Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Snuck up and took this of the trout catching bugs on the surface.

Love the set-up and pics . Sized nicely for enough fish.
May i ask , where is the child-proof cover/fence? Sorry , but recent drowning of a close friends 3 year old has this set in my mind.

Chappo really sorry to hear about your friend that would be devastating. The tank edge is 1.2 metres above the ground with no step up or hand hold, and that was done deliberately. The area is capable, and will most likely get fenced, but at this stage it is not.

The tank I am looking at fencing/covering first is the 1000l tank as that is lower.

It is a timely reminder that as innocuous as water may seem to us big people, it holds some real dangers to children.

Got anther 40 trout yesterday and added them in. The current water test results are;

PH :7.4
Ammonia :1
Nitrite : 2 - 5 (hard to tell)
Nitrate : 5

Will have to take some sort of action based on the Nitrite level, but the system did get some Seasol on Friday.

Seasol does not affect nitrates or ites. It just provides vitamins

The beds will catch up soon.

Thanks obo, just swapping a bit of water now, small lawn, other vegies and then retest tomorrow morning, the Ammonia does seem to be dropping (tested Friday) but didnt write it down..

On the safety front of covering or netting the tank. It isn't just for the safety of children. Fish Jump!!!!! I understand that trout are especially good Jumpers. Even if it is just shade cloth strapped down over the top of the tank to bounce the little guys back down into the water if they jump. Think of it like an inverted fish trampoline.

I even lost a catfish to jumping and most people don't think they jump.

That is because it was trying to escape the alligator hiding in your tank...

Hi Faye,

What ratio do you mix the seasol at? I picked up a 1L bottle of the concentrate today so interested to know the ratio you like to use. Do you find it also helps to keep the bad bugs off the plants?

By the way - this system looks really nice. Im very jealous of your 5000L tank!!!

Cheers,
Hamish

Splash of seasol in squirty bottle, fill the rest with water, around 20:1 seems to work ok.

I use about 2 lids of seasol to a watering can plus a bit. Best to follow instructions from the bottle. I actually love the bugs, they make good photographic models. I am prepared to sacrifice some of my plants, just so that I can watch and learn from them. No where near as many pests as on the ground though like the rabbits, bobtails, snails, slaters and slugs.

Long time since update.

I think trout for lunch might be on the cards



Merry Christmas all

Niiice trout Benson... and a great picture.... hope you enjoy the trout... and the day....

A Merry Christmas to all. Great picture. By the way, what temperature is your water? Surely it's too hot for trout in Perth at this time of year? Or are they different to our South African trout?

It's been very mild so far in Perth ,heating up next week though.