Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Unless the mistake is cutting corners, there are are just so many corners i cant seem to learn them all!

Not trusting my gut with unknown free gravel...

I have gravel downstairs that I thought was limestone, but who is to know? Before I built the beds, I used someone's advice to put it in water and then test it the next day to see if the pH is up compared to the base PH of the water. I did that for three samples - one with rock and water, one with water that has been sitting out over night, and one with "fresh" water from the tap. All of the readings turned out the same and high (between 8 and 8.5). So, I thought the problem with the pH is the water, not the rock, and after all it is free so why not.

Well, a month in and the pH is still high even though the cycling should have brought it down. I remembered high school chemistry and tried to test the rock with vinegar and turns out - yep it is limestone because it bubbles up. The water is high pH also - but since it is a bit basic to begin with it doesn't react significantly with the rock so the samples all turned out the same when I did the overnight test. (btw the water doesn't change pH overnight either because in this part of the world all the water is stored in tanks on the property - it is degassed by the time we get it from the tap)

Anyway, now I have got to change out one grow bed out of three connected beds - the other two are hydroton. It really bugs me since I just got stuff growing in that one. Right now, romaine lettuce is dying off but everything else is doing ok. I have tomatoes, rocket, eggplant, cauliflower, pretty flowers in hydroton and watermelon and zucchini in the limestone.

Is it worth changing it out now or should I wait?

If things are growing well, leave it. The problem with high PH is nutrient lock-out where your plants can not absorb enough of the nutrients they require.

Silicone sealant is my friend!

after i got my barrel system running i got the big idea to build a monster aquarium (fiberglass coated plywood) with a small looking glass (18"x14"). the sytem is 300 gallons with a 85 gallon grow bed on top. i thought it would take a month to build with a friend, 4 months later it was done with the friend nowhere in sight.
during this time i discovered that:
1) fiberglass is pretty stinky.
2) do not use treated wood for fiberglass applications
3) if the guy says you can do it with fiberglass or without, do it WITH
4) if you frame it like a house, it will be very heavy.
5) no one in the their right mind is going to want to buy one of these.
6) change into work clothes cuz you'll get resin/paint/something on your clothes.
7) if youre going to put in a plexiglass window, buy a bigger pane then 18"x14".

if youre going to dig a hole for a 160 gallon pre-formed pond, make it level. if youre going to dump water from your breeding tank into your empty pond, make sure there arent any baby fish in it. (2 weeks later i found a baby tilapia swimming around in the greenish water)