Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi all, I'm one of these people who normally lurks around forums, reads plenty but never contributes. However, I've been so happy with the success of my system that I thought I'd share it.

I first set it up in August 2013, and added 15 rainbow trout in October '13. It was a bad time of year to start with trout, but I couldn't wait until winter. I bought yearlings instead of fingerlings to give them a head start. I got them through the hot days by using my camp fridge to freeze milk bottles full of water and putting them in as ice cubes. It worked but wasn't very efficient.

I then was given a seeding ibc, so I hooked up a sump and second grow bed. A dozen tabbies are now living in the sump.


A full winter later and I've been pulling out fish for dinner each week. The biggest one was pulled out tonight and weighed in at 1.1kg. It's a very health fish and full of eggs.

I've had mixed results with the veges, just a bit of trial and error. The tomatoes and leafy greens do very well. I've got beetroot and cauliflower in at the moment and they are growing well.

With the weather warming up though I thought I'd try a different fish, and have put Murray cod in now. They are currently in a laundry basket to restrict their area and stop the remaining trout from eating them. Hopefully they'll be a bit easier over summer.

I bough my trout from mackelsfield trout farm, and my cod from glenwaters native fish hatchery.

I guess I'm not a newby now, being on my second lot of fish. The kids love it, and along with the chooks and fruit trees, they see that not everything comes from the shops. Hopefully the cod will taste as good as the trout.

Welcome,

Nice looking trout!

Keep us posted on the cod.

Welcome to the forum, how big are your Murray Cod now? I put some fry in in January, and they've really only started eating well since the water warmed up in spring.

The cod are all of 4cm. Really don't look like they're eating yet.

nice work mate