Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

i found this stuff while looking at building a pond for the turtles i've been accumulating, but some of it would work really well for aquaponics or permaculture stuff,

http://tomskoi.com/buildkoipond.htm
the filtration section here, while the actual filtering media doesn't really apply, is interesting in that he prefers to keep the drain in the fishtank(or pond) and keep them at the same level, so water level equalizes between the ft and what would be our grow beds, then uses a pump to move the water from a resevoir, sump, etc. to the ft again, keeping "negative pressure" in the grow bed for water flow.

http://www.permies.com/t/3409/ponds/Gle ... ponds-dams
i'm not sure about how sanitary this one would be for aqua, but it's interesting to read about the "biological plastic" and such. talks about anaerobic bacteria and pond sludge being integral to water retention.

http://www.aquaticbiologists.com/benefi ... ng-islands
if you have too high of nitrates, or want an attractive addition to your ft these "floating islands" might be what you need. that link is a commercial site, but it should give you an idea. some people use dollar store laundry baskets and pool noodles(foam floaties, not sure what they call em in OZ)

http://www.gardenmyths.com/pond-pumps-filters/ this basically talks about sustainable pond keeping, not too many details, but interesting nonetheless

i hope y'all find this useful, keep on fishing!

I guess it's fair to point out that the floating islands are just prettier versions of dwc rafts... Maybe a combination of that and a grow bed depending upon how you do it, but... Still the same idea.

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The Koi stuff is good and basic, but there are other Koi techniques not covered ... like. “biocenesis"

We APers can learn a deal from the KOI fraternity, who generally, don't use the wast products, but keep their fish alive..

Having said that, I have live Koi in a system that kills trout..
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It looks pretty old, but that bottom drain thing seemed useful for constant flood systems, if nothing else. Gets rid of those pesky siphons and would let you use a lower head pump. I'm also curious whether anyone has built ornamental ponds that are plumbed to a aqua garden, like just ordinary raised beds, but... Aquaponics? Would that just cause too many issues with cleaning and such?

Also carp are pretty well known as being hardy fish aren't they? Sure koi might be more delicate than goldfish, but... Fish that have been bred in captive ponds with questionable filtration for how many generations? Vs fish bred for being released into wild waters from relatively wild stock...

Yes, whilst the methods used by Koi keepers may well keep them alive, they are quite hardy, and whether or not they are good enough for keeping trout alive is another matter.

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My first system is ornamental..
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I'll look into it! Thanks! I'm trying to find the balance between wild levels of stocking, and ridiculously complicated/unnatural filtration.