:S ive had the thought over the years you just made it fresh. i am currently using a bucket as a res for the water pump in my loop. so slight tweek with the excess water and i have a system in place. :S
So I've dug a few things out in the Garage...
Heres the pump that ( hopefully ) will be driving most of this system, and providing the necessary Mechanical filtration...
And the filter next to it, which will need replacing appx every 6 weeks, up until i get a custom one made with a slightly coarser weave...
And a Plastic Drum acquired from work, which will be the external casing for my Bio-Filter... 1/2 to 3/4 filled with Bio-Balls ( around 2kg OR appx 100 - 200 Balls, they only light plastic ) should be MORE than enough bio-filtration for a pond this size... However, as we get chain delivered to work in these, i have access to around 6 empties per month... leaving me plenty of opportunities to expand if neccessary...
So at this point, im looking at pumping out of the pond, through the Pump/Mech filter, in through the bottom of the Bio-Filter, out the top....and back into the pond ( possibly via a small waterfall ).
I'll then have a separate feed off the Pump, on a timer, to feed the Flood Tray/ Grow-Beds, then back into the tank...
I my also add another drum like the Bio-Filter between the pump and the pond, just to give any floating sediment a chance to settle and get trapped, before hitting the Mech Filter....
I also have a pretty decent supply of pre-seeded Bio-Media from my sons Goldfish tank, and my Tropical Aquarium as well... So shouldn't need to worry to much about the pond Cycling and potentially killing my little fertilizer factories lol
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Awesome! I love it. I almost set up a system a few years back but after researching the fish that can be used here canned the idea. I have recently been thinking about a system next to a stream that could serve as a nursery to native fish but haven't looked into the legality of that.
Where abouts are you in NZ? Would love to check your system out if that would be ok.
Yea... the edible fish side of things here is a bit crappy.... But the nursery fed off of and back into a stream, believe it or not is actually quite legal...
You only need a licence to sell Natives, it is illegal to sell them for ornamental ( as pets ) purposes, b ut as far as growing to feed yourself/ back to the wild then its perfectly legal so long as you capture the fish yourself...
Atleast that my understanding of the MAF regs as they sit at the moment...
I have thought about using my natural flowing spring in my backyard for aquaponics..But there is not enough fish in there I don't think..And the water is cold, maybe I will put a thermometer in there and see how cold it is..
So tomorrow the fun really begins... My list of jobs for the next few days...
- Place Bathtub/Pond in its intended Place.
- Fill Pond and test Pump/decide if Flow from Pump is sufficient.
- Begin work on Outer Casing for my DIY Bio-Filter.
- Source Media for said Bio-Filter.
I MAY be able to complete the Bio-Filter this weekend... However, that will depend on cost of materials... Especially as the Missus is getting a little twitchy about spending as we get closer to Christmas...
It probably wouldnt be all that suitable for the Plant growing side of things, as there would be no real buildup of nutrients...
However, if you could find a suitable fish species to inhabit it, it would probably be pretty good for raising and edible fish crop....
Whereabouts are you? there are plenty of edible fish out there that LOVE cold water =P
I doubt it..I figure they would just ride the spring down to the larger water ways that are around here..I mean there is one bass that sits in a deeper spot 3-4 feet..It has been there for three years now..
I live in the US on unincorporated land..
This looks like a cheap and easy system..You could also do it without the elbow joints if you cut a slit in the post and form it to your desired dimensions with a heat gun..Just beware that most/some plastics are toxic if they get to hot..
Just thought this was a nifty idea surprised it never came to me..
That does look pretty cool, i might have to add one at some point....
Project is in a little bit of limbo at the moment unfortunately ( or fortunately depending how you look at it )
While it is still going ahead, i have scaled down the grow-bed plans at this point, due to looking for land to build a house on... So while we would still be here for a period, it will very much be a temporary set-up, as average house build time is 8-12 months...
In the meantime, Bathtub is in position, and pruning the trees will be taken care of this weekend...
So with the grow-bed revisions, ill probably just end up running a few smaller Planters, rather than the large ( 1m x 1.8m ) flood tray design i was previously going for...
Current goals for this weekend : Prune the damn trees overhanging my chosen spot, and get the pump hooked up and running....
Progress is progress no mater if the plans change..You are still doing it which is bad ass..