Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I think your clarifier will not have any negative impacts. Just don't remove any good solids from the system because you want the nutrients to build.

if this is the filter you have (from your link) ...

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Additionally, the beneficial bacteria breaks down toxic ammonia from fish wastes into harmless nitrates. Even though you may have a UV Clarifier, it is still a good idea to have beneficial bacteria in the pond if you have fish.
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It should be fine. Although perhaps unnecessary once you have your aquaponics system running properly.

Suggestion go to the council and find out the building Reg's and see if they have gone out side their scope of construction..

It's a serous matter of have they gone out of the envelope they can build in..

when Plans get issue/approved you are told/have an area of sky that you can build in.. You Can't go above a certain height at "X"m to the boundary have they gone over that height..

You can't viable impact the neighbours views.. ie block sunlight for amounts of the day..

Put the complaint to the council..

The main point is that you where not contacted about the Solar HW system..

Hey I had a Look at the photo's again... HOW noisy is the Aircon system sticking above the fence line....?????

I know what I would be doing..



In the Long run you have to Live their..

The Solar HW system could be fixed if they would just re-angle the direction the pipe's sat or if they would even move them.. [Me I think they breach the height Barrier.. as the neighbour seems to have a Flat Roof..]

The Aircon is a Bit high..[Noise impact]


Juergen..

Hi Juergen,

You have a sharp eyes in noticing the air conditioner.
Yes, that is also a problem. It becomes noisy when it is very hot. But the solar hot water panels are my primary concern. So far, i am having a soft approach since we will have to live as neighours.
But i have waited more than ten months. They agreed to move the panels back for 1.5 m and lower the angle of panels in six months. That was a month ago.

If they do not carry out i will have take a stronger actin.

But their agreement removes shade in my living room, not in my backyard.
That is why i am forced to have a very raised grow bed.
This place is supposed to be an urban eco village. But i suppose even a rural village is full of tension.

Sejin

I am leaning toward making a timber grow bed rather than buying the BYAP (1.2m width) one.
BYAP grow bed is purpose built in terms of material and structure.
But it will have to sit on top of the metal shelve which is 90cm tall, and above 47cm tall seat of my pond. (Being on top of pond seat, shelve legs do not touch water.)
This is too high. Also a bit too wide. It will require two of them, and costs a lot (even though I would be willing to spend that much money), and there is delivery cost.

A home made grow bed can accomodate the height desired at fit into the metal shelves that I have chosen already. It will be 90cm wide and 360 cm long.

Pictures show the position of BYAP grow bed (A) as opposed to the home made one (B).

The planned area for grow bed is 90 cm wide to fit inside the frames metal shelves.
The total length of grow for four shelves as stand is 360cm.
This is rather long as a single structure. It is hard to move, but has an advantage of water flowing one way by having a small slope.

On investigating what material to use, for the floor, options are:

1] laminated board (120cm x 240cm, needs 2, 15mm thick)
2] particle board (90cm x 360cm, found one that is exactly right size, 17mm, 22mm thick)

Question 1: are either of these, even covered with liner, suitable material for growbed?

Growbed wall: the only timber material that I found is 29cm wide, 19mm thick pine.
Otherwise, 22cm wide, 30mm thick MDF.

Question 2: the same question as above: Is any of these good enough material for growbed?
Question 3: Is 22cm (-2cm for floor thickness), not tall enough for grow bed? Then, it will have to be pine board?

Just thinking aloud.
Hope some one hear.

Sejin

That is what I have heard already, but two more voices with same view assure me.
It seems the main advantage of having the expensive filter is to turn it on when the "system" is not working well and there is amonia problem, or whenever I want to have cleaner water.

For an ornamental fish pond, clear water is as important as removal of ammonia.
Question: Can clean water be a minus for an aquapoinic system? Cleaning is not equal to removal of nutrients?

1] I had gold fishes for a couple of months already.
2] Originally, I did not feed much, but since I heard fish grow mainly in summer and that feeding will decide the size, I began feeding daily.
First, I did not buy commerical fish food and fed left over rice and peas. Fish grew and are fat now. I now have fish pellets, but use them sparingly. I will study more about fish feeding, but I am inclined against excessive commercial food. I agree about balanced diet, minels etc.
Beans that are fed to cattles have more protein than cattle meat. Isn't it better to eat beans, eg tofu? Fish loved tofu too.
3] I need to get various instruments to measure and test things. Any recommendation?

Sejin

Not to mention it probably makes your back yard even hotter...In hot weather our compressor/fan until outside pumps out really hot air.

I'm not urse on whether anything in the particle board could react with liner (doubt it), but from a weather proof point of view, I'd say it depends on how likely you think it will be to get wet. After a few soaks their structural integrity might go down hill fairly fast. You are under cover of the pagloa it looks like??, but even still, there is a lot of water that is going to be circulating around. Did you consider [marine] ply instead...probably more expensive than the options you've suggested.

I've got 17mm (non?) structural ply holding up my 50L GBs under pagola and my 180lt fish tank. With enough support underneith it seems to be surviving a bunch of water spils and leaks pretty well.

I am about to use the rest of the ply to support my large outdoor GBs to avoid saging in the middle. Might give it a quick coat of polyurathine first to make it splash proof.

Anybody else share my view or care to negate my comments with well founded proof or experience? heheh

Luke.

P.S. sorry if I missed this...but do those metal grids come of off the top of the shelving without comprimising the structure of the shelving? I'm thinking they will be a pain to get your arms under...but alternatively would make nice climbing trellises.

Luckly, the air conditioner is evaporative and sucks air rather than blowing out.

Sejin

Hey...instead of building the home made grow bed on the second rung of the shelving, why dont you just cut the bottom off each shelf leg from the second locking hole down. Will that bring the top oft he shelves far enough down?

Then you could put any "brand" of GB you want on top. If you still go with home made wooden GB, you might also be able to use thinner/cheaper wood because you have the exsiting mesh shelve tops for support

Hi Luke,

I meant plywood in the option where i said laminated.

I think the grow bed floor will be sitting on shelves and will not normally get wet except from rain. I will have to paint and seal the exposed part when I paint the external wall.

The metal mesh will come out and it is not essential for supporting the grow bed.

Plywood has a special kind that has water resistant coating, and this is an option.
But the structural particle board for floor is vey attractive because it is just the right size and a single piece.

I wonder whether 22cm tall wall is too low for grow bed.
30 cm wall takes up a lot of media, i am thinking of clay balls, thus expensive.

Sejin

Cutting the shelf to use the commercial GB is an idea.
But sizewise, 90 cm width will be neater.

Using thinner wood is also an idea which I have not thought about.
It will be somewhat cheaper. It will also be less heavy to handle.
May be no problem in holding weight, but not sure whether it is strong to hold the wall part.

Sejin

Ok.. Home made Grow-bed..

Sorry for the negative.. Just throw ideas/thoughts around

-- Need to be treated with something to stop them Rotting/termite's etc..[Is it Fish safe]
-- have to strong enough to take all that weight of media/water and plant's.

Need to be at a height that they get enough sun and are easy to work with/harvest..

In your Pictures you have a space towards the fence.. Could you not have the grow-beds closer to the fence[still leaving enough room to get close to the fence to harvest] Thus giving you less height to deal with more access to the fish tank to watch your fish..
-- The first leg of the frame to sit where it is close to the house, but the second set of legs to Sit off the top edge closer to the fence.. this gives you a larger span[need to adjust the frame for strength]

Could you use diffuser to help direct more light on to the grow area.. ie Mirror like surface's..

So here are few Nutty idea's from me..

Juergen