Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Requirements:
Low Cost - Must prove the concept before making any significant investment.
Low Maintenance - Once it's set up, I need to be able to neglect it some, because it's going to happen between work, family etc.
Small Footprint - Must show that it's space efficient or it won't be expanding.
Forgiving & Flexible Design - After creation, I can do some alterations, but not restart from scratch.
Scalable - After the initial design and proof of concept, I would like to be able to incrementally scale up.
Aesthetically pleasing - let's face it, if it's ugly, it ain't happening.

Other considerations:
Tilapia - ideal fish except for their need for warm temperatures, may start with goldfish or Koi since they tolerate cold temperatures better.
Greenhouse or Coldframe - Needed if I've got Tilapia, also would be useful to get the system cycled, and needed to get started sooner (5+ months til last killing frost)
Orientation is toward the ESE, so it would get morning sun, afternoon and evening shade.
Climate - Piedmont Plateau in North Carolina, USA - Warm summers (pushing 100F, 38C), Cool winters (days with highs of 70F, 22C, days with highs of 10F, -12C) Seldom gets below 0F, -18C.
Near Desiduous forest, so it would get more shade in the summer.

Duelling plans:
1- 1.5 barrel system
a- 1/2 barrel grow bed stacked on horizontal barrel acting as a resevoir and fish tank.
b- Continuous pump split between grow bed and aereation stream into the tank.
c- Autosiphon on the growbed to make it flood & Drain.
d- Valves to tune the flow between Growbed and aereation.
2- 3-Barrel system
a- 2- 1/2 barrel Growbeds stacked on 2 horizontal barrels acting as reservoirs and fish tanks.
b- Pump in one bed, drain into the other.
c- Tanks equalized below the water line.
d- Autosiphons from the growbeds for flood and drain.
e- Valves to tune the flow between Growbed and aereation.
f- Working on plans to make Growbeds flood alternately.

Both of these systems would be small enough to replicate, but should be nearly self-sufficient. I would also want to set up an auto-feeder system eventually to reduce operator intervention.

Comments?

If we were allowed to have tilapia here in South Oz, and they weren't a risk to natural waterways, I would do it. If anyone has the chance to, they seem like the only way to go. Esp if you want to be sustainable.

Love the Ideas,but i think no matter what you do you will always have some maintenance.This is not a bad thing!
Partner"Haven`t you mowed the lawn done the dishes etc etc"
what you hear"blah blah blah"
what your thinking(gee I think i could do with a bigger system)

AP is definitely low maintenance, once it is up and running properly - infact it becomes boring. (makes you want to build a larger system )

Interested to see how Jaymie & Axl plan to expand theirs in the future - hehehe

Once you know and respect the nitrogen cycle, all goes well in aquariums, and I think it would be the same with this. (I'm just now cycled and questing for my longer-term fish). Until I understood the nitrogen cycle, I spent a fortune on fish medications and replacement fish in my aquariums.

There are a lot of nice barrel designs, but don't forget that since you are in the good ol U.S. of A, you can get (drumroll...) Rubbermaid!!! That's what I'm using, and even my mother thought it looked pretty good.
btw, there are many ways to alternately flood your beds. I use redundant small pumps with staggered timers. There has been discussion on cascading auto-siphons, and Les is working with modifying car door lock mechanisms to automate. Solenoids have also been discussed, but they were scary to me I think someone should figure out how to use the mechanism in an oscillating sprinker to alternate flow to multiple beds. (You know, the ones that make a fan of water go back and forth?) No one has taken me up on that challenge, and it's too cold here right now for me to play with a hose and a disassembled sprinkler in the yard.

it doesn't make a noise when it diverts - now door locks go "clunk, donk,click,click,whiirrr"

tis when it goes "sproing,cough,bang" with clouds of smoke you start to worry

cascading growbeds.....doesn't the last one in line get the raw end of the deal as far as nutrients?

I tested my nutes before and after the growbeds, and there was no noticable drop. Can't explain it. UNI Virgin Islands said no noticable difference in nutes between one and and the other of their 100ft long raceways.

so how is the filtration helping the fish if it comes out the same as it goes in? I'm soooo confused.

Good question LOL
We can't neccessaryily read the difference from one pass thru on our nitrate test cards. I'm sure if we had super accurate digital testers, there would show a difference. All I'm saying is no noticable difference, hence plants at all stages of the flow would benefit. If your fish stopped pooing and the growbeds were continually flooded and drained as normal, your nitrates would eventually return to 0.

But if you were good, it could ring a chime or something.

...Strains of "The Synchopated Clock" ... da dum da dum da dum d' dummmm...

lol - nightmares come immediately to mind

said it before, but i'll say it again for the newbies, try not to look at the AP systrem ina "snap shot" it won't do it justice. Fish are continuously exreting, bacteria are continuously converting and plants are continuously absorbng. A stable NO3 is testament to this monya maintains x amount of NO3, can't pick a difference before or after the grow beds, but he feeds and plants grow. U gotta look at it as a 24/7 process that has tiny tiny tiny things happening every millisecond.

I'm glad this was brought up because I've just started building my system and I'm going to have 16m of 150mm and 90mm pvc (in sections) on a half A frame, with water cascading from one to the other. I was hoping that the plants at the end wouldn't suffer. Thanks
(will post pictures soon)

hey KE, check these out.

Keep in touch I'm going to try the strawberries idea