Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi Guys, just wanted to say G'day, Im new to aquaponics, in fact I still have not started my first project but will soon, been doing alot of research, bought Murrays videos and loved them and have been watching many youtube vids on people with systems etc. It looks like so much fun and I cant wait to get my first system operational.

Not sure if this is the correct place to ask this but I have come across a system called Autopot Aquaponics, the inventors name is Jim Fah, he has a shop at Gardenworld on Springvale road in Melbourne. The way he does it is kind of different than traditional aquaponics as he lets fresh water into the fish tank and then using a dosing system he feeds the plants with the combination of fish waste and nutrients, the water is not recirculated back to the fish. I know this is not true aquaponics and may offend some purists but I was interested in the system and was wondering if anyone had heard of it and/or using the autopot system themselves and would like to give me some information in regards to it, ie: is it a good system and/or is traditional aquaponics a better way to go.

Any information will be greatly appreciated, just want to start my first project with as much knowledge as possible so as to minimise trouble etc.

Thanks guys for your time and I will now have a look at the rest of the forum and see what goodies I can uncover.

Kind regards
Soulkreed

Hello Soulkreed and welcome to BYAP

I haven't heard about Autopot and am fairly new to AP. However, from everything I've read and learned--success is based on the water. I think that maintaining the appropriate levels in the water would be extremely difficult if you were always adding fresh water. Recirculating the water allows you the ability to correct issues that you may encounter with the water. I would suggest that you look at some of the members systems on this forum---they've had great successes and I haven't seen anyone (as of yet) that uses the method you are referring to.

Again welcome to BYAP and can't wait to see you build your system.

Thanks Shelley for your welcome and advice, much appreciated. I too am looking forward to starting my first system.

@Soulkreed - Hi and welcome, please post some pictures when you have your system up and running, We love our pictures here.

Regards

Welcome to the forum SoulKreed. You may want to take a look at Jim's system since I know he uses some autopots. Long thread but he's one of the better growers that I've seen here.

http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=749&hilit=jim%27s+system&start=420

I've always though using these for a drain to waste type system would be very efficient provided you could deal with any salt buildup on the media. Run like this they would remove waste from the system but they wouldn't act as a filter so much as a drain.

Hi Scotty435, thanks. I have had many looks at Jims posts etc and are very impressed with what he is doing. I actually thought he was the inventor Jim Fah himself but when I went to Gardenworld the other day Sam told me that he is overseas in Malaysia and a very busy man overseeing one of the worlds largest autopot aquaponics systems.

I just look with envy on his sytem and how great and healthy everything looks and to see that he has tried many other techniques aquaponically and has gone down the autopot road, so it must be an awesome system.

Hi Curious, thanks for the welcome. I will definately post some pictures. Definately go the autopot route and are looking at Estuary Perch for my tank as I live in Melbourne and it is a local species, found a hatchery that supplies them.

Regards.