Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I have bought a system of gumtree which I have set up to fit what I need. It was a chop two system but i needed it to run along the back fence of my house so i have made adjustments to do so. I think the fish tank is about 1300L and there is about 1000L of growing space. With about a 350L sump. I was given three different size pumps by the guy i bought it of plus an ACDC air pump and 4 Silver perch.

At the start I had the system just running of the big pump and it was ok but the flow was quite slow so I thought why not have the big pump pumping to the grow beds then the next largest one pumping directly from the sump to the fish tank and the smallest one just pumping around water in the fish tank. The air pump he gave me only one the two valves was working so being me I took of the case and had a look and found that one of the rubber suction cup things (not sure what they are called) had a hole in it and thats why it wasn't working. Does anyone know if you can buy them from anywhere?

I have gone a bought another two outlet air pump for the fish tank just to make sure there is enough oxygen in the water. And I all so bought a 500W water heater that I don't think will do much but it will do something.

I live in perth Western Australia and I'm open for any ideas about what I could do to make the system work better or just help me out. I was wondering where people would recommend getting some silver from that they have used or just know off?

Yep, Gday Bunno, BYAP sell the parts you need for your air pump, there supposed to be replaced every twelve months or so they told me I think?

The guy on Warton rd hydroponics express sells silver perch and barramundi plus trout and yabbies and marron, top service too!

Hey thanks for the info, i have found a place closer to me that sells silver perch and i will most probably have to drive down to GYAP to get that part idi can't find it anywhere closer.

Does anyone know if i can feed yabbies left over cooked chicken? and other types of meat? basically asking what scraps can i feed my yabbies?

I use blue planet crayfish food, some use carrots chopped up? They will eat algae and each other? Be careful in what you add to your water?

Ok nice well I've got some yabbie and marron pellets forgot what they are called and i got them the same place i got the yabbies from, i was just wondering if i could give scraps but thanks for the info.

Quick question does anyone know how to get Silver Perch Fingerlings to eat from the top? I was watching Rob Bobs videos of his Jade Perch eating and well that would be marvellous but i doubt i would get that even just a few little nobles coming up to the top would be great. Right now i have floating pellets with the 4 larger silver perch and the fingerlings but they never come to the top to feed i put the tiniest bit in there and i don't know if it being eaten or not.

You should be able to wean them to be top eaters.

So gradually add more floating pellets to the food, and less sinking, keep on doing this until they are top eating properly.

What if you don't have any sinking pellets?

"What if you don't have any sinking pellets?"

You said you have yabbie & marron pellets ("I've got some yabbie and marron pellets")
they would be the sinking type?

I would not put meat scraps in my FT.

My silvers used to compete for food with the Barra in the aquarium indoors, they were just as aggressive, but when I first put them outside they stoped eating as much, even the Barra took a few days outside before they became themselves once more, I put it down to net shock! Or stress, they are getting better by the day, and growing faster in the bigger tank! An old aquarium notice here, fish grow faster with the more space they have! Less fish in a tank are faster growing fish,

Sorry didn't think of my yabbie pellets, I'm thinking that I'm just going to put a few pellets of the floating pellets every 2nd day so they become really hungry and will go anything they see and not be afraid. Do you think that would work?

The Perth hail storm did its damage, you can't really tell by the pictures how bad it really is, The lettuces are absolutely destroyed.

I have some good news, I have only lost one lettuce from the hail and i have got my big Silver perch and the fingerlings eating from the top which i am absolutely stoked about.

How did you attach your black poly pipe to your pump? Is it just a small pump?

yeah its 3000lph for the grow beds then i have another one that is 2000lph which pumps to the fish tank.