Background

This is a guide to a hit and miss, handy-man, swimming pool conversion to acquaponics set up. I thought I'd write this up so others thinking of doing the same thing could see what might work and what might not.

This project began around the middle of the 2010 calender year after my neighbour handed me one of 48 Barramundi he had harvested from his standardised acquaponics set up next door.

Not long after the government announced severe water restrictions, after a winter of virtually no rain, and keen vegetable growers like myself faced the prospect of having to pull up our gardens over the summer.

An aquaponics system seemed like a way to solve a number of issues - including what to do with your swimming pool when the kids have left home and it gets little use. How to water your vegetables in the face of severe water restrictions, and how to afford fish when the cost keeps skyrocketing.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Grow media

This seems to be a constant source of discussion on aquaponics blogs and there are lots of arguments to favour different types of mediums. After a while I settled on local pea gravel (10cm diameter), more than anything it was price. The whole system was starting to eat into the hip pocket - especially after purchasing the grow beds. MY neighbour and consultant also used the pea gravel in one of his grow beds with good results. I'd also got a handful and tested the PH to ensure it didn't contain anything that might negatively effect the water quality.

I got a tip on washing the gravel off a local forum and bought an old fly-wire door which we shoveled the gravel onto in small lots before hosing it down. The washed gravel was then emptied into a wheel barrow and carted off to the grow beds. Four of us washed and moved 4cm of pea gravel one hot Saturday morning in late November.

1st grow bed full and in place


Grow beds 2 & 3

Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)