Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I will attach a photo just got to sort out a few things
500ltr tank 4x 45ltr cells with constant flow of 500ltrs an hr and im running with about 25 jade perch
as most things im running on a low budget
Im just trying a few different plants pock choy squash lettus and strawberries.
I feed the fish maggots chives and assorted gold fish food they are only small the largest would only be about 45-50 mm long
when i got them from the aquaculture farm , they were a bit itchy some sort of white fugis not white spot , so i put some salt in the water for i didnt have a nursury tank
and i was worried about killing the plants i must have hit the nail on the head the plants are great the fish are happy

Do i have to up the grow bed size to the growth of the fish or is 25 jade perch to many for 500ltrs tank

100 liters of flood and drain media filled grow bed can support up to 3 kg of fish (grown out size). I'm not sure I quite understand the layout/function of your system. What does

mean?
Is that 4, 45 liter grow beds?
Constant flow, does that mean they are constantly flooded or just constant trickle?
Are they media or gravel filled beds or some other method?

Most people here understand the standard of gravel or media filled flood and drain grow beds. Any other method and there are only a few people who can tell you how much fish you can support given another method.
Flood and drain media/gravel filled grow beds of at least 30 cm or 1 foot deep are pretty standard and work well. Any shallower and you don't get as much effective % of flood and drain so getting a good balance is trickier. Deeper is fine but leaves less square footage for plant space but would be appropriate for pre-filtering for DWC or NFT plant space.

You might not get good results with strawberries with salt in the system.

Im getting anoyed with my computer and its photos /// anyhow
yes it is a trikle system a bit unusual in gess each box is 470L X 350W X 300H with expanded clay
the pump is pumping 500Ltres an hour full time .
Under one of the gravle beds ive stuck some filter paper under the surface of the gravel to se how the water spreads
to the plants roots and to use later on for the other beds when i upgrade hoping that it holds the good bacteria then transfer it that way
Im not sure how the straw berries will go i will have to wait untill they are harvestable but so far the plant it self is looking good
They are all looking very good the squash is off like rocket well for a seedling its growing fare beter than the ones ive stuck in the dirt

Like i say im getting anoyed with stupid programs that come with computers that dont do anything for photoes
im no good at spelling either

are you using vista?

Hi Frogger.... 25 Jades in 500L... is eventually going to be way overstocked for your level of filtration... and your method of filtration IMO...

I've also utilised "trickle towers" as a means of filtration... both continuously and intermittently by timers....

IMO.... they result in entended levels of Nitrites... and take substantially longer to cycle than flood & drain growbeds....

They also require regular cleaning....

At the moment, with your fish being small and your feed rate low.... both factors may not be so apparant... or even problematical.... but in the long run they will be....

IMO.... continuous flow systems... used in the configuration you have ... just don't perform like flood & drain, clog... and stifle the nitrification cycle....

And are extremely sensitive to interruption... such as when cleaned (a necessity)... where they almost inevitably result in a nitrite spike...

With 4 x 45L trickles... you only have about 160L of filtration for your 500L tank volume.... no where near enough IMO... even with more efficient bio-filtration & nitrification that flood & drain would provide...

But as you already have them.... I'd suggest retain them (as they will partially do the job at low feed rate).... and invest in at least 500L of flood & drain growbed ASAP...

As your fish grow out ... IMO.... you will need at least another 500L growbed.... this then poses you with a problem of fluctuating tank volume... and will mean you will have to incorporate a sump....

In which case I'd suggest investing in at least a 1000L tank... and moving your fish to that tank... retaining the 500L as a sump...

OR... the 1000L tank would suffice (without a sump) to service 2 x 500L growbeds if used with a timer and overflow standpipe arrangement...

It would also bring your stocking level into manageable ratios... and help alleviate a host of other problems ... such as temp fluctuations, water fluctuations etc...

RupertofOZ thankyou for the information it is
great help and confirms my concerns

Probably in the next month i will get a bigger GB then make a change in the media mybe use a gravle mix cause as it is expanded clay anit cheap befor is tarted with the clay i was looking at scoria but you dont get much of that around qld so i gave that a miss. Mean while if i do notice a large spike in the nitrate levels i will
do water changes then still later on i will remove some of the jades , maybe a pet shop will take some and then sell them to some
poor bugger for $75.00 each what a rip off , or i will put a poast in on this site to get rid of a few ,someone in brisbane might want some .

As this is for me just a trial system ive been reading and suspecting problems later on as you say

creative1
Yes i am using vista i will probably have to download a photo shop of some sort