Phalaborwa Aquaponics

[dufflight]

I've used those plastic welders before. Is the weld going to be strong enough. Is the GB to be free standing or inside a frame.

[Oldandfound1]

Hi Biggles1212,
Gosh, when you are done over there and have a month free come on over I could use a hand.
What great lessons you are teaching. Most memorable times of childhood are spent with dad in the shop.
I put an 8' x 15' table in my last double garage. Used up most of the middle. Table saw on one end, band saw on the other, under pinner on one side, gobs of shelves underneath.
Thanks for all the cool pictures.
Dennis
Oldandfound1

[Biggles1212]

Big Al,

Thanks. I'm very blessed with them and often get compliments on how well behaved and good mannered they are. They make being a Dad the best thing ever. The Welder is a Leister Triac S and is Swiss made. It's paid for itself a few times over already. At work I fixed some car headlights and the total value of new lights would have bought the same welder. At home all the grow beds and tanks would have cost me far more. I still want to custom a swirl filter for myself.

I marvel when I keep reading people saying they get their barrels for free. The best price I can get on a barrel here is the equivalent of US$ 60-00. The poorer communities have a real demand for them for water storage so they have a high value here in South Africa. South African in my province are generally very poor at service and exceptionally greedy too, so buying what I need is out of the question. My final cost to build the tank with all costs included is a fraction of an outright purchase of a tank. But it's not the price I'm after, it's the ability to create a custom tank of any size and shape.

Design is always a compromise. When you start with recycled barrels, that's a compromise. When you buy a ready made system, that too is a compromise and every compromise brings with it a limitation. My compromise was the capital to buy the equipment and the time lost because I didn't have any more spare cash to build.

Dufflight,

The sheets are 4mm HDPE with 3 runs of weld on the current design. The grow beds are fitted into frames and supported, but from handling them I've found them more than capable of free standing. I weld both sides of the join as well. My friend and I have through some unplanned test procedures aka "dropping and falling" have tested the tanks and grow beds somewhat.

Oldandfound1,

A garage is an awesome place to be. The whole family with wife included are regularly in the garage. I do need to tidy it up again though. My third little boy is really into tools. He leaves no box unopened and packs everything out. He's also taken to collecting tools for himself too and takes them inside the house. So far we have a set of keys for one of the cars missing and he's building up a Ratchet and socket set for himself by hiding the parts in the book shelf to fetch later. He's 1 1/2 years but totally undeterred by that, he has started to test mom's powered kitchen appliances. And if we can't open the child proof cap, I'm sure he'll help.

Most of all the garage is a cool place to hang out and give birth to ideas. My friend popped over to get some fish for his new tanks which I posted above and came back at 6pm to help me build my grow beds. Aquaponics is so addictive that people just want to get involved.

My fish are getting quite big and if I dangle my fingers in the water they try to "bite" them. It's quite something to have a Tilapia latching onto your finger up to the first segment. Seems to be a test of manhood to see how long you can keep you hand in the tank.

I want to make a sign for my green house. "Powered By Fish Poo".

[Big Al]

hi Biggles1212, you are so right on the addiction. i have people stop by all the time just to check things out my neighbors even send over people over to see whats going on. it's wonderful conversation there is nothing better than saying i built it myself. best of luck Big Al

[Biggles1212]

Well, I got very busy with the grow beds and have finished three so far. Now its just to plumb them into the system.

After I caught some fish for my friend for his aquaponic system, my fish became very shy. However Tilapia speak a universal language. Food. At first I fed them lettuce by sticking nearly my whole arm into the water. They started nibbling on my fingers too and tamed up.

Then I remembered that the last time my Dad was in Singapore they went to a place where the fish nibbled on their feet in some sort of therapeutic place. I thought I'd give it a go. Well I popped my feet in the water and at first one or two came to inspect but soon I had a crowd of 20 or more Tilapia happily munching away on my feet. The big Tilapia do tug quite hard on your toes while the medium ones seem to rasp your feet. It feels like a cats rough tongue when they do that. The little ones are the hardest to deal with. The tiny pricks all over your feet are really ticklish.

When the tank got into the swing of things, everyone outside the tank wanted feet in and all the Tilapia were jockeying for foot space. It's quite something to look down and see you feet covered in fish up to the water line.

My mom couldn't wait and instantly ordered Dad to bring her over and also spent a good hour with her feet in the tank. Needless to say if you thought sitting next to your tank was relaxing in the afternoons, fill the tank with feet hungry Tilapians. It's lots of fun.

PS If you have really big Tilapia, they try to make a hit and run with your toes so be prepared. I had one that found a leg hair and neither for life nor death was it going to let go. That was the only really sore nibble.

My wife and third son are too scared to try the tank. So don't be surprised if not everyone wants to join you on your new adventure. So if you can't get Lemna to grow. Place your size 10's in the water.

[Biggles1212]

I was keen to get a duck weed pond going and drove to the next town checking every pond on the way. I found one, which was chock a block full of duckweed, and unfortunately a lot of snails. I was a bit afraid of bilharzia and after doing some reading on the net, I chucked it all away. It seems the snails lay eggs that carry the bilharzia worm and if you swim or drink the water, you can get it. It is possible to receive treatment, but I'm not gong to expose my family to that.

Does anyone know where I can get safe bilharzia and snail free duckweed in South Africa? I would most appreciate it and my Tilapia too.

[Oldandfound1]

Hi Biggles,
My Google up of bilharzia suggest it is the disease causing worm present especially the tropics. A billion people threatened by it. Do not think I would want it in my salad either. You may want to import some Duckweed from outside the tropics.
Dennis
Oldandfound1

[Biggles1212]

It was time to check the tank bottom. My boys have been busy and one of them likes to drop irrigation pipes into the fish tank. I put on my goggles and slipped in. Well the fish are pretty used to me now and so I did get a nibble or two while floating around in my tank.

I found the pipes on the bottom of the tanks and stirred the bottom up a bit so the settled material could be pumped away. When the water got murky it was pretty hard to see and scouring the bottom for pipes and fittings became difficult. Trying to stay 2m under water for any length of time becomes a challenge between your breadth and bouyancy.

In the meantime we cut out one of the Nasturtium plants only to see it raise itself from the ashes yet again. The cherry tomato plant took the opportunity to go nuts as well. Fortunately the new grow bed is in place and we can expect better results with the greenhouse being raised soon too.

Will post some pics soon.

[Biggles1212]

Update on the duckweed, I fetched some from a river not to far away and lifted out a 500ml bottle half filled with some duck weed. This was then transplanted to a new bottle taking care not to carry across any snails that were in the first bottle. After about 10 days there hasn't been any appearance of new snails. The new bottle it is quarantined in is full of fish water so the duckweed is already multiplying.

In my old penny wort tank, I've been filling it up with water used to clean out my dirty filters. I also had to double the shade cloth covering as 40% isn't worth a stitch where we stay. The last three days have had max temperatures over 40 degree C (104F). I've noticed with the added covering and the supply of nutrients that the Penny Wort grows really well and the fish are quite fond of it. I usually scoop 4 or 5 handfuls every day and put it in the main fish tank for the fish to snack on. I also use worm tea to put nutrients into the system and the Penny Wort is growing well.

The Guppies in the Penny Wort tank are really big and fat. I'm not sure if they're pregnant or over eating. I put them in the tank to avoid mosquito problems. Which is good practice if you live in a Malaria Belt.

[davidstcldfl]

Sounds like a great update Biggles....