Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi everyone,
Well after many months of reading this forum and getting inspired I have finally got my first aquaponics system going. It is two half barrels with 8-14 mm washed river gravel fed from a 200 litre barrel containing 15 goldfish each about 70mms long. (other fish aren't allowed, so it seems)

The cost of pvc pressure pipe was too expensive for me ($79 for 6 metre length) so I used 19mm black thin walled irrigation pipe used for home irrigation systems.. The system is a flood and drain system using a bell siphon made from 19mm irrigation pipe for the stand pipe, 38mm bell made from scrap pvc pipe and a 65mm housing from an old downpipe with holes drilled in it.

My pump is a King 4 pond pump, pumping 4200 litres per hour ( a bit overkill I know but it was what I was using in my hydroponic days), It will allow me to expand my system later. The flood and drain takes 8 minutes to fill and 3 minutes to empty and it all seems to work well.

After running for about a week I tested the water and got the following readings with my API test kit. pH = 7.6, Ammonia =.25, Nitrite = .5, Nitrate = 30. Our water is pumped from a well and has a heavy iron and manganese content so I don’t think I’ll need to add iron chelate.

I put the silver beet plants in that were almost dead just to see what would happen to them and they have developed a new root system and have definitely revived.

I have made a removable greenhouse over the system to give some protection from the low night temperatures made from….. 19mm irrigation tube. Any comments would be helpful. Here are three photos of my system.

Clive

Hi Ceegeedee, Ahhh, always good to see another barrelponics system...


Sounds a bit overboard for the irrigation pipe, perhaps next time check the pipe class, you should only need a class 9 pipe and that shouldn;t be more than $20 a 6m length.

Just have to love these barrrelponics systems. This is a little beauty

pretty sweet greenhouse