Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

hi all,

just wanted to make a post on a new project i'm working on. i am working with the guy i got my barra and silver perch from on a new system. he has his aquaculture system setup and we are simply going to add some growbeds to the current setup for filtration. we will play around with tank positioning as well. growbeds and stands were all there just sitting in storage.

we plan to experiment with both fresh and salt water.

its an ideal situation. seems like it was meant to happen. i feel i'm in the right place at the right time. basically he has everything (bar gravel and pipes) for a massive commercial setup, which i plan to see become a reality. he is located next to the tafe which specializes in aquaculture. i have no doubt in the not so distant future there will be an aquaponic short course offered from the tafe.

environmental factors we are up against include strong salty winds and thieves.


pic 1: growbeds all laid out to get an idea of total surface area.

pic 2: shot of the future system location.

pic 3: growbeds laid out on stands.

i welcome questions, comments and suggestions and hope to see everyone along for the ride.

things are looking very up for the aquaponic industry here. its all happening in wa. go the sand gropers!

Tell us more - never realised those tanks of yours were so shallow BF

sorry. edited above vb.

same as my tanks but 250 mm deep.

Wow, BF. Fantastic job... All the best to you in this amazing endeavor. I am sure some of the WA guys including myself would gladly offer support.

I think you have definitely found your calling into aquaculture/aquaponics....

Sometimes things are just meant to happen I reckon BF.... jump right in and let us all know if we can help and what progress you make.....

The idea of a saltwater AP system intrigues me... with say kelp as the "vege" component.... kelp has so many uses and demand is high

:D:D:D:D:D:D

holy crap bf. Go Big man and remember us all when you are thanking the members of the academy.

nothing ventured nothing gained.

a big up to eb who has been my inspiration from day 1.

sure is spreading like a virus. a virus that could threaten to take over the world. not all virus' are bad.

we had an interesting discussion on organic produce. i'm not sure i know the answer but perhaps someone here does.

he was of the opinion that food caught in the wild would be considered organic. my thought was that this is not the case as you could never be sure wild animals dont contain chemicals from their environment. the only way to possibly know is by lab testing them and i'm not sure if such tests exist. it would seem to me the only way to know the produce is organic, is to control what goes into the production of the animal/ plant.

any one have any idea's/ opinions? i guess there what people consider organic and then there's what the certifiers considers organic.

Virus? You've been watching too much Heroes BF..... lol.

Just finished watching Ep, 11.

na can't say i have tim. guess i should check it out.

thanks for your offer of support. if your keen i'm sure you could be a valuable component in the system.

I am going back to study full time next year at Murdoch, so I am sure I will have plenty of free time to give you a hand if you need it BF...

Telling you now, I am so intrigued by the whole marine AP idea.... One thing, being so close to the ocean, you won't need to go far for salt water.

My brother has a nice nano reef establishing at the moment... Once my big AP system is done, the barra is out and I am converting my 6 ft to marine. I am also doing a SCUBA diving course this Xmas, I want to go out collect fish and invertebrates for my tank at home...

sounds great tim. you could no doubt teach us a thing or 2. what you studying at murdoch?

i reckon saltwater has huge export market potential especially in japan. not only the fish and crustaceans but also seaweeds/ cucumber ect. as the oceans fish deplete so will the sea plants. i don't think many people are working on farming them but i could be wrong.

I am doing a Bachelor in Engineering.... Probably focus on renewable energies, but have to see if I get in the Airforce undergraduate thing to see what I have to do for that.

Definitely a HUGE export possibility.

For the food market you have all sorts of fish and crustaceans. Crayfish would be interesting. Crabs, prawns, etc etc....

There are many cash crops to be obtained in marine BF. As we all know in some asian countries what we see as just another creature, is a delicacy. You have urchins, sponges, seaweeds, fish, rays, small sharks even sea stars and seahorses.

Or for the hobby market, a system of frag tanks can be setup to grow and replicate corals, anenomes(sp?) and other invertebrates. Including a lot of fish for the hobby market.

If you can replicate the ocean as much as possible, then there is no limit to what you could try...

very cool tim. from what i gather there is a shortage of engineers working in aquaculture. if your keen on system design then i think you could find plenty of work in aquaculture. the potential is huge and possibilities endless. of course you may get paid a pittance of someone in a mine but thats not what its all about is it.

interestingly they have a saltwater purifier which apparently supplies most aquarium shops with their saltwater. this would be a huge asset for saltwater aquaponics. all the tools are there at our disposal, its just a matter of putting them to use.