Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Okay - we are going to get started. Life most of my plans, I start just reading, then I obsess, then I build.

Here is the plan, subject to modifications based on availabilities here. Anytime you feel jealous of my growing environment just remember my ability to get anything is very limited at times. I drool over your supply houses.


So - the plan

1,000 liters of fish tank
2,000 liters of growing beds - made of 250 liter barrels cut in two.
1,000 liter sump or smaller (depends on price point - might make more sense to just be another 1,000 liter instead of smaller)

Flood and Drain system, probably going to use the Autosiphon stuff - I like the looks of it.

Single pump on a timer for a 15 minute cycle. I am trying to decide whether to submerge the pump or not. Unlike you all, there is no benefit to me to have the heat in the water.

Potential fishies:

Tilapia - pros, super easy to get (free) and tasty.
Guapote - a little harder to get, carnavores, grow very fast (like tilapia)
Catfish (channel) - my favorite eating fish, but little is known here about growing them.
Pacu (Piaractus brachypomus) - a member of the Piranha family that is a fruit and vegetable eater. They get large (10 kilos) and grow quickly on a fruit and vegetable diet. Hard to find

For much of my stocking I merely walk to the river on our property and throw a cast net and sort. I might just do that and get whatever (mainly sabalo which are very tasty but boney) and use that for the breaking in period. After that period - they go to the chickens!

Substrate - crushed washed sorted gravel - I think I can get it for 80 dollars for a dump truck load. You pretty much pay for the fuel and nothing more. I can use the rest in the construction project of the week.

Sounds like a plan to me CRT.....

By the way did anyone mention we like pictures

Absolutely - we will do pictures - do you want just of the system...

How about base of operations of the system? (this is my office)




and view from the work area.




and supervisor

I`m drooling over your view and size of the area you have to play with.
Fair tidings to you Sir.

And how about the fact I have no heating / cooling concerns? I will have to provide some kind of shading for the plants and fish I assume - but I don't have to worry about retention of heat or cooling.

But, I have been wondering if I will need to use some plastic so that I don't have too much water coming into the system. We have 3 meters of water a year - I assume in these systems you do have to add water at times, so perhaps there is no problem, I will just have to deal with overflow.

You could probably hang buckets containing tomatoes from those trees, that way they'd be above the canopy. The drip lines would be long though.

The view is beautiful!

I might have to move

It might give them nose bleeds from the height... 120 feet and up!

We do add water to the systems to top off from what the plants use and what evaporates. However, large influxes of fresh water will dilute the nutrients. Overflows would allow the nutrients to be lost. That may not be a concern if the plants are small and not using everything the fish produce, but given the lovely clime, I don't think that stage will last for long.

Your workshop's view makes a lovely desktop pattern.

Yes Janet - I suspect it won't be a problem, besides during warm days, evaporation will be an issue so it might just work out. We will see. Adding a roof won't be hard.

Jealous for sure. How stable is your power CRTD? Where does it come from - is it mains or produced onsite?

ahhh...just read the answer in your other thread. So what are your backup power plans?

I agree! You are so lucky to live in such a beautiful place.

I'm very jealous!

Seriously - who needs electricity? Down below is a pond with a monk with a 2 meter fall of 8 inches or more of water. I am thinking a pump with water wheel. Till the rainforest runs out of rain, there is no issue.

Here in Costa Rica we have frequent small outages - say 20 to 30 minutes - but I can't remember more than once more than an hour.

And I have a electric generator.