Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

There are apparantly fish in there ....

In fact they stock this pond (max) at 1000 fish/hectare .... this pond is 0.1 hectare

just sent u the pm, hope it comes thru ok. If not let me know.
Love the photos, the inlet and drain shots are beauties.

OK ... fish pics..... Silver Perch in the big recirc tank

Sorry they're a bit shabby.... bus was leaving... don't think I was meant to be there... and had the camera on auto flash....

Kept spooking them... God they move fast

Nice Rupe... That pond really is green.. Good to see the way they drain the ponds.

Glen Searle (head teacher - that's him in photo DSCF5164-monkgates.jpg) says that all his new ponds will be emptied by a standpipe arrangement....

I'll draw it up later.....

He's also converting his existing ponds over to standpipes as they're drained/dried....

Ahhh, ok, old style of emptying ponds.... I love standpipes..

I'd love to be there Rupe, (lucky bastard has come to mind ) but glad your sharing with us, it looks like a real adventure.

Thought that'd give you a warm fuzzy feeling Joel

thanks Rupe

Thanks Rupe. I have some questions to prove my ignorance. Since I am foreign I am not familiar with this place. I gather it is teaching/research facility. Here in the the US we have such facilities and also have fish hatcheries to restock lakes and rivers with naturally occuring species. Is the same true of Australia?

In regard to the ponds are you familiar with lined ponds and kansas kettles? Just curious?

jdphish

Correct JD..... the course is run by the TAFE (Technical & Advanced Further Education) and the Facility is a training facility attached to a government funded research facility.

Few commercial farmers use lined ponds here, although that's changing, particularly for some prawn farms....

Kansas Kettles.... no idea

I am not sure how to post a drawing but did find a link showing a poor example of a "Kansas kettle" on page 11. http://aquanic.org/publicat/govagen/ncae/redtmd.pdf

Most I have seen are much longer from the levee side out into the pond. Perhaps four times long as wide.

Basically it is the drainage structure for an aquaculture pond that facilitates safe removal of live healthy fish. It is sort of like a small raceway set in the bottom of pond, below the level of the pond bottom. Very similar to the drain trough in the above photos except it is much wider. Nearly 2 meters (I am thinking six feet) wide plus or minus some.
Then there is the wall in the center that is attached to the drain outlet side of the structure and extends nearly 3/4 's of the length of the raceway towards the pond. So essentially you have a "U" shaped raceway. On one side of the raceway wall closest to the pond levee is a fresh water supply. On the other side is the drain opening and a screen. The idea is that the live fish have no choice but to go into the raceway and then the flowing water keeps them alive and healthy until they are netted out and loaded into livehaul trucks or put on ice. We have two state fish hatcheries in MS with this type structure. It makes pond harvest much easier.

sorry you asked?

I love algae blooms

Well back at NatFish for another week...

Got to harvest and grade the pond of about 5000 Silver Perch today....

Managed to get myself in the water and involved, but also got the whole process of the harvest grade and restock of another pond, on camera....

My hosts, the luvly Paul & Terri have exceeded their ADSL plan limit... so I'll have to post them when I get home....

But here's a taste... just cos I know you like fish...