Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Awoke this morn somewhat bashful - yet strangely motivated to fiddle.

Picked up some hydroton this afternoon and re-setup my ol' IBC that has been sitting disassembled for about 5 months. I had I initially used it to get started. Will seed it with some bacteria from my existing system and hope it'll be up n running in no time at all. Hope to get some BB in a few weeks, plus I will tip my SP from my main system in there, so that the barra don't out hustle them for food - or - they become food themselves.

Great way to spend a Saturday afternoon bluethumb, well done

Did you ever figure out where your water loss was occurring?

If you submerge the float of a stock feeder so that it only triggers when your minimum water level is too low, you can automate topups. (watch out for chlorine) or on a smaller scale, you can use the chicken feeder principle. You know that upturned bottle that bubbles water out only when the water level allows air in to displace the water.

RE: 10% I've seen "Aquaponics uses only 10% of the water as compared to a dirt garden" mentioned quite a bit. Sometimes by me. So perhaps thats where the 10% comes from.

I've been told that a dam (or a deep testube) full of water looses about a metre of water a year to evaporation. That might be reduced a bit because of the gravel and GB lip, but if what I've been told is true, I can expect to loose the total volume of my system's water twice per year plus whatever the plants hold at harvest time and what they transpire.

Is transpire a word or did I just make that up?

Rest easy Bullwinkle - it's a word and you used it in the right context.

Am getting some black bream from Freo Tafe on Monday morn (20/12/10).

If anyone who is in Perth NoR would like some - let me know.

They are about 50-60mm, living in 100% freshwater and $1 a head (when last discussed!)

Im happy to pick up a few extra for any crew who would like to try some in with their fish. They'll be fine with SP or ornamentals, but you'd be game chucking them in with barra.

BB also make a 'pretty' aquarium fish ...


BTx

Hiya Chainsaw - Im going public here - hope you don't mind?!



Hey Big Guy -

Thanks for getting in touch.

I run siphons pretty successfully on all 3 of my systems, and they - as a generally rule - are reliable.

As I said in my thread, one of the only times they become problematic is when I do a FT top up, causing a reduced head thus an increase in GB inflow, meaning the siphons start, but dont like stopping.

Ive mastered the art of adjusting flow, but just as of this afternoon am gonna opto to take the bells off. I was down at the BYAP shop today, where as you have prolly seen, they are running 3 test systems - 1 timed F&D, 1 constant flood, and 1 siphon. The (early) results are showing a marked difference in favour of constant flood. But I guess it'll come down to what plants like having wet feet?

But - I always like to have a tinker, so I may just try that on mny most problematic bell!

What fish have you got in for the hot season?

Where are the pictures of the IBC system rebuild BT? Good to have two systems so you can stock two species I reckon.

I dont have any recent ones, but I have pics of it from yesteryear (or rather, 6 months ago), on a seperate thread. But, for your sake, I will post them here!

I actually have 3 systems on the hop, plus an aquarium

Main system - Small barra and SP. SP are gonna come out and into the IBC when its onboard. Going to foster out the small barra and get some plate sized bad boys in there - or - leave the little ones in situ for the big guys to dine on

IBC - Currently has 10 goldies and a couple of yabs. Just whilst it gets online. BB are gonna go in tomorrow.

Mini-system - just a couple of goldies. But am going to tip all my goldfish stock in there shortly to make room for the BB.

Aquarium - ditto the IBC. Fish soon to go into the mini-system.

Now - dont pass judgement on the IBC. Rudimentry, yet effective! Pics are from my first thread here ... Back in June/July? Same setup - just with suncover and non-treated timber beams.

the BYAP test systems are all running the same plants yea? Is surprising the constant flood is showing the best, I would expect that to be the worst as both the timers and siphons allow for dry time to the roots and plenty of oxygen down there. Intriguing...

I think along as the do level in the wate is high enough then the plants won't be affected by constant flood, asking as they are a wet feet loving plant.

Cant go past the old IBC systems hey BT??

25 spritely looking BB collected this morning. Were in 100% seawater at Tafe. 50% salt/50% fresh during transport. Then into the predominantly fresh AQ at home. Will see how they go with the rapid transition. They seemed happy enough! The next 24-48 hours will tell! Photos to follow later.

Definitely a pretty fish!

BTx

I thought that you had expected they would be acclimatised to freshwater Blue Thumb?
Were they $1-00 each?
We have black bream here and I think they are lovely fish to keep. Not as hungry as 1) trout, 2) silver perch or 3) barramundi in the order of voracious feeders.

Yeah Faye, that was the impression I had too. It seems that when I made the appointment early last week, I had caught Tony Abalone on the hop, and with the wind down for Xmas, I guess it had kinda slipped his mind. So, it became dynamic - as it should be! The BB were transitioned from seawater to - say - 3ppt in a matter of hours. They seem fine?! No casualties, no flashing, no gasping, no red gills, no aggression - nada! Some of them are even feeding already? I've popped all 25 in my AQ with heavy filtration (1000LPH Eheim external cannister and a large sponge filter + plenty of air) 'til the IBC is online in the next week or so. But my shoal of BB look so pretty in the AQ, and are very active. I sat there watching them for a bit this evening under the flouros, then turned the lights off, and the little guys went berzerk on the floating pellets that were left on the water surface.

$1 each. And they are very healthy fish and had comed from a lightly stocked aquaculture tank. They still have a few left down there, so if anyone is keen, I'd get in quick before they go into shutdown over Xmas. Friday is their 'sell to the public day', so email TonyAbalone (BYAP forum name) quicksticks!

Anyway - some pics.

The IBC was planted 11 days ago. The corn shoots you can see have shot up in no time at all! And the melons n pumpkins have doubled in size in a week.

Im still pretty proud of my cherry toms - as you can see for yourself. My original guess of some 300 fruit was way off - I'd say it'd be much closer to 600 fruit - off the 1 plant. That tomatoes punnetmate was placed in the dirt - and he pumped out a shameful 10 toms - a pittance!

And then finally some pics of the BB in the AQ. They were taken on my phone, but I'll get the D90 onto them later for some sharper shots!

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