Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hello all, thank you for reading in advance.

For a few months now I've been reading up on aquaponics and I am absolutely fascinated... I''ve always grown plants, and I've always loved fishing (to eat). I'd love to get on board and start my own system. However, like most, I have a few roadblocks and have been reading so much that I may have confused myself... So here are my ammateur hour questions. To clarify, I haven't invested in anything yet, I'm looking for someone to ease my concerns before I begin and make a mess.

1. I'm a student, I have limited funds to start the system... I've been looking at kits you can buy, which look great and take out some of the unknown elements for me, but they just don't look like they'd grow all the plants I'm looking for. I've grown herb gardens, vegetables, a variety of flowers, which has worked well. I only want to make the move if aquaponics can work just as well for me considering my very modest finances and that I will always be confined to small-ish areas (balconies and tiny yards), so can't really invest in a large system. Can anyone suggest either a kit or a specific design which is low maintenance and small?

2. I've been getting confused reading about pumps and filters and general equipment, the information seems to vary... For the grow media beds, what equipment (aside from the bed/s and tank) do I need? Also, I need a timer for a pump, is that correct? How does that actually work? I keep finding it mentioned but not elaborated on...

3. I've dabbled in a few light DIY construction jobs... Is that enough to warrant attempting to create a system myself? Or should I cut my losses and just save for an aquaponics kit?

4. Can somebody point me in the direction of some kind of guide to plants that are 'seasonal' in Victoria? I keep reading that the best way to get the most out of your bed is to rotate plants in accordance with the season.

5. The same with fish above... I'd prefer to have one type of fish I can have all year round. Silver perch and catfish seem to be the most common responses to that question. As a general question, are they yummy fish to eat? Another question, do I have any other options for all year round fish in Victoria? I'm in Melbourne, get's pretty chilly in winters.

6. Can anyone with a system that has similar space and financial restrictions give me a rough indication of the monthly costs I can expect AFTER setup is done?

7. If somebody could give me a quick, one sentence per step, ten step guide to where on earth I should start, I'd give them a virtual cuddle... I've read too much. I feel more ammateur than before I started reading! Brain's completely muddled...

Again, thank you for anyone who took the time to read this and particularly to those who tackle any of my likely-silly questions.

This is also my first post! Hi everybody

Before we can answer most of those questions a few questions. How much space do you have to play with and does this have to be moved easily?

If its what I think it will be I doubt edible fish, and check out blue barrel set ups, I think it is Nat? who is the expert at those (sorry if I got that wrong).

I thought that might be the case! Thank you for replying.

I'd really need it to be an overall maximum (in all dimensions) of: width 1m x length 2.5m x height 4m...

I'm absolutely itching to have edible fish though, so if there is a minimum surface area that I'll need to be willing to sacrifice to have even just a few edible fish, please let me know and I will shuffle either my balcony or indoor situation around...

I don't mind how easily movable it is, no need for it to be lightweight so long as it is cost effective.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts! I will also go have a look at these blue barrel set ups

"Nervous but curious.." sounds a bit like an online dating profile.

But back on topic, have you read the link at the top of the page to the IBC of Aquaponics?

http://ibcofaquaponics.com/

It should answer a few questions and show a fairly easy way to build a system that'd fit your space no worries.

1/ http://ibcofaquaponics.com/
2/ I run my IBC system constant flood so I don't need a timer and just run my pump 24/7.
3/ You can do it!
4/ Dunno sorry.
5/ I'm a QLDer so I'm not much help here but others in Vic growout trout in the cooler half of the year and maybe some even manage to get them through summer (?) If you search "trout" on the forum you'll find a heap of info.
6/ In my case just the cost of running the pump, fish feed and seeds so far. (Pump is 18W so, 18 x 24 hours = 432 Watts per day. = .432 kilowatt hours/day. Guessing 27c/ kilowatt hour it'd cost less than 12c a day. Stuart will correct me if my maths is faulty I'm sure. )
7/ http://ibcofaquaponics.com/

I'm new to AP as well and have to say that you've found the right forum, this crew know their stuff.
And welcome!

Haha! Oh jeez it really does, doesn't it?

Thank you, I have read the guide and it's very helpful. Since having a more specific look at the 200L drum designs I think that's probably the most headache free cost effective way someone like me can go. I definitely agree with you on the constant flood thing, the idea of a timer panics me somewhat. So that's all I'd need as far as equipment goes? Outside of a testing kit?

Reassuring that those are the only costs at this point! Thanks for the pat on the back, I'm really excited to get stuck into this!

I'll have a look at the info on trout too. Cheers again!

Bodgy has replied in a very 'cuddly' way.

here is a pricing list setup for a single square meter IBC system that my students are making:

$ - item

40 - IBC
50 - pump rio hyperflow 6hf
5 - rocks (scoria)
2.5 - 100mm gravel guard
3 - 25mm uniseal
2 - 25mm coupling
1 - 25mm stand pipe
12 - 19mm flexible tubing
12x3 = 36$ for trout yearlings

total = 155$ approx

A lot depends on how much the IBC sets you back but I think if you want eating size fish this is about the minimum size you should go. The whole system would run you somewhere less than 250 US dollars (not sure where that is in Aussie dollars). I would think about a 100 US if you can swing a free IBC that can be used for growing food.