Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I made a new BSF pod from a 55g drum. It had the top and the bottom still on so I cut a door in the bottom and put a screen over one of the holes in the top, then put it at a 30 deg angle with the screened hole down. I put a collection bucket at the top of the slope near the door. I had a pod started in a 5g bucket and transferred it in to the new pod. I was getting about 20 BSF a day until today when I put some guides on the slope to help the BSF crawl into the bucket. Today I came home and found about 300 in the bucket. What was happening was the BSF would crawl up the slope until reaching the ridge in the drum then turn and try to climb around the circumference of the drum instead of up the slope. At some point they would fall off and roll back to the bottom. The guides appear to have fixed the problem. I will post pix soon. If this crawl off rate continues I wont need to feed any pellets to my fish anymore.

Great work!!

Can not wait to see the photos.\

Yeah, they're very productive when the weather is warm. If you get more than you can use, they freeze very well also.

my wife would freak if she found a pound of maggots in the freezer.

here are some pics.

Hey MM - good looking harvest. I read once, somewhere, that if the white (immature) ones are coming out, it's getting too hot in there. That's either from heating from direct sunlight, or from the heat they generate themselves.

Today was a hot day. I didnt get white ones yesterday. I put a shade over the bin today. I think it was too hot.

Excellent BSFL bin machineman!! Definitely one of the best DIY bins I have ever seen. It simply blows the socks off mine. Can you show how your drainage system works a bit more? (i.e. more pictures). I've found the most difficult thing about keeping BSF is figuring out drainage that doesn't clog.

Thanks!!

great pod. Simple & very effective

BSF are not a complete and balanced diet... while high in protein, they're also very high in fat....

They were a big thing in US aquaculture for a while.... but most have abandoned them due to the high fat content... other are actually rendering them down... and usually feeding them as a supplement along with the pellet feed...

render out the fat - make bio-diesel
press and cube the remainders to make fish food blocks

Machine man how goes the pod? Any pics? I would like some more info on the drain If possible???? Looks great btw

It does look good!