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For DVD's and Books about Aquaponics and Permaculture. HERE
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Newsletter 2010 # 3a
Aquaponics for Girls !
Judy from Brisbane wanted to see if it worked !
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My great grandfather was a Scotsman who earned his living from fishing in the North Sea. So even though I am a girl, a love of fish and fishing are in my genes.
More recently, I’ve also discovered a love of gardening. So when I first heard about Aquaponics a few years ago I was very interested indeed but it seemed like you needed to be a civil engineer/builder to do it. However, about September last year I did another search of the Internet and a wealth of information popped up; and in particular Murray’s website.
Everything I needed to know was at my fingertips and it was in language I could understand. Now I was very excited indeed and set about building my own little system – a “Let’s See it Work First” effort before deciding whether I could do it on a bigger more permanent scale.
Well, guess what – IT WORKED! I saw the fish and plants growing and I saw the nitrates rise and then fall as the plants got to work and sucked them out of the water. (Read up on the nitrogen cycle for more on nitrates.) |
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The “Let’s See It Work First” System
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Left:-
Looped auto-siphon at work – simple but effective
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If you have the cash available, go and get yourself a kit from Murray. If you don’t then start small (like I and many probably others did) with what is available.
Hardware, your local aquarium and nursery stores are good for just about everything you need to start off.
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My first effort comprised of a Bunnings 500 litre rain water tank with two big Goldfish and 8 native rainbows producing enough nitrates to power along a couple of tomato plants, one corn stalk and some lettuce and basil. The plants were in two 45 litre plastic pots from Bunnings. Each pot sat on top of 3 stacked milk crates which I picked up from the Petrie Trash and Treasure markets. This little system was powered by a 1000 litre per hour pond pump.
My first task was to make a simple looped auto-siphon for myself.
Auto-siphons are one of the wonders of the Aquaponics world which are used to completely flood and drain a growbed. This flood and drain effect ensures there are no dry nor constantly wet dead spots in your growbed which can occur in a constant trickle system. All the plant roots are evenly wet by the flood and then aerated when the bed is drained. It’s all about giving the plants constant access to water, nutrients (nitrates) and oxygen.
An auto-siphon does not require an electric motor like a pump. It works solely by the law of physics. As the water is pumped into the growbed the level of the water in the auto-siphon rises to equal the level of the water in the growbed.
Once the auto-siphon is filled with water the law of physics kicks-in and the auto-siphon begins to drain. When it starts draining it is like a runaway train down a mountain and it literally sucks the water out of the growbed at a much greater rate than the water is being pumped into it. The two types of auto-siphons used by Aquaponicists are the Looped and the Bell. The Looped is simple and easy to make yourself. The Bell has greater sucking power and it is possible to make your own but they are more complex than the simple Loop. I will give it a go one day but for the time being I am buying them from Murray. |
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Left:-
How it all hung together – fish in the shade and plants in the sun.
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With my two auto siphons working I was in business.
The end result was unwieldy, not pretty, but its charm was in the fact it worked!
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To make my looped auto-siphon I hand-screwed a hole in the side of the pot about 20mm from the bottom using a drill spade. (Word of warning – don’t drill the hole using your drill as the force will tear a big uneven hole in the flimsy plastic pot.) I then screwed a 20mm PVC screw-end pipe fitting into the hole. To this I attached black flexible hosing. I looped the black hosing, filled the pot with water and watched it drain completely to the bottom of the pot! I then sealed around the PVC fitting with silastic to make it watertight.
With my two auto siphons working I was in business. The end result was unwieldy, not pretty, but its charm was in the fact it worked!
Once my little system was chugging along I went down to South East Queensland Fish and purchased 20 little Jade Perch fingerlings from Matt. Matt was very helpful and approved my idea of only buying a small number of fish to start off with. The goldfish and their friends were evicted and the Jades took up residence. What a difference in table manners and food consumption! The Jades are voracious eaters in comparison to my goldies. After only four weeks the Jades had grown at an alarming rate and I could see it was time to expand…..
My next step was to create a CHOP (Constant Height One Pump) system. In this type of system the water in the fish tank remains at a constant level. Only the water level in the sump rises and falls and this system is powered by a single 240V 2,400 litre per hour pump with a battery powered backup pump in place for the next black-up when (not if) it happens.
Now, if you look after your fish they will look after the plants. But fish, water and sunlight do NOT mix. Direct sunlight will produce algae in your system. That may be fine during the day when the algae produces oxygen but very unhealthy in the dark when the algae removes oxygen from the water. Dark green water is toxic to your fish. Clear water promotes good fish health because it enables you to monitor your fish and spot any trouble early on. It is also necessary to have clear clean water so you can show off your fish to your friends! Keeping your tank totally shaded all the time solves the toxic algae problem.
Oxygen is one of the vital, vital keys to keeping healthy happy fish. That’s why the flood and drain recirculating system is so beneficial. The water returning to your tank from your growbed literally cascades into the tank or sump helping keep your fish water oxygenated. As your fingerlings grow their oxygen demands increase and more aeration is called for. An air pump is vital. Fish cannot have too much aeration. Unhappy stressed fish will get sick.
My present growbed looks like Mr Magoo’s buggy. Again, it all works. I’ll pretty it up later as funds allow. A second growbed has been ordered from Murray and has just arrived so I’ll need to get busy again with the next extension.
Another word of warning – all this is very addictive – but great fun. So girls, (and guys) get in, do your homework, and start your very own Aquaponics system.
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Inside the patio I have access to power points and a safe dry place to stand the battery, its charger and the relay switch.
The eaves and shadecloth shield the tanks from rain and sunshine.
The solar weave plastic shields the growbed from the rain but lets the sunshine it.
The plastic also helps the seedlings when they are small by taking the edge off the really hot days. The plastic on the sides also keeps my pesky curious chickens from sampling the greenery!
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| Aquaponics.NET.au last updated 1 Febuary 2010 |
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Get started ! And have fun..
