Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Great result Rupe - well done!

Well ... the "nuts & bolts" meeting that was supposed to have happened about 12 months ago... never happened...

And with constant bickering and politicking... the grant was deferred...


Indeed.. I'd totally given up on the project...


But arrived home tonight to a message from the TAFE... asking for a meeting to discuss consultancy and supply quotes...

Heading down tomorrow (Thursday)... to talk to "the man"...

First off I want to actually see the budget... or what might be left of it...

Good luck Rupe!

I hope all goes/went well!

Looking on the bright side Rupe--having recently re-reviewed your system threads--with everything that you've learned from the last 12 months mate you should be able to double your fees.

Hope it all went well.

Sadly fishtopia... I'll actually have to cut "my rates" in half...

Initially I submitted a "vision" for the project that ... with my consultancy... was valued ("bare-bones".. )at $150,000...

The TAFE re-drafted to their format and added, what I assumed was their "administrative" fees...

And was awarded a grant totalling $240,000....

The project has been confirmed as going ahead... although out of the $240,000 granted...

After the TAFE has removed their "administrative" fees... and their "profit margin".... (WTF???)...

I've got $70,000 to play with... which has to stretch to a 10 x 25mtr concrete slab, 8 x 18mtr greenhouse, 10 x 4mtr shed, and dual 6 bed BYAP systems...

Second planning meeting this Wednesday...

Cheers Rupert, job well done

speaking of greenhouses, what do you think is the best greenhouse material, glass, plastic or some form of polycarbonate or clear fiberglass?

Depends on location Abdul.... climate... availability... and relative costs...

hmmm, can you recommend any reading on that Rupert...? I'm more concerned with whats the best material to have for the plants, regards available spectrums of light, some material focusing the suns rays and burning the plant and insulation, though that would again depend on climate, what would you see is the dream material for a greenhouse?

Ah ya that sounds about right for government bureaucracy (or any bureaucracy). Start with a budget of 240K and get down to 70K before any work actually begins.


Still - good on you Rupe...it sounds like a nobal cause....I hope there are a few dollars in it for ya!

Hey great work Rupe, maybe you should "outsource" some of your labour and make a bit of money on the side by running courses:


HOW TO SETUP A AP SYSTEM course which runs over a couple of weekends, costs $100 (so that you don't get blow-ins). You supply the gear, they supply the labour. Hopefully you get some sales out of it too.

Likewise for the HOW TO SETUP A GREENHOUSE course.

Are you volunteering Gemmel? Ideal opportunity, training provided, only experienced aquaponics enthusiasts need apply. Bonus, celery packaging hehehe

Regarding your project budget Rupe, it appears that the system is structured so that the person doing most of the work, and providing most of the skills, gets a fraction of the available money. I wish it wasn't such a familiar story. Fingers crossed for you that it will wind up paying better than supplying big supermarkets with lettuces because it sure looks like TAFE have applied the Coles & Woolworths business model to your project.

If nothing else I am sure a lot of good (and hopefully some more business for you) will come from getting more people working with aquaponics and the other systems that you are showcasing.

If there is a pathway to global food security and sustainability then I'm sure these kinds of projects on it so, well done Rupe.

Abdul: regarding your enquiry about greenhouses; there is a useful article titled "Comparing Smart Films" from the "Practical Hydroponics & Greenhouses" free articles collection available at:

http://www.hydroponics.com.au/php/viewtopic.php?t=82

Although the article is from 2004, I would think it is still fairly current and it discusses a lot of the key issues including the effect of the light spectrum on plants.

Have you seen the greenhouse from Rupert's “Holmes a Court” system thread on this forum? If not, a search using Subject "court" and Author "rupertofoz" should bring it up. Rupert is using one of the "smart films" discussed in the above article (a French product called Celloclim). Also, I find the design of the greenhouse frame that Rupert is building addresses most of the performance factors that are of concern to me (and Rupert has posted heaps of good photos of the construction sequence).

I am trying to choose a greenhouse design and smart film for a new AP system at the moment and I have found the mountain of conflicting design constraints that you have juggle to be quite a challenge; so good luck Abdul!

PS: If, like me, you have to counteract the effects of extreme summer heat on your greenhouse then it might be worth thinking about:

http://www.sunnyjohn.com/indexpages/shcs.htm

which appears to be a fiendishly clever method for cheap solar heating and cooling of greenhouses called a Subterranean Heating and Cooling System (SHCS).

Ok.... specs for the concrete slab, tank shed, greenhouse and general layout were agreed today...

My block of consultancy hours has been approved/confirmed and an order raised... formal quotes for the greenhouse and BYAP systems are being prepared for order processing...

Work on excavation and site preparation should begin next week, and the slab, shed and greenhouse should be complete by about mid September ready for installation of the AP systems... and be cycled in time for summer...