Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

So took Nebbian's advice and sunk tank 2 700mm into the ground. Also my other mate who is a real person told me the same so thanks to me as well. It is so much easier this way!! (once you buy the hole from bunnings).

Only trouble is once I unwrapped the hole I bought from B I found the air wasnt included and putting the air in was really hard.

Then I had to reapir the tank entries (3 off)... sikaflex marine is my friend

Move one of the GB's from fase 1 for use on fase 2

Fill up the tank and start the oxygenation process

Peed once, 200-300 ml seasol, salted to 2 PPT, three teaspoons of iron chelate, added soda ash to bring up the PH.

20 barra arrive Friday. Need to make a cover before the algae attacks me again.

Why did you want to bring the pH up???

What was it before you added the soda ash?

Har har you didn't think I was serious did you?


Nice work anyway, looking good.

it was about 6.4 i think. i am trying to match my mates tank at 7.6 as thats where the fish are living atm.

Very nice

pretty sick man, looks awsome, how many grow beds you running?

Nbs82 I just have one gb on this tank ATM but the plan is to ramp up to 4 in the end. And my fase 1 system is the same. Got my 20 barra last night and they are all in the tank. I have to go check in a minute and see if they are alive or not. AP is Stressful business.

I couldnt see the barra for two weeks due to algae bloom but the bloom has now collpased leading to a huge nitrite spike which has no passed and the barra are safe. They seem very sluggish and dont feed hard. My SP in the fase 1 system are far more lively and eat way more. Are barra always this boring?

I have said before that barra are boring, sorry to say it again. They in no way compare to the personaility of trout, whom are the funnest fish to keep in my opinion. Barramundi do however, have the "Wow" effect when you tell friends and neighbours that you are growing them in your own backyard.
They certainly have a peronality that is described as an "ambush predator" whereby they would wait for an opportune time when live food would come by and the fish would then ambush them, and take them by complete surprise. They would know even know what hit them. Now that is something to see, as they almost vacuum the water with their large open mouth, making a loud popping sound. However be warned if you feed your backyard barra any live fish, they wil be reluctant to take pellets for some time afterwards as you have spoilt them.
Funnily enough we added some mollies (small freshwater fish) to our display tank and Barry and the mollies lived happily together for a few days. (We think he didn't know what to do with them), the numbers dropped and after a couple more days, there was not a mollie left. He turned his nose up at the next few feeds of pellets, before coming to terms with the fact that it was back to pellets or nothing.

Thats good that they are behaving normally...... They will be replaced by trout in april after I do some ambush predatoring of my own. I also prefer fish to pellets.

Progress after 6 weeks... pretty cool