Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I’m finally getting to the stage of setting up ‘Mini-system #1’ – The 200 litre fish-tank, previously known as ‘the lavender bath-tub’ has had it’s plug-hole sealed and is supported on its’ concrete blocks and chainsaw-modified pallet, and has been filled with our top-quality Murray River water – the same water that irrigates our vineyards, carries our beer molecules and rinses our teeth in the mornings. Some even drink it, although it can cause diahorrea in the uninitiated. (If my fish get the trots does this make them perform their nutrification task more efficiently ??)

My growbeds, formerly a couple of 50 litre recycle bins, have been fitted with perforated drain pipes which direct the water back into the fishtank by good old low-cost gravity, and have been mounted so that in the event of the perforations becoming blocked the water will flow back to the fishtank rather than onto the shadehouse floor. The growbeds have been filled with about 55 kg each of 10 mm crushed white rock which was washed fairly thoroughly before going into the tubs, and has had water flowing through it for about 8 hours since, so is now running clear at the return pipes. I’ve dumped and refilled the fishtank a couple of times during this process, as I’m not sure what affect the remaining slight amounts of suspended rock dust would have on the fish I’ll be putting in.

I’m using a 1500 litre-per-hour fountain pump that I’ve been assured will handle a few solids without damage (Easy Jet 1500 - $98 from Creative Pumps here in Adelaide – www.creativepumps.com.au ) and have plumbed up to a ‘Y’ piece, two plastic ball valves and two perforated loops of 19 mm flexible conduit which lay on top of the growbed media. Perforations are 6 mm diam at 125 mm spacings. Both ball valves are adjusted to about 8 litres per minute flow rate, 480 / 500 LPH.

Questions –
I am very close to the “put fish in’ stage, so this is important to the dozen or so goldfish which will be my first guests (or victims) ----

Am I better off to start with town water or rainwater ? – both are available.

Do I REALLY need any test kits or do I rely on smell and taste – ie., if I can drink it can fish survive in it ?

Growbeds are 300 mm deep, water level is at about 150 mm - I realise that I will lose control of that as roots grow into the perforations, but what is optimum ?

What important stuff have I missed so far ?

Hey BM:
You should be able to check pH, ammonia, and nitrites at minimum.

Big Mick good rundown.
Sounds like your well along.
What temp do you think your water going to be/is.
C1

Big Mick, nice write up!

Answers:

go with the rain water especially if the town water is chlorinated and you have neither the time nor the inclination to de-chlorinate it

At least get some sort of PH test. youwant to start the water off at about 7.5

The problem isn't with the "drinkablility" of the water when you start it how it gets over the first moth or so

Goldies are tough bastards, just be real easy on the feeding for the first month if you're not testing.

I know Joel doen't test much, but its easier to get away with this with a BIG system. Big red's is a perfect example, soo much water that none of the nasty stuff is even registering 200 litres is a differrntt story.

Its a how long is a piece of string thing mate, I'm not going to say that you MUST have testing kits, becasue you can get away with it, but you might not either.

Give it a go with out. but go with half a dozen goldies MAX if you're not testing. and EASY on the feed

I really reccomend testing for PH though, becasue if this is too low then you're way behind the 8 ball even before you start. What type of gravel is the white rock?

I think a few cms below the gravel surface is optimum mick, if you flood all the way to the surface you'll get algae growing on top.

Steve

See how I cycled my herb garden. It's only 150 litres, only testing pH. Gave it one nitrate test just cos I had it here.

You need to be vigilant on water changes as it starts, and very few fish. And hardly fed....

OK, rainwater going in this morning, looking for test kits for pH, ammonia and nitrites when I go to Adelaide this morning.
I don't know what the basis of my crushed rock is, looks more like quartz than limestone, but I'll try to find out from the supplier.
Can't find a thermometer right now, but our air temp varies from about 8 deg C to mid-20's at present so I'm guessing about 12 deg C in the water.
Thanks for the feedback.
I'll open the valves a little more, that will bring the growbed water level up a bit.

Big mick, compare prices for your test kits on www.ageofaquariums.com.au. They are very well prices, and only $8 delivery for as much as you can order

Great to see you going places Big Mick!

Thanks people - Mini-master kit looks like what I need, but they're out of stock right now. Picked up a German multi-test kit, does all but ammonia, 20 tests for $30, at Fish Haven in Pooraka. It has put me on the right track re pH, NO2/3 etc.
Local tap water was 6.6 pH, but chlorinated and fluorided of course, my rain water was 6.4 pH and responded nicely to a couple of teaspoons of Bi-Carb - now 7.2 pH. I added quite a bit of the sludge from the bottom of my blue barrel tanks while transferring the rain water in the hope that it might be beneficial to the growbeds - they seem to have filtered it out pretty well, the fishtank water is now clear and clean-looking again. I also tossed a couple of teaspoons of Anti-Ammonia stuff in, but I'm not too sure of the wisdom of that spur-of-the-moment decision.
Still haven't checked temp., but it's fairly mild here right now so the fishtank shouldn't be too cold. Feeder fish or $2 goldies going in tomorrow. Stand back !!!!

Nice work mate, I bet you're thinking about the next one already...

Mick, got my master test kit from www.theaquariumshop.com.au for $35.95. Also picked up a KH/GH and a iron test kit at the same time for $10.55 and 13.95 respectivelly. $6.50 postage.

Thanks VB, I'll check it out soon.
Yeah,S77, already thinking about the next setup. Checking wineries for stainless steel vats, tankmakers for rejects, corro or plastic, etc.
I built a temporary fishpond out of strawbales and 0.2 mm black plastic sheet a while back to keep my wifes' goldies alive while we moved house - it wasn't very deep but it did the job until an opportunist young Blue Crane found the stash and cleaned it out.
It would be a little difficult to build anything deeper than 350 mm with this method as the weight of water would push the strawbales apart unless I found a way to bind everything together, and I feel black plastic sheet is just a little too easily damaged to rely on too much. Proper pond liner is way too expensive for me.
I was looking at my BIL's spa bath the other day - it holds about 2000 litres -- hmmmm --- and its' got pumps .....

Mick, check out dairy shed for unwanted milk vats. 1400 litres like mine are obsolete with how much milk they get nowadays, we got ours for scrap value

Good thought, Monya. I was brought up in the dairy industry about the time we changed from 10 gallon cans to vats. It's only been 50 years - are they obsolete already ??

LOL, went out when Adam was a boy!