Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi all.
We finally bit the bullet and bought an aquaponics system 2 weeks ago, the Entertainer with 2 grow beds.
At the moment it has 20 little silver perches, 10 bigger silver perches and 4 small koi.
I have attached a picture.
It is still in start up so we'll see how it goes.

We are in the northern suburbs of Perth.

Welcome Wilsil. Looking good. Good luck with the new system


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Hiya Wilsil, welcome to the forum.
How are your water parameters going?

Thanks guys.
We have our first casualty. 1 perch died but I think it was already a bit sickish when we got it.
I haven't tested the water yet, it seems to be alright. The fish swims happy around, are eating well.

Hmmmm, you really should. Fish die for all sorts of reasons only its nice to know the cause and take counter measures if possible to avoid future issues. Testing the water is the first step in this process.

A question:
Does it matter if the exit of the drain pipe is under water or above water?

The fish are starting to wait for their food now.
When we pop our head over the tank around 4.30-5pm they come up and see what happens.
As soon as the food goes in, they are all over it and it is gone within seconds.
My wife had sprinkled some seeds in the grow beds a week ago and they are popping up already: carrots, tomatoes, beans etc.
Because of the hot weather we have covered the fish tank, but the fish seems to be happy.

not for the AP system water-flow side, but splashing water provides aeration to the fish tank. So you may need to use an alternate method to ensure water is being oxygenated either within the Fish Tank directly or during the return process.

The system came with an aerator so there are bubbles in the water.

You will be ok with the drain below the water surface, as air gets sucked down the standpipe in the growbed. If you watch it, especially when the bed is full and the water is flowing quickly over the standpipe and down the drain, air bubbles will be pushed deep into your fish tank.

Had our first spinach from the system yesterday in our salad. Nice.

I also covered up half of the fish tank to provide shade an security for the fish.
Will take a picture this week to show you, although it isn't finished yet.

The promised picture.

How long can you go away without feeding the fish?
Plan is to go away for 7 days so the fish will have no feed. And every day they are hungry.
They are just like pets. When I come to the fish tank with the food, most of them are coming up to the surface and are waiting for it.

Buy an automated fish feeder. Drops an amount of food on a schedule. I use one when I go away. Prefer to hand feed when im home.

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Fish will be fine for 7 days without food


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