Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Two tanks plumbed into 3 GB's (for now)
I have also made a super cheap GB, piled up some earth and put a plastic liner in it.
Will add some gravel and see how it goes.
Some pics...






Quick question:
With such a large sump/tank ratio (5000L/520L) how would that effect max stocking densities in the tanks?
Any NH3/NH4 and other nasties would theoretically be diluted by 5 times (compared with a sump of equal volume to the tank.

Cheers for now.

Dui.

Brief update:
Made a thingy (I forget the correct terminology) from bamboo, total cost 25 baht (for 2)


Duckweed pond


Cheapo GB currently filled with coco-coir blocks, gonna take them out though I think, may experiment a bit more, seems to stain everything a deep red/brown colour.

Also made a micro-system.
Far more entertaining than Thai TV

I got some tilapia for free a couple of days ago and stuck them in one of the tanks.
I have been growing Duckweed in anticipation of their arrival.
Was very cool to be able to feed them for "free".

I also have a few baby carp and some goldies in another tank and 100 catfish in the sump.
The catfish keep dying though, same as before.
I think this is the last time for catfish for me, too many die.
Strange, because I see them reared in appalling conditions over here and they seem just fine.
Is it possible that the water is just too clean for them?
Silly question I guess, but over the last couple of years I have lost so many, with no explanation.
The other fish in the system are just fine.

More photo updates:

First signs of life.


Something like Basil, I forget the name, GF planted it


Spring Onions.

Thai Basil and Lemon Grass.


Affnan style siphon with plastic bag as the cap seal.
I was just playing one day and it worked, so I left it.
Works flawlessly


Papya, had one grow amazingly well in my last system.
These 2 are slightly different variety though.
Also have some in the dirt, will be interesting to compare.

A lot of Tilapia pooh, green from the Duckweed



Finally for now, the duckweed pond, it grows far more than my fish can eat.
Bit of cow pooh and I pee in it occasionally which means it probably tastes likes Fosters to the fish

Score !
Got an 800 Litre fish tank for free today.




Unfortunately Ao+ was right and my liner is leaking badly, so the tank will be the sump until I decide what to do about the liner.
Had a quick look at it today when I removed it, no obvious gaping holes, what worries me is it might have 100's of little ones making it uneconomic to fix.

My landlord did say yesterday that I can do anything I want landscaping wise, so I may concrete the hole.
He lives 1000km away so doesn't pop round very often

Cement is cheapest and reliable enough.

But you have to make your own design, don't belief local contractor, they will design too strong or using molld like your ex-system in Surin.
Iron reinforcement concrete for floor. Concrete block for wall(paint with leak protection cement, using brush like painting). Make it round shape to avoid column and beam.
Budget to buy a cubic meter of plastic container can make 5 cubic meter cement with plumbing ready

BTW these are what we call Ong โอ่ง
The price is very cheap, about 800Bht for 2 m^3 capacity. It's made from cement very thin wall about 1 cm. It's easy to be broken when moving or drill hole but once it install steady on the ground it will last for decades.
May be your choice



IBC is interesting but more expensive.

I saw many of those in Surin used to store drinking water, but didn't know they were called โอ่ง.
Don't see them much in CM, I will ask my GF if she knows where to get them.
800 Baht for 2000 litres is very cheap, maybe exactly what I am looking for.

Thanks for your reply Ao

NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) from bamboo? Interesting indeed. What is the diameter of the "pipe".

What did you bring with you to use on this system that would cause these fish to die like the last ones did? Tanks, pipes, plastic, fish food, are you using anything you used before on the other systems?

About 7cm.
I can get bigger, but not locally.
Gonna see how I get on with these.



Tanks are the same, the rest is all new.
I also had a 4000+4000L concrete system in Surin and they kept dying there.
I guess the only thing common to all 3 systems is the Thai blue PVC piping.
The Tilapia are fine as are the Carp + goldies.
Catfish don't seem to like me

I've had a total bummer of a day today.
Yesterday I removed the plastic liner from the sump hole and put the 800L tank in the hole.
I have a river running through my garden so I filled the new sump with river water and let it settle.
Then I connected it all back up and started the system.
Things were a bit cloudy last night when I finished, but this morning were nice and clear.
That's the good news.
I had 2 dead tilapia in their tank, and throughout the day about another 20 died, mostly all the tiny ones, but not the tiniest one, surprisingly.
The carp are fine, but one of the goldies also snuffed it.
The Catfish were removed from the sump and pump in a totally separate tank.

This fish business makes me crazy sometimes.
PH of the river water is exactly the same as the system water was before.
Other water params absolutely fine.

Seems very odd to me that putting river water in the system would cause all these deaths.
Getting rather pissed off with it all right now.
Seems I do everything I have learned to do correctly, but for no reason, fish just give up on me

Think I'll buy some cows next week, lol.

Wonder if the river water was really low in DO Dui?

You said that the locals spray insecticides, herbicides, fertilizer, etc... on their fields for crop growing. And since that river runs through the land and everyone uses it for everything, there is no telling what kind of nasties are in the river water.

How to get around the issue of using river water where you live?
1. Gathering rainwater into a storage tank
2. Possibility of pumping river water into a holding tank and airrating the water for an extended period of time
3. Have you any airration in your fish tanks?
4. Uh... I really don't know what else...Is drilling a well a possibility?

Sorry, I don't know much about your area. These are just suggestions to lead you into finding a solution to the problem.