Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

How's this masterpiece been going lately Slowboat?

Good thanks Bodgy, we had a great crops of spinach, snow peas, radish and lettuce.

I am finishing the decking, one sheet in the corner to go. Then I want to red-paint the deck with bitumastic paint and some sort of non-slip surface. Also I have 2 more grow beds to build to finish it off. Just need work to slow down some so I get more time...

Water is up to around 20C now and I have some large SP to harvest, to wit I have recently obtained a prawn drag net. the water temp is important because it is very hard to get helpers to wade around in 15C water!

Good stuff
Love your setup, it's a gem.

Finally something to report.

We had a big weekend building the last 2 GB, now have 6 each with 750L of media.

Same construction as the others plywood with pine edge beams.
Daisy the supervisor checking the workmanship LOL.


Fill with water to test for leaks


pour in the pebbles and wash then drain to dirt garden


plumb and plant..

clean picture perfect

harvested a few SP today, there are some big ones in there.




about to go in the oven for tonight's dinner:

Nice
What was the average weight & how long have they been in your the system ?

Sorry I forgot to weigh them.

but I guess they were between 500 to 300 grams

they have been in the system for 2 1/2 years
were only fry (like minnows 30 or 40mm) when they went in.
some are quite large
some are still only 150mm long.

OK cool
I know its hard to guess there size in the water. I have 5-6 of my original SP still in the system, I think they should go close to a kg, there easy to spot from the rest of them, but it's hard to catch an individual fish in a school.

How do/did you catch them?

I have a prawn net (not a gill net) I attached it to some wire nets
shaped to the pool base profile. one end fixed with clamps
then i used the other to herd them into a small area then scooped
thats where is gets a bit hectic, pretty well scoop blind and keep the big ones
and return the others back into the pond.

Usually I get some help but I thought I'd give it a try solo as
SWMBO was having a nanna nap.

gotcha, seems like a pro solution. I've got an irregular pond bottom so I have no idea how I'll do it. Train them to come when call?

How are things going, Slowboat?

sorry PLJ, its been a while between updates I guess.

however the plants have picked up big time since adding Mg in the form of Epsom salts and the trout.

Even managed to get a crop of Brussels sprouts... pretty amazing as most people say its not cold enough to grow them in Perth, maybe the exceptionally cold weather did the job?

getting lots of snow and sugar snap peas and the broad beans are looking good.

the trout are messing up my once clean pond big time. might need some more filtration?