually supply ‘real veggies’.

This is what I used:
1x rusty old half water tank ….$0
15 x half tyres ………………..$0
Some 4 m wide plastic …… .$30 (Came off a roll 50m for $129 [Bunnings] very thin but if careful is ok [so far])
A 1500lt pump ……………...$30 (New from E-bay)
Half Trailer of S/Pea Gravel ...$35
Pipe & Silicon ………………$25
10 x Comet Fish……………. $20

$140 so far – need some plants, testing kit and a timer.
Everything else was old junk being thrown out or lying around.

Ok Pickies ...



Sinking the tank a bit


Making the GB table. Filling up the tyres with the extra sand.


Carpet the bottom of the tank so rust will not prick the plastic, and I have carpet where I live so why not the fish?


GB bed frame came from an old sofa bed (Which are exactly 6x2).


Line the bed with old ply wood.


My fish!

_

4 days to wash the gravel (after work) - phew finished. I used fly wire draped over a wheelbarrow fill with water. Really sloshed the gravel around, then pulled up the gravel – like a fishing net to carry over to the GB. Fired up the pump and the water is fairly clean. (Not recommended for a big system - my back!!)

Don't have a photo with all the excess plastic cut off – please imagine it for the time being.

Need to by a timer (didn’t think about that before – great planning :/ )
And scung some slim from someone’s system (to kick start it off hopefully) – anyone north of the river in Perth got some spare slim?

That’s it – med system under $200.

MajorTypo

PS Don't believe the date on the photo's - flat battery again

Looks great. What kind of plastic is the 4 mill?

I love junkaponics!

Way to go!

Mmmm, so scroungy...

Kewl MajorTypo.....

Enjoy how you have employed "F&F" scrounging techniques to build your BYAP system

I live in a "northerly" direction from Perth (kinda )

Not North, MajorTypo, but congratulation to a fellow-scrounger-verge picker upper. Feel free to come and take a look (certified organic gardens included), and take home some (free) plants and seeds.

whoa, good work. I've been thinking about doing something like this, but i'm just too damned lazy (& would be bitterly bitterly disappointed if it didn't work out after all that effort.. )

junkaponics is the best nickname for this! I'm totally down with that! w3rd.

Over here - our biggest hardware store is called Bunnings. They sell rolls of 4m wide plastic by 50m long for about $120 - this being 200uhm (uhm? or something). Normally pond plastic is twice the thickness, but I wasn't prepaired to pay $160 just for a 4x4m square bit of plastic.

(Longer roll is handy as I was able to sell part of it where everyone saved)

For our international viewers - EllKayBee's humor is based on that
Brissy is to Perth as New York is to LA (other side of country)

So thanks - err next time I'm driving by ...

BTW what's F&F?

200um (builders plastic)
...What you don't know who F&F is???
a 1000 lashes to you!
I am sure after you read steems link you will be on the right track!
Not that you scrounging tactics don't indicate good use of resources.
Well done on the junkaponics!

I would usually push people to go with the more costly EPDM pond liner since it is very tough. I've had to re-do ponds that people used plastic in. Anyway, be careful with it as moving gravel is a pain.

Very resourceful, congratuleations and well done to you. Will you be coming to the next get together at the BYAP shop in Jandakot MajorTypo?