Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

It all started with 20 – 20’ long 1” pipes. Free.
They sat in the grass, the weeds, the leaves, the snow for about a year or so, but always on my mind. Looked around on the internet and was appalled at how much a greenhouse cost. The heck with it, I’ll just build my own. I made plans on paper, figured up the cost all the parts, did my research and started the build. That was 3 years ago.
Work keeps me away from home about 275+ days and nights per year. Since I have a family, I have to devote time to them as well. This cuts into personal time. Did I say cuts into? Sorry, I meant I make time for my family which leaves little for personal stuff.
The small greenhouse grew every time I worked on it. This, of course, means that the plans grew, the cost of the fittings grew, and the greenhouse build slowed down as a result. I just wanted a greenhouse, didn’t know what I was going to do with it yet.
Then I met a dude whose father owned a Hydroponics greenhouse. He had tomatoes, tons of tomatoes, $60k worth of tomatoes in one year. I peppered him with questions, took him out to lunch and peppered him some more. Poor guy.
Only thing I didn’t like about Hydro was the mineral solution feeding the plants. Started looking around on the Internet for info on raising fish… and hit on the Aquaponics info. Interesting. Ordered a book or two, did a lot of reading on the internet. God bless the internet.
So, now I’m cursed. Um, let’s change that to blessed. I have a propensity to get stuff and put stuff together to make stuff. I’ve been bitten by the AP bug. All I can think about is getting more AP stuff.
“Hey, you gonna use that? Does it hold water? Put it in the back of my truck. Thanks.”
Now I have to put all this stuff together to make an AP system. But first, I think I may need to finish the greenhouse.

_________________
Mr Bill

The difference between a dream and a goal is a plan. You just have to be able to modify the plan.

Mr Bill's System
Mr Bill's Future System
Mr Bill's Dirt Garden

Then I leave to go work and come home to this...
and I use the pump that is about 1 year old but about 4 days of use to pump out the rain water and leaves gathered in the tank...
and a tank that shouldn't have been buried in the first place. What was I thinking?

_________________
Mr Bill

The difference between a dream and a goal is a plan. You just have to be able to modify the plan.

Mr Bill's System
Mr Bill's Future System
Mr Bill's Dirt Garden

But I have plans. I always have plans.
I need time. Now that I'm home for a few months, maybe I'll get something done on the GH. Like finish the walls and roof?
And stop buying fish just because the fish truck is at the feed store. Did I mention that I killed 75 innocent fingerling catfish? What a waste.

_________________
Mr Bill

The difference between a dream and a goal is a plan. You just have to be able to modify the plan.

Mr Bill's System
Mr Bill's Future System
Mr Bill's Dirt Garden

Welcome Mr. Bill!

_________________
DD's Landing Page

Plant and fish pictures are money

G'Day Mr Bill

_________________
Unattended children will be given an Espresso and a free puppy


http://www.backyardfarming.com.au/phpbb ... f=24&t=270

So I did some plastic welding on a 300 gallon tank that I picked up. Got the old tank that shouldn't have been buried out of the ground, made the hole bigger and leveled it off some. Rolled the tank out of the shop, across the property, into the greenhouse (still unfinished) and set it into the hole.
Then the phone rang. Have to travel 5.5 hrs to another project.
Am I ever going to get this AP thing going?

_________________
Mr Bill

The difference between a dream and a goal is a plan. You just have to be able to modify the plan.

Mr Bill's System
Mr Bill's Future System
Mr Bill's Dirt Garden

So, here I am home again. Always something to do on the farm, fences to fix, goat shelters to fix, hay to put up, hay to feed out, etc... Which takes time away from this obsession hobby that I'm into.
Having a neighbor clear out some trees on a piece of our land. I have commandeered about 3/4 of an acre to set up an Aquaponics system.
Land is on a gentle slope north being the highest to south being the lowest. To the east is the house that I built with my own two hands, to the west is a slope down to a drop off.
The greenhouse that I built and still haven't finished will be used for a couple of seasons to make sure I can dedicate the time to the AP obsession. Then... who knows

_________________
Mr Bill

The difference between a dream and a goal is a plan. You just have to be able to modify the plan.

Mr Bill's System
Mr Bill's Future System
Mr Bill's Dirt Garden

Wow, 3/4 of an acre? That's possibilities of a big system....

_________________
www.havehomewilltravel.com
Life on the road

back home again for a day or so and thought I'd try to finish up a project while it was still too cold out to work on the GH.
The 1" PVC pipe was bent using a heat gun. Kinda rough but it was cold out and I don't have much for patience when my toes are freezing. Good thing you can't see most of the scorch marks where the pipe was heated and bent.
The old fire-sprinkler pipe will be cut down to size later. Just wanted to make sure it would do what I needed it to do - hold down the hinge part of the lid.

Someone was throwing away some old shadecloth, so of course, I tossed it into my truck. Might as well measure for the lid for the tank.

Then of course, I get called for a service ticket 3 hrs from home. No wonder this AP thing is taking so long to get going.

_________________
Mr Bill

The difference between a dream and a goal is a plan. You just have to be able to modify the plan.

Mr Bill's System
Mr Bill's Future System
Mr Bill's Dirt Garden

Then there is the weather to deal with.
But good news, under that snow is evidence of more work being done to my future AP acreage. The guys came over to cut more trees day before Christmas.
Guess I'll head over to the shop and work on the lid for my FT.

_________________
Mr Bill

The difference between a dream and a goal is a plan. You just have to be able to modify the plan.

Mr Bill's System
Mr Bill's Future System
Mr Bill's Dirt Garden

Yes! What are you planning?

_________________
CJ's 20 gallon starter
CJ's 55 Gallon next step up
cj's 165 Gallon 2011

CJ's 2011/12 indoor season

The bent pipe is neat.
ps
If your toes are freezing you should probably go ahead and put some shoes one...

_________________
CJ's 20 gallon starter
CJ's 55 Gallon next step up
cj's 165 Gallon 2011

CJ's 2011/12 indoor season

Huh, you think?



Planning to finish the GH before I buy any more AP stuff. Really need to get it finished.

Sink the FT into the hole next to the shed. Then set up the yellow NFT's to run to drain into the fish tank. Before that will be the grow bed to filter out solids.
Somehow I'll figure out a way to make a, uh, whatchamacallem... the bio-ball cyclone filter before pumping that filtered water up to the strawberry towers. Which already has drains heading towards the FT. Don't know if you can see the buckets at the bottom of the towers very well, but they each have a drain and they are all connected together.

Won't do me much good to take pics at the moment, as all the PVC is white and it's snowing.

Which brings me back to my first goal. FINISH THE GREENHOUSE.

_________________
Mr Bill

The difference between a dream and a goal is a plan. You just have to be able to modify the plan.

Mr Bill's System
Mr Bill's Future System
Mr Bill's Dirt Garden

The acreage is going to have to wait until I get the small system up and running and gain experience. Then I can feed my addiction and start plans for a large system.
Doesn't mean I can't dream, though, eh? Only, I am not waiting for something to happen, I am making it happen, a little at a time.

_________________
Mr Bill

The difference between a dream and a goal is a plan. You just have to be able to modify the plan.

Mr Bill's System
Mr Bill's Future System
Mr Bill's Dirt Garden

Oh yea Mr Bill, you have the AP bug bad. Haven't even managed to build your first system and you are clearing land for the big system
(I know many people start planning the next system before the first system is finished.)

Anyway, once you get your small system up and running and really start into the planning for the big system, let me know. I'm happy to share some ideas to help you out with bit outdoor systems.

_________________
Aquaponic Lynx
TCLynx Bought The Farm
Old Main System
Old 300 gallon System