Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I first came across aquaponics whilst living in Launceston, TAS and reading an ABC Organic Gardening magazine in Jan 2007 (or there abouts. My memory isn't what it used to be ).

I think it may even have been a BYAP system. 3 galv growbeds and a tank under a gazebo structure, I read the article and thought, OMG that is for me....

Problem 1. I was living in an apartment building with limited sunlight on the balconies. It was certainly nice, but typical city living (yes, in Launceston you may laugh )
Problem 2. I was never home because I was living in an apartment building.

Oh what to do. There was no way I could set up an AP system in my current living condition. I had to find a house, with a yard, and a shed, and room for an AP system. So, just happens six weeks later on the beach I meet my future wife.. She owns a house, with a yard. Jobs done.

Problem 3. She lives in Hobart.
Problem 4. It needs some serious landscaping and renovating. There's not even a shed.
Problem 5. I'm an electrician / builder.!

Great. An AP system wasn't going to happen anytime soon as I didn't want to do something ad-hock. But,
Solution 1. Sell apartment in Launceston.
Solution 2. Move to Hobart.
Solution 3. Set up new business in Hobart.
Solution 4. Close business in Launceston.
Solution 5. Put on some gloves and start digging, chopping, sawing, wiring, plumbing, glueing, weeding, concreting, paving, mulching, planting, hammering, and all in all have a great time (mostly).

So, that was now just over 2 years ago, and so below are attached a few pics of my AP system build that has been cycling for 5 days now.
Woooo hoo..

An intro to the system is at viewtopic.php?f=45&t=6727 in the New Members listing but I'll continue it here in full.

Cheers
T

Some days with tools in hand you feel quite 'manly'..

Other days, geez if there were anything you could change, it was that the person you met already had a fully renovated house and landscaped yard (and a shed) that I could just 'whack' in an AP system..

But its all good now its (nearly) done.

And then, time to start digging.. A lot.

I purchased a 4500 litre rain water tank as it was the only thing I could find that would fit in the space, give me enough size to accommodate what I wanted to achieve, and then fit in the area I had available. Which was not much..

During summer the tank will see quite a bit of sun, but in winter it will see very little, so it was buried 400mm into the ground to help stabilise water temps all year round and to put the working height at 900mm.


A 5500 litre tank was also installed to irrigate the soil garden beds and provide filling and topping up capabilities to the fish tank.

And of course tanks are no good without the necessary plumbing.

Let the concreting for paths, plinths and a new driveway begin.

Hey that's not fair Tony... my AP system didn't come with a trades assistant...

no wonder it has taken 2 years!!

Then I was 'advised' we needed a deck out the back for summer so we had somewhere to sit and eat all that good food we would be producing (eventually).

Ahhh I wouldn't be too disheartened Rupert. Trust me when I say the TA wasn't always that 'willing'.

That is why EVERY man should have at least 3 TA's ... One full timer and two part timers for the weak at heart:)

Some landscaping to give the tanks protection from summer sun, and to keep the sand from blowing all over the yard, in the house, in the cars, and just about every other orifice that wasn't vacuumed sealed.!

Then it was time to put the paving down. And then pull some of it up again because I forgot to do piers for the glass house footings.

And cut some holes in the top of the fish tank so the trout wouldn't be left in the dark all of their lives...

Hah..! Yeh but the maintenance on 3 TA's becomes WAY too high..

Well the old days of a couple of bath tubs, fish tank and extension cord... out the backyard...

Are well and truely gone... by the look of things....

Nice work Tony...

and TA...

Then, because our winters totally suck and I'm jealous of all you mainlander AP's (whom I might add also get to have just about any fish you like) , I needed another willing TA to help me put up the glasshouse.
Just so happens that my brother in law works for a glass manufacturing company.
Swap some power point and light fitting installations for some glass sheets and hey presto, one fully functioning you beaut glass house..


Now begins the fun part. Actually putting the grow beds together.. And more plumbing..

Yep, summer 2006/2007 I think it was, Josh Byrne wrote the article after filming the Gardening Australia segment at my house.

You've gone to a lot of effort there Tony, damn fine looking system...