Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I had a look at Challenger TAFE Murdochs aquaponic system the other day. Basically it comprises of two 5000L tanks and NFT channels with 1600 lettuce taking up the nutrients. The big surprise with this system is that despite it being the middle of winter it is being fed by Barramundi!!
The tanks and sump are all insulated and water is only pumped to the channels during the day. To help keep the water warm a solar panel provides power to a pump which circulates water thru 80m of poly pipe located on each tank lid. A electric heating system is used as a backup when needed.
If anyone wants to see or know more about the system give Tony Bart a call at the TAFE on 9239 8015.

I reckon that "backup" electric heater would be running pretty constantly at the moment...

Yeah I recon your right there. Jandakot got down to 0 last night I heard.

Where is this and are you sure murdoch uni is part of it?

Now that looks like a thought out aquaponics system.... kewl...

Neat idea using the solar powered pump to pump to the poly pipe coil. Looks to be a really well done system.

Murdoch TAFE freoboy, other side of Murdoch Drive to the Uni.

I had a look a couple of weeks ago. As you can see, the system is inside a plastic covered greenhouse and is surprisingly warm for this time of year, and the tanks and tops are heavily insulated. I don't think much auxilliary heating will be needed (barring accidents). There are some pretty innovative but reasonably priced concepts being used as well. Worth having a look at if you can.

Still there will be a lot of heating required Normh, the greenhouse is only single skin and the black poly tube is only a very small area. It amazes me why people want to grow Barramundi in the middle of winter, I guess people who don't have to pay their power bills...

If it is supported by the government there is no need for justifying expenditure.

Yep the greenhouse and poly tubing would certainly heat the system... during the day....

But what maintains the temperature during the night....

Where is the filtration? Is it the blue green thing in the pic. Pretty small for such big tanks. I wonder what the filter medium is...

If they haven't turned their heater on then there's something we don't know about the system from the photos..

With night temperatures consistently between 2 and 10, and day temps not getting above 20, day after day almost week after week, it is impossible to collect enough heat in those small coils on the tank lids to have 26 degree water early in the morning, in a single skin greenhouse. Even without pumping at night..

I would think they might get the water up to 26 at the end of a sunny winters day with everything shut up, but you're going to lose a fair bit of that over night..

As I say, must be more to it that what we've seen or heard here..

They have been using the heater, it was running when I was there and that was before the real cold weather even arrived. I have a hothouse system here with no additional heating and although it helps keep the temps up in the summer it generally dosent help much in the winter and temps are often down as low as 10C.