Aquaponics Workshop & System build for Savour Soil Aquaponics.

A fair few months ago I was asked to put on an Aquaponic Workshop by Michael from Savour Soil Permaculture at Laidley in SE Queensland. Was a bit hesitant at excepting the offer as I haven't had much experience at teaching but must say I'm pleased I did.

The workshop was held last weekend (21st Nov 2005) & covered the basics of setting up an aquaponic system for folks interested in expanding their food production in their backyards or small holdings.

 

A basic split flow aquaponic system was assembled from recycled components on site for Michael & his family. It made a great teaching aid on the day to help explain some of the basic construction methods & parts of a working aquaponic system. 

Here's a bit of a look at the system as it stands today. 

Must say that I was very pleased with how the system went together.  It's also fantastic to see Michael's family's enthusiasm in learning about the system as well as their eagerness in wanting to stock it with fish & plant it out. 



In the clip above I mentioned a suppliers list of sorts provided to the attendees & have also included it here below for those that might be interested.

Hope you enjoyed the clip & find the info useful.
Rob.  



Suppliers information for SE Queensland & Australia. 

Fish Hatcheries & Feed Suppliers.

I have bought from the first 2 and had no problems whatsoever. Ace Aquaculture has been recommended to me by a few folks that have used them.

http://www.seqfish.com.au/2.html

 http://www.ausnativefish.com.au/

http://aceaquaculture.com.au/

When ordering your fingerlings it is a good idea to ask if they sell small amounts of feed for your new swimmers. They grow so fast that it doesn’t pay to buy too much at once.

https://www.primo.net.au/shop/Ridley-AquaFeed

These folks supply Australian made Ridley aquaculture feed.

http://www.bignutrition.com.au/shop/

Stock smaller 4kg buckets of fish feed.

Farm supply store will also often stock some aquaculture feed as well. It isn't always out on display so it pays to ask the sales folks.

Pumps & Plumbing.

I've bought a few air & water pumps from Guppys Aquarium & found them to have great prices.

http://www.guppysaquariumproducts.com.au/index.php

I've bought other pumps like the Jebao (the one used in Michael's system) from a few reputable Ebay stores that deal in aquarium goods. It's always an idea to check out their rating before buying from them though.

The "Irrigation Store" is an online based site I buy my bulk PVC, barbed irrigation & bulkhead fittings from. They have a fixed $20 delivery fee on all orders. Works out a lot cheaper than the 2 big box hardware stores,

http://www.irrigationstore.com.au/PVC-Pipe-Fittings

Valves with removable blue handles are purchased at Trade Link Plumbing supplies for those that are concerned with little (or big) fingers fiddling with the system ;-)

I sell Uniseals, venturis & Root Pouches Australia wide through our small "Bits Out the Back" blog store.

Ordering info can be found in the link below,

http://www.bitsouttheback.net/p/bits-out-back-store.html#.U9bi2fmSyVU

OR you can PM me at

https://www.facebook.com/Bitsouttheback

OR Email me at

rb@bitsouttheback.net

Remind me you’re from the workshop & I’ll work out a bit of a discount for you ;-)

Best place I've found for IBC's is on Gumtree & have picked up a few really cheap ones through there.

Barrels can be found at markets, farm supply stores like Sprengers (www.sprengersproduce.com.au), Gumtree & also recycle stores/centres like Reverse garbage (http://www.reversegarbageqld.com.au/).

My preference is for IBC's & barrels that have had food stuffs in them as they are normally easier to clean out.

Growing Media.

If you're in the Ipswich area H2Gro are a local hydroponic store that sell the clay based media & will offer a discount depending on how many bags you're buying,

http://h2grohydroponics.com.au/

Last time I checked they were selling 45L bags for $25 each with is almost half the price at other retailers.

If you're after growing medium other than clay many folks recommend road base AKA blue metal here in SE QLD as mentioned in the workshop. Please keep an eye out for contamination like concrete that both Michael & I found in the blue metal at our suppliers.

It's a good idea to do a vinegar test on any rock you want to buy to see if it will raise the pH in your system. You can do this on site at the landscape suppliers with a jar full of white vinegar. Pop a handful of rocks into the vinegar & if it starts to bubble it's best to discard it as it may keep the pH constantly high in the system.

Backup Air System.

I did mention that I've made up my own 12V Backup air system in case of blackout. I followed the plans on the link below.

http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=9805

PLEASE NOTE, any work on 240V electrical circuitry HAS TO BE carried out by a licensed electrician.

Useful Sites, Forums & YouTube Channels.

I have a playlist on our YouTube channel with some of the projects/builds that have gone into our aquaponic & aquaculture systems which may help you out with a few ideas,

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBcWprMIwYYh9C2BDFMnIGeLdI6mfDpUe

I also have other playlists covering different aspects of our urban farm if you’re interested in a look.

Nate Story from Bright Agrotech has some great info on some of the finer points of aquaponics,

https://www.youtube.com/user/BrightAgrotechLLC

https://www.brightagrotech.com/blog/aquaponics/

Backyard Aquaponics forum is one of the oldest aquaponic forums & has a load of enthusiastic members posting about their own systems & helping others.

http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum/

Paul Van der Werf from Earthan Edge is one of the world leaders in integrated aquaculture & is a local to boot. Have found his site to be jam packed with ideas on DIY backyard builds, commercial systems & technical help. He has made it a subscription site but is well worth checking out if you're interested in building a small commercial aquaponic system.

http://articles.earthanedge.com/

His Facebook page has some useful posts as well & is well worth checking out.

https://www.facebook.com/earthanedge

Aquaponic update vlog with lazy fish & winter tomatoes.

Has been nearly 3 months since the last aquaponic vlog update so here you go folks.
Winter has struck here & the fish are starting to get a tad lazy due to the cold water but the plants are still growing strong.

The tomatoes have had another trim today with a few branches strung up due to the weight of the new fruit forming.
Have noticed that the water level is dropping a bit more than normal so shall be investigating to see if there are any leaks developing on the pipe work. I'm hoping that it's just just the growth spurt we've seen over the past week or so that is causing the increased water usage.

Best be off & start working in the patch.
Cheers & all the best folks.

Update on the Backyard Aquaponic system build 12th Aug 2014

Time for a bit of a look at where we're up to on the Aquaponic build.. This first clip was posted 20th July & covers a change in the plumbing that should make the system run a lot smoother..      

               

Since then not a lot of progress has been made on the build itself until last weekend, early this week when the filters & sump were fitted out then connected together..

               

I do like the slower pace of this build as it has given me time to consider other options..

Have also made a few clips on small parts of the build that might give folks a few helpful ideas..
The first is on using thin walled PVC pipe with Uniseals.. Due to the thin wall of the pipe it can be very difficult to use..

               


The second is just showing a few different ways to make up the drain fittings used in the base of tanks & filters..

               

Hope you like that quick round up of the system build & it gives folks a few ideas that may be helpful.. Should have enough time this weekend to glue it all together & give it a bit of a trial run if all goes well..

Cheers folks &  have a great one..

Aquaponic Q&A session With Paul Van from Earthan Group..

Last Saturday we were lucky enough to have Mr Paul Van Der Werf from the Earthan Group hold an aquaponic webinar/Q&A session from our backyard..

It involved people from as far away as Saudi Arabia & Canada asking question on all things related to backyard aquaponics & aquaculture.. After the webinar was over it was time for us locals to pick Paul's grey bits & chat about all things fish/plant related.. Was a great day, met some nice folks & picked up a few useful tips that will definitely help me out with our systems..

Paul's "go-to guy", Sockaponic ;)




Would like to thank Paul once more for taking time out to hold this session for us local enthusiasts & for all the assistance he has given myself.. Thanks too for not cringing at the silly questions I have tossed your way ;)
Would like to wish him & his family all the best on their move to the United Arab Emirates where Paul is in the process of building a 4400m2 integrated aquaculture pilot farm in the desert..
You can find Paul posting articles on his Earthan Group website where he also offers up loads of useful information/DIY ideas for us backyard enthusiasts.. He also posts regular updates on the progress of the large commercial aquaponics pilot farm on the Earthan Group Face Book page..

Cheers folks,
Rob..

Aquaponic update, some lost fish & plans for the pipes...

A few Goldfish deaths :(

Lost a goldfish a few weeks ago & found 2 more laying on the bottom of the tank on Monday..
I had no idea at the start as to what could of caused the deaths so went looking online for some idea of what it could of been.. I came across a few sites with the one listed bellow being fairly comprehensive in its listing of different diseases & their symptoms..
http://www.csh.rit.edu/~tonyl/goldfish/testarea/symptoms.htm


I had no idea what might have caused the deaths at the time but am now fairly certain it was a sudden drop in water temp that may have caused them to perish..  Another theory put forward by a viewer is that it could of just been tired after mating... Apparently, as the gills & eyes looked so healthy this could of been a possibility.. Have never read of this happening before & really hope I didn't bury a few fish alive..  The goldfish are destined to go to a new home soon I don't know if I will get to test this theory.. 

Update walk through..
Bit late I know but here is the latest update clip for the aquaponic set up..


I found sometime this week to finely sort out how I will be altering the pipe work on the system so that all the water will run through a filter to remove solid fish waste & un eaten food..
One of the first things to make up was the 90° elbow units..

At the moment I am using normal 90° fittings on the pipes to redirect the water but it was pointed out to me that making up these nifty little units out of 2 x 45° elbows will let the water flow a lot more efficiently increasing flow rates throughout the whole system.. An upside to that is I think I can now down size the pump to one that should be slightly cheaper to run..


 As the system can’t be left off line for any length of time I have been making up these elbows & pre fabricating the other pieces needed so they can be added on all in one go..  I really want a whole day set aside for this just in case any unforeseen events arise needing extra parts & time to finish the job.. 


That's about it for now as I really should be out there harvesting the Yacon..For more regular updates & pictures from the patch come visit us on our Bits Out the Back Face book page..
Thanks & take it easy all..
Rob..

Time for an aquaponic system update & the first fish harvest..

Did another backyard aquaponic system update last week.. It's all travelling along rather nicely at the moment & am happy to report there have been no dramas as of late..  **knocks on wood**
Plant growth is still coming along nicely even though the temperatures have been dropping a bit.. Thinking we are still right to plant out a few more seeds though..

Should have the site for the mini fish farm all sorted by the next update hopefully..

Have taken the first 4 perch from the system to share at a bit of a family get together over the weekend.. 3 were not the largest but wasn't expecting too much.. Might pull a few more over Winter but not sure yet, shall see how we go..

Information on the iki jime method of despatching fish can be found here
http://www.ikijime.com/
& is well worth the look I think.

For more regular updates & pictures from the patch come visit us on our "Bits Out the Back" Facebook page..
Have a great one All...
Rob..

A couple of updates on the patch...

Backyard Aquaponic update, more plans & jobbies. 29th April 2013
Not much happening with the aquaponics of late other than plants growing & fish swimming.. The radial flow filter is yet to be included into the main feed line to the grow beds.. It needs a few minor alterations so it can be cleaned out more effectively before that can happen though..



Have been inspired to start off a small 2000L/530gal fish farm so am making plans to clear some space to include it next to the aquaponics.. Hope to make a start on that as soon as I can save up some extra coin :)

Wicking bed & Straw bale garden update.. 1st May 2013
Really love the growth the garden puts on at this time of year but with the milder weather creeping up on us I think I will be wishing it was spring soon enough.. The hay bale bed looks to be working just fine & am looking forward to planting out some spuds soon using Peter Cundall's no-dig potato method ..



Have made a proper start on the hoop house extension & hope to have all the frame up by next weekend so you should see some progress on that in the next update..


For more regular updates & pictures from the patch come visit us on our Bits Out the Back Facebook page..
Have a great one All...