Bigdaddy's DIY

[bigdaddy]

Hi folks,

Here are some of my photos of my Diy built in mid Jan.

The middle photo looks like the bed is curved in actual fact it is quite flat.

These photos are about 4 weeks old now.

Cheers.

[bigdaddy]

Hi folks just a quick update on the progress of my veges,

I got back from holidays and the broccoli and bok choy were attacked by those lovely caterpillars even though I hit them with the dipel before leaving then I completely wiped them out trimming up the above tree and letting the wet ends of the branches get to my veges.

Oh well will go and get some more seedlings later and plant to even up the system before removing the destroyed veges,pretty well summed up my day actually.

Cheers.

[bigdaddy]

Here are some more photos, measured a barra today 230mm and looking good.

The two valves are what I put on the system originally and operated with a float switch attached to a pump have partly installed an auto siphon but am still relying on the float switch to operate and turn the pump off For now, until I can get some more fittings the hybrid will have to do the pump is pumping and filling the grow bed to within about 25mm of the top of the media for three minutes every 35 minutes and is sort of working OK.

Cheers.

[bigdaddy]

Hi folks,

Time for a post on the barra system,

We have been growing and eating spinach for a couple of months now,a couple of nights ago I harvested our first broccoli,I think I left it about a week to late but we already had heaps of veges in the fridge to devour.It was just before it started to go to seed.Tasted yummy a bit of a cross between baby broccoli and normal broccoli.I didn't tell the family I harvested it and they thought it was from the fruit and vege shop.I asked them all what they thought about it and all agreed it was nice and I then told them it was from our garden grown from fish pooh! I promptly got a chorus of oooh Daad,I laughed and said it was from our vege patch,and the fish helped to grow it,they all liked it.I liked it but I agree with my daughter who said she could not taste to much difference,and I said but the good thing is you know no harmful things have been sprayed or whatevered to it.They all agreed.


Cheers.

[DaveOponic]

Hi BD, can't see your photos......

[bigdaddy]

Sorry Dave,

I'll flick through my phone and/or computer and try and down load them again,thanks for telling me,didn't notice that.
Probably early next week.

Cheers.

[bigdaddy]

Hi folks,

I don't know what happened to some photos I had,but here are some to of my barra system at first,and a couple photo's of my baara during the journey so far.One photo is at abou 220 mm and the last photo does not look like it,but he is about 270mm it's just that he was jumping around so I quickly took a photo and put him back.

The first 3 photos are some of my system at first the grow bed is up to the left.Now I have effectively split the system in halves One 500 litre tank and 1 200 litre tank are on the opposite side of my property feeding a seperate grow bed,which is my trout system.

Caught a trout day before yesterday and measured him 220mm,not bad,in 2 months or so,from 100-125mm.

I'll post some photos of my systems as they are now a bit later on.

Cheers.

[GaryD]

Hi BD,

Things are going well.....and your system is a great example of what can be achieved using relatively low cost off-the-shelf components. I've wanted to do a demonstration set up using those tanks for some time.

You'll need to give the trout a bit of a hurry up.......I figure that you're only looking at a couple of more months before water temperatures become an issue for trout.

By contrast, those barramundi will start to take off at about the same time as you have to harvest your trout......so you'll be eating them by the end of summer.

[DaveOponic]

Looks good BD. Trout and Barra? Seems an odd combo. I would have to cool the water here in Borneo to grow trout. My Barra (all 8 of them) are reaching plate size.That's about 7 months from fry. Plan to buy some advanced Barra next time and avoid losing so many to cannibalism.

By the way, what are the garbage bins for in the 3rd photo?

[bigdaddy]

Hi Dave,

Yes everything is odd with my aquaponics timing,I originally started my system in January and was in a dilemma when it came time to put some fish in.Jades were the choice I would of liked to start with,but they have about a 12 month grow out,and would mean heating in the winter but the real thing that stopped me getting Jades was the availability for me,silvers were probably about 18 months - two years which meant I had to think about keeping the system cool for 2 seasons,so I found Barra had probably 7 month grow out like you say,and they were the ideal fish to have in our long hot dry summers here,often over 40,and a few last summer over 45 in the shade!,The problem I had was heating in the winter.I did some more research and found trout had similar if not slightly quicker grow out times but the other way around cooling the water was the concern there,so I decided to give the barra a try through this winter only and hopefully having them big enough to eat a Christmas,then when September/October rolls around,get some more 100 mm fingerlings,no smaller,and try growing them for 6 months and starting the trout about March next year,so I'll in theory have 6months barra with a small amount of heating at the beginning and end of the seasons and trout for 6 months with nothing.I have built a separate trout system to the barra system and it is maturing nicely so the water temp is not an issue,so long as my heaters hold out for this winter for the barra.They are doing very well indeed,I'm most impressed with them,they are getting a full workout this winter..Those two smaller containers 200 litres each,all joined at the top and bottom.the first one I was using as a sump to try and keep the level in the 500 litre fish tanks constant.I agree,I got my fingerlings at no smaller than 100 mm and have not had any trouble with them eating each other... although when they were younger,I did see them skirmish,every now and then,but not to the death.Now they all just get on with each other.so I reckon don't buy any fingerlings smaller than 100 mm and you should be right.

Hi Gary,

Yes I was probably 2 months too late finishing my trout system,so probably in 4-6 weeks max time,I'll be harvesting the trout,so this time it will be small fish for a while.By the end of September / beginning of October I want to get another 40 100 mm fingerlings and set up the system the way I originally had it,using the trout fish tank and connecting the barra and trout growbeds somehow,so I can have my timing right to grow barra for the summer 6 months and the trout for the winter six months.Yes those drums are just fine for fish tanks,some people have also used them for sumps in Chop systems.The lowest cost I've seen them was $59ea and average about $99 ea,It saves lashing out and spending lots of money when you don't even know if you will be doing it in a years time.As it turned out I'm still loving it and plan to do this for quite a while longer than that,but I guess you don't know at first,do you?

The other costs were my pond liners for grow beds and media,followed by all the other associated equipment.

Thanks folks for your encouragement.

BTW Gary,when you lived in SA where did you live?

Cheers.