Update December 2011

(ok lets get to the photos)

Warmth and summer growth going ok with fish powered water.. These tomatoes were grown from seed and only ever been fed goldfish waste water...

Goldfish doing ok as well. This guy was trying to beach himself onto a floating mint leaf to get lunch.. he tried hard!

Plant bio filter really absorbing lots of nitrite from fish right now..

Cucumbers growing at rapid rate right now

Cucumber leaves feel like velvet and about size of a sandwich plate..

idealy the grow bed should be twice this deep.. (next year)

The plant growers..happy goldfish

My pond filter consists of chives, cucumbers, strawberries, parsley, coriander, tomatoes, and MINT! - we have fresh parsley and mint and chives added to salads every day with this setup at moment and it keeps the pond clean too!

Awesome.

This will be my next year project.

Would you be able to explain how the siphon/draining works on the grow bed?

Going to try make a similar set up myself soon

Would you be able to explain how the siphon/draining works on the grow bed?

Going to try make a similar set up myself soon

Pretty sure it's just an overflow

YES. It pumps into the grow bed from the filter/pump past the wee/clay pot man (who is aerating the pond) to the growbed using standard 13mm irrigation tubing and a flow valve to control output. (less output to plants makes clay pot man wee further) it flows thru the grow bed and exits via the same sized irrigation tubing that is curved over and so creates it's own siphon when water level gets to top of tube. Really simple, not rocket science. A little bit of fiddling to get intake flow just enough to start siphon at other end, but slow enough to not stop siphon easily draining grow bed.. Draining the grow bed gives oxygen to roots and stops them rotting apparently.

I know this thread is a bit old :oops: but I was searching for info on this aquaponics thing.

Does anyone know what fish are being used by that commercial place? Do they need a permit?

I know everyone said you can't keep trout, I wondered if perch would be ok?

Seems a shame to go to all the effort if you can't eat the fish in the end, and I understand perch are the best eating of the 'course' fish.

unfortunately perch are on the naughty list as well, and yes they are tasty (taste like gurnard)

If you used a heater you could do convicts, they would grow fast, produce heaps of waste for the plants and they should taste ok

I know synspillums taste good (dont ask, it included a bbq and beer)

How clear is the legislation on this regarding the growing of trout for personal consumption? The brief scan I've done of the legislation bans commerce in trout, and trout parts ie. where you possess trout/trout parts for the purchase of selling. Does it anywhere specifically prohibit the home aquaculture of trout for personal consumption? I guess you'd have to catch the trout somewhere and spawn them yourself.

http://www.parliament.nz/NR/rdonlyres/5 ... tasaNo.pdf

In a previous life I found about a dozen baby trout in a cul de sac of the Waimakariri river and trapped them in a plastic bag I had stored my lunch in. Took them home and threw them in a pond. They survived for a couple of years and only grew from about 25mm to 50mm in that time. I hadto get rid of them back to the river when the Maf boys and girls were coming around re inspections over importing goldfish. They need cold highly oxygenated water to do well and don't do well in a pond. We also released some trout into the oxygenation ponds at the local sewage works (were trapped when workers were doing maintenance on the water race system). They were supposed to grow like mad because it was full of daphnia for most of the year but lasted a couple of years and were never seen again. Forget trout and salmon in a pond. The ponds at Issacs which are full of salmon have copius quantities of Waimakariri water running through them at a rate of knotts. Waimakariri means cold water and will therefore hold a lot of oxygen.

Hi maxim_nz

I'm currently researching a magazine article about backyard Aquaponics, and am most impressed with your efforts here- in fact your set up informed the basis of my own prototype set up which is now growing a very healthy patch of lettuce and bok choy- thanks to 10 bronze comets. I’d really like to talk to you more about this. I hope I’m not violating any forum protocols here... I’m not selling anything, promise ! Also, I would make a point of referencing this forum, which would no doubt bring some more traffic this way.

Thanks

re trout, i've got an article from a fish and game mag about the differing opinions on the zealandia trout poisoning , and where it could be acceptable and possible to remove trout for the overall benefit to the sport. It mentions a few examples of small streams where only tiny trout grow, under 15cm, and how it may be better to block trout out of them and leave them to the natives so the resulting whitebait can feed the proper size trout in the rivers. So i'm guessing if they're stunted in a clean flowing stream they wouldn't do to well in a pond.

what sort of nitrate readings do you get in there?

could one keep Axolotl in the tank instead of gold fish ? after all the Mayas did eat Axolotl...

...and they can really make a big mess (no I would never eat mine, just a thought, well, would I...)

I don't get that with the Koi, aparently we have Koi in NZ, there are signs around some lakes telling people not to release Koi into lakes. or are they all gone ? what about japanese people ? are they alowed to keep them as pets ?

Koi are illegal in NZ but this was not always the case, hence they can be found in the wild due to accidental and deliberate release. You are not allowed to keep koi.

trouts and ponds or aquarium. in Switzerland they breed rainbow trouts in ponds which they release in rivers and lakes with a size of 22cm so they can immediately be caught by the fisherman. a lot of restaurants have an aquarium somewhere with live trouts were the guests can choose their 'fish pellets tasting' lunch or dinner. as long as there is enough oxigen in the water aparently they will survive. and the water quality in an aquaponic pond is probably way better than in many over fertilized (by cow manure) rivers and lakes.

Koi are illegal in NZ but this was not always the case, hence they can be found in the wild due to accidental and deliberate release. You are not allowed to keep koi.

Koi have been found as far south as Nelson in a pond administered by the city council. Although considered a noxious species, they are alive and thriving in the National Aquarium in Napier though I am told they're not wonderful specimens in terms of colouration.

An interesting variation called windowfarms .. see www.windowfarms.org

http://www.atroxen.com/gallery2/index.p ... schau-farm

Any aquarist would likely have all the gear apart from the hydoton or sponge.

Instructions http://www.windowfarms.org/howto/3plant ... _27_10.pdf

And just substitute an aquarium for the bottom reservoir. No need for chemicals then.

Thats actually a pretty cool idea, might give it a go

There was somewhat of a stink when the koi were discovered in that Nelson pond. It was then drained and the koi killed.

I think the Koi were first poisoned and then the pond was drained.

I've never heard of air needles so no idea of where to get those from. But Jeremy ( the Japanese guy ) looks as though he just threads the airline hose up the bottom of the aluminium tube.

Looks like there is an aquaponics tag

http://our.windowfarms.org/tag/aquaponics/

Some crazy/mad scientist construction going on here

Freaking awesome but alas the wife says no... :facepalm:

i know this is an old thread. But i love this idea. Congrats

I found about a dozen baby trout in a pond that had become landlocked beside the Waimakariri river many moons ago and took them home to grow up in a pond. After 2 years they had hardly grown at all so they went back to the Waimakariri. They need cold water and high oxygen so they will do well in a pond beside the river which virtually has the river running through it but don't do well in a sealed pond. We also released some trout in to a local oxidation pond which was frequently full of daphnia. After 2 years they were not around either.

Here's an updated photo