A commercial scale farm has been commissioned in northern Victoria.
The tanks, grow troughs and filters are designed and manufactured by
Practical Aquaponics for Everyone. www.aquaponics.NET.au
The farm was commissioned and installed by Martin O'Dee, the Aquaponics Shop at Geebung Brisbane.
Photos of the install can be seen by going to Martin's Aquaponics - Shop website.
There are 5 pages of photos.
What a ripper system they have there. It's interesting to see that they keep all their bacteria in one place (the nitrification filter) and then just use what is basically NFT for growing the plants. It will be great to see how this system progresses and hopefully hear that it's a massive success!
All the tanks and filters etc looked great, awesome job Murray!
Cheers,
Duncan
don't want to be a stickler but they are actually using a DWC ( deep Water Culture) technique, very similar to the Virgin Islands systems I believe. Cheers but am still very impressed with it all, good work all involved
Hi,
Nitrogen-oxidising bacteria occur naturally in air and (particularly in aquaculture systems) in water. They will be found in greater numbers in bio-filters because of the deliberate creation of surface area on the filter media.It's interesting to see that they keep all their bacteria in one place (the nitrification filter).....
Gary
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." - Arthur Schopenhauer
www.microponics.net.au - for candid dialogue on integrated backyard food production.
www.urbanaquaponics.com.au - the home of the Online Urban Aquaponics Manual.
That is correct Nick.using a DWC ( deep Water Culture) technique, very similar to the Virgin Islands systems
Exactly the same principals involved.
See the University of Virgin Islands system here. The site is a bit slow loading but worth a good look.
There is nothing new really, except that there is now a complete system (hardware) available here for commercial operators.
There is a number very real advantages to this type of system, one being that there is a greater volume of water in use allowing for higher stocking rates than would be possible based on the volume of the fish tank/s alone.
Note the stocking rates the UVI has for it's Tilapia.... 800 fish in 4,500 ltr tank grown out to approx 500g.
This larger volume of water also adds more stability to the system in regard to water temperature and quality.
I reckon I will build a DWC system here at home soon based on using my FG grow beds as the DWC troughs.
Questions Time:
So the difference between Flood and Drain and DWC is that the bacteria are in a swirl filter not in the grow bed and that there is no growing media in the grow beds?
Also, it seems to me like it would be a continuous flow system, is that right?
Cheers,
Duncan
Hi Duncan,
the nitrification takes place here in the nitrification filter particularly in the bio-ball chamber, which can be seen in action here
Photos imported from Martin O'Dee's WEB site http://www.aquaponics-shop.com
The bio-balls have air injected from below which accelerates the bacteria activity.
Also, bio-film develops on the large surface area of the inside of the grow troughs which adds to the nitrification process.
The water in the nitrification filter passes through up/down chambers before getting to the aerated bio-ball chamber.
This process aids in removing fine sediment and in providing water conditioning .
And yes, it is a continuous flow system.
They look really well designed and built. Great job Murray.
In regards to the bacteria in the grow troughs, isn't one of the major problems with the bacteria is that it doesn't lke light? This isn't a problem if your rafts are taking up all the space in the tops of the tanks, thus not letting any light in.
Cheers,
Duncan
That is correct Duncan, The floating rafts cut most of the light out of the grow troughs.
Further air is injected into the water in the grow troughs to make sure there is ample dissolved oxygen in the water for the plants and the bacteria resident in the bio-film.
Looking for help and advice about building a large Aquaponics system.
I live in the Pacfic NW. Alot of people here think I'm crazy. Some can't seem to think outside the box.
Would enjoy hearing others thoughts and ideas.
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