Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=8674&p=255499#p255499

That's the beginning of my project. There are pictures and details--though I'll be putting a good deal of info here as well.

Basics:
10 Gal FT
2.57Gal GB
6.5 GPH pump (along with bubbler+waterfall)
5 small (2-4") Shubunkin Goldfish
3 Catnip Clones + Oregano seeds

This system is intended to get me acquainted with the aquaponics system and have fun crafting a prototype for small scale enthusiasts with little time or money. I plan on developing a larger system in April/May.

More Pictures and details coming soon.

Ok... I've been doing a little research....

What I'm thinking about for the Spring/Summer:

300 Gal Stock Tank
up to 300 Gal GB (still mulling through all my options).

Fish: I'm thinking catfish, but this is something that depends on local resources--what I can get my hands on....

What about using an above ground swimming pool as a fish tank? Anyone heard of such?

Joel Malcolm (whoever that is) had his first system in an above ground pool, so yes that works.

(EB the link to your humble first system no longer works!)

I remember reading somewhere about cheap swimming pools not being made of hdpe and running the risk of leaching nasties into the water...I'm not sure if it is a realistic concern or not.

My system is in a 10' intec above ground pool. I stocked catfish and everything worked fine. However I never managed to get my system to stay at good catfish temps (80+ deg F)for long enough for good growth. So after a year I only have about 1.5 lb fish. I live in Fresno with many 100+ deg days so I don't know why I couldn't get the temp up. Probably because I had a tarp shading the tank most of the time. The fish taste great anyway and I didnt lose any. Good luck.

Ok. So I spent a little time, intending on getting some really precise numbers for my water quality. Instead, I spent about 2 hours finding out what should have taken me 30 min or so... and the numbers aren't as accurate as I wanted, but that's all I got.

Chloride: ~100 ppm
Nitrite: ~1-2 ppm
Nitrate: ~1.4 ppm
Phosphate: Low
Sulfate: ~179 ppm

Luckily, the high chloride balances out the nitrite concentration. I'll be refreshing the water this afternoon.

There were a few other organics in the water (acetate, maybe pyruvate, and oxalate) that the IC detected. I don't have standards for those, however.

System Updated...

I put in a sturdier shelf, but I'm still not satisfied with the spill-proofing... I also reduced the electrical hazard and added a timer for the light. There are 2 bubblers, both going through charcoal. The volcano bubbler is hollow, so I dumped a bunch of charcoal and gravel into it to act as a filter.



To reiterate the specs:

~8 Gallons in FT
~6.5 GPH over the 10L GB
5 Shubunkin Goldfish (overfed....)
90W blue LED
Nite-Out II bacteria
QuietFlow 10 (by Aqueon) water filter
2 bubblers

Spring Plans:
In previous posts, I asked about using swimming pools. I think I'm going to use a 10' Intex above ground swimming pool, which is less than $100! There are 275 gallon (each at $165) IBCs available from Pensacola, which I am considering for the GBs.

Hey neighbor, I live near cairo/bainbridge. Just north of ya about 30 - 40 miles. Your the closest AP around this area i think. Unless some are still hiding out there.

I have a 275 gal FT with channell cats, bream, minnows, and a bass if it's still in there. This cold weather got my big algae eater, so I just put a 8x8 greenhouse around the system last sunday.

Catfish are easy to get around here. I had 50 donated to me from a fish farm, I talked him up with the AP idea, and instead of selling me some, he gave me around 50. There is a truck that travels around time to time, selling all types of bream and channel cats, bass, carp. The catfish are $ . 33 per 100. That's the smallest order. But if ya dont need 100, I'll split it with ya.

Looks like you got some interesting stuff going on. Good luck and maybe I'll hear from ya one day.

SwampCreekFarms, I appreciate your post. I'll definitely be in the market for catfish when I get back from the Deep South of Antarctica.

Here is an update.

I threw in some salad seed on top of the LECA. Seems to like its home. Pictures were taken this morning, 22DEC2010. There are a few oregano sprouts poking out of the side of the rockwool.

A few more photos

Nitrate and Nitrate are through the roof... Gonna do a water change out soon... real soon...

Lot's of algae growth in the tank, which is due to the extra light added (100W full spectrum), and several daily leaf feedings of Fox Farm Big Grow (which has a good number of ammonium salts in it), but the fish are still happy... Considering getting a few snails...

Ok, so the little goldfish are quickly growing.

Forward Looking: Pretty soon the 10 Gal will need an upgrade. I have a 140 gal rubbermaid fish tank, which would give the 5 little goldfish plenty of room to grow into, maybe even adding a few fish later down the road.... More on that later...

Other than that, the plants look OK. The lower leaves on the catnip are yellowing a bit, so I started trimming the ugly leaves. All the new growth looks pretty good. The bean plant is doing really good. The salad plants are not all greening very well, but some are.... I'm thinking about relocating everything to a single 10gal bucket for the grow bed, which would simplify a few things, since my setup now is hodge-podge...

I've been trimming the catnip so it grows out and not just up...

I'm pretty sure gravel is a "no-no" in the FT.

No, no. The gravel is essential as a medium for bacterial growth. It provides a high surface area for healthy bacterial colonies. I just looked at your 20 gallon set up. It looks like a beaut.

Gravel in the fish tank collects poo and keeps it from going to the grow beds where it can be processed. A smooth bottom helps the solids get removed from the FT.