Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

The system is up and running, now I need some catfish!

https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10151519729401832

Cheers!

Jackal

I'm giving you originality points Jackal. Pretty interesting system, I like the BSF bin, haven't quite figured it out - particulary where the inside ramp is. Is the ramp also where you put the food in so you just lower it when you want to let them self harvest?

There is an internal fixed 30 degree ramp and a lid over lower end thereof. The lid is opened to drop the food onto the bottom of the inner ramp. The inner ramp leads to an opening that leads to an outer ramp that sits over the fish tank. When the larvae are ready to become flies, they crawl up the inner ramp onto the outer ramp and into the fish tank.

Cheers!

Jackal

The system has many advantages including being six way redundant, closed loop with BSF composter fish feeder, providing high amounts of dissolved oxygen with geyser pumps, and being low power only drawing 6 by eighteen watts.

Cheers!

Jackal

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Built my first system which you can read more about here:

http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=15277

Below is a video of the system, which includes a 350 gallon fish tank, six 27 gallon grow beds each using an 18W air pump to power respective geyser pumps, and a Black Soldier Fly composter/auto fish feeder sub-system.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151519729401832&set=vb.698581831&type=2&theater

The tank is stocked with 20 goldfish and 20 minnows right now, but looking to stock with 20-25 eight to ten inch channel catfish shortly. The grow beds have peppers, strawberries, tomatoes, asparagus, brussels sprouts, and cucumbers.

The system has many advantages including being six way redundant, closed loop with BSF composter fish feeder, providing high amounts of dissolved oxygen with geyser pumps, being low power only drawing 6 by eighteen watts, and maintaining a constant water level due to the individual grow bed flood and drain cycles.

Cheers!

Jackal

Looks good
You may end up with algae problems with the clear tubing and open fish tank

OK, I get it. The inner ramp was partially hidden beneath the composting waste material

jackal,

The pond stocking plans are in place to develop a food chain in a much larger body of water. In a confined space like a 300 gallon tank the food chain is going to unravel quickly. In two months, you will have 2 LMB and maybe 6-10 assorted other fish that the LMB are not yet big enough to fit into their mouth... yet.

I would recommend only stocking one teir of the food chain in a 300 gallon tank.

If you want LMB. Do only LMB. Just make sure they are already feed trained.

The bluegill, sunfish, perch, channel cats and koi will be able to live together. Just make sure that the fish will accept a commercial feed. It's unlikely that the redear sunfish are feed trained but the others should be fine.

brian

Sorry for the confusiin, My previous post was replying to the first page didnt realize there were 3 more pages. Channel cats are a great choice. Temperature tolerant and fast growing.

brian

No worries! Later on I realized that I could not stock so many different types of fish.

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Thanks, I was thinking of painting the air and siphon tubing white!

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Hi,

Just set up my system a couple of days ago. Biggest problem I'm facing is brown water(Already tried using the pond clear solution with no success), and low pH levels ( Slowly adding up pH solution). Added some night crawlers to my grow bed, some small goldfish and koi today. And advice you have is welcomed

225 Gal IBC w/ Grow bed
15/45 min cycle 24hr

If you are using expanded clay you have to wash it well before using or the water will look brown. Even though I washed mine I still had a few days of brownish water.

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Yes, the grow bed will filter out the suspended dust after a few days. I find that the dust has a very high PH and i typically recommend to wait for it to settle before adding fish.

i lost some catfish fingerlings trying to put them in before it completely cleared. All of my bluegill and gold fish lived so i wouldnt worry or make any drastic changes to your situation. Just let teh system do its thing.

brian

Redesigned BSF composter as last system was letting grubs escape! New system uses one tote with lid cut to form inner and outer ramps. Also added a drain plug and filled system with clay pebbles to act as a filter for the grub waste and leachate. Hopefully this one will work better. Photos of the new system are this album:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151530908131832.1073741825.698581831&type=3

Ordered 30 channel catfish from Smith Creek Fish Farm (http://www.smithcreekfishfarm.com/).

Cheers!

Jackal