Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

This is my first attempt at an aquaponics setup but Im sure it wont be my last.
My idea with this system was to try and recycle as much as possible while still having a functional and quality system. I have scrounged or reused everything except for the pump and plumbing.
I did alot of research and spent lots of time planning while on long drives for work so hopefully it works ok

Anyway here are some pics of my system so far.....

Welcome BURN5Y,

System looks great. What fish did you go with?

cheers

Looking good mate

Nice tidy system.

Very similar to mine when i first started it.

Keep up the good work.

Yep, those long drives sure give you time to think, good or bad.

Looks familiar!


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Heres a few more pics as i could only add three with the original post.

Ive got 20 Silver Perch in the main tank. They have been in for about 5 weeks. They seem to be growing pretty well but not eating very much. Im thinking this is due to the cold temps over winter. Ive had to replant pretty much the whole garden as my dog found out he can see over the fence if he jumps up there

Hey BURN5Y,

Super tidy system, nice one.

How's your water tests looking with the cold winter temp? Mine haven't shifted since I started in May. Just wondering if you have the same issue?

NacDach,
To be honest I havent tested my water since I put the fish in but ill have a look this weekend and let ya know. It took around 6ish weeks to cycle with 10 goldies. But again i wasnt checking the water too often so may have been a bit sooner. I have been keeping african cichlids for a few years inside so Im pretty lax with testing. I have just orderd a water hardness test kit so will be interesting to see those results.

I looked at you thread on your system and it seems like its taking forever for you.
Did you use rain water to fill your system? As ive read this can cause problems from lack of minerals and such in the water.

Rich

Rich

Yep it has had a lot of rain adding to the water, and a minor leak, so the two kept balancing out. Might be the issue. Leak is fixed now and 10 silver perch added too.

Look forward to seeing how you progress on your system.

Hey BURN5Y,

Great system. It looks great.

I'm currently working out a system to build and was wondering what you used to build the supports for the GBs.
It looks really sturdy and better than what I had in mind.

What did you use? Where did you pick up the parts?

Cheers.

Baz

Hi bazington,

I used some old pallet racking that i had laying around home. I picked up a heap of it for storage in my shed a while ago and had some left over.

I think its pretty expencive to buy new but you can pick up old stuff pretty cheap.

Its pretty handy it you are using IBC's as they are pallet sized and the racking is made for it.

So an update is due,

The system is still running well.
I had two SP die two days apart a few weeks ago and started to get a bit concerned. I tested the water and came up with : PH 8.0, Am 0.25ppm, Ni 0.0ppm, Na 5.0ppm. So no real dramas there.
One thing I noticed is everyone seems to salt their water quite alot which I havent done. I read that alot of plants struggle when you salt the water so I never did it. Since the two deaths I havent had any more so am not too concerned.
The fish are growing well but not eating very much which I hear is normal in winter months.
The plants had stalled so I added two caps of seasol. Since then everything sprung into action and Ive been seeing some good growth.
Im planning to plant some seeds this weekend with the kids to get a supply of seedlings happining and ready to transplant.

So heres a few questions:

1) what numbers should I be looking for when testing water hardness to have the happiest fish?

2) do SP prefer a nearly blacked out tank (like I have at the moment), or is some light good for them? I was thinking of cutting some holes in the lid and covering them with shade cloth.

Cheers
Rich