Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Those who have followed my system construction thread will know that I have 1.8mt x .8mt tank with a raised mesh floor, I have 12 Marron, 25 Freshwater Mussels and have recently added Western Pygmy Perch to aide in Mussel breeding, I have just this week constructed a bigger filter, still have filter in tank, and also added some veggies, as I like to try different things, (and no time at the moment to build grow beds) I have hung pots inside my tank, and also have a floating bed with strawberry's.
The bigger plant in the pictures is a Brussel Sprout that I ripped out of veggie garden last week just to see if idea worked, all the rest are cauliflowers, growing medium I have used is about 2/3rd pot of blue metal and topped up with Richgro's Aquatic Plant Mix, all seems to be working at the moment, plan to add more after our freezing winter if these work out.
Also in pic's below the fountain you can see my filter, blue metal and shade cloth used inside. Will post updated Pic's of growth soon.
By Aquaponic standards it is probably a Crude system, but it is functional (at this stage), when I have finished all of the other projects I am meant to be doing we will go with grow beds possibly, but if this idea works we may just expand on it.

Very innovative Nocky, good to see people thinking outside the square and making the most of what is on hand.
3r's Reduce, reuse and recycle. Keep it up.
Faye

What, dont believe us yet ?

Of course OB, you have change your Avatar, Being in range was so more comforting

It dissapeared for some reason, just kept coming up with a red X....so it changed again

Stupid bloody trout

Am modifying the filter today so can put on the 4800lph pump, also added some duckweed and adding some more pots with Pok Choy and trying one tomato plant as well, out of season I know but must try these things. When tomato season is on proper I have 5 heirloom seeds, name of tomato is mortgage lifter (is a story why) fruit are meant to grow up to 1.5kg, so practice on a standard tom and work out how to organise support.
Wife also wants a small system now, which as mentioned elsewhere in the forum, is actually a good thing as she can't complain on how much time I spend on my system. We are off to salvage yard to pick up a large bathtub and I have scored a solar powered 180lph pump on ebay. Pump also has battery power that lasts a couple of hours and can be set to turn on any time of night, I will run pump all day and then have it come on again about midnight til batteries run out. She is going with goldies a couple of blue marron, and I might sell her 10 mussels I think she wants to grow a couple of kiwi fruit plants in it. Hope to the pump and mussels keep it clean enough, but these things have to be tried. When sun comes out I am off to dig the whole (her system and I dig what happened to equal rights)

Chinese gooseberries ,,Kiwi fruit my a**. That con job is similiar to the one our American buddies did with Macadamian nuts ,, Hawain nut my a**

Now what was I going to say ???

Oh yeh,, running the battery flat every day / night may very well reduce it's lifespan substantially.

It runs by solar all day chappo and also recharges the batteries, will need to change batteries from time to time, but same principle as those annoying solar garden lights which we have a few off (not my choice) but they go flat every night and recharge again, problem will be when no sun, but mussels will have to earn their keep then

AHh those solar garden lights ,, look pretty but almost totally useless. I haven't got 20 of them truly I haven't ????

Sun is finally out so back to it for a while, can't do wifes system coz salvage is closed, so no bath tub, half built her a chook yard as well (busy little boy are'nt I), and now have changed my strawberry raft, mark 1 didn't do it for me so pic of mark 2, my pics always look crap after resizing so hope this one is better, did in adobe and left quality up a bit.
Raft is foam lid with 5 seedling pots cut in, medium is again blue metal and aquatic plant mix, also in pic you can see 4 pots hanging close together, these are newly added Pok Choy, and the green floating stuff, hopefully duckweed

Haven't tried that yet Nocky...interested to see how the strawberries go

Still going Ell, but I think is too cold now, here anyhow maybe not in Lucky Brisbane.
Day off work today, Installed new 4800lph pump and after a few hours things appear a little better, I hope fish and marron are deaf as it is a tad louder as well, will post some pics of cleaner system soon (if it happens). Got bathtub for wifes system today but have given up on the solar pump idea (doesn't do exactly what they said it would), will put my 1000lph pump in instead and run in 1 hour cycles.

I found that with my bigger pumps, the whole system runs much better, and cleaner.

Doesnt take long to clean either

Pump is cleaning tank right up, is going 24/7 since Friday will hook up to timer soon, man can see the bottom again

That's nice water Nocky.... and I love that fountain... all you need is to backlite it at nite, a chair and the necessary "mood" inducing .... ahhh... beverages...