Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

After alternating lurking, leaving, and talking, I have made my first fully operational system.

Brief description:
Main GB is 4' (120cm) X 20' (600cm) and is filled with crushed granite (My daughter would correct me mentioning the schists, etc.)
There is a tidal bed approximately 4' (120cm) X 4' (110cm) to reduce the fluctuation in the FT

The FT is 4' (120cm) X 4' (120cm) X 3+' (100cm)

I dug it out last fall, installed the Landscaping timbers and lined it with plastic during the winter. I cycled water through it to balance out the flout for about a month before getting the gravel in late March, and threw a half dozen minnows from a nearby creek sometime in April. I made a dirt garden immediately next to it so that I would have a side-by-side comparison of how things grow, and have been getting the nitrogen cycle going with humonia. It has a pond pump to lift the water into the GB (The pipe runs under the gravel, and it has a viewing port [T with a standpipe] to minimize evaporative loss.

I have 25 bluegill fingerlings coming in tomorrow , and have planted several seedlings and a few seeds.

More pictures - all taken this morning:

Welcome, looks like you have been busy there, great looking system. I

s that timber treated with copper arsenate? If so you need to watch that those top rails don't leach into your system when it rains. Your fish tank looks big - swimming pool? Got some more pictures showing it and what type of fish are you stocking?

Cheers,
Mike

Sorry just re-read, you are getting blue gill. Post some pics when they arrive.

The timbers are rated fish safe, but I've got plastic in the way anyway. I will be putting a hardware cloth top on the FT soon (to prevent accidental drowning) and will eventually (before fall) put a GH frame and plastic over the whole thing to extend my growing season.

The FT should be (at lowest point - when the GB is full) approximately 40cuft - 320 gal, (about 1200Liters)

I'm starting with 25 bluegill, that should be able to spawn, I've got some minnow in there now, and may put in some spawning areas for them too. This would allow the system to fill with fish over time. (both will spawn at temperatures above 70F). the Bluegill can eat the minnows, and I would also like to add a BSF farm before the end of the summer.

If things go well, I will probably get the go-ahead to significantly expand the system this fall/winter. I have plans for bigger/better, and have been following the multiple bed/single pump thread with intense interest.

Doug wrote:
This is the drain and flout (along with a backup) surrounded by garlic that was started about 2 weeks ago.

Hi Doug - will be interested to see how your garlic grows in AP! Did you wash your gravel and/or check pH?

Garlic started from bulbs about 2 weeks ago, and you see how it was today.

I did not wash my gravel. There was a lot of dust in the gravel. I have checked my pH and found it a little low. I added egg shell grit, and I'm going to be checking the pH tomorrow before adding the fish.

So far, my canary minnows are doing fine, so I assume that the bluegill will do okay too. They are rather hardy fish that live in all kinds of environments, as long as I acclimate them well, they should be okay.

-Doug

Doug....why I'm asking about garlic....I planted out about 300 in my dirt garden (hoping we get enough rain to keep it growing).....but I will plant some in my GB...just to see how it grows, (compared to the other garlic.)

I have a dirt garden right next to the GB so I can compare apples to apples on how things start, grow, and yields between dirt and AP.

My wife was extremely skeptical to begin with. She's tentatively optimistic now, but if things go really well, we'll be adding quite a bit to the system. If things go okay, we'll be adding to the dirt garden. If things go poorly, I'm dead, and will be buried in the remains of the AP system.

.... typical soil gardeners approach... bury the remains....

No...no... no Mrs Greendo.... we mince the remains up ... and feed them to the fish....

Let us know how well the garlic works on keeping the insects out of the ap plants.

In another hour I should be picking up the fishies!!

As to the Garlic, I planted it not only for the bug repellent feature, but also because we go through a _lot_ of garlic.

Will keep things updated (as time permits).

Greendo wrote
My wife was extremely skeptical to begin with. She's tentatively optimistic now, but if things go really well, we'll be adding quite a bit to the system.

My DW had the same attitude as yours....her attitude changed completely....we have fresh beans,lettuce, bok choi.
watercress now - make sure you succeed (with AP)......then you won't finish up as mince meat

IMO...you would have to plant garlic in between all the other plants to be effective..,, to confuse the insects.......I will try that out ....and see if it works?

Yeah, needs to be intermingled.