Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Well, a big day yesteray, even washed some of the gravel myself LOL
Ist growbed is complete, and irigation grid installed (no glue on irrigation grid pipes, 6mm holes on underside)

Thought I had all the pipes from pump to top of tank glues, then was doing the rest and lifting the pump out by the pipe and it fell off LOL. So one more pipe glued, then decided to add in ball valve and tap to send water to the garden if doing a water change or want to fertilise the garden plants.

Will run the current water out today, as I'm no happy with it, and I want to add a tap between the two tanks (which I forgot to do initially) so I can isolate one from the other.
Was asleep on the couch at 8 pm and crawled off to bed at 9 so didn't have a chance to find out if my helper is returning today. All is required to be done now to cycle it is 6 inches deeper hole to put the sump tank in, 3 joins glued and return piping from sump to fish tank done. Woo hoo!!

Oh yeah, and clean another cubic metre of gravel for the second bed, and finish the greenhoues and.....

Looking good. How deep is the pipe going to the grow bed burried?

Ahh, I could tell you but I would have to kill you

Nah, seriously it's not far below the surface, pretty much a cosmetic burial, and keeping little legs from tripping over them.

cool, good idea. It makes it look alot neater as well

That's looking really sweet... Are you standing next to (to the left of) your tanks in the second pic?

cheers simmo, no I'm standing between the tanks (which are in the shed) and the growbed)

Ahhh OK, i getcha. Must have felt good to step back and admire all that gravel that you won't have to move again for a loooong time.

here's hoping. That was about 1.8 tonne, have still got another 1.8 tonne to go for the other bed.

Another big day today. Have finished the plumbing and added two floating raft channels . So now it goes tank to growbeds, gravity through the standpipe to first trough, on a slope then other trough is next to it and joined, so they will both fill up and the flow on the second trough is to the standpipe (at the same end as ithe inlet into the first trough) and into the sump, where the second pump will pump it back to the fishies.
Unsure wether I will need to provide airstones in the troughs. Would like some thoughts on this. They are about 3 metres long each and about 30 cms wide and 15 or so cms deep with polystyrene floating on the top (still have to get that)

SO where are the fish?

That's a very good question. Time for a call to Ausyfish I reckon, unless we can source some silvers locally (find out tomorrow)

Can't believe this is actually getting there. I will let the glue and silicone cure during the week and run my first cycle next weekend.

It's happening baby!

show me the fish!

I have another 200 lined up for as early as the end of October. There is not way I will be ready for them though. Will have to dealy it a bit I feel. I am just trying to get a proper sized bed onto my little pond setup. Your setup is going to be a beast. How many fish you going for first up?

200 I reckon. Should be okay, and will allow for a few fatalities. Am going to put the entire contents of my mini system in there next week, including perlite from the grow bed and water and fish- the who shibang. Get the system initialised as quickly as possible.

Was going to wait till it was all going to do the rafts, but thought stuff it, add em in now, saves re-doing the plumbing later, and now, I am pleased I did, they were free, apart from the polystyrene and the fittings, and I will try and source some broccoli boxes to cut up to use as rafts. I was thinking that if the rafts were in say 2 or 3 foot lengths, they would be easy to lift out in sections for harvesting. The rafts are quite low, as I have gravity fed to them from the grow beds, so I want to reduce the bending over factor any way I can.

Where are you getting your fish from VB?

[highlight=red]edit 200 not 2000 slaps head[/highlight]

I assume you mean 200. I reckon you might be stretching it with 2000.

Getting them from SEQ Fish again. Had a few dramas last time - but I think that was mainly because I bought at the wrong time (too late in season).

Monya, that sure is looking good. Persistance pays off.