Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

As JP would have said "they need a spot for canoodling".

Jen I think you will find that most of the cost comes from the initial setup, after that the system starts to pay for itself in fresh abundant production of fruits, vegetables, herbs and fish. Many people still don't understand and its up to you to show them how its done. Isn't it a cheap hobby by comparison, educational, as well as healthy in more ways than one?

and the first 6 months of a build it all yourself system in playing around.....sorting out flows and drains etc, after that it gets boring

Thats where the second system comes in handy. And the third.

Thanks guys you kinda confirmed my beliefs. While I did surprise a lot of people including a lot of my family (my grandpa for one) that it does work, I've yet to make them happier with nicer results. All I seem to have shown them was that it takes a bit of money to get started... I mean the main comments they make apart from the concept being an absolutely fabulous one to create and that it does work, was the money money and more..

I'm thinking maybe I have to rearrange the way I'm expressing my views on the system and whether the system is something to pursue.. coz it did take me a bit of time to understand it and to make it work. I guess one year is nothing to 70 years of traditional gardening!

Just recently I made a comment to dad that I didn't want everyone to give me separate gifts to me for birthday. I wanted them to pay me the amount of money they would have decided to spend on a gift instead so I could sum it all up to one big gift of a fish pond. and his eyes went big and said that he wanted to talk to me about that later.

I guess I'm going mad but it's (to my way of thinking) the best and bold move towards living a healthier life to an almost already healthy life anyway. and besides it really does make me feel good growing my food. If I had known that years ago I'd be digging long time ago! I guess I had some issues that I had to get through first.

FYI
1st system - indoor aquarium mini AP - didn't quite complete but gave me all the answers I needed.
2nd system - temporary tommy AP - pump in fishtank bell siphon in GB straight back to FT. outside but not enough sun, was afraid if I put system in fullsun it'd collapse.. but realised that it'd bloom instead. experimented with timers and pumps.
3rd system - cubbyhouse AP - ground floor FT 220L, first floor 5 GB's with gravel and hydroton, started with a 2nd floor sump tank but decided the sumptank wasn't needed after all. this one will be permanent but might turn it into the shade system. (the oakleaf lettuce seems to love it!)
4th system - plans in the making.. will be in full sun, with at least 1500L FT to allow for SP or trout or bigger fish.

I'm holding off making another system until I've got all the details I need and what and where I can get the hardware components. For several personal reasons. While my dad is reasonably well off, I'm not. So I feel like i should be making something out of my time so I'm pushing things along a bit. I have a lot of dreams!

Any questions, ask away

Fish pond is good, 1500k FT sounds a bit weird; hobby as artistic landscaping tendancies sounds normal. The introduction of a nitrate sink, for fish health (with a complex explanation of cycling) fine; GB's are merely a scientific experiment

I have learned that it takes little more to effort (and some time money) to achieve larger returns. That is to say, go ahead and make one large system. Start with the end goal for you current lifestyle and work/solve the problem backwards. If you want to produce one meal a day from ap then decide what it takes to get there.

Of everything I do, I find growing my own organic fresh non gmo food one of the most enjoyable things in my life; hard to put a price on that. I want to be an AP farmer when I grow up Oh,wait Im already gown up

Thanks for the tip... I appreciate it. It's a point that I'm reminded many times over. I have a tendency to want to think things through and when I do, I just make it more complicated than it needs to be. Which is why I won a 2kL fish pond on ebay for only $137.50. LOL I'll see what I do with this system. I haven't tried chift pist so I'll go with that.

some updates as well!!

the new setups: i've changed the two 40L GB's for 3 20L growbeds. and connected them for equalizing and sharing only one external autosiphon between them

strawberries: not doing as well as I'd hoped...

leb cucumbers and oakleaf lettuce: they're enjoying it a lot... I suspect I'm not giving them enough sun again.. seems to be the only thing wrong with the growth of my systems.

I'm getting 0.25 with ammonia and 0's with the other 2, pH fluctuates between 6.8 and 7.4 which I guess is a pretty neutral level.

that's all folks!

I really love what you did with the cubbyhouse. That's a great use of space.
Great thread.

Yeah, the cubbyhouse just wasn't being used, so it just stands to reason to use it for aquaponics... instead of pulling it down or ignoring it and making an expensive setup.

Though, I have 2 large trees next to the cubbyhouse which is proving to be a problem for the shading and the falling of leaves. In winter the leaves wont be there so the sun will shine through but in summer, despite the hot scorch, the plants seem to be begging for a lot more sun than they're getting.

Ah well... I'll just have to talk to my dad about those trees and get him downsize them before next spring. I'll also cut down some branches and use them for composting and mulch in the dirt gardens.

Thanks for the praise.. I appreciate it.

+1 for the looking good Jensilaedi...
effort in = reward out, always

I'm planting bamboo for shade and mulch.

The two trees that are giving too much shade are a apricot tree and a wedding bell tree.. the wedding bell tree was NOT supposed to grow that big, but considering the swimming pool on the other side of the fence I guess that can't be too surprising.
we already have 2 other wedding bell trees in our backyard so I'm considering asking dad to hack it down.

Hmmm bamboo... nice thought...