Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

This is what I started with last year November






The spinach started of real fast but it seems to be just that no major growth after that
thought it might have something to do with the nut shells I use.



So changed it with gravel this week and did the compulsory media wash and started to take the nut shells out.

So I got the wife and daughter to help take the shells out from the roots.



Then in with the cucumber and started with the gravel. I changed the auto siphon as well cause I had
a problem getting in to clean it



Then the spinach, basil and parsley.



And some of the cucumber.

After all that I think I might have to little fish for the system got a 200L drum as fish tank filled up to about 170L with 10x5cm tilapia in. Had a chat to my friend with the tilapia farm to pick up another 15 and then see how it goes.

Added a small nft system to my system.

NFT system not working out to well I think my filter is not doing the job there is plenty of waste in the pipe and they are throwing out roots everywhere but the plants stay small. but the tomato's are going like crazy and popping out everywhere.

This is a week ago





And this is today

Some pics of the system





So the IBC is not high enouph and fitted this piece with air to raise the level of the water in the pipe that goes to the GB's to give more flow

You are getting some great growth from your tomatoes considering your system is powered by just a few small fish, Willem Bot. Did you add the extra 15 Tilapia that you mentioned back in January?

Hi PLJ Thanks and no I did not add the fish I held out and as you can see I pimped the system and it's now a shift_pist system and I added a 100 tilapia with the pimped system.


Regards Willem


OH!! this is the tomato yesterday.

Harvested my first tomato about a week ago and "WOW" the sweetest tomato I have ever tasted








Sigaret box just for size

Great job with the tomatoes Willem

My auaponic tomatoes are nothing like that, they`re just not improving and its just ticked over the second week

Thanks scotty435


theha222 In the begining mine were just as slow until my system was fully cycled how long is your system going for this one of mine is 5 monthes old and it seems like it is only (if you may say) fully opperational now every thing in this system shot up in the last month my letuce actualy look like a christmas tree it shot up to about 40cm in the last month. So if your systems not running that long now give it a bit of time you'll be surprized to what it's capable of if it's cycled completly

Regards Willem

It's getting a bit cold here now so i had to cover the ibc

Hey Willem,

Nice tomatoes there! I'm only going to be able to get mine at the end of the year with summer!

I just wanted to know about the cover you used for the IBC. Have you found that it works? I've just started my system and got goldfish instead of Tilapia because I figured they would work better over the winter, and then just as the water temps are getting higher in spring, get some Tilapia to grow out.

What is your current water temp averaging? I know that Pretoria can get pretty cold in winter! Just wondering how you're going to keep the Tilapia warm enough?

Hi Dan

I used 25mm polystirene cut in strips to fit between the bars horizontaly that I silliconed onto the bars and tank I still need to do the sump was thinking of boxing it and fill it up with sand so the 210L drum is isolated that way.

On the heating my temp is stable at 18deg/c even when we went so low down.

The heating I am experimenting with a closed loop carbon heating system if everything works out the way I want I'll reveal it on the forum.

Regards
Willem

ps: Dan would you know of a place where I can get some clear plastic sheet in Pta or Jhb area to cover two 3x3m gazebo's tied together.