Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

If you want to grow larger yabbies the secret is to only stock males. Obviously they won't breed, which would normally lead to overpopulation and lots of undersized yabbies, so then all their energy goes into growth. You need to be very diligent when you sex them so as to not accidently let a female in with the males.

As a general rule over the warmer months, if females don't have berries or young under their tail then they will almost certainly have a belly full of eggs coming through.

Yes I have seen that on a publication from the Ag Dept Santalum, when the my deck goes on I may think about dividing up the FT, could have male yabbies, breeding yabbies and babies.

I thought by culling out the big males I might stop the murders, but found remains of a yabbie yesterday. maybe they are re-establishing the pecking order?

Hey Slowboat, Looked at your design photo's, looks good. I personally wouldn't bring the supply line through the grow bed, its just another place to leak and extra cost of seals/bulkhead fittings. Just come up the outside mate, you'll probably have a valve there some where to control flow anyways.

Wish I had a pool

Only reason I've ever brought a supply pipe up through a bed was when there was a hole or plumbing I needed to plug up anyway (like in my new bunk beds) Otherwise it is always easier to just bring the pipe up the outside.

seeing as all the piping was going under the deck I though it would look neater coming up through the GB, I seem to to make things hard for myself some times?

Was planning to run a 40 dia sleeve through the base and then run the 25 dia water supply through that.

Saw a neat method of putting the drain line through the plywood base, piece of 3mm plastic (ex IBC) with a hole to suit uniseal that is over a larger hole in the base. the uniseal is pushed through the plastic with some of the liner. the good bit is if it leaks it will only drip into the pool.

here are the beams, complete with 132 cleats welded on for the joists.

Saw a neat method of putting the drain line through the plywood base, piece of 3mm plastic (ex IBC) with a hole to suit uniseal that is over a larger hole in the base. the uniseal is pushed through the plastic with some of the liner. the good bit is if it leaks it will only drip into the pool.

Thats a similar way i use,i cut two large washers from plastic,i used paint tub lids then drilled a hole in the wood big enough for the fitting to go through sandwiching the liner between the washers with a helping of silicone,i haven’t had one leak so far.

I'm looking forward to seeing this come together!

so am I.

pretty big day today, layed 26m² of deck.

Great Idea,
good sized pool and well designed and structured,
I would have converted the entire pool into a fish paradise/natural pond with some lilies , silver perches/jade perches/barramundi would have grown big like mad and , this may not comply entirely with the idea of aquaponics but certainly you would have home grown fish and could stick in a line anytime for some thrill. I would probably move the garden beds to the sides of the pool .

Well done ! keep it up and expand it, would like to see what else you come up with.thanks for sharing the idea.
I have recently applied for D/A approval to set up a kids pool (DIY PVC and metal frame, 1.2 metre deep , 4.27M diameter) which I will convert into a fish pond ,and occasionally swim with the fishes , I thought I was the only crazy one , but this has inspired me more.

Thanks Roseline, unfortunately I had no room to put GB's around the pool,
but I get plenty of time wading around with the fish.

Wish I had a video camera the other night, the frog was doing laps.
swim around climb up a pipe sit for a minute and jump in the water and swim around,
climb up a pipe and so on.

big weekend, I have a big black deck.

Next the grow beds.

Lookin good mate

So how do you get down under the deck?

Talk about man cave.

Keep posting as progress continues!

I must have read it wrong, I thought you used an "i" instead of an "e" in deck...