Slowboats Pool to pond conversion

Slowboat

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well I finally did it, exit one swimming pool and enter one aquaponic system.
With the kids grown up and left home the pool was little used, so after much deliberation I took the plunge and have started the conversion.

This is the log so far.

20130330:- installed pump 9000lph, drained down pool. Put in reeds and lily.
20130413:- bought 32 poly and set up retic to 2 off IBC’s
20130414:- planted 2 IBC GB’s seedlings from bunnings, tomato, mixed letuce, brocolli, carrots, snap peas, basil, parsley, rocket, capsicum and silverbeet.
Put 30 fish into pond. Ph was about 8.4 added about 300ml HCL acid.
20130415:- changed pump to cycle 11 on 1 hrs off. ph 7.3, cut down the standpipes.
20130425:- added 700L gravel to upper pond feature
20130427:- put media in 10 hanging wall planters. Total media now 250 + 250 (ibc) + 700 (pond feature) + 50L (wall planters) = 1250 Litres.
Ran pool sand filter for 1.5hrs 2 fish got sucked into skimmer box . Put some radish seeds in to wall planters.
20130430 the water is looking a lot clearer now.

Slowboat

added a shade to keep the algae down.

Yavimaya

Are you sure you want to leave a cement pool empty?
Ive heard that if the water table gets / is too high it can crack it / rip it out.

Slowboat

the water table here is about 15 - 20m and the ground is sand, if it was a fibreglass pool it would collapse for sure.

Slowboat

the Radish seeds planted last weekend in the wall pots have started to germinate.

Where's a good place to get Bird netting?

Expecting some yabbies soon and I don't want the birds to eat 'em.

Slowboat

I see a major hardware place has "pro choice bird net" 4m x 10m for $16,

UV stabilised and woven.

I guess this is reasonable?

Slowboat

Is there a bird net that will let small birds like wag-tails through to catch bugs
but stop larger fish eating type birds?

Muz1970

Hi Slowboat, I wouldn't be able to help myself with that pool sitting there. I'd be using the whole pool and shooting some I beams across it and put decking / growbeds over it. Or maybe partition off part of the pool.

The only type netting I can think of large enough to let small birds in would be used for fishing nets. The square hook variety.

Good luck with your project.

Muzza

Slowboat

Thanks Muzza, thought about using the whole pool but I decided to start small.

the pond is about 8kl so I figure it would be a starting point.

My mates said I would miss the pool, but now I spend way more time in it.

jayendra

Coolest thing I've seen since tony hawk in the bowl

dandm

Great use of a pool! Better than running a pool filter to keep it clean just in case someone wants a swim!

Colours

That's fantastic! I was originally going to use the pool (the whole pool), had even convinced the kids that swimming with fish would be fun. But then I thought about covering it with a tarp and I decided I didn't want to look at a tarp from my kitchen window. One day though...

Charlie

I like how you are tackling this slow boat. Getting the feel for things and taking it easy with room to move down the track. Hats off to you.

Slowboat

thanks guys, the pond is clearing nicely can see the pond bottom, today I got a backup pump (Aqua pro AP6000DW on special for $150)

Slowboat

22 yabbies Arrived on Sunday, I was a bit worried about rising ph so i added about 50ml of HCL went from 8.2 to 7.4 plants are still looking sad, but the ammonia has spiked to 4ppm, nitrite is 0.75 and nitrate is now 5. Does anybody have a spread sheet set up to graph the test levels?

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