Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi

I have had a little test system going on and off for a couple of years but I have finally got around to building a larger system. . I am going to use some grow beds with pea gravel and expanded clay, some IBC's filled with blue metal, and experiment with some 90mm pipe (nft style) but actually flood and drain .
Photos to come of where I'm up too.

I started with a aquaplated tank and a half corugated ring which I was going to line with pond liner and use as a sump tank.
But I decided that pumping up to grow beds and draining to fish tank was a better way to go (only need one pump, less chance for failures). So I decided instead to use the ring to protect the fish tank (from rusting out to quick). So I dug the ring into the ground and place the tank into that.

The only time I love living on sand is when I have to dig something

I added a corrugated growbed about 420 deep, full of pea gravel, then the last 50mm with expanded clay to hold more moisture at the roots.

I washed the clay, what a painful and tiring Job, the water still went brown for about a week.

The pump was too strong for just one bed so I placed a temporary t piece in to blow some water back into tank. Good for aeration as well.

I read all of OBO's commercial system in regard to the IBC's and followed his lead.

I filled the IBC's up with Blue metal, No washing gravel this time .
From what I can gather blue metal dust is used as a mineral supplement, so I think it should be good for the plants ??

Plan is to flood and drain with leaving 600mm high water in IBC tanks all the time. The outlet pipe has a 5mm hole drilled at 600mm mark, and the outer 90mm gravel protector has only holes cut below that height to flush bottom water out first on next flood cycle.

I put an inlet pipe cover of 90mm pipe l, which goes to the bottom of the tank and has slits all the way up it, to circulate water and stop roots blocking up the 25mm inlet pipe.

Nice work Amo Welcome to the forum, certainly looks like you are on the right track. The photos are great.

This is the experimental bit

I am building a NFT style area, for leafy greens. It is out of 90mm pipe, but instead of nutrient film it will be flood and drain.

I will place plants in 50mm baskets, and the water from the IBC will drain through the 90mm pipes flooding to about 60mm in the pipe before entering back into the tank.
The questions will be

- Will the IBC filter the water enough (if not i may have to add a finer filter)
- Will the plants dry out too much on a 15 minute on 45 minute off cycle? I will try with Expanded clay in the net pots as well as rock wool. to see which is better.
-will the water temps be too high without shade cloth for lettuce etc

If it does work it will be a great way to add plant growth area cheaply and easily.

Thanks Faye.

Great work Amo.

What fish are you planning on having?

Sent from my GT-P7100 using Tapatalk 2

Yea looks great, cool design.

Thanks guys

I have a few large gold fish and a few barramundi in the big tank, I have another 25 barra in the test system. I was waiting for the big tank to cycle and clean up and also hopefully catch the gold fish before I move all the baramundi over.

I bought the Barra from Tafe before christmas, but I think I will struggle to get them to plate size before winter.


this is the link to my test system thread

viewtopic.php?f=45&t=6210

Your definitely not a big poster eh Ammo

No not really Charlie

I did a trout and a barra season with the test system but then I left it for a while and hadn't been on the forum for a long time, until I started getting ready for the big system.

My PH is very high,







I use my ground water to top up the tank. I'll be adding some HCL over the next few days to try and bring it down. Any other Ideas?

Eventually I will be buiding a carport next to the site and will collect rainwater for top ups. But this is at least a year away.

I am doing some experiments on raising seeds in the grow bed to then be placed into the 90mm pipe.

Into some hydro rock wool, and straight into the net pot!

How do other people raise their seeds? In the past I have just cast them into the growbed.

Hi Amo,

your system is looking great, I like your ideas

I use to put the seeds straight in the grow beds about 10mm under the gravel/media where the water level would keep them wet during flood and drain cycles.

I had issues with low germination, so changed to growing my own seedlings in seed mix which worked well.

Today planting out my new system with seeds I have decided to try cotton wool to carry the seed. I hope this will stop the seed working it's way down deep into the media and keep the seed moist.

I don't know how it will go but I will soon see

God bless, froggo.