Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

well my 2 cents is
that gravel fill grow bed has always reminded me of a dirt garden which i am straying away from, plus i like to look at roots, there cool, i did a little aero before but aqua is a much smaller risk and i will have to move the system soon anyway. so medium-less works out fine for me.

I run a system that medium-less and the fish tank get 50% sun and the water is Christal clear its a young system and i haven't stocked up to 100% yet but soon will and i am having good growth on what i have planted so far.

its just a next advanew to go down, and the prototypes are usually the most expensive. The rest get cheaper and cheaper as you go down the line.

Got to think of this place as the pioneers of backyard aquaponics so we should all pitch in with the pros and cons of everything because 10years from now this site is still going ta be look at for information and believe me WE are pioneers.

So be a little more constructive with your criticisms please

I use one of the bio-filters on my system and the results are fantastic. My main reason is that I want to have very clear water in order to see the fish clearly. I have regular groups of visitors coming to see Aquaponics and they like to be able to admire the fish. I am quick to explain to them that the filter is not strictly necessary, but the results are fantastic. The filter on eBay that someone put a link to earlier is much smaller in capacity than the quality european made one of mine. You get what you pay for , particularly on eBay.
I am very much at the upper end of fish stocking density with 500 Jade and Silver perch in my 2300 ltr tank. Sizes range from 1.7kg monsters down to fingerlings, so there is a bit of work in keeping the system ticking along nicely. Sorry Gary, this is your thread, but I wanted to make a comment about the bio-filter.
Murray

Jeez Muzz - 500 certainly is a lot. Are you planning to move some of these as they get bigger? Where are you keeping the Murray Cod - are they also with the silvers and jades. If so, how do they interact?

How long did it take to grow THAT beauty

For your situation where seeing the fish is important I understand Murray...

AM, I have posted an answer in my thread.
Murray

Hey, CG, we're all contsructive here Just trying to get differnt approaches CLEAR in my head.

Hi Steve,



No problems Steve......I agree with you about everyone being entitled to their views.

In high-profile systems like UVI, they remove the solids from the fish tank as quickly as they can (at least daily)......and they remove them completely. I figure that the compounds in the solids are always present in solution because even when we clean the filter strainers, the solids have been in the system for several days. Once we clean the filter, several more days will elapse before we remove them again.

If you soak fish poop in water it seems logical that the compounds like nitrogen, potassium, calcium, etc will dissolve in the water.......as happens with salt, carbonate (sea shells), etc.

I put the sediment on the satellite pots on the off chance that they still contained some 'goodies' (and they may have) but the unexpected side effect was that the sediment formed a crust on the surface of the coco peat which I think has impacted the root aeration that should normally occur with coco peat.....so I don't think we'll do it again.

When we removed the sediment in future, we'll give it the worms.



Rupert......if the filter helps keep my fish alive and healthy (and I believe that it makes a useful contribution to that end) then I judge it to be cost effective. I have lost very few fish (and none in the past several months) and I run one of the highest stocking rates (probably second only to Murray) among forum members.

I don't mind constructive challenges to my ideas. It helps me to test them.

Gary

No argument with you there Gary... and indeed that is another subtle and unspoken distinction that needs to be weighed in these discussions....

Perhaps some (like yourself) place greater emphasis on the production of fish whereas others (perhaps like myself) would see more bonuses in the vegetable production.

Will confess to some surprise though Gary given your original stated goals of producing an AP system for around $500....

If I remember correctly, I wondered at the time if this was possible...

In saying that I don't intend any criticism as such... just wondering if perhaps your views may have changed somewhat in that regard.

Never thought of it in that context, it would be removing any gunk that could cause "off flavours" from the water

RupertofOZ, GD, I am sure we all find that our intensions and goals change as AP affects the higher functions of the brain - it has this sneaky way of sucking you in!

Hi Rupert,

I still think I could put a working system together for that sum of money.

I don't believe that I said my existing system would be the one.....given that it exceeded that amount before I made the claim.

Obviously, it wouldn't include a $395.00 pressure filter......and it probably wouldn't contain 110 fish. Some of my interest in optimising water quality is that I've hooked 66 Jade Perch fingerlings into my existing system and I wanted a margin for safety where they are concerned.

While I acknowledge the need to produce both fish and plants (or it's not aquaponics), you're probably right when it comes to the emphasis on fish. For me, that's where the steepest learning curve is at the moment.

I'll have a look at some of my old posts and see what criteria I put on the $500 system......with a view to describing such a system.

Gary

Uhh Huhmm......... Really.......?

I think F&F told me his system came in pretty cheap (~$200?).

is that kg of fish per L of water.. or number of fish per L of Water?

Gary, asssuming that the new bio-filter was purchased about the time you added the 66 new fingerlings correct???.... I do understand your decision to incorporate the bio-filter by the way....as you haven't mentioned any additional growbeds or additional satellite plants...

Raises the question of how did you cope with the growth rate of the 22 Jades and the inevitable increase in feeding.... increase in fish solids... ammonia production, nitrates etc...

Have you over time had to increase the frequency and/or size of your water removal to your satellite systems and corresponding tank top-ups??

Has the nutrient requirement for plant growth and frequency/volume of watering required effectively matched the nutrients produced by the fish growth and the need to remove nitrates from the system??

Did you over time notice an increased build up of solids within your oyster shell filters which required increased servicing??

And how did the shell filters handle the greater load in general... any signs of breakdown??

All questions I ask so that I understand the micro-management required within your style of system... not to nit-pick or criticise