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Pete's Aquaponics System


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#1 oceanarium

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Posted 09 May 2014 - 06:21 PM

Finally got my 4500ltr grow tank and have it semi set in the ground. Have not back filled it in as yet, I am setting it up so I have a rain diverter from the gutters on the house to fill it before i can do that. 

 

Then I can start setting up some grow beds, Planning on making them so the are always flooded to a few cm below the medium, any thoughts on that?

 

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#2 fuggers

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Posted 09 May 2014 - 06:47 PM

never seen a buried tank. most i've seen prefer to have bottom drainage for easy cleaning. water level in the grow beds is easy, just make a stand pipe at the level u want then put a larger pipe around it to stop your medium going to the tank



#3 MrLeifBeaver

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Posted 12 May 2014 - 09:02 AM

Awesome!



#4 oceanarium

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Posted 13 May 2014 - 06:41 AM

never seen a buried tank. most i've seen prefer to have bottom drainage for easy cleaning. water level in the grow beds is easy, just make a stand pipe at the level u want then put a larger pipe around it to stop your medium going to the tank

Yes buried is probably not ideal for cleaning, I had some thoughts on how i was to do plumbing and flow to try pick up any detritus and netting to keep out larger leaves etc. I really wanted it to look in the end like a pond. 

 

Thanks for the tip on the drain, is there a fitting you use to hold the outer pipe in place or just fit it loose in the medium?

 

Pete



#5 fuggers

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Posted 16 May 2014 - 07:28 PM

i'll pm some links



#6 rsevs3

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Posted 16 May 2014 - 09:21 PM

There are plenty of buried tanks that have no problems getting cleaned. A little planning in the design stage and you will be laughing.

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#7 mattt

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Posted 21 May 2014 - 06:32 PM

All the crap will end up in your growbeds, not your tank. never had to clean mine. as for always flooded, i havent tried that. (had flood/drain) depends on what your growing.I'm sure some plants wont like it, and others will.



#8 oceanarium

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Posted 29 August 2014 - 02:51 PM

Well this has to be the slowest build ever but gaining some momentum now.  :P

 

I set up three tanks for grow out so we can stage in new fish as fingerlings the time of year the differing species become suitable for the temperatures and latter move them on the the big tank as they grow. Started the cycle with a few silver perch for now. Will then add some yabby's in a month or so then Barra in October, trout and marron April etc.

 

I still have heaps of grow beds to add, its all a bit modular and will expand with time with the nutrients.  :D

 

IMGP6726_zps78ceaffa.jpg

 

Pete



#9 Mattymak

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Posted 29 August 2014 - 02:57 PM

Looking good mate :) keep us updated!



#10 dicky7

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Posted 29 August 2014 - 05:12 PM

nice work will be interested to see more



#11 oceanarium

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Posted 01 October 2014 - 04:56 PM

The yabby's have gone in, the shop I bought them from only had two male and one female luckily berried. The males have been separated as I read single sex will grow significantly faster than mix colonies.

 

Female has been left in a floating basket full of laksa plant for cover and has now started to drop her young. At the mo just feeding some crushed fish food, some searching suggested veggies like grated carrot, so i will try a little of that. 

 

Thoughts ?

 

X fingers soon to have a few hundred of the little buggers..... MMM I can smell the garlic butter now  :D



#12 Furnix

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Posted 02 October 2014 - 10:37 AM

Yabbies eat pretty much any plant matter i have found! Zuchini is good too as its soft so they munch straight through it. But i wouldnt worry to much as they are scavengers and pick and find little bits of food. I used to feed mine the sinking pellets.

 

When the little ones start to grow a bit (few of cm) they will start fighting so dont be surprised if u have one big sucker with 2 claws and all the rest only have 1 or none. But they are very hardy and will power threw and grow it back again



#13 oceanarium

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Posted 26 March 2015 - 03:42 PM

Well finished my first summer no Barra went in by the time my temps were getting up it was really too late in the season to grow them out. Plants were slow to grow at first with only ten silver perch fingerlings plus marron and yabbies all small. I found strawberries were the only really productive plant with low N in the water, worth considering as a first crop in a new AP system. As the summer warmed up and the perch started to feed well and fatten up so the food volume increased we started getting the green veg to work better. The Perch probably bout 200-250g each now though have really slowed the feeding with cold water at 15C. 

 

The plan all along was for the trout to be the main crop, I get sufficient white flesh fish from fishing. So now ready to stock much heavier this April with trout fingerlings. The plan to harvest most and to try carry some on through summer at lower stocking density. Hottest we went this year was 26C for short duration's in some pretty extreme hot days. Next year I can shade the AP more and add a air blower on hot days to increase DO. Be interested to hear what people opinions are regarding the trout year round? 

 

I also added a UV for water clarity after the water turned green early summer. Probably better of with out it as the Perch don't feed as well with clear water, but I like seeing whats going on :) Some pics as of today;

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Disappointed the Barra not working out I still want to have a play with them started a SW AP build in my aquaculture shed. Its been playing on my mind now for a while how well it will work. I am going to grow some edible seaweeds and samphire for the grow beds. Using a bulka box for the tank and some old shallow glass aquariums for the grow beds. Here is a pic still water-less though have secured the barra while they are available they are in the aquariums for now in the background;

IMGP7430_zps3q57rvrh.jpg



#14 oceanarium

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Posted 30 July 2015 - 01:41 PM

More pics from today  :D Stoked with the trout they grow so fast 3 months and they are good enough to fillet and their aggressive feeding is fueling the plants well. 

IMGP7837_zps8c6dtysi.jpg

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#15 werdna

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Posted 30 July 2015 - 05:49 PM

Trout are, by far, the coolest fish to watch feeding in AP!

 

Well done






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