Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

So playing around with the concrete rock outside and damned if it isn't starting to grow algae so I did a quick google and pulled up
http://www.angelfire.com/empire/fkhanover/growalge.html
http://www.angelfire.com/empire/fkhanov ... erock.html

Anyway way having a chunk of concrete and having a chunk of concrete covered in coraline algae growth is 2 very different things. Covered in algae, cement based DIY liverock is almost as valuable as wild harvested liverock. Myself I can see a coraline algae crop, getting ferts from a few tough marine fish being feasable.
I'm sure theres seaweeds and stuff you could grow as well.... but liverock sells for $16 a kg around here. As long as you never harvested the rocks too heavily I'm thinking the water quality would be very stable.... although would be a pretty full on cycle one would imagine.

Been thinking hard to think of a saltwater crop to try...... and came up with algae. As to fish.... thinking mollies.
I may not be the best person to put on food production in a remote island stranding situation. Rocks and guppys for dinner again?

Unbelievable..... someone has finally worked out how to farm rocks =D

I've read that fish like Trout actually taste better when they're put out to sea for the last bit of their lives and was wondering whether that could be incorperated into aquaponics.

So you grow your trout and veg, then you harvest the veg and dump a whole bunch of salt in. If the salt doesn't kill all that good bacteria, then you grow out your trout with the salty water and then harvest them. Then you clean out the system, and plant saltbush in the growbeds to suck up the remaining salt. Finally you restock with fresh water fish and plants....

Someones probably already thought of it, but I thought I'd put it out there anyway.

Don, you should come and visit my place

You can actually just empty out the fresh, refill with salt and just swap fish filters around. Easy enuf to cycle a marine filter over a month in a bucket. I have caught legal sized eating marine fish and kept them in tanks before eating them. As I was not feeding, there was little nitrate build up and thus less water changes... kinda display and functional kitchen fish tank.
Yea I know bacteria is in the grow beds and all, but having a cycled (even just an airpowered sponge filter) filter in the main fish tank/pond would be needed with something as wussy as trout. Salt rush is probably the perfect plant for nitrate uptake..... but what use is salt rush? Not a PT I seriously have no idea

Jaymie I have been to your town back when I used to play dress ups for the gov. It's where I learned the word 'AJ' lol... happy daze.

aah, did you also get called a "mango"? not that I have ever called someone that.

Me and my brother really looked into the whole farming live rock thing, but after initial cost of the setup (IBC, powerheads & parent rock) and the fact that it takes a better part of a year. We didn't bother. Plus we can get live rock here for $8 a kilo so not such a big deal.

I have always envisioned a salt water aquaponics setup though. Three IBCs cascaded plus a big tank. Liverock, kelp, prawns/mussels and then some fish. I was thinking either cobler, whiting, snook/garfish or maybe herring...

Just need the room and the money...

Liverock market is still small in OZ.... maybe in da future.
It's fun to make though. Thinking I could get a product in shapes you like looking like wild rock in 6 month easy.

Mango is just so witty you can take it as a... bad nickname.
But AJ... thats usually said with a tad more venom.
Still nice place, handy climate for aquaponics too.

my son's FIL-to-be is in the army, lots of good folks there

Tsv isn't too bad

Hey guys, i think i brought it up once, but wouldn't live rock be a net PRODUCER of nitrates?

live rock from my understanding is filled with all manner of live animals (many microscopic). coupled with the fact that you can have ammonia spikes after introduction of live rock (from the parital die off from transit etc).

Happy to be corrected on this

After transit requires some time to re colonise.
Will produce ammonia spikes until settled in, after that will contain bacteria that reduce ammonia, nitrites and to a degree nitrates (micropores).

Think the theory is add small amounts, or start the tank with lots and work through the cycle.

sleep, yes, but live rock i thought was far more than rock colonised by bacteria..................

the stuff i had i could sit there and watch for hours, numerous type of beasties living in or attached to it. i think i spent more time looking at the live rock than i did the fish...................but i'm no expert in marine aquariums................

You gonna haveta explain that to me Jaymie

Your son is getting married shortly