Hamish's System

[Hamish]

Thanks Alex - thats a good chart! It will be interesting to try and work out how to keep the water temp stable in winter (and summer for that matter).

One thought I had was to circulate a coil of water from one of the big tanks through the fish tank and back again using a low flow pump. Sort of a heat exchange coil. That way perhaps evening out the water temp using the thermal mass of the larger drinking water tank (7500 GAL) or the bore water tank (106,000L). Not sure if this would work but might be worth a crack.

Thanks for the offer of seeds - ill send you our address :)

[GaryD]

Hi Hamish,

It's good to see that you are beginning to get your AP system back together.....and that you are settling into your new surroundings.

I'm looking forward to your inspired input again.

Gary

[Hamish]

Thanks Gary - Aquaponics has just so many benefits - especially out here. While the soil is excellent out here without the bore running we wont be growing anything in the dirt. Whereas the aquaponics can run happily with little input of water or time. Murray - I might have to talk to you about a much larger system.

[alexmac]

Hi Hamish,
What did you find out about the underground cement tank?
Check with some locals re the bore, bores in that area may produce warm water. Just a thought!!!
Alex

[Hamish]

Hi Alex,

The locals tell me the underground tank was used to store fuel by the person who owned the property a couple of years ago. Aparently it held fuel ok. There is a hand pump attached to the tank and when pumped it does not pump anything but air - so the pump is working ok - but the tank is empty.

It will be interesting to see what the water is like in the bore - with luck I might have found someone to lift it.

If anyone sees a cheap greenhouse/shadehouse/pollytunnel for sale that is in need of removal please let me know. There are a couple on eBay at the moment but way too expensive at $12k+.

There must be someone out there that wants an eyesore removed from their farm.

Cheers,
Hamish

[Dufflight]

Just make a pipe bender and make one. I'm going to make a bender and when I need more green houses just make them.

There is a farm house out your way with an old greenhouse frame. Coming from Narrabri I turned left off the highway before moree. Can't remember the guy but he did have a shop in moree until a couple of years ago. I'll PM you if I can remember, but you can see it from the road on the left. It was a tar road.

[Hamish]

Hey Duff - nice idea re the pipe bender. Thanks for the info on the greenhouse frame - ill have to take a drive and have a look.

[Hamish]

By the way Duff - where is the best hatchery out here?

[Dufflight]

In Narrabri
Namoi Valley Aquafarming
ph 02 67921212

Was there a month ago getting 50+ catfish. It's on the Gunnadah RD turn right before the first bridge after you leave Narrabri West via a rounda bout.

You want to see some big fish. They might show you some of there COD.:D

Not sure what is at Moree.

[Hamish]

Thanks Duff - I will give them a call tomorrow - any idea what breeds they stock. Thinking perhaps Barra. They should be alright through the winter out here in a greenhouse.

[alexmac]

Hamish the pipe bender to make up poly tunnels is not the same type as used to make gates etc.
Alex

[Hamish]

Thanks Alex - will watch to see what you do and learn :)

Duff - I answerd my own question re what the hatchers stocks - here is their web site http://namoivalleyaquafarming.synthasite.com/

Thanks for the input!

[Dufflight]

Not sure about the barra. Know they have yellow and silver perch, cod, catfish. And there was other ones but I kind of got distracted by one of there pets. They also have a tonne of yabbies and I got some mussels from one of the guys out there. He has a lot in his dam.

[Dufflight]

Re pipe bending.
http://www.hoopbenders.net/

[Hamish]

Nice one Duff. Murray - how did you get on with your Murray Cod and were you also trying yellow/golden perch? Any results?

[GaryD]

Hi Hamish,

I also keep Murray cod but I have to say that I'm disappointed with their performance. They were originally presented to me as a 12 month grow-out but that's certainly not the case based on my experience.

Over the past several months, I've had a problem with ongoing mortality. We'll for a month where we have no problem then we'll get a period where we get a dead fish every day or two for a fortnight. The fish appear to be in excellent condition (other than being dead) with no visible cause of death.

The frustrating part is that I can no environmental explanation and I'm currently of the view that it's something to do with their behaviour toward one another. Murray mentioned that he'd graded his cod recently and that he'd ceased having problems. I need to try the same thing.

In total, I've lost over 50% of the 200 fish that we started out with. The only one that's happy with the situation is a cat that we adopted as a tiny kitten. She's growing very well on a steady diet of Murray cod.

Meanwhile, my Jade perch just keep on going. They are superb fish.

Gary

[Murray]

Hi Hamish, The 100 Goldens I tried are all dead. They started to die off immediately and one or two would die every day.
I would not waste my money on them again. It is just a waste of time trying to raise Goldens in tanks. They are fine in dams (so I am told)

I have lost more Murray Cod since the other day. Bacterial problem. I have them in a separate tank loaded with salt and hope that I will have some left in a week or two. It would appear that they are a very sensitive fish. Any little thing will throw them off and bring on deaths.

They are not a 1 year grow out that is for sure. The DPI notes have obviously be written by one of those public servants that Bunya Boy describes in another post.

I had more on order with the hatchery. I don't think I will bother with Murrays again. It is just too disappointing. Especially when it is so difficult to get any meaningful information.

It is just incredible that so little accurate information is available on this icon species.

Just get a little weary of being a trailblazer.

At this point in time, Jades and Sleepies are my favorites.
I feel that for the home grower, fast and reliable is the go......That leaves only two species....Jades and Tilapia.

[Hamish]

Thanks Gary and Murray - I wish I was allowed Jades here - they were just such great easy fish to keep (prior to the huge issue I had cause by the rain). I wonder if there is some way I can legally keep Jades here?

[Hamish]

Hi again - the pipe bender guy emailed me and he will ship to Australia. His DY series benders are $88 (USD I assume) including shipping to Australia.

I also found him selling on eBay http://cgi.ebay.com/Greenhouse-Tubing-Bender-DY-20_W0QQitemZ350155779542QQihZ022QQcategoryZ42153QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Its hardly worth making a hoop bender at the price he is charging. Might be worth getting one.

I just need to price the lengths of 17 gage by 1 3/8" o.d. chain link fence toprail that the tool is designed to bend.

[alexmac]

I had an idea that there were Jades in the Paroo River and that runs into NSW.
I also believe that you can apply for a permit and import any native fish into NSW.
Check the freight costs on the pipe bender.
Alex

[echidna]

Barcoo Grunter (Jade Perch) is considered an environmental threat so a full environmental risk assessment is required before NSW DPI would grant an import permit http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries/habitat/help/permit/noxious-fish not really worthwhile unless you were going to be raising them commercially. By the same token, raising them in SE QLD without an aquaculture license is probably also illegal. When all these rules and regulations were originally drafted, no-one considered backyarders in the equation.

[echidna]

The fish that are obviously permitted are those allowed in dams http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/resources/water/storage/publications/fish-in-farm-dams . In your area Silver perch, Golden perch, Murray cod, Tandanus, and Rainbow, Brown and Brook trout (or hybrids), plus the ubiquitous yabby. Silver perch and tandanus would seem the best for higher water temperatures and trout for lower water temperatures. I wonder how you would go with tanks buried in the ground in an insulated shed with a simple evaporative cooling tower for the return water in summer. Obviously a lot higher water consumption, but it might enable trout all year round and the cool water would enable better plant growth in summer.

[Dufflight]

What happens if you just order some online.:D

[djs-sa]

So the locals tell me that cod and yellowbelly's are the main prized catch in the rivers around here.

Echidna, we wont be running trout that is for sure!!!!!
perch of 1 kind if not barra or maybe catfish? we will see in the near future!!!

maybe I will catch some this weekend to stock the tank for now???

after 5 days we have vegies popping up already, running only on seasol.

[djs-sa]

enable trout all year round and the cool water would enable better plant growth in summer

please explain how cool water will help plant growth echidna and what levels to u class as cool water?
plants will uptake nutrients better with water temps warmer rather than cooler as a general rule of thumb.