Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Well today marks quite a significant event... today I effectively, officially, abandon all soil gardening... other than a small tomato patch...

Well, in reality, I pretty much abandoned it a while ago, and didn't plant out anything last winter... (as you can see by the pics... )





The position of the main soil garden gets full sun, even in winter... while the other section, which was never really successful, is shaded during most of the day even in summer (with the growth of a tree) ... and shaded almost all day by the neighbours house and angle of the sun during winter...

My initial thought was to place a tank near the shaded fence line... and try and run some trout through summer...

But the current trout tank is relatively shaded where it is... and more exposed to the summer sea-breeze which I hope to utilise for cooling via a Bakki shower...

And at 6000L... and all plumbed up... frankly I can't be bothered moving it...

So the full sun position will become a Barramundi system... utilising the aquaponics sequencing valve in place of a sump... although I may add a small tank for something like Murray or Sleepy Cod...

I'll keep ya posted as things evolve...

How many systems is this going to be in operation? As I recall it wasn't that long ago that you were still agonizing over not being able to build a system because the landlord or something like that, now look at you go.

... shhhh....

They're basically just rainwater capture tanks TCL...

And I need at least three... in case I ever did have to move... so that i could stage the relocation...

Well with 300 Barramundi in a 3000L tank at 24-25 degrees... feeding six times a day... it's well and truely time to pull out the finger and get this AP project done...

To date I've cycled the system up... and maintained water parameters with an Oase Filterclear 3000 bio-filter... and it's done a damn good job with near zero ammonia and nitrite readings.... but nitrates have been continuing to climb toward 100...

The last week of solid feeding has tipped the edge of the filters capacity... although today was also the first time I've backwashed the filter...





But with nitrates beyond 100...



Barra growing rapidly... and feed rates increasing... it's time to switch this system into an AP model... and use all those nitrates...

So I've started clearing some wasted... and problematic... spare space...



Which I'll terrace... with a row of three Tilkey tubs...



And a couple of cut down rain tanks I picked up a while back...



Another Tilkey tub will be placed on the flat section (about where the photo is being taken from).... giving a total of six growbeds... and a growbed volume of about 3000L...

The growbeds will be sequenced with a 6 port aquaponics valve...

Rupe, just a quick question. So now that you have cycled up with a bio-filter - once you put grow beds onto the system, will you continue to run the bio-filter until the bio-filter in the grow beds kicks in?

Is that a safer way to kick a system into gear? Did you have to wait for the bio-filter to kick in initially?

Justin

Yes Justin... I'll run the bio-filter for a while... although with most of the nitrification already being processed... and the high availability of nitrates... I wouldn't expect it to be on-line for long...

With a very heavy stocking density... I may have to run it for periods... as the fish & feed rates increase... or add more growbeds...

The bio-filter was run for only about a week at most before the fingerlings arrived...

So do you tie the two systems together at all or each is independent of one other ?

I must say Rupe that I spent some time in Gerringong and the fact that your running AP on some of the most fertile land in Oz that gets heaps of rain (and good surf) must be saying something about AP with giving up on soil plants altogether. In moving to coastal perth its a no brainer over here once you look at the soil.

what you going to do with all those nitrates...more basil

Well done again Rup I think its high time the BYAP magazine did a story that covered such a great achiever.

Aquaponics.
It makes soil look like
dirt.

good on ya rupe!!
looking forward to the show.

regards

matt

Just an thought. Has anyone tried to reach over the fence and snag an empty GB.
And feel free to delete this post if you don't think anyone has thought of it yet.

Nah Duff... I walk softly... but carry a big stick....