Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

It seems a fair number of you folks in Australia are AP'ing in what appears to be urban outdoor settings without full enclosures around your systems. Of course, if Australia is like the U.S., there are varmints such as racoons, possums etc living right amongst you in the storm sewers or adjacent foliages to your neighborhood homes.

I live in the country on acreage and have been wrestling with a question I hope ya'll can answer. How do you stop or mitigate varmints from eating your fish or veggies when your system is not securely closed within something? I have a few ideas, but hope ya'll will share some of your valuable trial and error expertise with me.

Thanks,

TX

I had trouble with woodchucks in my dirt garden, and have them sometimes take up residence under the deck and dig against the foundation. I trap them with a Have-A-Heart trap using a slice of fruit for bait. They then go for a long ride in my trunk. I have also fenced my dirt garden with a (so-far) unclimbable fence. There are concrete pavers to keep varmints from digging under it. I no longer plant sunflowers or feed the birds near the garden as that attacts mice. The mice destroy root crops like you can't believe. My AP system is indoors, and I just keep the cats out of the room.

Herons eat goldfish out of ponds around here. The trick there is not to give them any shallow water to wade in. Then they have no place to stand to get the fish unless they can perch on the edge of the tank.

My dirt garden has a short wire fence around it, but a mouse could get in through a hole in the corner and so ate my tomatoes.

The AP system was so high up on blocks last Summer that I had no pest problems at all, other than some gnats and little flies. We don't have deer problems around here, but there are a lot of rabbits and a groundhog that lives next door.

Elevating your AP system cut down on losses then huh Dave? I expect varmints to get some of the goods from my dirt garden, so, like everyone else I plant more than I need.

I will bury my fish pond in the ground. I guess I can build a screen door over it made from scrap wood and avian wire to keep the coons from fishing out my fishes. I have an old fence charger and can run a hot wire around the wood base structures of my grow beds to keep them from climbing up and diggin into my veggies.

Once I'm far enough into the learning curve on this exercise I'll build a greenhouse and keep those varmints out with a little more ease.

TX

Simple answer possum pie

I have recipes

Hi Tx, *This is my solution*

the cover is over 2 tanks and hinges in the centre - no more problems with cane toads or any hungry birds.

GBs and fish tank inside a green house, GH not fully enclosed as yet but deters small animals (probably cause there is no fruit on the plants as yet)

Secondary line of defense - plant "wild" tommies in dirt garden which the birds and possibly rats/possums help themselves too (actually wife plants in dirt )

Excellent setup Ell, thanks for sharing. F&F, I have eaten many of the beasts this continent and more specifically, my local, has been blessed with. However, possums are not among them. It's the Cajuns in Louisiana that eat possums. I'll pass. LOL!

TX

i've not had any problems with critters or bugs (touches wood).

When i had my dirt tommies a few years back i lost MANY to mice and/or rats.

Whether that was becasue i had beed less careful with the chook food that what i am being now is a point.

Charlie the dog is also very good at proteting my AP, even from birds!

From emory i dont think he had access to the dirt tommies, so that may be it!

Loose the cat and get a dog

My luck, I would get a dawg that likes fresh vegetables and fish!