Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi all!

I set myself up with a 1000L ibc a little over a week ago, put the plants in and started cycling using Murray Hallam's seasol technique. Getting the fish to put it next week (rainbow trout) from a fish farm down in Tooperang. Haven't fully completed it yet, still need to put some shade cloth over the plants and cover the fish tank.

Got interested in AP a few years ago when I was a complete stoner watching documentaries with my friends and am keen to try to start an AP business, in the long term turn some the knowledge I gain doing this to help me get into permaculture. Wish me good luck! XD

For now though, my AP system is scaring and frustrating me . Weather turned yesterday into a very humid and wet day which raised the temperature 8C and dropped the Ph by about 8 as well :S. I'm hoping that covering the fish tank and putting the shade cloth over the grow bed will minimise this sort of impact in the future, can anyone confirm this?

Using an auto-siphon rather than a timer device and every now and then it just continues to drain. Initially this was probably because the gravel guard wasn't doing its job so I had to replace this (which was such a pain, might have to replace in the future for easier access to the bell also because it's not much bigger, leaving no room for hands ). After fixing the gravel it still occasionally won't stop draining, I have a valve on it but I think the water pressure from the pump is slowly pushing it open more, doing something to test this theory now.

I have seen that there is information on how to upload pics around but for the life of me cannot find it now, could someone please link me if they have it handy so all y'all can see my system in its (amateur, too early for experimentation but trying anyway) glory?

As you are a beginner please leave the trout for time being, get goldfish they are a LOT more forgiving and tolerent of fluctuations in temps, ammonia, PH etc. If you have trout and it goes pear shaped, after fixing the problem you start counting the cost of dead fish, whereas goldies cost peanuts..... sort of.

thats my 2 bobs worth.

>> here under "Forum > General > Announcements" - viewtopic.php?f=4&t=21754

+1 to Tonzz.
Nothing like warm water, swinging pH, incomplete cycling, poor DO and algae to kill fish en-masse.

above would basically be issues for the next 4 months at least - raise goldfish now, then get your trout in Autumn.
You can on-sell the goldfish as happy pond specimens if you raise them properly. Just get a few to start with.

1-2 weeks is no way good enough to properly cycle a system for trout or SP or any other food fish.
What is the bacteria source - if natural then you need at least 4-6 weeks

Do you own an API freshwater test kit ?


>> started cycling using Murray Hallam's seasol technique.

Seasol doesn't have any/much nitrogen. Do you mean Power Feed ?
You wouldn't cycle with straight Seasol because you need ammonia.
you get it from the Urea in Power Feed..(and other similar things)

I've already ordered the fish and they're not very expensive so I might end up sticking with that though I will seriously consider your advice re: goldfish. Though I'm ok with making some mistakes to start with even if it costs me a bit of money, shame about fish deaths though.

So the Murray Hallam method states the ammonia will come, it has in .25ppm, yesterday was .5ppm but now back down to .25 ppm with no nitrates or nitrites yet. I do have an API freshwater test kit and have 10 days worth of testing so far.

Around the fish tank I've put insulation and around that some prima board to control temperature fluctuations. As stated above (not in so many words) I don't think the temp. flux was because of the ambient temp. but because of the temp of the rain falling into the system.

I wasn't aware seasol doesn't have nitrogen, that would explain what I'm seeing with some of the plants I've put in already. As well as the siphon troubleshooting.

Since taking these pics I've covered the insulation and made a few adjustments.

Welcome to the forum

Now for the bad news

Wrong time of the year for trout if the water goes past 24 - 25 celcius they are stone dead likely your system will hit low to mid 30s through summer if we get a big heat wave it might get much higher.

I had trout when I started by mid November they had to go into the 50000L stock water tank and by Xmas time I had to put them in the freezer (Water Temp to high) this was near portlincoln so similar climate to you

You may prove us wrong but odds are the heat will get your fish

Keep shade over system

Only a small system so it will heat up quick .

Trout eat heaps and grow like mushrooms so can easily overload a new system , just because its cycled doesn't mean its capable of running at full capacity , it takes time to build up the bacteria to cope with load

Options

Get another IBC and bury it in the most shaded coolest spot you have and run it Aquaculture RAS through the summer to try and get them through to march / april .

Run some pipe through a rain water tank to act as a heat dumping radiator , pump fish water through this pipe if your temp gets to high

Put them in a dam somewhere and get them back later (preferred)

>> I wasn't aware Seasol doesn't have nitrogen, that would explain what I'm seeing with some of the plants I've put in already. As well as the siphon troubleshooting.

the two brand products are Seasol (as in plain white container) and seasol power feed (added Urea and P).

If you have no fish, cycling or need to boost the system N (eg, if you just run a few goldfish) then Power feed adds good levels of N, P and K plus some small amounts of trace elements.

If your fish are going strong and ammonia and nitrates are up then you don't want N or any urea being added to the system. So then you go for normal Seasol - this has low N, low P and a bit of K (about 4%) plus a few trace elements etc.

All product should be added to the grow bed not the fish tank. I recommend only using it at half strength not more than once a week (probably even less) until you get a good handle on it. People starting out have a habit of putting too much stuff in every time they think they have an issue (too much forum reading I suspect).

Plants also like the odd addition of iron, sulphate of potash and something with magnesium in (some use Epsom salts but this has sulphates which some say you don't want too much of). Every now and again...

message here is that you must know exactly what you are putting in or adding to your system and what the likely effect will be since many things vary with pH and water type etc. You shouldn't just add something based on someones advice because chances are they don't know your system - what works for them might not work for you or may be an issue because systems are different

>> I do have an API freshwater test kit and have 10 days worth of testing so far.

Good. Keep in mind these are only approximate so you cannot read too much into daily readings. You have something when you read the same thing consistently over a few days. Proper cycling takes 4 weeks or so when warm and it is at least another 4 weeks before the system gets balanced and can handle fluctuating loads. People make all sorts of claims but there is nothing you can really do about it. A system is only really stable after a full growing season / first year.


Tonzz and Terra have nailed the trout issue. IBC's are simply not cut for that sort of thing - not enough water volume to provide thermal and chemistry buffering IMO.

based on your pics you will probably need more grow beds as well for anything other than goldfish.

$50,000 question - how many fish did you order.... ?

Kind of surprised they took your order, unless they didn't realise where you were putting them

Cancel or delay your order, get some goldfish