What will I do with my Balcony Kit if I later upgrade to the Homestead kit?
The Balcony kit will never go to waste even if you later upgrade to the Homestead kit.
Keep the smaller balcony kit going as a nursery for smaller fish or a place to keep some special fish of some sort. It would also be a very handy herb garden.

The Balcony kit is a very good investment, and for some it will be all they will ever need, for example a couple living in a unit or flat would derive a good return on their investment and have a load of enjoyment along the way. For a family I would view it as a very sensible beginning into the world of Aquaponics.

How many fish can I raise in a Balcony kit?
The fastest growing and easy fish to raise would be Jade Perch. They are very satisfying, fast growing and good to eat. As a matter of interest, Jade Parch are the highest known source of the now famous Omega 3 fatty acid.
Thirty to fifty fish can be safely raised in the Balcony Kit.

How many vegetables can be grown in a Balcony kit?
As for the veggies there can never be too many of those.
The two balcony kits that we have on display/test here have planted in bed 1. = Silver beet x 3 plants which supplies Gail and I a nice meal once a week and some to give away. Then in the same bed there are 4 different herbs, Sage, Japanese Mint, Basil, and the last one I don’t know what it is.....sorry. There is also 3 x sugarloaf cabbages and a lone lettuce.

Bed # 2 Has 4 x Broccoli , 3 x Cos lettuce, 4 x other fancy salad lettuce, and another 6 silver beet, smaller ones than in the other bed

The trick is to keep the veggies rotating, that is have staggered plantings so that you will always have something coming on to harvest.

In a third bed I would have one tomato bush, one climbing bean, a cucumber and some more lettuce, but that is up to the individual.

How many plants can I fit in a Balcony kit ?
This is really an extension of a question that was asked earlier.
Depends on the plant type. Broccoli , you would only plant 4 plants in one of those grow beds, they grow so well and so big. Last winter I planted too many Broccoli in one bed and they all grew well, but too many at the same time came to maturity. It is better to stage the plantings

Lettuce up to 10 in a bed, Tomato bush, only one, but expect to harvest 20 or 30 kg of tomatoes over a 6 month period. We pick more than 1.5 kg per week off one bush which is so big now that it is going to be cut back as soon as this current flush of fruit is finished.

Zucchini. I no longer plant Zucchini, they just take up too much room.

Cucumber , you only need one bush at a time of Lebanese cucumber and that can grow up a trellis at one end of a grow bed with lettuce etc filling the rest of the bed.

Climbing beans. Only one bush at a time and that can climb up a trellis at one end while the rest of the bed is used for some low plants.

Sun access. Should I have the Balcony kit under some sort of cover ?
Full sun in winter on the plants and during the hot of summer some clear plastic will take the edge of the most severe days. You get some 40 deg days over there in Perth I have noticed.

The fish water should not have direct sunlight getting on it. That is taken care of by the very handsome Kiddie Cover door in natural timber provided in the kit.

The east or north wall would do fine . The east wall would be the best in the summer. I have a kit on a west wall, great now the winter is here, but a bit hot in summer. But it goes well anyway.

Water proof cover.
It is not strictly necessary, but is the best way to do it. If there was a lot of rain then the system would ultimately flood. In a worst case the fish tank may overflow and fish escape. In Qld it is the law that fish tanks be covered to prevent ingress of rain. So it is best to have the system under a clear plastic roof of some sort.

Fish food consumption.
Most people over feed their fish. I have 300 Silver Perch in a 2300 ltr tank and I give them a cap full off a can of Mortein once a day. I find it is better to use floating pellets once the fish are established. Using floating pellets....give them an amount and watch them feed. What they have not taken in about 10 minutes is too much. Gradually you will learn just the right amount. The NT Barramundi Council puts the figure at 1.2 to 2 kg of food will grow a fish to 1 kg over a 12 month period, so the conversion rate is really good.

What capacity is the pump in the Balcony Kit ?
The supplied pump will run the 3 grow beds that a full Balcony kit has. Any more beds would need a bigger pump or alter the outlet size of the auto siphons.

Which fish species is best ?
Depends where you are in Australia.
I know that some people in WA like to raise trout in winter and Barra in summer. Usually there is an overlap which would require you to have more than one tank, so in your one tank system you would be better to raise Silver Perch.

In the eastern States Silver perch are a good choice. They are hardy and readily available. Everything being well managed Silver Perch will reach 800 gms in 12 months. A 800 gm fish is said to be “Plate Size” Trout grow faster, but Silvers are easy to manage.
In the south eastern States, Murray Cod are also a good choice.
From Brisbane north Jade perch are hard to beat.

How reliable is Aquaponics ?
Aquaponics really works. But like all gardening and animal husbandry, it requires some sensible management. Hundreds of ordinary folk are having fantastic success with Aquaponics, especially when using a system kit. It is all about the fish actually....if you make sure the fish are happy and looked after then the rest is easy. When initialising the system, for the first 6 weeks , until the good bacteria has established in the grow beds, close management is required, after that it just rocks along.

Is there a good book or manual I can get ?
The Urban Aquaponics Manual is the best and most concice book around at the moment. The Urban Aquaounics Manual by Gary Donaldson is now provided as part of every Practical Aquaponics kit

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