Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Well, 7 days to go and Im off to Evans Head NSW for a couple of months holiday, soooooo excited!!

Got my brother looking after the systems so hope he doesnt let me down. Im going to miss so much, all my Bok Chow is nearly ready, the broccoli is coming on and so are all the peas and couliflour. All my hard work and Ill miss most of the winter harvest....bugger.

Systems are running great, trout are lookin mighty plump and will be about ready when I get home. Can almost watch the plants grow they are really doing well.

Ill be waiting by the phone while Im away hoping not to get that dreaded phone call.... HSM!!!

7 days. I'd be telling the brother to just look at it and do nothing.

"Ring me if the water falls out, or catches fire, but don't touch it!"

If, as a kid, your brother ever read a book illustrated mostly in red, describing just how much fun it is to over-feed the fish in the bath tub....

No I leave in 7 days Bull, for 2 months. Might be a little long to not do anything I would imagine. The trout would eat each other. As for the rest of your post....Im confused as usual.....

You might just get in on the bream run Charlie... caught my best ever Bream at Evans Head... just a couple of ounces shy of the Australian record...

Yea thats the plan Rupe! We go there this time every year, havnt caught anything yet worth bragging about but you have set the bar for me now hehe.

Couple of months holidays? Luxury....... Enjoy it, and don't worry too much about your system.

Haven't been there for years Charlie, so don't know if it's changed with floods etc...

But Northern breakwall...inside.... near the upriver end of the stoney outcrop... set a larger hook, with a chunky bottle quid... and go wide.... let it drift...

In the mean time... a smaller hook and bait in a bit closer.... should see you hooking 1-2kg Bream consistantly....

If it's quiet... try the northern side of the breakwall about halfway up.... no where near as consistant though...

Oh... and a bit of swell running definitely helps...

P.S... don't tell anyone else.... ....

Yea gotta get something out of living here in remote goldfields EB. Couple of months off to clear the mind and get back to reality. And yea Ill try not stress on the AP, just a shame to miss so much, systems are crazy at the moment so should see some big changes by the time I get back. The tomatoes are towering over the rest of the GB and starting to smother the sunlight. Fantastic to look at.

Thanks Rupe! Whats a chunky bottle quip? A float of some kind?
and dont worry Ill keep it quiet....

Sorry... "bottle squid".... :

It's actually a "packaged" bait Charlie.... I prefer pippies, but often can't be bothered spending the time on the northern beach to get them....

Ha ha, got ya now.

I did find last year that the pippies off the north beach were very far and few between. Between 5 of us and 2 hours work we left with maybe 15-20. Has really dropped off from the earlier days, such a shame. Wasnt worth the aching calve muscles thats for sure...

Good fishing Charlie... and hope the weather is good for you....

Post some pics of your success....

==> from arbe's system hijack RE: cloudy water

If it's just to solve a problem you caused as a one off, say by cleaning the bottom of the FT and disturbing some algae or something, you could either not worry about it, or put a sock over your outlet. I did the sock thing when I first started my system and freaked out thinking I didnt wash the gravel enough. A sock actually pulled a lot of stuff out, but you had to wash it out every half hour.

If it's an ongoing thing the problems going to keep returning unless you eat some fish or cut down on feeding.

Are you running your pump as much as it can be run?

What are your water tests showing?

Water tests are at zero, Im assuming its because the trout are getting quite large now and feeding them a fair bit. The water is quite dark in colour and when I shine a torch through it at night there is a lot of suspended gunk, small and large.

The pump isnt running as much as I would like to the grow bed as I have to back the flow off (by means of overflow to FT) so the syphon can break when dumping. Last night I took the syphon out to run CF and increased the flow to GB to see if it helps.

I thought maybe a swirl filter or something could assist.

And your prob right, I will have to start eating soon.

Why not just add another grow bed??

I knew someone would say that, trust you Rupe! But yes you are right, I will put another in when I get back from holiday but thats a couple months away so looking for a temporary fix. Or do I not need worry?