Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hello all

I haven't been here for a while, but I moved to a new home (away from the rural lifestyle, back into suburbia) and I am ready to set up my new Aquaponics system. Some parts are reused from the old system as it wasn't worth it to sell it with the block and house.

We moved to Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, so the climate goes from-5 degrees C in the Winter nights to +40 degrees C in the summer days. Quite a challenge...

Fish of choice will be Jade perch, after I had a very good run with them in Darwin last year, 80 fingerlings in, 79 plate size fish out...

The fish tank will hold 3kl and I'll start of with around 30 Jade perch for the first season.

500l RFF, 4 of 500l GB, 1 of 400l DWC, 2 of 500l sumps.

The system will be running constant flood, after i did some trials in the last system and couldn't see any differences between f&d and cf. I had some additional air stones in the bottom of the GBs and each inlet to make sure the DO is high enough and even ginger and turmeric were growing fine and there was a massive worm population.

Hi Gwydion, Great spot for your system, and your setup is looking petty good, it should do very well on the cooler nights with the thermal mass from your brick wall and all that slopping slate. Not at the real low temperatures, but better than most systems.

I'd forget about the Jade Perch, they wont survive your low temps, go with Silver Perch they can cut the mustard.

Looking Good

Thanks mate.

But I thought that the Silver's grow really slow. I have heard from a couple of people keeping Jade's here in Alice.

I was planning to put a collector from a hot water solar system on top of the tank with a poly hear coil inside the sump and try to bring the water up to 25-28 degrees during the afternoon. The pump will be controlled with an ink bird controller or two, only to run when the gheat medium is higher than water temp in the ft but lower than let's say 28 degrees C. That should buffer it for the night and we got more than enough sunlight here for it.

Your setup is already looking very nice Gwydion.
I like the rock wall too and it should be ideal to help stabilise temps overnight.

Thanks mate

Just bought two rainwater tanks of the Facebook market place.

545l each for $75 each... Lucky day

One will be the RFF, the other one will be a chlorine gasing off tank for top up water.

I just got a quote for one of them for $500 two days ago

You'll be right with the Jades in Alice there Gwydion.

Thanks Charlie

Good to see that you are still active, so many have gone quiet

I pop in from time to time mate. Not having a system for many years means I dont really have much to say anymore and Im more involved with conventional gardening now days. Which is still awesome. Growing your own food no matter how you do it is the main thing.

As well as I work in Alaska now doing month on month off which wont allow me to do AP.

Yea, theres not many around anymore. I suppose theres so much info on the net/youtube and alike now that forums are falling behind? Im not sure. I like forums because there a bit more personal and you can make great friends.

Good to see your still at it mate.

Alaska, woah, that's a whole different world I guess.

AP will be the only chance for me as our block is only 800m2 and I have to leave whatever lawn (which isn't much) for the dogs. So the concreted areas can be either dirt raised garden beds or AP (which gives the additional benefit of fish in the desert )

Yea AP works perfectly for you in that situation. I do miss it

Could you do Baramundi there?

Way too cold for Barramundi and Jade's so much easier, less losses.

I'm sitting next to the (unfinished) AP, reading a book. Current weather... 13.1 degrees, feels like 4.5 degrees with wind chill. But the sun is good... I wouldn't survive in Alaska

Yea it gets down to minus 40deg there mate aaarrrrrghhh

Brrrr, way to cold... But on the other hand, it's easier to get warm than to cool down. Our 45 degree C summer is that far away...

The fish tank has arrived, I think I will cut a window into the side like of the last one. It can hold 3000l but with the access window maybe only 2500l.

Already got an idea for the stands and got some prices for steel.

It is finally taking shape. One busy weekend of drilling holes and welding frames...