Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Thanks davetpilot I have another app called resize it, works fine.

The 5mm pellets I'm feeding mine ATM are a lot less dense than water- a 500ml scoop of pellets only weighs 250g.

Hi Gordon my scoop is 2 1/2 cups and I fill it past the calibrated line. I weighed the pellets and its approx 400g/ scoop. Having said that they ate next to nothing yesterday and not much at all today. I'm off camping for a couple of days so hope they are ok. No real unseasonal weather to speak of. I wonder what they're problem is. If I wasn't busy packing for the family I'd be responsible and so done water quality testing.

Things I learnt today. I'm loving spending time observing my plants rather than weeding, watering etc. Today I lifted over a kale leaf to find cabbage white butterfly wasps emerging from their cocoon (see fuzzy pic). There were so many of them the leaves were clouded with black glossy bodies. I also found a cute green frog on a kale plant with many holes. No caterpillars tho so I'm guessing mr frog got a free lunch. Glad my frogs are eating organic too .

Trout still not eating barely at all. I topped up some water today so I'm hoping tomorrow they will be happier.

Basil still not germinating. Will buy another pack of seeds tomorrow. Beans and year round cauli starting.

Another thing I learnt was that if you plant dill and coriander together they cross pollinate and ruin each other (presumably if you keep the resultant seed).

My fridge is a hell of a lot cleaner. I am buying a lot less processed foods and I've no need to store the amount of veg that I did before, I pick what I need 5 min before I start cooking.
Will be investing in a smoke house very shortly and hope to do a mass cull, clean and smoke. Will spare some for my favourite trout dish: vodka soused trout. Must plant more dill for the occasion.

Going to be a good Xmas ...

How is the pH going? Mine ate over 300g of 7mm pellets today, with my water at pH6.75 this evening.

Hope things go well through the night Carolin... and the smokes not too bad...

I understand there's no immediate danger in your area... the head of the Lithgow fire is 1km northwest of Mt Irvine.....but residents around Bilpin have been called to a meeting tonite...

Hopefully the wind change will take it more Northerly... there's quite a few hundred trout in dams around Bilpin way...

And a few systems around Springwood... that very likely have melted this arvo... (not looking good around that area)...

pH back to 6.5, they had a little food today after the top up, not a massive amount but better than before. The closest fire 6km from us is now contained but we can see the flames of the one at mountain lagoon. I'm a bit worries because apparently mt tomah botanical gardens is under threat. Its my favourite place to be. Hope everyone is fairing ok. The peeps at winmalee are having a shocker.

They did a big hazard burn around Mt Tootie when I was up that way a few months back...

So hopefully that will act as a break if the front doesn't turn with the wind

Hope so apparently winds are changing again later tonight.

Yeah, winds should be easing.. and supposed to be cold up there tonite... possibly even a frost...

Stay safe....

Looks like generally westerlies there now, and it will probably turn to the SW as the night goes on around the BMs, by the look of the wind maps.

I hope you're ok there, and containment lines can be established.

All that smoke ash will be quite alkaline.

I was sitting at a coffee shop in Byron a few days ago and was reading the local rag, front page about the disasters down your way, bloody terrible stuff. What had me dazzled was the report was stating things like "unbelievable heat waves of 36 degrees" etc etc... man thats a cool day in kalgoorlie. Strange how hot weather effects different parts of australia or the world for that matter.

Hope everything is ok over your way and anyone else in the danger zones.

Predicted worst bush fire season in decades Charlie... especially the South Coast, Sydney, and Central Coast...

Wet spring/summer... lots of under-growth... tinder dry.. no rain since May...

Hey!

There's scope here for a climate change discussion