Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Asked some friends about the mesh over the pool. Sheets of galvanised mesh 6.2x 2.4 about $100 a sheeet. We'll need three! By the way how wise is it to start big?
Julie

Julie,

If you have even twice the organisational time management skills as me then big will be no problem!

Infact it gives you distinct advantages!
By my calculation you have a water volume of around 40 thousand litres. This volume will be extremely chemically stable. You could tip a bucket of PH 2.0 acid in there and wouldn't get much of a change

It also means that the temperature will be more stable, however this is a double edged sword, it won't drop nearly as low as what smaller volumes do, but it takes incredible energy to raise the temp.

I'd just go for it. You have your fish tank $300 ands its child safe

You can start with a big water volume and build your grow beds up slowly.

Maybe even try differnet methods, floating raft on the pool surface, continuous flow hanging off the side and flood and drain too! all from the same tank, and with a little creativity off the one pump!

Besides, you'll need to make the pool safe even if you wanted to keep it for when you are more experienced, and $300 is the cheapest "fence" you will find, so GO FOR IT

EB, VB, Murray and all, what do you think?

Guess you can't lose too much my giving it a go. I don't think that I would do it as despite my permaculture inclings, I like a bit of structure and order in my garden and could see the pool as becoming a bit of any eyesore. I don't see the purpose of maintaining such a large volume of water with only a few fish in it. One of the attractions of aquaponics is that you can be quite intensive with your system and of course that you are growing vegies as well as fish. I can't see the plants thriving from this pool system unless you have a fair few fish in it. Getting sufficient nutrient to the plants and keeping the system in balance would be a massive challenge IMHO.

But then again - maybe I'm just jealous because my wife would not let me turn my 55,000 litre above ground pool into a fish tank

Julie, If YOU have the energy to do such a thing then go for it..... There is a lot to learn, and for me I have found it is better to start with something small and learn as I go.

I got all excited a few months back... Wow!! this is a "piece of cake" ... I had read Joel's book before going to bed the day I received it in the mail!... I have got this thing all worked out !!!
I could taste those fish dinners with those massive tomatoes on the side............Daylight next morning.....found an old tank in the back paddock, filled-er-up with water and drove to the nearest hatchery....3 hours later and 50 jade and 50 silver perch in hand, I am away !! whaoo !!!....

I successfully killed 90 of them within 36 hours......

It was a crash and burn like the re-entry of "Sputnik" (gee that dates me..who remembers Sputnik? .......there's a whole new thread ....)

I want to be very successful with this Aquaponics thing and I figure that Joel has spent a number of years learning the ups and downs of Aquaponics.
I spent good cash to buy "The Book" ..... so "Why re-invent the wheel"
I am going to copy what Joel has done for my first system except I will have rectangular FG tanks and Grow beds instead of round steel tanks. I feel that changing the tank style is enough of a departure from the "Master Plan" without going any further than that.

Every variation that is introduced gets the project further out on a limb and multiplies the possibility of failure.

I will even go 240 volt pumps the same as used by Joel for my first system (If only you knew how much I hate being tied to the power grid...it just does not fit with my dream of being self sufficient.)

If I can replicate Joel's system and produce "50 kg of fish and 100 kg of vegies" in 6 months !!!!!! I would call that "Success"

Lots of folk who are a lot more capable than me could re-invent the whole thing...but I am not that clever....so I will follow the leader....

Murray

same here,
all my co-conspirators have a better way to do it.... one pump only, syphons, etc etc, but I am not great at lateral thinking. What Joel has served up is success on a platter, and after more lengthy discussions last night and laying awake thinking about it, I really think 1st time out, it's the way to go. I suppose that's why I bought Joel's kit. Once number one is up and producing, anything is possible, but I am going to try and get the system running first before I mess with success.

monya

MMMmmm...What if we drained the pool so it has less water in it to start with?
A spanner in the works.. we are plannining a 3 month trip around Australia for Sept to end of the year. Perhaps this is not the best time to begin experimenting?! But perhaps we can work to get things set up for when we return. By the way Steve my time management skills are shocking, I pray for the gift of organisation every day!
Julie

Julie, look back through some of the posts to see some of the mini systems some people on the forum have/are running....By memory member "Live Beyond" has made up a mini system in his house... I would think that would be a good way to start...There is more than one mini system on the Forum....
Take a look through the photo gallery....there are photos of members mini systems.
Start small...grow with it..
Murray

MMmm, I think theres some good avice coming through here Julie... Especially if your planning on heading away for a while, you may want to look at building a mini system of some sort so that you can get the feel for it first, then after you have had a little system going for a while, you'll have had more time to think about possibilities of the pool..

Thanks. I think we will make the pool safe to begin with, using galvanised mesh and whatever else needed to make it sound. Go on a
nice holiday, read, think, ponder and get excited about future possibilities, come home and start small...then in several years.... when my now 6 year old son wants to do a science experiment...and his science teacher father wants to run with one of his many wonderful ideas....we'll have just the thing for them/ us all.

Several years?!

Just keep repeating 50Kg Fish and 100Kg Veggies 50Kg Fish and 100Kg Veggies 50Kg Fish and 100Kg Veggies 50Kg Fish and 100Kg Veggies 50Kg Fish and 100Kg Veggies 50Kg Fish and 100Kg Veggies 50Kg Fish and 100Kg Veggies 50Kg Fish and 100Kg Veggies

Steve

Hi Julie

I think you can get your aqua started and take a holiday no problem.

A pool your size you could throw a few fish in and go on holiday they'd be there when you got back. The surface to air ratio will easily support a few fish (aeration and insect feed) AND a raft of floating plants. Get easy leafy types (kitchen herbs spinach etc) and float approx 1/2 sq metre raft on top of your pond in medium filled net pots placed in holes in polystyrene. Even if you come home and the plants are stringy and crap, the cycle has begun and getting your system performing is that much closer.

The nitrification can take hold and begin it's work while you find your place in the sun.

Joel knows exactly what he's doing matter of fact he's so good at this I'd call him an expert.

Thats what i was getting at 40 or so fingerlings in 42,000 litres, you wouldn't even notice the levels changed if you wnet away for a month. Size equals Stability.

Hi all just come back from a trip to julies.

There will be some pictures at the bottom of this post to make you all drool

You'll see from the pics that she will be able to use just about any plant growing system she like, probably a mix of a few. I tested the pool pump and it works great, the outlet is half above the water level so when the pump is switched on the amount of water movement and aeration is incredible. The pump is probably oversized (1000W) for the time being, but if the pool and growbed ever approached maximum utilisation i think it would be nessecary. I was thinking to use a small (30 or 60W) submersible pump for upto 4 half barrel grow beds to get the system going. We took a trip to the pet shop (not aquarium) and paid $10 for two small goldfish (:shock:) the kids named them spotty and red, (guess what colours they were )

i aclimatised them to the pool water and dropped them in. funny to see two small goldies swimming around in 42,000 litres

As AA stated i believe that a dozen fingerlings would be fine in there with natural O2 exchange and insects and some submerged aquatic plants for food (abundence from the creek over the fence) for three months, and it will still be in the colder months too, so the metabolic rate of the fish will be quite slow.

besides, it will give the nitrates a chance to come up to "spec" for plant growth over the time away, and when they get back they can size the grow area to the number of fish to keep it in equilibrium (i love using that word!)

I was thinking to start with the 4 grow beds in the flat garden area adjacent to the pool, then when the child proof mesh is done over the pool, line the very circumference with pots in the mesh, and then i think 6 grow tower tubes along the back infront of the raised barbie area. Best thing is that all that will be gravity return to the pool.

I estimated the pool temp to be between 4C and C (i have a knack for this, will tella story in the banter section ).

Rob (julie's husband) and i started talking about plumbing a heatexchanger to the flue of his fireplace indoors, which gets used quite a bit (FREE heat, and lots of it).............a steaming oasis with jades and strawberries............the mind boggles at the possibility...........

I've taken a sample of pool and creek water home to test (just cause it intrests me )

Rob is very cautious (and rightly so) about stocking azolla or duck weed in the pool with the local creek being just behind the back fence, but has come up with an innovative way around the issue. Picture a large clear container half submerged in the water (it would float). If duck weed was grown in this, the fish could swim under and feed off the duckweed, but it would be isolated from any birds translocating it. Good one Rob!

I'm happy the two gold fish are in there, as it gives vision to the project

Just another picture!

Also has anyone got any ideas about making the pools surface kiddy safe? I know some great outside the square ideas come from the group, so open slather

The problem with just putting reo over the top is that it would function fine as a barrier, but it would not be load bearing for any type of serious weight, as the pool walls are just thin galv and would en up buckling. It would need some type of truss or re-inforcing, anchored beyond the wall of the pool.

Just to get you started.................. I had an idea of floating 5 or so blue barrels along the center of the pool, the boyancy of these things is incredible, thus supporting the centre of the reo............


Below is a pic of the little side area that would be good to setup the first few barrels......

what a great place to set up...