Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Not sure that I learned something, just happy that I managed to keep this lot alive
Nothing there to take pics of, virtually no growth. My guess is that the fish have togrow a lot bigger to have any impact.
Plants seem to be in survival mode only.
Well, the saying is that the whole thing takes 6 month to take off .
Since I started in Feb and had this unfortunate and misterious event to go through by the end of March I shall wait patiently until September-ish before I "flip" and go back to Hydroponics.
Until then I just soldier on
Good luck with your system!

Don't lose hope - things should be good after 6 months, and even better after 12!

Don't flip. Come xmas, you will have a good system running. Get seedlins going for spring eats now.

My system didn't kick in for a while.

I had never done any successful gardening, and its all been an experiment. Growth in first year disapointing, but I over planted for the amount of nutrients available.

Now, there is no way 12 brochilli plants, 6 tomato, 4 chilli, and god knows how many beans should grow normally in 1 sq m.

We ate a huge head of brochilli last night. Had fun picking of the caterpillers. Boys fed them tothe fish. Just disapointed they are now $2.50 at Coles noow, not $5 like when I planted. Wife asked why my plants have caterpillers all over them, but none in the shop bought ones, NO CHEMICALS!! I said. she nodded quietly. I think I have had a huge win there.

Thanks for the uplifting words, guys, I shall extend the time before the flip then for another 6 months.
Overall I have the sneaky suspicion that the idea to put everything in the greenhouse wasn't a good one.

I wouldn't mind caterpillars since the fish probably feast on them.
My tiny Sps get one worm cut up into pieces each day. These worms were the most expensive meat I ever bought but I had to do it because here we have sand and sand and sand and more sand and since I relocated the compost bin or better built one of these tumblers from a blue barrel all worms disappeared. Now they live happily in a primitive worm farm (foam boxes) and munch away like mad.
The tumbler got transformed into something like this http://www.gardentowerproject.com/50-plants-in-4-square-feet
When it has a little growth to show I take a picture.

Hows the system, Gran?

How is the system????
Thanks for asking but there isn't much going on.
No dead fish though, Silvers added about 1cm to their growth, not really visible to me but to people who don't see them every day.
Vegies out in the open and soil do very well, plants in AP in greenhouse not dying anymore but the growth is painfully slow despite adding supplements.
The whole investment was meant to bring joy, I probably have to wait another 2 months for that to happen.
One thing is for sure, I never killed as many fish and heaps of seedlings in such a short time.
Quite funny when tiny little plants grow smaller instead of growing normal.

As soon as I have to "show something" I will

Hooray for the fish!
For the record my plants are growing painfully slowly too, almost backwards... But it is winter I suppose.
All I've read is that the first year is slow and the second year is the eye opener so I'm not expecting too much however a bit more would be nice I agree.

I hear what you are saying, Skeggley, but I don't think we can blame the cold weather completely. I have set up three systems this year and two of them are producing very good plant growth but one continues to disappoint. Growth rates at the Puddle seem to be negative - seedlings shrinking - even though the fish are going from strength to strength. I previously attributed this poor growth to the season but have had to shut up in light of the performance of my big concrete system GBs and my son's blue drum system GB. It must be due to a deficiency of some sort, I reckon.

Yeah............WHAT DEFICIENCY............that's the million dollar question (sorry for shouting)
I've put in Seasol, in small but frequent doses, chilated iron, live worms, no more rain water and tap water only after a few days in the sun and not without reducing the ph level to 6.5, same as in the system. Actually the system is between 6.5 and 7. All other tests are fine too.
Water temp lies between 17.5 and 20.............it's warmer in the greenhouse in winter than outside.........nice and cosy but lots of fresh air and plenty of light, no trees around. FT has black shade cloth cover.
In one corner a tomato decided to grow in the little soil left and by the looks of it will fill up the greenhouse soon

It's seems to be THE ULTIMATE waiting game
I am not giving up but buying seedlings is out of the question. Firstly who knows what comes along with them and it isn't nice to see them shrivel up.

Yeah Gran, the defficiency at the moment in Perth is sunlight.

And don't believe that Skeggley has slow growth. He has a green thumb. And an ability to keep fish alive.

Keep going. Based on my experience with silver perch is that while they are small the plant growth is less. The good news is that they grow up.

I will keep going, that's for sure.
Not enough sunlight..............hm..............I doubt that since my other little vegie patch is thriving very, very well.
It is getting more morning sun than the green house but less sunlight in the afternoon, so the situation should be same on both sides of the block.
I guess I have to push the growth on the Silver Perch a little by being more generous with the worms. For them they do handstands.

'Handstands!' Exactly where did you get your SP from?

I had a look at Skeggley's system on Sunday. OK so his growth is slow as well. He still does have a green thumb.

With regards to sunlight. I have noticed slower growth in my soil and ap gardens over the last month and a half. Still it is now spring so we should see some increased growth in the near future. Stay strong.

JeffJL, it's all in the upbringing, it's so much of tender loving care that the family starts to get worried about the bond I have with the SP.

My sister recommends not looking them in the eyes.

Don't have time for 'eye' contact, they are too fast to stay still long enough and the tank is lowered into the ground which would make it very difficult for me since I am old, tall and mostly walk upright
Currently I am spending my time between renovating a bathroom (another very slow process) and painting mealy bugs on the tiny few plants in the AP that are not dead with alcohol. Seems to work.
Things I kill my time with...............