Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

With some $2 plastic plant clips from the local $2 'crap' shop, job done.. No more escapees..

It was a nice funeral service for the 3 though... I nearly cried..

They now weigh on average b/w 50 - 70gms..

Wow, I could almost smell those fly blown fish pieces while sitting in front of the computer Tony........

You should be right with that bird netting, so long as there are no holes in it. We used bird netting on our big tanks, it was only about 20-30cm from the water surface and everytime you fed the trout they would leap out of the water, hit it, then fall back down.. Didn't get one caught in the net ever, and they were trout of around 40-45 grams.

Yup, same netting I use, except mines blacker

It really doesn't smell that bad.. Honest.!


Sweet. Thanks guys. I'll leave it as is then.. Might just pull the edges a little tighter..

Given that my Biopod isn't all that interested in producing BSF, the plan is now to convert it into a housefly pupae breeding centre. Nutrient levels are below for the good ol' 'Blowie'.

The plan will be to clean out the unit and then attach a hook on the underside of the Biopod lid that can hang a road kill carcass or the odd chicken frame, etc.

In the base of the biopod will be some dry organic matter such as leaves and oat bran to soak up any liquid and give the maggots a 'one stop cleaning shop' before crawling up the sides to drop into the bucket. That's the plan anyway.

And given the Biopod will be well away from any of the neighbours, it should be fine. Actually it won't smell that bad anyway because it will be kept mostly to an aerobic process.

Pics on the Biopod and progress will photo later.

tony, i just read you entire thred and 4things i want now:
1 your ap
2 your skill
3 to live in TAS
4 to read more.

great job

Ahhh shucks.. Thanks for the reassurance I'm on the right track.. And hey, living here is a treat.. You should try it one day.

Well, here is some more to read then.

I am going away for just under 3 weeks and have no one to feed the fish every day, so I purchased an auto fish feeder..
And I just set it up..

Nice looking feeder there Tony... I'd aim at keeping the feed amount fairly low though, if they go off their feed yet it's still dumping in large amounts at regular intervals it might get messy.

The entire AP system including the soil garden beds, seedlings, and Bonsai plants are now fully automated..

As I will be away for just on 2.5 weeks I have now changed the system to operate as:

1. the feed rate has been dropped back from 140gms a day to 80gms,
2. the air pumped up to all stones full on,
3. and the filtration system on / off cycle was running 45 on/15 off, 15 on/15 off. It is now to run for a full 1 hour on / 15 off, then 15 on / 15 off. I have found that cycling for the 1 hour tends to filter the tank of 4000lt quite nicely with a 9000lt pump.

Every now and then I have also been switching the pump on to run for several hours if there is a bit of extra sediment floating around.. And it works a treat.

Should be happy days whilst I am away.

The feeder looks like a "Cloverleaf" clone... did you buy it in Oz Tony??

The feeder looks the goods... Can you post a link to where you got it from.

It would save me getting the neighbours in to feed while we are away too.

Yes to both. There is only 1 importer and despite the falling UK Pound, there is no price reduction. I asked if the currency conversion was being passed on but was given a resounding 'No'.

I tried to get one online from the UK direct but couldn't find someone willing to post it, so went local instead.

Importer: http://www.aquabluedistribution.com.au//index/index/page/autofeeder

QLD supplier will ship Oz wide for $7.50: http://www.aquariumproducts.com.au/catalogue_products.php?prodID=4803&catID=61

Cheers... I'll look them up!

Tony, any way you can put up a "how to" on your back up system? that is a must have for any large AP set up...

Back from the 2 1/2 week trip away and the system held up beautifully..!

Even had a power failure for over 3 hours apparently.. The neighbour told me this morning that the strobe light and siren were going last week.!

And the auto feeder worked an absolute treat. Just upped the feeding rate back to a decent level to suit the new growth put on whilst I was away.

Ammonia and Nitrites stayed at 0.0 and 10ppm respectively for the whole time. Only once toward the end of the trip did Nitrates rise to 20ppm but turning off the feeder for 2 days and topping up the water level sorted this issue out pretty fast.

Many thanks to Alan and Fiona for diligently checking my levels every 3-4 days and giving me updates by SMS on how my kids were doing.. Couldn't have asked for a better pair of baby sitters..