Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

hey guys

first i want to say thanks to all the members here, I have been learning stacks since I first attempted putting a system together, December 2011 I tried the IBC with the top flipped upside down first, encountered problems, so made adjustments, spent time online (majority of problems I found answers for on this forum, along with other online resources). learnt all about ph, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and the cycling process and the importance in the overall scheme of things (dont worry no fish were harmed, to date i have only lost 1 jade perch, a kamikaze effort jumped out of my tank ) I worked out siphons, water flow etc etc... all on the fly, I must admit I did a fair bit of research prior to setting up my initial system, however I can be impatient. I bought more IBC totes and have since upgraded my system twice, I learnt that a bigger system provides more stability and currently in the process of another expansion currently I am working with
- CHIFT PIST system
- 1000ltr FT
- 700ltr ST (usually holding about4-500ltrs)
- 2 x gravel grow beds 300mm of gravel in each (autosiphon)
- Custom built stands
my most recent upgrade to the system has been the construction of another custom built stand holding 2 x grow beds which at the moment I have started kitting one out with a floating raft and a solids filter, my problem with this is that I didnt really account well for the time taken for seedlings to develop so I currently only have it half stocked with seedlings the last grow bed is plumbed for another floating raft however I plan on seeing progress on this one first, otherwise I will convert to a third gravel bed.

I have had the jade perch since april and I recently had problems with fish flashing, ammonia had registered as did nitrites, so after a bit of research I have taken action, by ceasing feeding (I believe the problem was caused by overfeeding), I have increased oxgenation of the FT by installing 2 x airstones near the surface and also converting my previous inlet design to a spray bar and finally salting my system (I did however, only salt my fish tank to 2ppt with airstones for 1hr, then I switched the water back on to filter through the whole system, now sitting around 1ppt). Fingers crossed the problem has been minimized.

My ph sitting around 6.5, i add seaweed extract on a weekly to fortnightly basis (whenever i remember) and chelated iron approximately 1 teaspoon every couple of months or when I see plants yellowing. I do shift work so often I go through stages where I cant use my chilli, garlic, seasol, mollasses mix spray regularly enough so I do continually have pest problems or even fungal problems (zucchinis and cucumbers) still yet to source potassium bicarbonate. I have harvested cucumbers, lettuce, silverbeets, watercress, strawberrys, snow peas, beans, tatsoi, bok choy etc... have had exceptional growth by a lot of other plants but sometimes i get beaten to harvest by the grubs slowly learning

Anyways, thanks again to all whose posts/threads I have utilised to this point in time, maybe I can even become of assistance to others at some stage. thanks to anyone reading

robbity

Hi Robbity, wlecome to the forum officially

We love pics remember!

here are some pics after my first upgrade.

some more as it has progressed and i eventually upgraded again

and more

and lastly as it is today, with my newly installed splash bar, also a quick update, the ammonia and nitrites have died after 1 day not feeding and increased oxygen and salting the tank, the fish did not appear to be flashing anymore but i will keep an eye on them to ensure that it stops there, and i think i will give one more day with no feed to make sure or maybe a light feeding?

Excellent work. Great to see you found many of your answers here, and great to see someone actually exhibiting and bit of initiative, monitoring, doing some research, and applying some patients, rather than their first post being a panicked "help my fish are dying!"

How does your ft lid work, have you got it hinged on one side?

Very impressive

Thanks guys.... At the moment the FT lid is just the base of one of my other IBC totes, I am hoping to get around to tidying the whole system up with old timber cladding and a timber lid on FT with hinge, to make access to fish easier come harvest time, also looking at better designs for trellis. I must admit it is very addictive.... Recently been looking at vermiculture to compliment my AP and dirt gardens.

its looking really good!!

keep the pics coming

nice work mate. love how you are doing it with re-usables but its still easy on the eye. I am a newby and I have been buying the expensive growbeds and stands because they look good ( and I am a newby) but to expand the system as much as I want would cost a fortune. Thanks for the inspiration.

Looking good. As DrLuke says good to see someone who has done their research before jumping in the deep end and running into lots of problems.

@Frostyboy: check out Outbackozzie's commercial thread. You may find some inspiration there for how you can grow your system to the size you may want in an 'economical' way. He has used complete IBC's as growbeds - just cut the top off for the plants.

You can find the thread here: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=6616

thanks again guys, and glad i could help inspire to any extent.

icemandude, i was checking out your parents system you have helped build, amazing, i have already been showing my missus (not sure how impressed she is though, still getting one system operating and planning the next hahahaha) i appreciate how much effort was involved, though it does give me good inspiration for any future systems i develop which i have no doubt there will be more....

arbe, i am not going to lie, i have had my hiccups, partly due to a bit of impatience with previous system designs and also a bit of overfeeding (my latest issue) but thankfully due to the wealth of knowledge available within this forum, i have been able to overcome without any fatal consequences.... so far..... touch wood

thanks again everyone for the great info

Nice work. Great looking system

pulled out a nice lettuce tonight for my salad also added home grown cucumber aswell.... now just waiting for the tomatos to pull through and start supplying