Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi, haven't posted for a while so here's some updated pix of my natural swimming pool/fish pond.
I've had 3 golden perch and a koi and 10 or so goldfish in the swimming pool for the last 18 months and recently added another 32 golden perch to the bio filter pool totalling about 30 kg of fish.
The 32 perch came from a nearby farm dam that I drained/transferred water as the dam was very low and the fish had to be rescued.
The appropriate authority (can't remember who) said I couldn't let them go into the Murray river as they were farm fish and of unknown gene pool. Fair enough.

So with nowhere else to put the fish in a hurry, I opted for the swimming pool's bio filter pool.
I might add at this point that 28 snake necked tortoises came out of the dam and overnighted in the pool before being released next day in one of the Murray's billabongs.

The perch were put into the bio filter about 5 weeks ago and seem to have had little impact on the system.
The water always smells very clean when swimming.
Yesterday I tested the system for ph, nitrates and ammonium using an Aquaspex stream survey kit.
Ph is always about 7.6 with ammonia reading good as none and ammonium reading as good as none.

I fed the fish quite a few yabbies when I first put the fish in but have not fed them much of late.
What is a good fish food to purchase?

I did want to get all the original fish out some time ago as ideally a very low nutrient level is desired in this sort of pool however I've only increased the potential nutrient load.... and they will need to be fed!
The bio filter should have no problems catering for the fish but just how much fish poo do I want to swim in!

Time to go fishing I think.









Bio filter pool

gee it looks great

whereabouts are you again?

OMG, that first photo looks like a multi million dollar aquarium setup! Well done, very impressive.

Absolutely fabulous...

If you do go commerical, I think you're going to need an team dedicated to convincing "the other half". That is an awesome pool - I don't think you'll see nitrates unless you stock it pretty heavily. When Nitrates get too high, hold a fishing competition =)

The most awesomest pool ever. I've seen other natural pools actual use the run off from the house/driveway etc and just divert it (through a filter) into the pool. Are you doing the same? Or are those dams you mentioned doing that for you?

Albury NSW

thanks, I stopped being lazy and looked up the other thread, read that again, and then I merged the threads for you

Your a nice person
and that is a nice pool

The fish don't seem to mind.

Thanks Gemmell, anyone who's swum in a mountain stream will know what my pool is like to swim in.
Each time that I jump in the pool, I'm reminded how different this pool is to a conventional pool, the water smells very fresh.
I have two rain water tanks and two dams for my water supply. But our rainfall in Albury has been pathetic.
So far this year we have had about 5mm.
So my dams are empty and my tanks are empty.
I'm relying on town water to get me through.
I may have to start useing bore water from north of Albury, beyond the Murray watershed to keep the pool going.
Private bores along the Murray were not allowed to be used last year as it was "unfair" to those that did not have bores.
I'd say unfair to those that paid big bucks to put a bore in.
If we don't get substantial rain this year I may have to consider abandoning the pool..

I hear you there gemmell, my better half is the same, we have a 19m pool that has been used about 3 times in the last year, but "OOOOOUUUUUU Yuk I dont want to swim in fish poo!" is starting to turn to more of an interest so there may be light at the end of the tunnel yet I can only hope and live in awe of your pools swimchemicalfree

Sounds great One thing I have wondered about is does a bio film buildup on the surfaces making them slippery? I remember how slippery the rocks in streams can be.

Yes! however using the pool decreases the slipperyness.
Sometimes I "sweep" the shallower end with a medium broom which removes any builup for at least two-three weeks.
I slipped into the pool the other day, stubbie in hand, when I stepped onto a submerged shelf. Fist time I've fallen in since starting to build the pool. I didn't spill any beer!

Spoken like a True Blue Aussie

Speaking of spilled beer I have been trying to get one of them euro wasp traps to work, someone said they like beer so in went half a bottle the wife forgot to drink. Bloody possums pulled the lid of and drank the lot