Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Right,

It's time that I started to share some of my progress and pictures, especially since I picked up Murray's first fishtank today. It's a second with some cosmetic issues on the inside, but I'm sure that once it's full of water I won't be able to see any of these so it wasn't going to put me off.

Over the last couple of weeks I have been putting those metal stirrups in the ground, and slowly built-up from there with timber to install the first growbed, 1.7 x 1 m, 300 deep (ie 500 liter). Started to fill it up with gravel, painstakingly washed with a $1.60 plastic colander in a bath that will ultimately also form part of the setup. Have gotten to 3/4 full, man what a work is that. And what a shitload of sand comes out of that 10mm drainage gravel.

Excellent to see your first pics of your thread. Great use of the sloping site. Are you gonna have the tank below the growbed and gravity feed back? Continuous flow or flood and drain?

Monya

C'mon, give us a break, I am still typing up the second installment.

So, once I got the first bed in and had some gravel in it, it was time to start thinking about putting something over the top of it, to keep the rain of.

So put in some more stirrups and got some timber, and created a bit of a lean-to to the balcony. This is the area that will ultimately hold 4 of these growbeds, and a sump tank. The fishtank will be under the balcony out of the sun, and the piping will be strapped to the baclony and lean-to structure. Will have to start on that next weekend, or maybe this Wednesday (EKKA showday), if I can manage to pick up pipe before then.

So then today I went to see Murray and picked up his first tank, drove it home and plonked it under the balcony in it's intended permanent location.

Certainly looks big there, see for yourself.

Also picked up two of his submersible pumps and a "piggy-back"-type flowswitch.

So now onwards from here. Got 100 Jade Perch coming soon, so really have to get cracking, fill up the tank, treat the water to prep it for the fish, and link up the tank with the first growbed.

Don't know how to put in an attachment and then keep typing, so will add one more to this thread for now with a more distant shot showing growbed and tank.

Sorry Roskar, too keen to see where that beautiful tank fits in
Has Murray got the Italian pumps in yet, , which ones did you get. Those piggyback floats look pretty clever.

Are you gettingtheJades from Ausyfish?

And then the last installment for tonight, but certainly not the final installment. Should be more next weekend I'd say.

Yeah Monya, it is going to be a flood and drain, as you can see the tank is higher than the growbed. Have to take other half's comments into account while setting this up, it's hard enough justifying the expense I have gone to so far, got to deliver a lot of fresh veg and fish I'm afraid.

Anyway, I am sure it wil work.

(Just did a preview, and the pictures come up in reverse order from me attaching them. Anyway, you guys will have to make do with that)

Karel

Yeah Monya,

I got one of the Italian pumps, and also got the cheapie chinese one. Will use the Italian job for in the tank, and the other one (that has a float switch) for the sump tank.

And yes, got the last 100 jade perch from Ausifish. Found out the other day that there was another "last 100" that Murray picked up, in a shared purchase with Gary Donaldson I think. And they found these last last 100 when they emptied the pond, so that's definitely it for this season I guess.

Karel

Ahhh, I thought they must have got going early!

Hey thanks Karel..... your system is going to be great..... Oh and your dog looks like a female version of mine, kelpie cross is she?

Nice pics Roskar.

What subburb of Brissy do you live in. Love the dog what a moment in time to capture

Lookin good roskar! MY first 70 silvers from ausyfish last year were also the dregs they found when they emptied the pong The are bigger than what you usually get

Update on system after the weekend.

I feel like I have only just started at the foot of a steep learning curve here.

Tank went back to Murray for some re-inforcement, and at the same time taken the opportunity to get a copper coil glassed below (refer solar heating post elsewhere, where Murray has put a picture of this).

Got the tank back this Sunday, managed to get it off the trailer on Monday, filled it up that night and received the Jades this morning. Tank is looking great now Murray, will email you some photos when I get a chance to take some in daylight. Probably next weekend.

Unfortunately only some 75 out of the 100 survived (refer query in Fish section under New Jade Perch). Am hoping the fish will be OK until the weekend and hope to get the pumps hooked up and piped to the first growbed. Better get a move on and get the other three beds in. Should also get a roof over the growbed, because surprise, surprise it has started to rain here. Too much to do, too little time?

I liked the idea od the heating pipes... looking forward to hearing how well they work

Roskar, some pix of the tank would be good, sorry about the fish

Murray