Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Greetings fellow BYAPers
My name is Brett and I have been a keen reader of the forum for quite a while now and
my partner Susie and I have finally got our system up and running.
I would like to thank everyone for their contributions to this wonderful forum and to the knowledge and advice that is freely given here. It has taken most of the trial and error out of getting my system up and running.

My system:
2000l Aquaculture tank - overflows via bottom
1000l IBC sump tank with Laguna 7500l/hour pump
2.4m3 Growbed made from EPDM rubber pond liner with Pipe in pipe Auto syphon

Pump is ran continuously and provides a flood and drain of about 15mins fill, 15 empty.
Attached to the system is a 300l pond that I have kept goldfish in for the last 7 years
the water from this just returns to the sump via a water bridge style overflow but is an important part of the sump aeration.

I'm aiming for a stocking density of 30kg/m3 of growbed as per recommendations
i.e. 70kg of fish total but i currently have 230 silver perch fingerlings in the tank.
About 80 of these fish will not stay as i am just baby sitting for a friend until they get their system up and running.

Cycling was done the good old fishless way with gravel seeded from my pond and humonia and took about 2 weeks. The system has been running for 5 weeks now and the silver perch came from the good blokes at the fish farm. Big thanks to Monya for all his help.

Here are the photos of construction and completed(for now) system

more photos

and more

and more....

How come you made the growbed so small...

Looking very nice Brett.... welcome to the world of aquaponics...

Yeah the sump wasn't big enough to get the growbed any bigger i had to shorten the growbed by almost a metre so that i didn't run out of water.

You seriously have it bad.
It looks fantastic and does not look like it involved any hard work at all. With all those after photos you make it look sooo easy. Obviously lots of planning in the mean time, well done Fish Fingers.

Nice brett and welcome, and an delicious looking avatar you have as well, good to see you started off small

does the growbed go all the way around the corner? or does it stop near the tree?

Fantastic system, you have been a lurker..

Good to see a system so well disguised into the garden.

Thanks, that was the plan. I wanted to hide all the pipework and plastic and since i designed the system before i did any of the landscaping it made it easier. Top notch forum you have here btw.

It's because of all the top notch members on the forum Fish Fingers...

Very heartening to see you did your research... it shows in the end result...

It certainly is. I can't believe how helpful everyone is on here and how willing hey are to repeat themselves So i was able to find all the information i needed without asking 400 questions. This is the second system i have been involved with. I helped build a goose pond/ap about 6 months ago and i should post some pics of that one too.

oh no Jaymie it only gets to the end of the green bit in the garden.jpg The growbed is about 8m long and 1m wide and 0.3m deep.

How long does it take to flood and drain?