Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi all,

Having recently been bit by the aquaponics bug...hard and joining the forum I've finally read enough to convince myself I can do this, so I set about creating an indoor setup using my already 4 year old established aquarium. Haven't taken any readings

I forgot to take pics of the build itself as was just happy to get back into building something, my only criteria from the other half was that it had to look neat and presentable as it was going to to stay indoors.

So with out further ado here are the pics of the system...hopefully.











This pic was taken right after setup and planting, prior to the above pics by a couple of days.



The fish haven't seemed to have noticed anything (Silver Dollars are skittish things and even dropping food in sends them into a fit of panic) and are happy with the water level dropping slightly.

Known specs are;
F/T: 300L
Pump: 2500L p/h - this came with the aquarium and is way over the top but have functioned well over the last 4 years
Media: expanded clay
Plants: Fennel and Coriander seedlings with sage, rosemary and basil cuttings.
Lights: 3 different rated tubes, the writing has worn away as they are original similar to pump
Water is heated to 28C for fish
Rocks: Limestone
Wood in tank: is some Jarrah found in forrest south of Perth, been in tank for at least 2 years.
Fish: 3 Silver Dollars, 2 Clown Loaches, 1 Bristlenose catfish, 1 Pictus catfish, 1 Talking catfish (don't know correct name), 1 other catfish not sure of the breed and finally 1 cichlid Julidochromis Ornatus I think. will be restocking more fish at later stage, have had recent losses due to moving house and due to move once again at end of year so no new fish until then.

I did transfer the bio clay balls in the original filter into bottom of the media to keep the bacterial colonies.

I am planning on making a bigger system outside but as mentioned above not until we move at the end of the year.

Advice and observations welcome

Cheers,
Kim

Nice. good luck waiting till the end of year. I bet we will see you with an outside system before then.

You need your lights within a few inches of the tops of the plants or they will grow leggy. Is it possible to make the A frame rigid and suspend the lights on chains, that way you will be able to move them up as the plants grow.

Thanks for the tip Sleepe...although slight problem, I forgot first rule of cabinetmaking measure twice cut once. The light hood flares at the bottom and I measured the top only so the rasp was taken to the sides of the frame to accommodate the light hood.

I did think of adding a block out curtain as the light spills quite a lot around the room without lights on, was thinking the block-out curtain with a white backing would reflect enough light back in.

And you're right Nat I'm champing at the bit to start an outdoor setup

An idea for a curtain around your grow area, look at using the inexpensive mylar emergency blankets. They won't block out all the light spill but it is kinda like looking through tinted windows and a heck of a lot cheaper than the "perfect" thick rolls of mylar you get at the hydroponics supply shop.

Hi Kimbo,
Great looking system, I've just set up a much smaller one with 65L tank / 50L grow bed. More details here:
http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17126

It will be interesting which different plants do well inside - I imagine with 28C water the coriander will probably bolt to seed?
Pretty hot for lettuce too which I think likes 20C.

Sleepe - why is it that the plants get leggy if the light is too far away, is it to do with the intensity of the light?
Anyway I've taken your advise for my system as the seedlings coming up are getting a bit straggly.

Thanks TCLynx for the idea about the curtain. I have excess insulation material from my outdoor system.

How are you going with water quality (visibility)? Are you still using the aquariums filtration or just that provided by the grow beds?

Yes its to do with light intensity. The internodes on the stems are spaced further apart as the plant tries to achieve enough height light for adequate growth. Using MH or HPS the lights are placed further away because they produce more light, and heat which is then an issue.

Thanks for the tips all. Emergency blanket looks to be the way to go

Still messing with water levels and such, have noticed the GB on the left is over flowing (1x6mm hole feeding it) so will have to rework the plumbing to slow the rate of water, most likely by adding inline taps or similar and have an overflow back to the tank or solids filter.

Have also started getting some white spots of mold on the media so am working on adding an old computer fan into the system to get better airflow.

So far the plants are not doing too bad, the basil cutting has dropped some roots down, the sage cutting not dead but no roots are visible so not sure if it'll take, the rosemary cutting is similar in that it's not showing many signs in way of growth. I thought the coriander wasn't doing so well but found out it's been harvested without me knowing so i guess it's going well

Also added an additional Bristlenose Catfish to help combat the algae buildup that's been happening guessing due to the extra light the tank has been receiving, the way things are going I'll need to expand the GB's as I'm not filtering the water enough for the number of fish in the tank.

With my aquarium i only have my growbeds and an undergravel filter. There are fine particles in the water, so if you are chasing pristine, crystal clear water then you would still want a fine filter in the system. I dont mind it myself, i prefer a slightly naturale look.

I'm using similar method as well, no real filter just the grow media. so far the water colour hasn't changed any that I can tell, it's always had the greenish tinge to it.