Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

What do you do with your mustard? We use it in soups and sparingly in a salad. Got any other recipes?

We use it in stir fries, as steamed greens etc, especially the big leaves that tend to be a bit strong for a salad. The cooking process takes away the strength of the 'heat', as with radish etc.
Yum!

I use the young leaves in ham sandwiches, hopefully I will also be able to save the seed for pickles, but I have to say, by the time it takes to collect, it is hardly worth it when you see the price for 500g at the asian grocery stores.
I wondered why the trout didn't jump and the water had gone a little murky, I just put it down to getting excited with the feeding, or others helping out. I checked the flow in to the beds and decided, after a nudge from Joel that I had to take the pump out and check and clean it, apparently that was the case, much increased flow now. Here is what I found, double checked that everything is turned back on, as you do
Probably belongs in the confessions thread It only took 10 minutes to sort out in total, note to self, don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today, 80 growing trout are depending on moi!

Yeah, the downside of having systems outside - I think it's better, but it does come with a maintenance overhead.

I just checked my indoor ones co they were makin funny noises, full of (among other things) hair which was wrapped round the spindle. ..... Weird

It's those little signs that we learn to look out for isn't it? The change in fish behaviour, the change in water quality, the little noises or lack thereoff and then there is that dream or that incling that pops in to your head for no apparent reason.

Looking at the pics of your pump filter made me go and clean out my own filter. Thanks. Water seems to be running a bit faster now.

Yes, a timely reminder for us all Mr Bill. :-)

Sent from my GT-I9100T using Tapatalk 2

Might be from Mrs FB.

Mrs Chilli drops enough hair to make a small cat (fortunately not near the AP)

Hi Faye,

Do you salt your system at all for the fish? And have you had to add any additional nutrients to your system (such as iron, calcium, magnesium) ?

Im getting a 3000L tank the same as yours next week for my system, very exciting.
4 x IBC vertically cut growbeds for me at this stage.. Thinking i can probably run 50 fish safely.

http://aquaponics.radiogeeks.net/

Ive since updated my system somewhat since the video on my website - The feed manifold is no longer hanging above the grow beds, but its out of sight with vertical upstands feeding into the grow beds. The pvc hoop frame was ugly so i ripped that off, new greenhouse coming mid october..

Hi Vk,
I have added salt on occasions but cannot remember when I last added any, haven't had any issues with the rainbow trout currently swimming in the tank and the barramundi last season were trouble free, though we did salt the transport water when I picked up the barramundi.
I rarely if ever add anything additional to the system other than seasol which I have put in only twice since the trout have been growing and that would have been when I transplanted a heap of seedlings. I believe that if you use a good quality feed you don't necessarily need to add anything else.
I don't think I have ever used chelated iron in my system, and on occasion I have sprayed with Ecorose/Eco fungicide which is potassium bicarbonate for powdery mildew.
I recently also buried some shell grit in the beds as I planted new seedlings. The shell grit breaks down and keeps the pH from dropping too low as well as to supply calcium to my tomato plants.
Goodluck with the new system ( how exciting) look forward to seeing what you do, don't forget to share.

Thanks for the info Faye,

I wasnt sure about salting, because from what i hear strawberries hate salt...
All i'm using currently is seasol and a splash of charlie carp to get the ammonia up (im mid way through cycling).

There are some pics and videos of my system in my signature, however its changed a bit since then.. The new greenhouse will class it all up a lot.. and i ditched the spray bar in the tank and since made a venturi

Got home fom work today and grabbed the camera for a bit of a flora and fauna nature walk around the garden and bush, starting at the Ap system. This was the pic of a pea plant which is in full bloom. There are loads of snow peas and each morning and afternoon I feast as I feed the fish. I love my camera!

Nice shot Faye..

Thanks Rupe
Well it is late here and very dark outside, but I went to pick some celery with a torch, as you do. I shone the torch down to the base of the plant and saw a kind of tail disappear, so I went further and discovered that where the water is flooding a bit high there are dozens of worms and they are light sensitive and dive deep in to the bed when I shone the torch. I was actually surprised at how prolific they are.