Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Saw the link for your new booklet on Aquaponic Gardening's site. Have already started into it and just wanted to say Thank You. I'm sure I'll continue thanking you as I make my way all the way through. Thank You.

This is great, job well done. Nothing like seeing your name up in lights lol.

I almost forgot how it all started. System has changed a bit since those photo's were taken but layout has stayed the same. Swirl filter only lasted a few weeks.

Planning a bigger and better all IBC system inspired by OBO that will take up most of my back. I will start a new thread when it gets under way.

Yeah there's a fair few of the systems that have changed or are changing... That's how it goes with AP isn't it, always changing..



It will "take up most of your back" if you shovel all that gravel..

We have someone in the shop now with a few pages of the manual printed out, looking for all the fittings and an IBC... Faye, I think we'd better hurry up and make a little fitting set..

Yep it is on the list- tomorrow, yeah?

Faye, Joel you two are great! I know this was a huge amount of work to put together and it is great.

Glad that you like it TC

Dear Earthbound,

This is truly a job well done! I will be upgrading my system sometime end of next year and I really have my eyes on IBCs. I read through the document and it has been really helpful in my designs and also possible flaws. Wonderfully compiled and cheerful to read. Kudos to your team!

I print all the Backyard AP Mags at work and use their book binding gizmo to put them together. Not sure how I'm going to get away with 180+ pages but I start 1 hour before the rest of the office so will be doing a little "sly" printing for a few days!!!

I didn't even want to print it out ourselves... Damn toner is so expensive. Over $100 for each colour, so over $400 to stock the colour laser, and at one stage the first toner was empty after only 1 week, the rest didn't last out the next week.. So over $400 of toner in less than 2 weeks.... Aaaaaahhhhhhh.....!!!!!

When they talk of prints per cartridge they are talking about 5% page coverage, when you produce magazines and colourful things, printing out to mark up, ends up being REALLY expensive... We don't use the laser so much any more.. Little ink jet in draft mode is way cheaper....

Plus the initial cartridges you get with any printer are only about one third full

have you tried any "recycled" toner cartridges?

Great job. Just downloaded...now for the read

Had a slow day at work yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed reading your manual.

Thanks for putting it all together, and thanks to those who contributed.

I have a neat cheap and simple single barrel system that I'm happy to send you details on for your next book. It's tidy enough that my missus let's it sit in full view on our back verandah whilst all my other misadventures have to stay hidden in the shed.

Thanks guys, it is a wonderful resource and very well-written and illustrate. I've printed and laminated it ... looks amazing. Been spending most of my free time reading it!

Here are some corrections to be done; it is mostly a case of the parts list not being consistent with text in the instructions (a search and replace will probably be fastest):

Text:32mm pipe. Parts List: 40mm

Text: "drill with holes 150-20cm apart". Correction: 150-200mm

Text: Two 30x50 timber supports. Parts List: This item is missing

Text: 1x IBC. Parts List: This item is missing

Text: Cable Ties. Parts List: This item is missing

Correction in Parts List: 30cm of 90mm storm pipe

Text: 32-25mm reducing coupling. Parts List: 40-25mm reducing coupling

Text: water from an established system. Parts List: This item is missing. How much of it is needed? 1-2L?

Some things I didn't understand from reading are:

How is the 90mm stand pipe connected to the 50mm valve fitting?

Some ideas for improvement of the parts list could be to group the components by type, e.g. the parts for the irrigation pipe, the pump fittings, etc. The interconnects can then be listed separately. A diagram would be most useful too!

But all in all, excellent work guys - this is a huge document that was very professionally done.

Thanks for making it free - you could just have released a simple word document, but went far above and beyond that - I can see the pride, blood, sweat, and tears shine through the quality of work your contributed to the AP community at large!

Thanks for he feedback Quasar, I think with the bits and pieces we have received of feedback we might upgrade it to revision 1.1 in the next few days and upload the new revision with changes.. Not worth people downloading it if they have it already, but for those downloading in the future, it's all a bit more polished.

The 90mm standpipe surround just sits inside the red cap, it's not attached in any way, if it was attached, then you wouldn't be able to rotate it to cut off the roots as part of your weekly maintenance.