Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Top Teem Tilapia. Nile Tilapia is the dark one. They are suppose to grow faster, but I don't have any, yet. All Tilapia I have ever eaten tasted good. Johnra

Just got through testing the pond water after running the water through the gravel for a few hours each day this week. I think my last test was around January this year. My wife wants to know how soon can we plant - she's ready.LOL

Am 0 ppm
PH 7.6
Nitrite 0 ppm
Nitrate 10

Hmm..
Good result

Three more beds to fill and I will have gravel in all beds. Waiting for delivery of gravel now so it will be next weekend before all beds are filled and then I will take photos again. 31 July I hooked up all plumbing so now water flows through all beds. Same day I searched old dirt garden and found some onions, chard, and mint and stuck a few plants in GB. I purchased two long green eggplant, two sweet basil plants, and two basil plants and planted them also on 31 July. I also scatted some old seeds to see what they would do. So far lettuce is up, marigolds is up, and maybe tomato's are up. I also ripped out some mint and stuck it in a bed. So far all looks good. This is my first experience so I am happy.

Water has become clear. I can see the bottom 90 cm's down including 3" and 4" scrap pipe I threw in for fish houses. I could only see into the water about 15 cm last week. That gravel sure clears up the water. I am dipping out very small babies and placing them in nursery pond. Looks like hundreds of them. I hope they are all fish. I now have talipia, nile but I never stocked them. I only stocked talipia, top teem(pink colored ones). Either birds have brought in eggs or I got some mixed up in the fingerlingings.

I used an old cane pole and fished out a dozen last week - sure fry up nice and taste delicious. I think I am going to like AQPHONICS.

No photos no proof

Oh wow, we have photo police on this forum.

Yes there are a lot of us. Have you meet Charlie yet?

Hi johnra. Just a word of warning. Mint will become invasive in the growbeds and roots will block pipes. There is a photo somewhere on this forum of an inlet pipe totally blocked with root mass. Best grow mint in a floating pot in aquaponics

Hi Bender, thanks for the warning. I am new to all of this so - what is floating pots and how does that work? I love mint tea.

I am still cleaning up the garden beds to replant a dirt garden. I got 4 banana pepper plants, 2 sweet pepper plants, and about a dozen more chard plants and stuck them in the AQ GB. Anyone in their right mind would have plowed them under but I want to see if AQ GB is able to bring them back. MIL sent over some herb plants that are used in tom-yam as an herb/veggie so I planted them too. So far all of the beds that are filled with gravel are filling up with experiments. If all goes well I may have to add more GB's or hook up some other type of system to the pond also. Maybe when I take photos this weekend all of the plants will be dead by then and you can see my pertty gravel. LOL.

HELP, HELP, HELP, WATER EVAPORATION POLICE, HELP HELP, HELP

Before I filled the beds with gravel and only ran water through small solids filter I had almost no daily water loss. Today most of the beds are full of gravel and all have water running through 24/7 plus the waterfall is in full operation. I have 160 square feet of pond surface. 176 square feet of GB surface, and a waterfall to return water to pond. My daily water loss has jumped since I got it all running up to 3 to 4 inches per day. It has been very windy and hot lately with only a little rain. Can this much water loss be due to evaporation? or, Do I need to contact the Leak Police. John

Hmmm, seems excessive.

So the water loss is only now that your beds are in use? I must admit I loose a fair bit in summer here but 3-4 inches per day is extreme.

Can you isolate beds to try pin point a leak? Can you see any dampness in the ground around the bed structures?

Losses of 10-15% are common Johnra.... just due to transpiration....

If your beds are basically unplanted... then in your climate... evaporation could well be adding more losses...

Get those plants growing to cover the media...

Good maths Rupe, 10% works out to be spot on. I didnt take into account the shear volume of the FT.

FT is 20 feet x 8 feet x 39 inches deep = 14700L

14700 - 10% = 13230L

If FT is dropping 4 inches...

FT 20 feet x 8 feet x 35 inches deep = 13215L

10 mod points to you

Today I figured out what to plant in the waterfall area so as not to waste any planting space. I put five pots filled with gravel in there raised up on cement blocks, arranged so as not to block the water. I re-planted that evil mint there. The only drains in or out there is four 4" standpipes that drain out all of the water from the GB's and the waterfall on the other side of the box. I don't think the roots can cause a problem in that location. Thanks again Bender for the warning. I never knew about ruts clogging up pipes before. Where the mint was only has 3/4" drain out.

I plan to plant kangkong on a raft of sorts in the pond. If it gets out of hand I will remove the fish barrier and let the fish at it.