Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi all. Am in Ballarat and am going to build a system. Have seen one run by a relative who consults on commercial fish farming, so I have access to a mentor (in WA) BUT.... am keen to meet with Ballarat based people.
Am thinking 1000L with a mix of silver perch and trout, about 1 x 2 to 2.5m, grow beds with expanded clay, filter on the pump. I expect some fish losses as I learn.

Any recommendations re tank supplies will be appreciated. Am handy with wood but would think a fibreglass or plastic fish tank would be best.

And should I include heating in the system design, being based in Ballarat? Or will the SPs & Trout manage just fine?
Many Thanks
John

Hi John,

I would have two fish tanks in the system if you are planning in running those two species. Run SP's in one FT all year round, and Trout in the other FT over the cooler months. Trout season is usually early May through to late October here in Perth, I would imagine Ballarat wouldn't be too different. Heating wouldn't be required.

Expanded clay is an excellent growing medium, and I wouldn't run a filter on the pump, buy a dirty water pump, the Aquapro AP3000DW, or Aquapro AP6000DW would be good options, depending on the size of the system.

If you cycle the system properly prior to adding the fish, stock sensibly (ie: 1x SP per 20L of wet gravel, or 25L per Trout), and monitor water conditions regularly, you shouldn't expect any fish deaths... Both species are very easy to grow, and it's not as hard, or complicated as some make it out to be.

Thanks Mr Damage. Plan is to be a simple as possible - less can go wrong. Will check out the pumps - i figured a filter to remove solids so the expanded clay wouldn't fill with solids (assuming it can). We have a trout hatchery in town selling brown and rainbows so getting those as fry or fingerlings are easy. Will get water temp advice from the hatchery as they know local conditions.

Now to read the IBC and other stuff on the forum.
Cheers

Hi John,

Welcome to the forum, you'll find a wealth of information, and while it can be overwhelming at first you'll get there.

I second Mr Damage's suggestion of having two separate tanks if you want to have SP and trout. I have done this by just having two simple 'IBC of Aquaponics' setups. So far so good, although I do need more growing space, so if you add more from the start you'll probably find it handier.

If you keep your stocking levels to a sensible level then you don't have to worry so much about GB's clogging. Expanded clay is quite expensive, I went with scoria and it's proven quite good so far and much cheaper.

You should have a fairly long trout season in Ballarat, especially if you insulate your tanks. The guys at the hatchery should be able to tell you how their water levels behave and give you an idea of what to expect. There is a member on BYAP who isn't too far away from you named Stuart, who I think would have a better idea of the conditions you'd be expecting, climate wise.

Depending on what you want your system to look like, you could set up two IBC systems, say from two IBC's for each, using one as the fish tank and the other cut in half lengthways for two GB's. That should give you a decent amount of filtration and surface area to grow things on.

I probably would have done that if I was able to more easily get the IBC's, but it would have been an pain, so instead I have two single IBC setups, which I am going to add an extra GB to each by cutting another IBC in half and using one half for each.

Anyway I'm rambling, welcome again!

Thanks very much for the pointers. Life is (and dollars are) too short to make mistakes by not learning from others. I can get IBCs for $50 each i think. I'd prefer a round FT so solids can settle in the centre.

I'm always on the prowl for cheap IBC's close to home, if you feel like sharing your source shoot me a PM hehe.

A round FT is more useful I think, they do just tend to cost a little more than the ol' IBC setup. But you benefit in the long run in terms of durability and functionality (no dead spots, can make a swirl happen easily, etc). You'll just need two if you want to have trout and SP that's all (SP can happily co-habitate with catfish, trout just like to be by themselves).

A member here called Porter gave the name of a fish farm in Macedon that produces SP http://macedonnativefishfarm.com.au/ They are probably your best bet for SP, I'll be heading there shortly to pick some up. Prices are good, super-cheap for larger numbers, and from what Porter says they are really good quality, healthy fish.