My AP Obsession

[namhaquach]

Hi all, thought I'd start my own thread about my obsession i mean hobby!

Been playing around with AP for a couple of years now. Started off using half olive barrels to learn and test the principle. Was convinced that it was the way to go!

So Sept of last year I took the plunge and started building a big system. It comprises of 3 IBCs as fish tanks (currently with 150 odd trout, 15 large silvers, 4 large catfish, 10 small catfish, 20 odd bass and 70 or so silver fingerlings, 1 IBC sump, 500lt tank as a fingerling tank (curently has 15 medium - 15cm - murray cod in it), 6 main grow beds running on bell siphons at 500lts each and 3 smaller beds which are 1/2 olive barrels. So a total of 3400lt of growbed. Curently they are planted up with brocoli, which are just starting to head, carrots, strawberries, lettuce, kiwi fruit, rasberries, thornless blackberries, thyme, black currents and heaps more...

The system is powering along and as the days start to get a little longer and warmer, I have noticed quicker growth, especially in the lettuce.

Here is a link to my blog with more detail:

http://namhaquachinatoraquaponics.blogspot.com/

Cheers
Quachy

[Erich]

Very nice - will read your blog shortly :)

Love the Wood oven part - looking at one of these myself

[Byron]

seems your well hooked :) i love the idea of what your doing. I have started to entertain the idea of selling up and getting a few acres myself :) start out small but build a self sustainable residence over the years. im still young (26) so i got time :)

[Castaway]

Hi Quachy, Looks like you know what you're doing. I had a look at your blog and thats a nice bunch of brown trout you've harvested for dinner. Welcome to this forum. I hope you can share some of your knowledge. Cheers...

[namhaquach]

thanks for the welcome everyone!

Still a lot to do before we make the big move someday in the future....

We have a 1/3 acre block, which is pretty damn good considering we are pretty close to town. The block was bare when we got it, with an old miners cottage. There were literally 4 trees, one well established, 2 bush/shrubs and an oak. The oak will be coming out soon....to damn big if I let it keep growing.... anyway, on one side of ou property, it has been planted up with natives and fruiting trees, on the other side it is predominately fruit and nut trees, in the back we have a dirt veg garden (work in pogress) and chickens as well as the AP system. We have unintentionally set it up loosely using permaculture pinciples. Once everything is fully established (in the next year) it will be interesting to see how much we can live on ou 1/3 acre plot! In the meantime, I'll keep dreaming about that 20 acres I want and keep feeding my obsession i mean hobby!

[namhaquach]

A bit of an update:

Had a full AP lunch today, trout, carraots, beetroot leaves and lettuce! Organic olive oil and crushed pink rock salt. Damn it tasted good!

Also my wife made some preserved beetroot. I hate the shop bought ones, but the one my wife makes is to die for! Secret ingredient - tons of vinegar!

Tied to net the big rainbow but it was too damn fast. Will have to drop the water level down when it comes to culling time to make it easier. Happy to go pot luck for now though.

[Mantis]

Nice looking meal :)
Just read through some of your blog and your system looks great.
drinkanim

[trout]

read your blog

I'm so jealous of your sourdough bread.
first time I tried to make it, made the starter, all was good
but spent the next day cleaning the pantry when it all overflowed.

Kept trying but could never get a starter to be consistent.

Your system sounds great

cheers Lou

[namhaquach]

Thanks all! Sourdough bread is awesome! I made a handfull of starters, each with different techniques. Just can't beat this one:

click here http://www.io.com/~sjohn/sour.htm

I use whole wheat flour instead of white. When I halved the batch, ususally I collected and made another one to give away. All in all I made 6, kept one as my mother and gave 5 away to some work mates and friends. One of the jars overflowed at work despite me telling them to put it in the fridge - they did not listen, result, sourdough starter all over her desk!

[trout]

thanks for the link
looks like I'm making some sourdough.

cheers Lou