Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

So - having had some reasonable success with my larger scale system - I was donated a 2000l plastic tub, and felt it would be an ideal basis for an above ground budget build here at my basecamp. I put the word out I needed some guttering and a few other bits and a week later thanks to some awesome donations I had a build. The grow media was the only cost, so this build set me back all of £25 - which includes the veg seeds and 65 crayfish who are currently residing at the bottom of the tank. I moved a dozen goldfish over from my nature pond - which I had briefly used as an aquaponics build- and away we went!
This system is designed to be expanded; and when it is established I shall add a mirror system of guttering to give me double the grow space. The pump is already running on a splitter as the LPH was above what the growbed could handle, so as soon as I can afford some more guttering it will simply be a matter of plumbing in the second beds and away we go.
The plan is to breed the crays, although it would not surprise me if that is not possible with the current setup. Fortunately I met some very kind crayfish catchers locally and their price is most definitely not prohibitive. Plant growth seems significant even in the early stages.



More photos and videos shall follow.

One cheeky chappie.

https://vimeo.com/132255464

Most of the rest of them are in this one pipe.

https://vimeo.com/132255529

If you look at that last picture you can see the pot that the Spinach was originally grown in before beijg transplanted into the grow bed. Admittedly what was left in the pot has been neglected by myself, but the Spinach in the grow bed is literally double the size.

I like the cage on you IBC

You'll need to paint or cover the IBC to stop any algae and find a bit more accommodation for your crays they don't flat well together.

Your plants look like they're doing OK

Note the size of the Spinach seven days ago when originally planted.

Joblow there is about a dozen lengths of plumbing pipe, all 30cm in length or longer. They just seem to congregate in that one when the sun is setting - , as I get more the network of houses on the bottom of the tank will continue to expand.

Yes forgive the "cage" :p it only started to become misshapen at the 1000l mark, and by then I was committed. I plan on covering the sides with blackout plastic very soon. I have a line on something which would be perfect. Thank you for your suggestions!

Thanks buddy.

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It might be the length of the pipe that attracts them to gather like that, I don't know a lot about their habits, there's a few guys here on the forum who will be able to give you good advice on that, Charlie for one has a lot of experience with them.

I just love eating them and I wouldn't be able too grow them fast enough so I leave that to others, I have enough trouble looking at a lettuce and thinking one day I'll get to eat you buddy

Never heard of them before but after some googling it seems apparent that these little creatures (introduced from USA), are slowly destroying UK and Asia's waterways. Much like our common yabbie although these guys seem more invasive.

Either way Id treat them like yabbies/marron/redclaw in regards to stock densities and breeding regimes. Ive posted lots of info on the forum if you search around. One thing I have repeated over the years is these guys are a great addition to AP but unfortunately don't expect a regular and decent harvest from them. They are very slow growing, very dependent on water quality , temps and densities. Currently you have about 30-40 too many in there and they will slowly cannibalise each other, usually when they moult. If the females make it to 2 years old when they are sexually mature, there is a 99% chance they will eat all their young unless separated and graded, of these young that survive you then have the task of preventing them from cannibalising each other. And then theres the infections and diseases that comes with growing them out in hard bottom tanks which compound on water quality etc etc

Long story short you need to grade and separate constantly over the years for very minimal output. Personally if you can get them cheap Id have a few in the FT and then if you want a feed go buy a bag of them. Don't mean to be a kill-joy but unfortunately thats the case.

System looks great. Have you got any fishes?

Thanks charlie- really appreciate all the input. will be searching your posts as soon as I finish this reply! Any info I can get I will gladly take so thank you! I suspected this was the case, and the minimal output is not such a concern because as you say, at £10 a kilo from my buddies who catch them it's not breaking the bank to buy some each time I want to fire up the bbq

There are a dozen goldies in there, may look at something fancier but English weather is not our friend when it comes to exciting fish breeds! No tilapia for me

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Growth as of this lunchtime.

I'm surprised they let you import live/uncooked. They carry a fungus that has virtually wiped out native species in much of the EU.

from Wiki...
Crayfish plague, Aphanomyces astaci, is a water mold that infects crayfish, most notably the European Astacus which dies within a few weeks of being infected. When experimentally tested, species from Australia, New Guinea and Japan were also found to be susceptible to the infection.

Aware of what the signals have done to our native species. Helps we got them out of a river a few miles down the road.

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Expanded the grow beds on the crayfish aquaponics build here at base camp. When I can afford another length of larger square guttering like the left top bed I will replace the grey, white and black section of pipes. And that will give me a fourth grow bed.
I have also wrapped the tank in old off cuts of pond liner to reduce sunlight to a minimum in an attempt to kill off the majority of my algae blooms which are causing me some minor issues.



Lettuce growth.



Spinach growth.

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First of the sweetheart lettuce from the crayfish build!




Hullo little cherry tomatoes!




Tomatoes and seedlings.




Healthy tomato flowers.



Cherry tomato plant as big as my arm in a shallow Growbed.