Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I reciently chatted to our bussiness manager and I was told that any above ground or in ground ponds/dams I might put up would have to be saftey fenced as the local council demands it ... are there any other "laws' we should be aware of
(it never hurts to ask...)
[schild=8 fontcolor=000000 shadowcolor=C0C0C0 shieldshadow=1]I hate red tape![/schild]

I was wondering when this would come up.... Yes, something that I must look into, there are different laws for different states from what I know, though the cheapest and easiest way that I can see to get around it would be to use some reo mesh to cover the top of the tank. You can cut it to size, bend the ends over and slot it onto your tank.

Still should get the exact info though I guess.

OK, You finally spured me into action AM, I rang my local council after reading that pool fences will be to certain standards and would be checked by them every 4 years etc etc......

I asked about ponds. There are no regulations concerning ponds that fall under either their local council laws/regulations or state laws, it's only pools and spas..

I said that I had half rainwater tanks that I used for growing fish in, some were buried, some sitting on the ground. She said that no, so long as is it was not used as either a pool or a spa then there are no regulations.....

However, if you use an old pool/spa or bathtub to grow your fish in then your in trouble, at least in Queensland anyway...

I think the law is a bit of an ass...




[schild=4 fontcolor=000000 shadowcolor=C0C0C0 shieldshadow=1]What red tape...![/schild]

Interesting isn't it, that if it wasn't designed for the purpose of swimming in, there are no regulations. Obviously good for us with tanks and ponds, but seems like a bit of a double standard when little kids can drown in ponds just as quickly and easily as a pool. I reckon it becomes a case of common sense, if you have a bunch of midgets (no offense to small people, it's my affectionate term for my kids) living at your place, you have the responsibility to make your place absolutely as safe as you can. There is no room for mistakes. Icouldn't bear to find one of my kids in with my fish...

No, definately not a recommended feed for fish.....

Thats why I do like the idea of putting reo mesh over a suspect tank, you can still see the fish, feed them etc, just can't get a net into it without taking the mesh off...

I want to have only one entry and exit point in to my system, with a self closing gate/door on it to keep em out. If you had mesh, you could use the rod instead of a net!! Makes for a fun activity for the kids, they love the idea of going fishing in our backyard...

ARGH! Irony!

SO, if i dig out a 2000 Lt pond an line it and put fish in it its ok becasue its a pond.

BUT, if i fill my 2000Lt ebay pool, deck around it and fill it with fish and lilys then its not ok becasue it was originally designed as a pool?


Come on..................

those are indeed odd rules/regulations... but the law is the law, no matter how "odd" it may be!

Those of you in the areas where you may not water with a hose etc, how does the water regs affect you with you systems ???

we're not supposed to fill ponds etc without a permit, but I have 17000 ltres of rainwater waiting to be used sitting in a tank next to where my system will be housed

That's how it is in Brisbane City....but if in the mind of the Inspector the pool/pond/fish tank is more than a decorative garden pond then it must be fenced with approved fencing. The easy answer is to build a green house and have the Aquaponics in there.
I think it is based on the notion that if something is, in the mind of a child, a place where one could swim, then it must be fenced.
What about those 2 kids in SA that drowned a couple of weeks ago in a tank....It would be hard to live with if you thought a bit of a fence that you could have put up and didn't, could have prevented such a thing.
Muzza

that sure will help . we get plenty of rain here and enen I am looking into geeting a rain tank

I agree, those poor parents - but it point out how silly the rules are - any water body should be protected/fenced off from little ones - even my baths which are in a pool area have netting over them - I tested them by getting my daughter to sit on them and they easily held her weight - I dint want to take a chance that she will drown in my system

AM,

There is the law and then there is the reality.

Water restrictions for us atm. are (as i understand it) watering of gardens only between certain times and with a trigger hose. no filling or topping up of ppols or ponds over 2000Lt.

Now, I do no watering here during summer except for my small veggie patch. The grass (LOTS of it) gets scorched. I have dumped 1000lt of water from my poly tank multiple times during setup and testing and will continue to service it with top ups when i require. In my mind i am expending much less water than others are leagally, and my aquaponics system will cut my veggie water usage by 90%, so i figure i have a little in the "BANK" when you do the sums.

I understand that a line has to be drawn somewhere and regs have to be passed, and also that if caught will be fined, but my conscience is clear.

Wanna laugh? You can get a once off permit to fill a pool (40 thousand odd litres) if you can submit a water saving plan to demonstrate that you will save that amount of water in other ways. I'd love to see theri faces if i trotted i there and said, well, i grow my own veggies and i'll be converting over to aquaponics which will save 90% of my current outdoor water usage. I think they'd still knock me back........they want to hear feel good things like i've installed a water saving shower head, and i'm only taking 30 second showers, and i only flush every second time i go to the dunny.

Get over it. It burns me up when i see 200 meters of sprinklers spraying the medium strip just after its rained. Good for the goose good for the gander i say.

Besides does any person here actually know the figures for water usage between domestic / commerical / and agri.? I don't know the exact figures, but i saw a graph once..........tis also burned me up!

Its just how we have been conditioned, if we all segregate our waste into three different bins the environment will get better.........Bullshit........has anyone seen the waste created fom a single McD's store in a day?

I'm NOT one of these people that say "oh well, its stuffed anyway and my little bits not going to make a diff" I just get annoyed when its played out the complete opposite. Once again, good for the goose good for the gander. industry also needs to be held accountable, ESPECIALLY since there are VIABLE alternatives...........see each one of your good people's systems.

There are certain things that get me fired up AM. obviously this was one of them LOL

Have fun kids

Oh, about laws etc, apparently a person needs a permit to transport live redclaw up here - not too sure why!

AM,

i'm revealing much of my personality here but this is the system i go by.

If i research something and am confident that the law is one passed by a frustrated MP having an anal moment then i just do it.

I can see that you have to be so much more careful due to politics and the school and stuff.

Whn in doubt i revert back to my child hood days.............If i asked, was told NO and then still did it i got into MUCH worse trouble than if i didn't ask to start with

OH, BTW people, NEVER NEVER sell a fish (or even barter it) unless you have a licence to do so. THEY WILL HANG YOU OUT TO DRY

I read an article oin the paper once, a bloke in WA caught barra in his spare time and used to trade them for a counter meal at the pub. They sure made an example of him......bad person,wrecking the environment............