Al in Mandurah WA

[Alwyn]

Hi,
I'm just about to set up in the back yard.
Have put up a 9m x 4m green house frame that will house a 3m x 2m fish shed, 3m x 2m green house for aguaponics grow beds, NFT, and seedlings frame, 3m x 4m raised sheet beds and 3m x 4m for chooks and eventually quail.
One thing at a time though.
Hope to have the structure finished in the next week or so and then start with re-circ aquaculture quarantine tank in a bath tub. Then add bigger tank with grow beds. Chooks will be easier and sheet beds too so they will probably be up and running sooner.
Has any one got a good place for fingerling purcases in W.A. preferably south of the river?
Any one used Black Bream in aquaculture?
Any ideas or hints for the above system would be great.
Thanks.
Al

[Outbackozzie]

See Bream thread.

Fish for south of the river? What can't travel

Golden Ponds in Baldivis may be your best bet for Silver Perch, but they dont have many and they are more expensive than fish farms. Pretty much all fish farms do not have any new fingerling until December.

Jurien Bay fish farm has 75 - 120mm fish, but the minimum order is $500 because they have to be caught from an outside pond at this time of year.

Trout can be had from many places down your way from late March.

Personally I wouldnt bother with the NFT, growbeds do just fine.

The fish tank can be in the plant part of the greenhouse, does not need to be a seperate room. A shadecloth over the top of the fish tank will stop any algae problems.

[Alwyn]

Thanks for that O/B Ozzie.

I saw the Bream at Golden ponds but they looked a bit sick, with some fungus growing from their gills (Just that batch), and are $1.50 each for fish about 30mm. All the rest of their fish look great incl barra and trout!

With grow beds will rust from a cast iron bath do harm in the system?
Apart from the bath being very heavy, I am trying to think of an excuse not to use it, but it was free...

Shade cloth over the fish instead of tin will avoid cost for lighting so will look at that but am thinking it will reduce temperature controll ability?
May incorporate shade cloth windows with tin covers for cold nights...

[Hamish]

Hi Al.

I dont think a small amount of rust will hurt - some people actually put some rusty iron in there system to give the plants some iron. Others use a bit of chelated iron.

[Outbackozzie]

Some people put lots of iron in their growbeds

If you design your system with a big enough fish tank you can avoid needing to pump water during the hottest part of the day in summer, and the coldest in winter.

This helps immensly with temperature control.

[Alwyn]

Thank you Hamish and O/B Ozzie,
I think I have settled on a final lay out for the aquaponics section.

Will eventually have:
system 1 - bath tub 240l re/circ system for quarantine/fingerlings fed by 3000l/hr DW pump head of about1.2m with bio filter and spout for airation,
System 2 - bath tub 240l tank with bath tub 240l grow bed for yabbies/marron fed by 300l/hr DW pump head of about1.5m and a
System 3 - 1500l pond with 1/2 blue drum 2x100l grow beds and a bath tub 240l grow bed for fish.

Should I just put this in the new systems thread?
Thanks again.
Al

[GaryD]

Hi,

If you design your system with a big enough fish tank you can avoid needing to pump water during the hottest part of the day in summer, and the coldest in winter.

.....and the more water you have the more stable the temperature anyway.....which makes OBO's suggestion even more feasible.

Gary

[Alwyn]

Thanks OBO and G.D.
What sort of stocking level can I look at for a 1500l tank and how many 1/2 blue drum grow beds would it need?
Looking at trout for winter and hopefully Jades for summer if I can find a supplier.
I like the look of OBO's system...

[GaryD]

Hi Alwyn,

You could stock 60 - 70 Jade perch in 1500 litres.....and depending on how you cut your blue barrels (l like the way OBO has done it) you could run 15 - 16 of them without any problem.

Gary

[gtpratt]

Hi Alwyn,

You could stock 60 - 70 Jade perch in 1500 litres.....and depending on how you cut your blue barrels (l like the way OBO has done it) you could run 15 - 16 of them without any problem.

Gary

Hi GAry wouldnt the 15 to 16 half barrells mean that a lot of water is out of the tanks at a given time?

half drum is 100 litres, say autosiphon is set to 75 litres thats still over 1000 litres out of the tank at a given point?

Or am I missing something?

Kindest regards.

Gra.