Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

and I've got a Very Big Pond and now a well worn Shovel

and really big muscles!

Must be karma. Went out to plant some chokos. Broke the handle of my garden fork. Got shovel out and got a splinter.

Here is the Design I've come up with. Please comment if I am on the right track.

I have given plenty of airflow around the Channels and allowed for 6 Grow Beds ( 1000x300x400 ) The Bottom Channel allows plants like Beans/Tomatos to grow up behind it. Will look at fixing the Green Plastic Wire Bunnings have to the Fence to help with tieing back any taller plants.

The Grow Beds I was thinking if I can have them each drain back into the Pond rather then one single drain. This would allow a faster drain and prevent any problem if one clogged up. I was going to use about a 25mm PVC pipe as a drain unless someone thinks I'm better off using a 50mm Single Drain for all 6 Beds? The Wireframe Image shows the 6 separate draining pipes.

I was going to create each Grow Bed using Pond Liner as the Cost of creating them in Fibreglass would be too expensive especially being an odd size. Otherwise I thought maybe I could get an Aquarium Shop to make them as separate Glass Tanks. All Faces would be hidden from view so no concerns of Breaking. Otherwise if I can find a Plastic Container like from Bunnings that is Food Safe then they would be cheaper again.

Also ... I was going to fill all 6 Grow Beds from one end. So Bed#1 would be where the water begins and then have each bed connected to each other by means of a 25mm Connection through the ends. Is this OK? or am I better off using a 6metre length of 25mm PVC positioned at the top in the centre and drilling a series of 4mm holes to give a spraybar effect?

Hole spacing in the Channels is set at 250mm. Hoping to buy the material this week so I can get to the next stage

The beds would be better off served with a 6 metre spraybar rather than one inlet for all the beds - it works better. Use 6mm holes rather than 4, 4 mm will block up. Having seperate drains is great though - a lot more aeration. Seperate grow beds is also great - help to contain plants like tomatos that try to send roots everywhere.

+1 for liner.

Everything else looks great, just beware of treated wood and fish.

Oh, and if you can, connect all the growbeds together with an overflow pipe in case one drain gets blocked up.

Thanks for that Outbackozzie, I was going to connect each Bed by using 25mm Connectors and keep these down as close to the bottom as possible ( join each through the ends ) that way if 1 or more Drains get blocked then the remaining will still drain the water.

Did my First Water Tests today ... 3 months after adding Water...
PH = 6.0
Nitrite = 0
Nitrate = 0

Read that Bi Carb can increase the PH so I bought 1KG box and threw this in a 100 Litre Drum with about 50 litres of water. Whats the best method to add this to the pond? I guess infront of the overflow Pipe coming from my UV Clarifier??

Now the nitrate, I estimate I have around 70 Goldfish Fish at an average of 100mm in length, then another 40 or so of other fish around 40mm and hundreds of Babies around 3mm ... well thats 300mm so it should count? :-)

Any suggestions what I can do to get the Nitrate levels up? Other then get a couple of hundred more fish.

Add the Bi carb VERY slowly, sudden ph changes will kill the fish very dead. Aim for mid to low 7's, over a week or so. 1 point per day is supposed to be the best way to change it.

For adding load, use dry urea, liquid ammonia (non foaming type), or humonia.

to clarify i think OBO means 0.1ph per day? no more than 0.3 or 0.4 per day.

yep woops

0.1ph per day - theres no need to rush it.

never had the ph problem myself yet, just regurgitating info.

Thanks Everyone, I think I'm better off not worrying about the PH as its not effecting the Fish at all and even if I raise the PH up a few values over the next few weeks it doesn't mean it won't return back to 6.0 within another few weeks, could be an endless battle for little reason to do so??

I went and met with the Boxsell's Ell Gro and they were quite concerned that I wouldn't be able to grow anything using my 8,000 litre pond because they felt I wouldn't ever be able to get my Nitrates high enough to support a decent growth? Then they talked about lacking Magnesium and all these other minerals which effect what tastes the final produce developes. Was a good hour and a half looking at their system and understanding how they do it.

Do others have their Nitrates and Nitrides close to 0 ( like mine are now ) if so how much additives do you find you have to add to the water to provide enough food for the plants? These Additives of cause don't effect the Fish well being but what amounts would I expect to add each Month?

At the moment they recommended I use Hydroponics instead of Aquaponics because I will be more successful? Possibly using the Pond sometime in the future when my Fish and Nitrates are acceptable levels. I don't really want to do this as this means I'm not doing Aquaponics so can anyone explain how I can succeed with my current setup?

hehe - more fish or less growbeds will get the nitrates up.

Ell gro was wrong and there are quite a few of us to prove it.

250ml of seasol/maxicrop once a month.

Hi KenR60,

I love what you have done with your back yard.

Ell Gro is a business probly feeling the effect of a new wave of gardening taking off in the aquaponics department, and for them to sway your thinking, then they have anouther customer, to buy THEIR nutrients, which the Western Australian Business section 2 months ago, outlined that the nutrients for hydroponics has more than doubled in a very short time period, making hydroponic farmers have to face unforeseen rising cost. Anouther blow to primary industry.

We all tend to have our own style and blend of adding nutrients to our systems, depending on the day. About every couple of weeks or so I add chelated iron, 3 little scoops, a dash of potassium of potash, and a dolop of charlie carp. Thats my mix, it just varies from person to person, with no set guide lines.

I really like those NFT channels Ell Gro has , will be on the phone to them in the morning about the price, but I can betcha they are worth a pretty penny.

All the best, and dont worry mate, it will work and really unbelievabley well, just up the ammonia anyway or form, when the grow beds are added. Look forward to seeing your progress

Ken, many people run low (double digit) nitrates and produce plenty healthy and tasty plants

I dont tend to add bugger all. it just works

good choice on not changing the PH, if ammo and nitrite are zero and fish and plants are happy then leave it be.

dont expect tomatoes to be your firsts great crop, just go with the flow, less is best.