Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Yum, yum, yum, yom.

Haven't had AP fish yet, but in terms of bought farmed freshwater fish compared to wild caught, wild caught winds hands down each time. Then again growing it yourself is a certain thrill!

Blizzard, I have incorporated the paint filter bags, thanks for the tip!

Yes but look on the bright side, at least my new filter got a look at for once, maybe someone will look at it and think about improving it? Or even give suggestions on making it better? The last thing I expected was being ridiculed on a Aquaponics website! I though we were supposed to help each other get more of what we wanted out of it, rather than what others think we should get out of it or what they want out off it?
No I am not planning on eating lots of fish, but my mates love fish, the veggies are for my daughter who always wants what out of season? So this is an experiment, if it works for me, I will expand,

I agree with the over fishing of our rivers and oceans, I used to go fishing a lot in my boat, but after my accident I cant go fishing anymore, I even had to sell the boat, the only 4.3 runabout that did 40knots that I have ever seen, but I sold it to my nephew for a good price,

But thanks Yavimaya, for your positive post, at least some people on here are thinking about what others my want and no what they are after, wouldn’t the world be boring if we all did everything the same? And thought the same? We would still be in caves looking for something to eat,

Good for you Bcasey2703, let me know how you go! it’s a proto type idea the first that I know of? If you have any problems let me know also, see if I cant help you work on your setup, I build mine for my size setup, 10ltr per minute which is ample for my system, if and when I get a bigger system, I will go larger barrels and bigger pipes to filter a larger system obviously,

You have made my day, the thought of helping someone out is better than winning lotto, but I sill have a ticket in tomorrows power ball, did I mention I have a teenage daughter?

I must have weird tastes because although I like smoked trout, I preferred SP more. Haven't read of many others say that. But I am a bit weird.

I'm crustacean mad though, id give 10 rainbow trout for one mud crab.

If you haven’t read my other post about barra, that also got ridiculed, as I am thinking on ways off breading them in backyards and Aquariums in the future, yes I am an Australian and proud off it, there is nothing an Aussie cant do, when he puts his mind to it! Just have another look at the bionic ear! Spray on skin for burn victims, the Victa mower, the hills hoist, why not get two fish to have sex? Or at lest gather some eggs and mix them with some male spawn? Ok I haven’t got my barra as yet! That will be in a few weeks, but its an idea that I am prepared to work on and share the results, it may take a few years, but at least I have shared the idea, with some that have barra already, unless you killed them all because barra don’t like the outdoors in winter? Move them inside so that they are warm, easy and cheep, simple logic!

Haven't seen anyone else do it, could indeed be a first! I know some say we don't need much filtering in AP, but I got onto AP after a background in keeping fish tanks (as a hobby), and I just can't break the habit!

As my system is on a budget as I am in the process of spending money elsewhere, I created my "filter" on a budget, it cost me less then $20, and whilst too early to tell from a biological point of view, it certainly works on mechanical side! My water was very dirty from gravel, as I got this for free but it was just as much dirt/dust as it was gravel, I had issues with getting it clear. I also have an over the top water movement, which also makes it difficult (in regards to settling). Once I put filter in place, it cleared up over night! It had been dirty for two weeks prior. Because I thought maybe it was just coincedence, I added a bed, which has taken over three weeks to clear water each time, but this was over night too. So I'm happy at least! Hope you don't mind I will post some pics (hope you don't think I am hijacking!).




This is it in play, the SLO outlet from FT is the water flowing into it. I get better then 1800 LPH going though it, only have to rinse it in AP water once a week for 10 min (I could leave longer, unsure yet as to how long).


This is it pulled apart whilst cleaning. Water is the "dirt" from rinsing. In an old work farm is the water runs through the following in this order.
1. Shade cloth
2. Paint strainer x 3
3. Green scrapers
All the above are in top worm farm tray
4. Microfibres cloths (it'll be interesting to see how these hold up constantly wet).
5. Sponges

This all drips (vigorously) into sump, so good aeration too me thinks! Will maybe add a third tier with either bio balls and/or Matal foam, but only if I think it's needed! I'll probably find another members idea I like ahaha! Before I get roused on, I did check if their were any detergents in all of the above by adding to a bucket, and then agitating the bejesus out of it, as well as letting them soak overnight in degassed water as well, as I read some members suggesting this could be an issue! (See more experienced members, some of newbies do listen to advice ;p).


Edit: photos are wrong way around, but too long to fix :/

Blizzard, I suggest that if you want to learn about fish breeding you should go and do a course, Freo TAFE has some good courses to learn more about that sort of thing.. Breeding Barra is done in many places around Australia, but it's not a simple thing, and NOT possible in a backyard situation by people without the proper equipment and knowledge.

As a start, you'd need to keep your bara for 3-8 years depending on conditions, just to get a female, before you can even think of starting the breeding process..

There's heaps of info online about this sort of thing.

Thanks Bcassey2703, go for it! This is supposed to be a website that helps people, you didn’t say how big your system is? But it looks impressive , from the photos, if we only get people talking about our ideas, then maybe more people will start to think of better ideas? For us all, I am sharing my ideas and getting flack for it? But they are only ideas to be put to the test, my system has only been running I think three weeks now stocked with 10 goldfish and five Marion, I have yet to add the Barra, but I am sharing the ideas to get others to thing outside the square? Why not have cleaner GB? Why not avoid PH spikes? Why don’t people help others avoid fish deaths? Checkout some off the you tube videos, I am not into this to kill fish or watch plants die? I want a clean healthy system, I actually want it to work for me! As to what I want! And I want to share the things I learn along the way, I am no expert at aquaponics, but I have bread fish before this, so why the knockers? I don’t know as maybe they didn’t think of it?

Who said that? If anything in AP you need more filtering because you are not feeding the fish a subsistence diet but rather a growth diet. Hence the fish produce much more waste than in an aquarium setting. Which is why so many of us when pressed on the detail (or when we offer the detail) state that GBs have to be sized according to the waste load that is delivered to them. Sizing a GB on the number of fish will be fine in most situations but trout kept in 18c water all year round and fed an on demand diet will need larger GBs than SP kept in water that is rather cool over winter.

Umm...I'm a bit concerned about what you seem to be implying in your most recent series of posts.

You seem to think that you have been wronged in some way by a number of members on this forum. You say, for example, that you have been ridiculed. I don't see that. I see people asking you questions I see people disagreeing with some of your statements. I see people trying to correct what they see are misapprehensions on your part. Given that these people one of whom is myself do disagree with you what would you have us do? Stay silent? Refuse to help? Ignore your statements and not reply because we fear to give offence? In my mind to not reply would be rude and to give encouragement to an idea or perception that I believe to be wrong would be unhelpful at best if not mean.

Plus there are others to consider. A while ago we had a string of new people join the forum and start insisting that solids removal components were essential for successful AP. We tried to point out to them that large number of systems that had been operated by members of this forum with no signs of clogging at all. We also tried to point out that those systems that had experienced clogging where system where the ratio of GBs to waste load was all wrong and bound to fail because their design was all wrong for what they were asking of it. One of our big motivations for tackling the suggestion that RFFs and SWF are essential is not so much to help individual people who believe this but because if these erroneous statements were left unchallenged new people that may read them may believe them. This would lead to more and more BYAP systems being unnecessarily complicated.

Now if your offense has stemmed from people questioning your desire to filter your water in ways that are more reminiscient of a RAS then maybe you should reread some of those posts. From my perspective neither myself or anyone else that has commented intended to give offense.

I should have qualified I meant some members are against filtration if GB's are at correct levels.

Was more a "I understand that I don't have to have extra filtration" but I want to. Probably didn't need to clarify it in this particular forum ahaha.

I'm only new on the site, but from my end I think Blizzard is only commenting on statements that look like definitive statements that could be taken the wrong way, for example "and NOT possible". That isn't a dig at the person or agreeing either way, just an example (and I realise I can pick and choose comments and it could be taken out of context, once again just an example, no malice is intended). I think it's just a case of written word being able to be misconstrued (if anyone's worked for a big corparate they'd be used to the anxiety caused by emails ahaha) when comments can de read as being definitive statements. Blizzard whilst it may look like these guys are having a dig, I think the spirit is that they are trying to pass on info and help/guidance, based on experience. From Blizzards point of view, he's admitting he has hefty goals, and whether it can be done or not, he has freedom to chase goals.

I don't think the experienced guys would be commenting or contributing if they were really having a crack at you, they are interested and trying to help. I know at times I have felt like some members (and ones I want to listen to as I can see by reading other threads they are knowledgable) have been criticising, but have since found a lot of it is just how it reads. As you can tell by this post I blather on too much trying to be diplomatic (an issue I deal with in work emails to ahaha), whereas as others are more succinct and direct. Which isn't a bad thing. [EDIT] And I'm not saying the definitive statements aren't true, just that Blizzard is reading it as a negative comment about his aspirations. But Blizzard these guys post LOTS of posts (god bless em), and don't have time to make me all nice. [END EDIT]

That's my two cents anyway!

Blizzard, I currently have 4 x 30cm deep Ibc growbeds, a 3/4 ibc sump and a full ibc fish tank, with an 18,000 litre p/h pump, only a couple fish as I am about to move system (crazy I know but I have my reasons).

We do try

To be nice that is.

I've been told though that sometimes I'm just trying.

Sorry Stu, it wasn't meant that way, meant more in the spirit of "don't have time to make them all sound nice"....

I don't know if I'm explaining it well.... It was meant to be a compliment of how much help/guidance you guys give!