Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

My utopia system in early stages...

Could be loosly described as aquaponics... however this system combines, human habitation, recreation and food production in one ecosystem, all in our front yard (no more tinkering away in the back shed).

Consists of:

1. Swimming pool grow out pond max 2.8m deep around 28m dia.
2. Sediment pond 1.2m in middle 25m diameter.
3. Rock weir (with snake) 20cm deep 5m wide, 12m long
4. 3 x growbeds (stock troughs) 1.8m dia and between 400-600 deep.

Most aquatic plants are submergent type atm, many more to follow.

Thanks to all the trail blazers that have so generously given me knowledge to get this done.

Cheers, asitis

Forgot to add the obvious. Standard 300w pool pump lifts water from the bottom of the swimming pool to the grow beds, drawn through a foot valve, flow adjusted via gate valves in trough. Troughs overflow to sediment pond.

Photos to describe progress from march 19 till now. Any questions welcome. Many more photos to come.

Man that's HUGE...

Yeah Joel I went a bit OB thats for sure! could only really justify the expense due to it surving many functions to all the family.
Ok time for more photos. Stakes with yellow top show what will be water height.

Oh wow!!

Seeing that concrete finished must have been one satisfying moment indeed!

Whats next? How many fish are going in there and what kind? I guess you'll harvest with rod and line!

Where's the diving board gonna go?

I would go with a few wales and some sharks for entertainment.

Its huge, I want one, too

Lol whales and sharks!

The system worked out to be around 1/3 $ of a standard swimming pool. With much less on going costs.

I currently have 50 silver perch and 50 yellowbelly fingerlings to keep down mosquitos until the aquatic plant life establishes. The troughs have smealt and carp gudgeon. I hope to get some purple spotted gudgeon and murray river rainbows, which the other two troughs are finished.

After the plants grow i'll still probably keep similer stocks as we primarily use it for swimming.

We have already had three duck species visit. A white faced herron a white necked herron and a spoonbill which is a rare hightlight. So hope plants grow quick, otherwise there'll be no fish left. Sorry about the side ways photos, can work out how to rotate.

More pics

The Old Girl got stoned.
What you are doing is my plan for my next station. I plan to include my house, have a little live stream in it.
Right now it is impossible, arid land, no well and winters with -25 and fresher temps and up to 6 feet of snow on the ground.
I hope to be in the next 5 years in a new country and than start that adventure.

Wow they sure are challenging conditions gnoib, the worst here is a few frosts in winter -3 ish deg c and high summer temps upto 45deg c for a few weeks. Have you tried dew nets in the spring/summer to collect water? When i wad laying the seperation fabric a was amazed at the condensation that formed and ran off each day.

Cheers, Sam

More pics

More pics

I tried condensation traps, but they hardly produce anything. We average in the summer mid 30s C and if the Monsoon does not show up, as in the last 3 years, we have around 19% humidity for 3 to 4 month.
We have so to speak 2 seasons, winter and summer.
We hope for lots of snow in the winter, so we have enough moisture to get us through the summer.

What you are building is my dream for the future.

Last few pics to bring it up to date.