My small aquaponics 2 days old!

[sallu00]

Hi Guys,

I have recently set up a small grow bed attached to my aquaculture tank, which has 200 jade perch (see attachments). The grow tank is an old baby's small swimming pool and the fish tank is made of vinyle with metal frame (2300 x 60cms). I want to make a bit more robust set-up, like one large fish tank and two 30cms x 2000cms grow beds using two pumps (with float switches).

I am in Sydney and have been investigating to build tanks. I have found a tank builder who can make me 1000 x 2000 tanks for around $1000, but if I only get the tank with no bottom, then the price comes down to $150. I wanted to findout if I can use some sort of a plastic sheet for the bottom? Have you seen a system like this before? I am just trying to be economical. Any suggestions from you experts will be appreciated.

Salman.

[Miki]

Wow, you have a good set up there! that really is a good way of reusing materials! why change the fish tank? what kind of pump are you using at present? what are you growing? I recognise the tomato....
Have fun watching it all grow - you will be amazed at the results.

[GaryD]

Hi Salman,

Take a look here (http://www.aquaranch.com/arliners.htm) for more information on the sort of fish tank arrangement that you've described.

You may be able to buy tank liners from somewhere like Clark Rubber.

Keep up the good work.

Gary

[Murray]

Excellent, the way food prices are going every home needs to be producing as much as possible. Salman's system demonstrates very well that it can be done on a small budget.
Trouble is, once you see the results in your own yard, you want more.
Aquaponics works so well........

Those Jades are looking good Salman, how big do you estimate them to be ?

[sillyoldfart]

Salman, in the last photo there is a large black box with a lid and what looks to be at least 100mm pipe emerging from it.

What is it and what is it's purpose?

[sallu00]

Thanks for your comments. The pump is OASIS, 16,000 litres per minute. I bought this originally for a KOI pond, but decided on Jade perch. I did a basic Aquaculture course 7 years ago from Tafe in Grafton, (but did nothing until now) http://www.natfish.tafensw.edu.au/sitemap/default.asp, now I am excited about combining fish farming with vegies and use Aquaponics.

The Jade perch fingerlings I bought from Ausyfish were around 2 inches long (Mar 07). The growth for the first 2 months or so was great, but then it stopped because the water temp dropped to 11 deg. I managed to use bubble wrap to get some greenhouse effect which raised the water temp to another 4 deg, but not enough for the fish to grow. Now the fish is feeding like crazy and the water temp is around 20 deg. The size of the fish is around 3 to 4 inches and looking very healthy. I change 50% water every month and take my Nitrite, Ammonia, PH and carbonate hardness readings every week. I am hoping to harvest (fishing) the fish in Jan 08 and expect the weight to be around 400 grams. I am feeding them 50% protien 2mm sinking pellets, soon to change it to 39% protien, 3 mm pellets.

The questions I have is I am using recirc system and the pump works 24 x 7. I want to design a flood and drain system as there will be a huge savings on my electricity bills, but I am not confident enough that high density fish will grow fast and survive? Also as you can see the vegies tank is full of water and is also continous flow with another small pump. Are there any members in Sydney area kind enough to show me their flood and drain system? I will really appreciate it.

I don't know why I want to change the tank, I guess metal tanks are more robust and I am then not scared that someone will punchure the pool. I am thinking getting some tanks from a local manufacturer, without the bottom.
http://www.tankworks.com.au

Salman.

[big deal]

try my ida old bath tub with styrene boxes set on old bed frames so to get waterfall back into bath for air bubles pond pump in bath on timer. pics to come. regards big deal.

[Murray]

Hi Salman,
You are right to go to flood and drain, it has been proven over many years to work very effectively. You seem to be worried about your fish if you do flood and drain. Actually your water system will be much more stable once you have cycled the system, you will not have to do 50% water changes anymore, just top-ups.
Here is a couple of photos of the drain up stand that you will need fro flood and drain if that will help. The upstand regulates the flow of water from the grow bed back to the fish tank.
The inner upstand is made from 40mm PVC pipe that has a fitting attached to allow it to be fixed through the bottom of the grow bed and to attach drainage pip to underneath.
This upstand has two 5mm holes drilled very close to the bottom. These holes allow the water from the grow bed to enter the bottom of the upstand and drain slowly into the pipework underneath that will take the water back to the fish tank. You will notice in the second photo that the upstand is cut about 30mm below the top edge of the grow bed. This is done to allow water to flood into the top of the upstand and go quickly down into the drainage if the bed should by chance be overfilled.
If you want t beds to drain more quickly then make the 5mm holes 6 or 7 mm. the bigger the holes the faster the drain. I find that 5mm holes are just right.
The larger 90mm pipe has weep holes drilled in it to allow water to pass through and is placed down over the upstand to keep the gravel and roots away from the upstand pipe.
I hope this helps.

[Murray]

One more pix of the fittings for the 40mm pipe being added to the underside of the upstand and grow bed.

[sallu00]

Thanks Murray, I must design a flood amd drain system as I have to convince myself that the system can hold high density stock with little or no nitrite and ammonia. I will require another pump and a float switch and some metal tanks. Some work to be done!

Salman

[Murray]

Hi Salman,
It would be a good investment for you to buy the Urban Aquaponics Manual (http://www.aquaponics.net.au) where the flood and drain system is fully explained.
A flood and drain system is possibly the simplest way of removing/converting ammonia and nitrite from an aquaculture system. It is also a very reliable way of achieving that end with the added bonus of vegetable production.
Murray

[sallu00]

Ok, I have just purchased the recommended Urban Aquaponics Manual, can't wait to get my hands on it.

Salman

[sallu00]

Hey look at my crop going well for 8 days of nutrient rich water! I am amazed by this result. Look at the tomato plant, it's nearly double (see before and after 8 days below) the height and has flowers (this is cherry tomato). Only issue is the blue/green algae, as you can see the water is continous and the everything is under water. I will be designing and re-structuring the whole set-up after Jan-Feb 08.

Also see the floating salad tray. I had to pinch my wife's cake table cover! I did the same a few months ago without the net and everything was gone as the Jade perch kept on pulling at the roots and gobbling the whole plant.

The thing which facinated me was an article by Dr Ronald D. Zweig "An Integrated Fish Culture Hydroponic Vegetable Production System" it talks about Aquaponics without pumps in a 1.5m x 1.5m tank with vegies growing on the whole water surface (with the centre opening for fish feeding). There he used 1 aerators with 3 connections to lift all the waste so that the roots can consume it. Anyone tried this method with any success?

Salman.

[Murray]

It never ceases to amaze me the growth in an aquaponics system.
Those Jade perch will eat the roots of anything. Last summer I would throw a whole cos lettuce into the tank of jade perch and a couple of hours later it was all gone.
I have not read the material by Dr Ronald D. Zweig, but I am sure Gary has. I pretty much stick to the "tried and proven" gravel grow bed flood and drain system. It is almost "bullet proof".

[GaryD]

Hi,

You can see the article to which Salman refers here (http://www.vsb.cape.com/~nature/greencenter/pdf/zweig.pdf).

Gary

[sillyoldfart]

I can understand plants growing on floating rafts in flowing trays, and the "zweig" system (which is aerated), but I don't understand how the plants in Salaman's system can grow if submerged all the time.

Why don't they develope root rot? Any ideas anyone?

[Murray]

Hi SOF,
The roots may well rot given a bit of time. It will depend on how much dissolved oxygen there is in the water as it passes through the grow bed. Salman is addressing that issue at this time.
He has just received his copy of "The Urban Aquaponics Manual"
The Urban Aquaponics Manual (http://www.aquaponics.net.au/prod5.htm) has excellent information on these issues.

Murray

[sallu00]

Gary's book Urban Aquaponics is full of practical advise and to the point. I have read most of it and am using it to my advantage to construct a more efficient aquaponic system. It talks about all equipments needed to get started or to build a more sophisticated system. As I have read many books on RAS Aquaculture, there is a lot of theory which might not be necessary for a home based system. Gary's book is just what we needed for the backyard farming. The only request I would make here is a DVD as a picture is worth a thousand words.

Also Murray's Forum is fantastic, we can all learn so much from it and it's amazing how people do new things so differently.

Have a look at the vegies after a month of growth. I have harvested a lot of lettuce and for myself and the fish. Compare with my earlier photos. This is great to have started Aquaponics. The fish are growing pretty good and according to plan will be harvested end Jan 2008.

Salman.