Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi All

Just by way of introduction the 'minister for war and finance' (cheese and Kisses) and I have a neat little 2 acre property just an hour from Newcastle. We like many of you are concerned with our food, pesticides and all that kinda stuff that stops us from being battery hens or make us seem like middle aged hippies . We planted our orchard several years ago...100 olive trees, 100 mixed citrus and that was kinda cool Veges came next and we have by no means mastered the vege garden but its healthy and saving us heaps. We have chooks and of course my silent herd!!! about 100,000 head of worms (not much really) . Needed more fertilser for the veg and the worms so we took on a couple of alpacas (and a new love hate relationship between them and the orchard was born). That being said as you can see there is plenty of room in our lives for a little Aquaponic action.

Sounds good, show us some ideas Beardy.

mmm 2 acres, how many grow beds could we fit in

The site

oh! 2 Acres by my account I think you could fit just a couple of plants

mmm, the plans....

See you've already made a start TB....

Wont confuse you with the science just yet, but when it comes time to cycle your system you will probably find the concrete troughs pull the pH to levels which are beneficial for cycling bacterial growth, but you may encounter some issues with pH locking out some trace elements due to the natural buffering of the concrete....

Nothing that's insurmountable though .... many people end up having the opposite problem

mmm so thats the atmospheric stuff out of the way!

Have done a lot of reading/fantasising/investigating but i think this is my starting point. Will probably get one tank (3000lt) and a couple of beds up and running first then keep on expanding to the full system

NIiiiice

Hi Rupert

Thanks! ther are a cople of issues with the troughs and I may have to find either a suiteable pond liner or and inert membrane paint but have not found the right product yet.

Sikatite is good for sealing concrete. Black goop that you paint on in a few layers and let it gas off for about 10 days before adding water etc

Holy gaucomolie batman.... that's a grand plan there TB..... nice to see

There are many suitable liners on the market TB, and Jaymie, C1 and others can direct you to an appropriate, safe bitumen paint if need be.....

See... I told ya she could.....

Thanks Jaymie
Would I be able to get this from your average hardware??? We only have average hardwares in the country no 'B' lol.

Hey Treebeard there is a bitumen emultion that im planing to use called bitkote here is the spiel from davco


Bitkote No. 3

A black-brown water based dispersions of bitumen and modifiers, which dry to a black, flexible and water insoluble coating. Bitkote No. 3 is suitable for general purpose repair and protection.

Uses:

· Sealing of most timber, metal, brick, concrete and cement sheeting surfaces against water entry.
· As a waterproofer to concrete water storage tanks, ponds etc.
· Waterproofing of shower recesses when used in conjunction with fibreglass matting.

Features & Benefits:

· Cold applied, easy to use, and easy to clean up in cold water, reduces time and equipment required to do the job.
· When dry, Bitkote No. 3 has good resistance to water, alcohol, animal wastes, most dilute salt, acid and alkali solutions to last longer in demanding conditions.
· Bitkote No. 3 is water based, odour free, non-flammable and non-toxic.
· Will not taint water if fully cured before use, thus eliminating possible environmental hazards normally experienced with solvent based products.
· When dry, Bitkote No. 3 will not flow under heat or harden at normal temperatures, thus providing longer term protection from the Australian climate.
· In thick layers, Bitkote No. 3 is an excellent impact absorber, reducing sound and vibration e.g. on tin roofs.
· Bitkote No. 3 has been tested and approved by State Water Laboratory for Potable Water in accordance with AS 4020-1992


http://www.davco.com.au/davco/au/produc ... product=90