Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Pre-ramble

As I mentioned in my introduction this aquaponics caper seems to be the ideal solution to the obstacles I face growing some tucker around here.

Seeing as I've, hopefully, gained so much valuable insight from the experience of others who have posted here before me I thought it only fair that I should share my own… and yes, with pictures! Who knows, it may even prove to be useful to someone, if only for a bit of a laugh at least!

Bear in mind, I am the lazy laid back gardener all the others aspire to. There's not enough hours in a day as it is anyway, and all this silly daylight savings time does is push beer o'clock further back! It will get done, later than sooner. As Goanna used to sing, "Out here nothin’ changes, Not in a hurry anyway."

The Plan

They say you have to crawl before you can learn to walk so I've envisioned a small 1,000L (220 proper gallon / 264 US gallon) or so first system to wet my teeth on. Yes, I'm under no illusion this will be my only system, I've learnt that much already!

It will be along my north facing verandah off the house, handy to existing power, rainwater and the kitchen door to save trekking down the paddock in the dark/mud/rain for those last minute forgotten ingredients. When I've got it down pat I'd like to box it in in hardwood and corrugated iron or hardiplank to give the redback's and red-bellies somewhere to hide as well as keeping with the aesthetics of the old shack and farmlet. I'll be looking at topping it all off with some sort of shade/green house. The budget, at the moment, is telling me a half hoop type off the existing verandah.

Speaking of budgets, I'd like to keep it fairly slim as well as recycle where possible. Probably the old hippy in me. If I could build it out of Boag's beer, red wine and Wild Turkey bottles I'd be laughing! <thinks>Hmm… wonder how many I'd need for a white/brown/green house? This could be more fun than I thought! Might end up a bit crooked tho'…</thinks>

Anyway… I tried my hand at Sketchup and came up with the following preliminary design. It's a bit rough and there's no pipework but I had a bugger of a time trying to figure out how to lop the tops off tanks and cut holes in barrels. Give me an angle grinder any day!




Basically a topless water tank and ten blue barrels, five cut in half for grow beds and five interlinked below as sump tanks. CHIFT PIST of course.

…and I saw this old ute on the side of the road selling cheap fish tanks on my way out to dinner the other night.



Don't ya love it when a plan starts coming together!

Nice work php, will be good to watch it all come together!!!

I like your style
What sort of tropical fish are you looking to grow

Buy two tanks and the ute is thrown in....bonus

Whats been happening PHP??
Matt