Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

It's time to start planning my main system. I plan on using 2 IBC's, one as the Fish Tank and the other cut in half to make the sump tanks. This is going to be a CHOP system.

My plan is to put a sump under each of the grow beds and join them together so I only need 1 pump. I think I will stay with the bell siphons for the moment as I have them working OK and am confident I could make bigger ones for the new GB's

Medium wise I want to go with the clay balls, even though they are more expensive they are much kinder on the hands and also I will not be using excess water on having to clean the stones.

Fish wise I want to start with silver perch even though they do take longer to grow out I can grow them all year with out worrying if the water is too cold or too warm?

I have attached some renders of what I am thinking?




Question, if you grow trout in Melbourne over winter what do you grow over summer?

Please all suggestions welcome!

Hi Brett perhaps when you grow trout for the winter you could follow by growing silver perch for the next 18 months, or have 2 fish tanks and do both at the same time. Do you have access to barramundi for the summer months?

Hi Brett, your system is very similar ,well, the same as I am thinking of for my new system.
Only difference is I have a 2000L ft
I will be stocking with silver perch and catfish which both can be kept year round in vic I beleive.
If you want to have trout in winter and something else in summer, then you will need to source either barra's or Jade perch, and they are hard to get down here. Well this is from my searching anyway

Edit: Great schemetics btw

Thanks for the replies.

That's what I have been trying to work out in the way of fish. Every one seems to talk about trout here in Vic, maybe because it's winter?

I'm not sure we have a long enough summer down here to grow barra out as much as I would love to grow them. That's why I am thinking SP 1st at the start of summer for 18 months which would put me into the winter of 2012 then I can do trout over that winter then back into Sp for the following18 months.

Not sure about catfish, they just look to slimy and the thought of eating one, that's just crazy talk.

Mind you I still have to get this all past the minister for planning and finance.

IMO... the Eel-tailed Catdish is the most under-valued & under-rated table fish in Australia....

And I can live with that!

Haha, yeah they look spooky but even the river caught catfish here are yummo
But its your system, and the silver perch for 18months then trout should work

Hi brett. I agree with Rupe ,Eel-tailed Catfish are yum.

They maybe but there is just something about them.

If they cleans and filleted themselves then we might be having a different discussion.

Not quite sure about the barra or jades in melb . will most likely have to heat for some of the period (maybe able to hook up some solar heating to get an early start and late finish). With some of the FT temps that I've logged over the past year suggests that we can expect at lease 4 months of water temps above 20 degrees (My system is in a hot house as well so this maybe shorter). You can get at lease 8-9 months growing time with trout before the heat gets to them. I'm sure someone with first hand experience will comment in regards to the Barra & Jades
Like the sketch up drawing

Regards

Matt

As has been said a few times, get some silvers (25 or so) as soon as your water is sitting over 18 deg c, grow them over summer, and as soon as you hit around 20 deg c, get them out of the big tank, chuck them into the sump tanks, and put trout into the big tank.

Jobs done, nice drawings too.

Oh, if your stands are strong enough, 1/2 fill the beds with gravel, then top dress with hydroton. The hydro is nice to plant in, and the gravel supports the plants WAY WAY betterer.

Thanks OutbackOzzie I like that idea. If I have 2 x 500l sumps that should work OK.

Going to Perth in August for a couple of days so was planning a visit to mecca to get some more ideas before I start building.

Really want to have things in place but the start of summer