Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

with posts coming up about removing the fish/yabbies etc and using "worm water" instead it got me wondering....

I am interested in aquaponics as a better way to keep/breed fish, so while i would like to create a symbiotic environment, get free veges, etc, ultimately i am in it for the fish

well since im trying to ultimatly grow veggies and im not intending to eat my gold fish i would say im in it for the plants but i do spend alot of time watching the fish so i guess its both

I'm in it for the fish (edible) - the veggies are a bi-product and keeps the wife onside

i love the fish and voted fish

but the veg is great im having a tuna salad right now with ap toms

mmmmmm

was worth every minute!

I am in it for the kids!

Tropical fish, goldies and yabbies at the moment, but playing around with various small growbed ideas.

This whole fish thing, the idea is facinating and fuels my dream to have a backyard pond, but I'm a gardener at heart. Give me the veges ... and hopefully some fruit trees!

Besides, the last time I willingly ate a fish was one my parents caught on a family holiday in Hervey Bay. I'm going to one day have fish, but it'll take some time to get used to the eating and cooking of it.

currently, the water restrictions in southeast queensland means no garden watering for me from a town water supply.
The Earth Garden story on Aquaponics, showing the ability to reuse the same water over and over on the vege garden has definate appeal. By topping the system up with water from my water tanks, it allows for a more extensive sustainable garden.
The fish in this case an extra bonus.

Yeah, the fish are a bonus to mee. I spend much more time looking at my plants than my fish. But I realise they are critical, so I love them too and can't wait to start eating them!

eating your own fish, right out of your own back yard, probably the bonus thats making my system a reality.
monya those are some big fish in that photo,what breed are they, and how long did they take to grow?

[quote="johnnie7au"]I am in it for the kids!

Might wanna be careful j7au,whilst EATING kids is alright in some cultures usually it is frowned upon here

Fish got me in - but the water restrictions have shown me just how valuable the plant growing side is going to be also. I voted both.

Thats a tough one.
I'm a keen sports angler, netting fish out of a pond not my idea of fun nor is fishing at a trout farm.
I don't mind a bit of gardening but when I have to do it feels more like a chore and not much fun. I guess thats why I like Hydroponics no weeds to worry about and only have the check the water a couple of times a week.

I'm was looking at AP as as an extension to the hydro so reduce running costs and increase vegitable production.
I have decide that I will still run my Hydro as a stand alone independant system.
I am now looking at AP as part of a water landscaping feature, a series of 3 ponds connected by cascading waterfalls I'll have 4 to 6 continuous flow GB's running perpendicular to the top of the falls grabbing some of the water and draining into the pond below a pump on the bottom pond will pump the water back to the top of the first waterfall. I can see trout as part of the system.
So in my case the fish and the plants will both be bonuses, I see it that if I fail I will have a nice looking water feature
Cheers
Ron

Good thinking Ron, But I don't think that you can fail at AP. Failure only happens when expectations are set.

I've been wanting to do hydroponics for a long time (without much success on my experiments). I have also wanted to be able to raise the majority of my family's food. It would be nice to have a way to raise chickens (chooks) for the eggs and meat, and some source of milk (cows are a pain), but in my neighborhood, that would be illegal. I've had fish in aquariums for about 20 years, and saw aquaponics as a way that I can raise some protien as well as salads/stir fry.

It was me that put up the post talking about do we need fish or yabbies but more to get some discussion going about what makes a system tick.

I get out at the pond with the kids and the wife , we feed the redclaw, cehck on the rainbows the boys collect water to test ,discuss the colour and how they compare to the charts, the wife and i munch on basil or mint leaves, the chooks strut round acting very important. Its just nice , relaxing.

For me though the veg is the big reason, love that veg and also the fascination that mother nature gets the job done so well its all just a little everyday miracle, but for most of the population its a miracle they never get to consider.