Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Blossom End Rot hey, thats sounds like it, you get the small fruit then begins to rot right on the end where the flower was or still remains. I have had an entire plant cycle go through this without managing to a take a fruit from it.

I nocked up a wicking barrel a few weeks back for my watermelons, it seems to be going well so put a couple more together yesty arvo for my rock and honey dew melons.
Have you guys done this? I'm not sure if 4-5 plants is over crowding the barrel? My thinking was that they would only use the barrel for start up and a reliable water source as once they spread out along the ground they will source more nutrients etc from there?
My next barrel i plan for a Paw Paw.

You can see my stalled Deep Water in the background, going to work on that this week end as want to fire it up soon.

My plan was to re-stock my now empty FT with Sleepies however i am worried about nutrient levels, they have a slow metabolism so i am guessing the output might be too small, any ideas on this, should i just run with Jades??
I ate a jade the other week however and unfortunately as i am a fisherman and enjoy my feeds of salt water varsities, my taste buds told me the jades fast like shit. Now the one i ate was 1 of the large ones from a dam so it may have had something to do with it but i couldn't get past the muddy taste and the amount of oil in the flesh.

From the dam will always taste like crap, from the AP is a different matter if your tank is clean. Last time I was in Adelaide River NT I had a local Barra at the pub tasted like mud. May have been local but was from the fresh water system not the sea.

Yeah i was thinking that would be the case but the fat was also DISGUSTING, it was right through all the flesh and my understanding is the AP fish are very fatty??

Whats your thoughts on the Sleepies verses the Jades??

No nothing about sleepies but with jade do not fry in oil. We wrapped one in foil with lemon and ginger, was ok. Enough for the good wife to ok the RAS. Not that it wasn't already built but she does not go down that way often.

LOL, my wife stays away also but sometimes i wish she would go down and pick some stuff as my job can be demanding which means i might only see it briefly in the dark to feed and make sure pumps are all go.

We did panka crumb and deep fry as thats my fav way to cook fish, I'm not much into cooking in foil/steaming. I wonder how it would stir fry??

I think blind freddie fillets most of his and hits them on a hot plate and stir fry. Remember they have the highest content of omega 3 oil of any fish. The dutch are trying to develop Jades with even higher omega 3 content

Yeah the omega 3 is off the charts with Jades, is the reason i when with them over Silvers.

Some pics of the DWC i have decided to finally Finnish off. Hopefully have up and running soon.

Couple more

And heres a couple pics in the garden.

Couple more

Got busy again however my rafts don't float enough to create an air cavity so back to the drawing board there. Am thinking a small soft drink bottle in each corner might do the trick.
Now the duck weed pond is a priority as i am throttling the pump back due to the off take not coping. Beginning to think 25mm off take of the DWC is maybe too small?? Any thoughts??
I will plumb the Duck weed pond into the same line so i can divert some to it rather than throttling the pump back.
Now for some fish to get this baby in action.

Love the DWC, Kita. Your hospital corners are out of this world, I might have to get you down my way to help me out with mine!

Awesome!!

Cheers mate, yeah was pretty happy with them, not perfect but perfect enough for me lol.
Cant wait to see how it performs, as the lettuces have given me grief (due to hot weather i believe) but hopefully the DWC will be better/cooler as is closer to the ground, larger water volume etc. I think i might even install some shade cloth above.