Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2z-IdnIGLE

check it out. I'd like to get more info on this system. Awesome.

VERY impressive................

Farout!

Those rafts look interesting!!!!!!! Might be a good seller for BYAP?

So its deep water culture, mainly, with a central pool for the detritus (mud). How do they make sure all the particulate matter stays in the central pool.

All the other DWC system seem to require a lot of filtering is it uncessary?

Well it probably depends on what you are growing. This system grows shrimp and I expect the shrimp actually eat a lot of the detritus. I would also expect that what they show of the system may not tell all the story.

I doubt you could run high stocking densities of fin fish in a raft tank without having huge solids build up problems.

The only way you are likely to keep a tank with raft on top system (with no other filtration) healthy is if you are running stocking densities very very low.

I agree that there's a lot more to the story that this. I wonder if the fast moving water helps with solids build up. Maybe its unable to take hold bcause the water moves so fast? The shrimp are also probably picking at everything they can.

I bet the spinning water keeps most of the solids in the middle. you'd be surprised how much of the solid matter makes its way to the middle of a pond when the water is spinning. When I used to work in aquaculture it made cleaning tanks and ponds really easy. Spin the water and then suck up the middle.

My thoughts are that we might all benefit from a trip to Taiwan or China to view some of their technology.
Clearly, the Chinese have far greater knowlege of aquaponics than we Australian do.

I imagine that a lot of the things we believe about aquaculture may be overturned if we gave up a lot of analyzing and simply accept what works.

One of the interesting things in that UTUBE video is that the shrimps are fresh water varieties.

This also leads me to wonder if we have any fresh water shrimp in the South West of Western Australia.
Alternatly, Jilgies might well perform the same function as the shrimps in China.

Any one interested in organizing a group visit to Taiwan?

... really.... one You-tube video constitutes a "greater knowledge"....

As far as both modern aquaculture and aquaponics practices... Australian companies, equipment and expertise are in the fore-front of the emergance of these industries in recent years through-out Asia.... especially Korea and Vietnam, and lately China...

Indeed Barramundi Blue basically sold up in Townsville to concentrate their efforts in the region...

In general, the raft methodology utilised (in the video) is widely known throughout the world thanks to the work of UVI...

And while perhaps an interesting, and worthy implementation ... it's really not that startling...

And as suggested in other posts, much details has probably not been revealed... particularly with regard to stocking densities and profitability with regard to more traditional prawn farming techniques

The emphasis seems to be on the vegetable production... and costs would seem to be kept minimal by employing child labour...

Frankly, in that regard, any competitive advantage engendered by the use of child labour or low worker wages... should attract a tarrif when such products are sold into this country IMO...

And any company that can not clearly demonstrate minimum food & safety standards that emulate our own... should quite simply be barred from entry into our market....

Jobs for Austraslian kids of the future IMO... not lousy bonuses for pathetic CEO's that exploit foreign labour to make their performance look good...

With regard to the suggestion that one UTUBE video constitutes a "greater knowlege", I don't rely on only one source.

Do I detect a hint of the cultural cringe beleif that, " We Australians and the West can do every thing better than Asia".

The reality is that Asia has a vastly greater use of aquaculture than the West.
The Chinese have been engaged in Aqua culture for thousands of years.
Any reference to whether someone thinks that they employ child labour to do their work is at best an unbalanced view.
I would like to suggest that we do not engage in social value judgements but remain focused on what works and what we can learn.

In China we see people able to rely on growing fish and vegetables in aquaculture where as in Australia we are at best a fledgeling industry.
The Chinese are engaged in aquaculture anywhere they have water. That is a vast difference to what we do in Australia.

We have a great chance to learn from Asian experiences and grow our knowlege.

I certainly don't dispute that the Chinese, or Asian countries as a whole... indeed many other nations... have been practicing "aquaculture" for centuries...

But most are based on "extensive" models.... more recently very successful intensive RAS and pond based systems...

And, without passing judgment on the economics.... very successfully within a local context...

My comment was addressed toward your remark... that they seemed to have a "greater knowledge" of aquaponics.... which I don't believe to be true...

To be more specific in regards to the "youtube" video... it undoubtably works... with shrimp... of an unspecified density...

I doubt it would work with a fish stock... other than one which by nature has low water quality tolerances... like perhaps carp, or even Tilapia...

And I don't have a "cultural cringe" at all... indeed I believe there is much that we can learn from Asian countries... and the reference to child labour wasn't mine... it was represented and depicted within the video... specifically suggesting that planting out was "presented" as a "game" to the children...

If you have discovered a wide range of other sources that suggest that China/Taiwan is leading the implementation of aquaponics worldwide... I would sincerely like to see it.. please post it for the benefit of members...

This is really interesting, and has given me something to think about RE my future swimming pool conversion. Rather than have all of my growbeds/filtration outside of the pool, how about just having some growbeds outside the pool, and a large in-pool filter eg a rainwater tank filled with gravel in the centre of the pool, with water pumped in (either upwards or downwards) and plant a few dwarf trees. A few rafts on top for both plants and to shade the water. Can anyone see any problems with a 5ft deep growbed/filter which is continually flooded but with the water constantly circulating through? As it is not flood and drain I suspect you would need lots more airation?

On one of the Koi forums there was this bloke who had 2 ibc/s behind a wall that was his only filter and it was a huge pond

I dont think 2 IBCs (2000 litres) is going to be enough filtration for a 60000 litre pool.

Hey KEII.... Scotty (Haznoshadow) is running a 12000L pool down the coast from me... had koi... now has trout and koi...

He uses a couple of IBC's as filters... viewtopic.php?f=45&t=5535&p=188616#p188616