Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Well after a bout of a virus which put paid to NYE celebrations andassisted my diet no end with no food until a piece of toast this morning (hope it stays with me ) I am getting ready to start the trial system.
I have 10mm gravel,white foam boxes some guttering and a raised bed for them. I will be pumping out of an existing fishpond 6 ft square using flood and auto syphon approach. While I wait for a testing kit I will let it run for a few weeks before I plant it out. The pond has been used for 5 years and has about 6-10 various sized goldfish in it.
Now to see if my poor old body survives the day Its a case of the years have been kind to me ......its the weekends that did the damage.
Photos will be added once things start happening (soon I hope)
Pete

Well that idea died a natural death!
More crook days and so not much has happened yet.
I found the pump I had wasnt strong enough to pump sufficient amounts of water so now need a pump . I am trying to find one I saw here on the forum a 1/3hp 1.56A $50 or there abouts but cant find it again. It was in one of the Aussie sytems.
Pete

dude, with pumps, you only get what you pay for, (as with most things I suppose). It's your core reqwuirement, if it fails, things can get ugly. Try and get a decent one if you can

well they may have their price wrong but they reckon it was the same as EB uses
I don't go by cheap as a rule it was the price mentioned in the msg is all
My main reason for smallish power draw is for when we transfer it all to our acreage as out there its solar and wind power only so all my trial attempts will be based on low power usage.
Pete

Have you thought then about going 12 volt perhaps. Little gutsy 12 volt bilge pumps can be set on float switches and are really cheap. Don't like continuous service though

Nearly lost my TS yacht with one of those and it was an expensive 1.
I will have enough power for a 1/3 hp pump as I will probably be using constant flow rather than a timer system/flood and drain but until my trial system is going I cant decide. Trouble with this site is there are so many exellent systems and makes it so hard to keep on track with what I want and need
Pete

OK I have a basic system going using 4 foam boxes (5 if you count the floater with lettuce in the pond) continuous flow with the water running into a gutter back to the pond. I have planted capsicum silverbeet basil seeds into the first 3 boxes and in the 4th I yanked (literally) a small eggplant out of the hydro system and put it into the gravel last night and was suprised that there was no wilt just a strong upright plant looking good.

Pete, is that yarrow in the first and second pics?

No Steve its foxtail fern
I've comandeered the shadehouse and pond for now
Pete

Good work Pete.

That's a beautiful wee pond there, what's swimming in it?

A true blue AP addict - good use of the foam boxes there :sunny:

aquaaddictit only has a few goldfish in it at the moment but when her back is turned who knows?? silvers maybe? I will be setting up a yabbie tank as soon as I can get some though
Ell needed to trial a system prior to the big one....at least she bought that

I know the challenge

Nice use of styrafoam boxes there (I started with them too and they served me well)...
Looking forward to seeing more about this system!

yet another system poping up out the wood works, good i love in soon well take over the world!!!