Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I started after reading an article on aquaculture in the farmers weekly a local magazine here in South Africa.
From never growing plants or fish I started.
In my garage
250 tilapia for +- 1 year
I kept the fish in 2 baby pools that each could hold +- 1000 litters water.
Had a bio filter and when my nitrates got high let the water on my grass.
Replaced water as and when water parameters got out of hand.
Learning the water chemistry side of things as going along.
Never really killing fish but believe me as learning more you realize
How much you did wrong.
Then another article on Aquaponics in the farmers weekly.
I added a grow bed and I grew tomatoes 3 m high.
From here there was no stopping.
The bug had bitten
I started doing research on line (min)
Printed some of Dr_ James Rakocy study’s on aquaculture and Aquaponics
Then designed my system as basic as possible.
dam/grow beds/duckweed sump/pump return on a level switch.
Min/water and electricity.
Gravity fed 24 hours per day.
In my grow beds I used from small (6mm-25mm)
Not removing solids with filters but daily by hand in my grow bed where the water entered into my stone’s in my tray. (I have now added plastic baskets that works well.)
My stones in the grow beds now are 25 mm (going up size for size to find what works best for the water flow and filter.)
With this I find that it is better to plant your seedling into a small plant holder of sort,
to help with the anchorage of the plants.
My grow beds were +- 1.2 meters wide and 6 meters long.
That I then changed to +- 300mm x 200mm x 6000mm.
Makes a lot easier from the management point of view.
I do everything myself and only spend min time with system.(+-2 hours per day and that will be travelling to get there included.)
My system runs like a merc no problems and min maintenance
This is a hobby that has grown into a monster that I love.
I have never had to buy fingerling again.
The system runs itself and min cost and time.
In the system i have grown peppers,tom,spinach,beans,garlic,lettic,sweetcorn,bazil and more .........
Into my grow beds I added earthworms (red wrigglers) and that is a plus for my plants and fish.
The worms do good in the system as long as there is fish waste to eat.
Vermiculture was another article in the farmers weekly that grabbed me.
I now have a small earthworm farm. I feed worms to the fish and sell to the locals. (compost bins.)
I make my own vermicasting which in turn I use as mix/spray on my plants.
Sustainable
Now
+- 3 years later I find all these Aquaponics forums on line.
What a bonus
Me being new on these forums I have learned and verified a lot of unanswered questions.
This is a path that I walked with no help +- 3 years and to be in the company of people that are trying/and doing the real thing is very good and helpful.
I will be posting photos as soon as I have worked out how

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Yust Me Thinking

welcome

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okay, you don't need to keep saying the same thing to us do you need some help with the pictures?

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oops i also lit my jiont on the wrong side
sorry
hope this works
some photos


http://s894.photobucket.com/albums/ac14 ... oislemmer/

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Yust Me Thinking

I love the system Francios way to go

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viewtopic.php?f=18&t=3425&hilit=onslow

i hope this works
some photos

http://s894.photobucket.com/albums/ac14 ... %20garage/

http://s894.photobucket.com/albums/ac14 ... l%20setup/

http://s894.photobucket.com/albums/ac14 ... mmer/2008/

http://s894.photobucket.com/albums/ac14 ... mmer/2009/

http://s894.photobucket.com/albums/ac14 ... mmer/2010/

_________________
Yust Me Thinking

It all works, i read your blog, did you ever meet Synaptoman ???? just wondering cause looks simular

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viewtopic.php?f=18&t=3425&hilit=onslow

did i meet Synaptoman/know about him/never met
my system details

http://s894.photobucket.com/albums/ac14 ... %20system/

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Yust Me Thinking

my wormfarm /all my old 1300 l dams and my old grow trays

http://s894.photobucket.com/albums/ac14 ... RM%20FARM/

_________________
Yust Me Thinking

HI SYNAPTOMAN

NEW MEMBER TO THIS FORUM
I CAME ACROSS "A SOUTH AFRICAN SYSTEM" TODAY
LOOK'S GOOD

MY BEGINNING

I started after reading an article on aquaculture in the farmers weekly a local magazine here in South Africa.
From never growing plants or fish I started.
In my garage
250 tilapia for +- 1 year
I kept the fish in 2 baby pools that each could hold +- 1000 litters water.
Had a bio filter and when my nitrates got high let the water on my grass.
Replaced water as and when water parameters got out of hand.
Learning the water chemistry side of things as going along.
Never really killing fish but believe me as learning more you realize
How much you did wrong.
Then another article on Aquaponics in the farmers weekly.
I added a grow bed and I grew tomatoes 3 m high.
From here there was no stopping.
The bug had bitten
I started doing research on line (min)
Printed some of Dr_ James Rakocy study’s on aquaculture and Aquaponics
Then designed my system as basic as possible.
dam/grow beds/duckweed sump/pump return on a level switch.
Min/water and electricity.
Gravity fed 24 hours per day.
In my grow beds I used from small (6mm-25mm)
Not removing solids with filters but daily by hand in my grow bed where the water entered into my stone’s in my tray. (I have now added plastic baskets that works well.)
My stones in the grow beds now are 25 mm (going up size for size to find what works best for the water flow and filter.)
With this I find that it is better to plant your seedling into a small plant holder of sort,
to help with the anchorage of the plants.
My grow beds were +- 1.2 meters wide and 6 meters long.
That I then changed to +- 300mm x 200mm x 6000mm.
Makes a lot easier from the management point of view.
I do everything myself and only spend min time with system.(+-2 hours per day and that will be travelling to get there included.)
My system runs like a merc no problems and min maintenance
This is a hobby that has grown into a monster that I love.
I have never had to buy fingerling again.
The system runs itself and min cost and time.
In the system i have grown peppers,tom,spinach,beans,garlic,lettic,sweetcorn,bazil and more .........
Into my grow beds I added earthworms (red wrigglers) and that is a plus for my plants and fish.
The worms do good in the system as long as there is fish waste to eat.
Vermiculture was another article in the farmers weekly that grabbed me.
I now have a small earthworm farm. I feed worms to the fish and sell to the locals. (compost bins.)
I make my own vermicasting which in turn I use as mix/spray on my plants.
Sustainable
Now
+- 3 years later I find all these Aquaponics forums on line.
What a bonus
Me being new on these forums I have learned and verified a lot of unanswered questions.
This is a path that I walked with no help +- 3 years and to be in the company of people that are trying/and doing the real thing is very good and helpful.
I will be posting photos as soon as I have worked out how



THIS IS THE POST I USED IN MY INTRODUCTION

HERE ARE SOME LINK'S TO PHOTO'S OF MY BEGINNING

http://s894.photobucket.com/albums/ac14 ... %20garage/

http://s894.photobucket.com/albums/ac14 ... l%20setup/

http://s894.photobucket.com/albums/ac14 ... mmer/2008/

http://s894.photobucket.com/albums/ac14 ... mmer/2009/

http://s894.photobucket.com/albums/ac14 ... mmer/2010/

http://s894.photobucket.com/albums/ac14 ... %20system/

http://s894.photobucket.com/albums/ac14 ... RM%20FARM/

_________________
Yust Me Thinking

WELCOME TO BYAP!!!

Your system it looking good.

what strain of tilapia do you have?

please ask us about everything, we are extremly freindly and we all like to help, most of us have been doing it for year now(like you) and we all have the AP bug. please feel welcome.

-DF

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The grass looks greener on the other side, but it is only green painted cement. Then I remembered that the parking lot fields will never yield.

sorry i couldnt edit,

but what type of equiment are you useing, swimming pool? thats soo cool , i want to know everything!!

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The grass looks greener on the other side, but it is only green painted cement. Then I remembered that the parking lot fields will never yield.

hi all

did it again
pushed wrong button
i wanted this post in
"A SOUTH AFRICAN SYSTEM"

dank fish
yes the smaller dams are 1.300 l swimming pools.
the bigger dam is a mesh/liner concept
a tilapia dam bought from hydrex

good question you got me there
i believe i have two strains/mozambique and rendalli
never gone into finer detail
just learning the in's and out's
was more important to me
the basic fundamentals of aquaponics
max fish / min water / max feed / min maintanance
simple but work's.

i will move this subject to "a south african system"
in MEMBERS SYSTEMS

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Yust Me Thinking

I'll move it for you

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HI JAYMIE
thanks
i have gone and reposted in the right place
hope ok

francois

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Yust Me Thinking