Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

looks awesome Joel, wish i had room to build something similer but much smaller

way to go, look forward to coming down to see it.

Any future plans to collect/use the bio-gas from the digester?
I always thought removing solids from the system was best .....,, Luckily living in Australia entitles me to my opinion even if it's wrong

Solids removal has always been advocated, and predicated, in UVI style systems... and for NFT add-ons...

Normal flood & drain media filled growbeds just don't require it...

Although there are others... both overseas (particularly in Europe )... and some in Australia... who might agree with you Chappo...

Particularly those who wish to increase stocking densities... and who's focus is therefore more aligned with pure recirc aquaculture...

Good to hear you have no solids removal or extra biofiltration in your system Rupe

... that's because I overstocked... and ran it initially as a recirc aquaculture system....



Actually.... I'm not so much overstocked.... as "under filtered"....

Seriously ... the level of feed in my mega system is just too much for the single grow bed... if I had my druthers...

Not a setup I would recommend to other people... and I've (generally, touch wood) got away with it due to knowledge I gained at my course....

And I do regular water changes...

Solids are removed from the main water flow through the system, but they are not removed from the system.

Growth has been ok so far. The fish haven't been fed very much as the system has been cycling, ammonia and nitrite levels are now dropping though so we will be starting to pump the food into them soon.




Some plants are growing better than others but we expect that this will improve as the system matures, all lettuce varieties have certainly done well.

Plants look like there getting plenty of o2 in the water. How are the roots going.

It looks great, will have to plan a trip down to have a look

That lettuce does look good. So are you in a climate where lettuce can grow most of the year or is the cool weather crop season just starting there? Most lettuce varieties only do well for 3 or 4 months here outdoors, I'm actually pretty astonished that I still have some black seeded simpson still doing ok that hasn't all bolted yet.

Cool season is starting here
...not that you would know it
we need some rain
The shop is about 2.5 hrs drive north 250k.

Oh yeh the system looks great

How about making a BYAP logo out of the different-colored lettuce, ala Disney?

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BGBsQQJxoPQ/S ... MG0422.JPG

Or the playboy bunny.

Hey! No rabbits in the lettuce!

Can you elaborate on some of this?

Which of the latest trials?

I am heading to the UVI workshop in june and have talked to Rakocy about "one" of his students that went organic and I assume its the hawaii group.

I also heard Savidov at the Aquaponics conference in Mexico discuss his "closed system" with the solids being pumped into a geotube. Is this what you are looking at? This was one of the features that impressed me as he no longer needed to add KOH CaOH or Fe, which keeps it from being Organic, (well around here anyway)

There was also some rumors about some sort of membrane to concentrate the nutrients in the plant area and keep it out of the fish water.

My goal upon returning from UVI is to complete a grant and install a 30' x 60' Organic system in our school greenhouse. We are already doing regular hydroponics and selling all of the produce to our culinary arts program. The grant will include solar to cover the costs of the pumps and blowers and maybe some of the HPS lighting for winter lettuce and basil.

cheers
peter