netab32's system... 18,000L and counting

netab32

Ok Rupe... this ones for you

Hope you dont mind my cut-and-pasting from another thread...

Searched for 'refractometers' and found this post from Rupe...

Quote:

all substances have a refractive index.... but not necessarily the same specific gravity...

Sugars are measured by the "Brix" scale.... using the same style of refractometer... but totally different scale.... (%sugar@20c)....but try finding an easy conversion... it's a complicated pain in the a@#e...

A Brix reading of zero (at 20 degrees C) has a specific gravity value = 1, and a refractive index value = 1.33

A reading of Specific Gravity = 1 (at 20 degrees)... is equivalent to 0.87 ppt

http://www.lumcon.edu/education/student ... alconv.asp

But it's all highly dependant on temperature... buy yourself a ATC salinity refractometer... and be done with it... (ATC = auto temp correction...)

Once I saw this I went down the packing shed to look for our Brix Refractometer, and Hubby showed me a new one gifted to us from one of our Buyers in Singapore! Its an ATC digital brix refractometer. :headbang:

Because I would really like to salt the system ASAP, and am still working out where to get a salt one from (checking out e-bay now as local prices are around $240), I am going to try using it... just cause its here :wink:

Think these will be really handy... Thanks again Rupe :thumbright:

(pulled from the same post)
http://www.jencointernational.com/brix_convert.htm
http://www.topac.com/Salinity_brix.html

According to the topac website, a brix reading of 1.3 should equal salt of 1ppt... is this correct?

gemmell

Tis a damn fine looking system.

netab32

Aww shucks :oops:

..... thanks gemmell

RupertofOZ

Just buy an ATC Salinity Refractometer and be done with it.... ($28 delivered)...

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Salinity-Refract ... 3cb564364c

Trying to convert Brix to salinity is more like magic than science... a bit like EC readings in AP...

netab32

No worries - will do that Rupe... would rather have the right equipment handy if I can, so will go e-baying on the weekend... thanks for that.

Had been waiting on the 'rain that never came' yesterday to start filling the FTs... once I realised it wasnt coming - and due to the fact one of the duckweed tanks had clogged up and overflowed a bit - I turned the tap on to put a bit more water in the system..... by yesterday arvo when hubby discovered that my memory is becoming suspect in my 'old age', the FTs were just about to overflow :oops:

So now that we had an extra 4000L+ in the system :shifty:

we decided to put some nutrient back into the water and added seasol,a bit of charlie carp, our weekly hit of Iron that hadnt been done yet anyway,... and the last bit of gogo juice cause it was there... sounds like a lot but was heaps less than we ended up having to add to the system originally just to get the ammonia to show in the tests. Also bought 50kg of salt to add some to the system on the weekend as there wouldnt be much left from the initial bag now I dont think.

Will be testing soon to see how its going.

freoboy

netab32 wrote:

:lol: No worries - will do that Rupe... would rather have the right equipment handy if I can, so will go e-baying on the weekend... thanks for that.

Had been waiting on the 'rain that never came' yesterday to start filling the FTs... once I realised it wasnt coming - and due to the fact one of the duckweed tanks had clogged up and overflowed a bit - I turned the tap on to put a bit more water in the system..... by yesterday arvo when hubby discovered that my memory is becoming suspect in my 'old age', the FTs were just about to overflow :oops:

So now that we had an extra 4000L+ in the system :shifty:

we decided to put some nutrient back into the water and added seasol,a bit of charlie carp, our weekly hit of Iron that hadnt been done yet anyway,... and the last bit of gogo juice cause it was there... sounds like a lot but was heaps less than we ended up having to add to the system originally just to get the ammonia to show in the tests. Also bought 50kg of salt to add some to the system on the weekend as there wouldnt be much left from the initial bag now I dont think.

Will be testing soon to see how its going.

haha tell hubby its normal, i do it on a . . uuhhh, semi regular basis :whistle:

netab32

Little Sister got married yesterday... beautiful wedding by the river in an amazing garden. Highlight was a brown snake that thought it would wander through the bushes right behind where the bridal party was standing :lol:

They did well though cause no one knew why they had strange expressions on their faces until after the ceremony had finished!!!

... still trying to work out if its a good omen or a bad one :shock:

Zman

No one got bit so all good

earthbound

good work keeping their cool, don;t know if I would have... :laughing3:

arbe

Just after I had brought my acerage I went for a walk around it to check on the new fencing and firebreaks. Half way round I thought I would check out some of the scrub area. Heard a bird fly off and looked to where it came from. Saw a bright orange head and a black body.

Said to myself "stand still, it will think you are a tree and carry on". Next thing I remember I was running away looking back to make sure it wasn't following.

Guess I would have been no good in the Bridal party.

netab32

Yeah they did pretty well :lol:

Other thing we didnt find out till after was that it had scared a HUGE rat out onto the lawn as it was passing through! Apparently it sat there for a sec right behind the bridesmaids looking at everyone... then bolted back in.

Must have thought he was safer with the snake

netab32

Arbe... my hubby was pretty scared of them too... when we were on our first block I ended up being the snake killer and him the spider killer... worked well for many years (although we have both overcome our fears to some extent now)

On one occasion hubby was down in the vineyard training vines, and suddenly runs in the door saying, 'grab the shovel quick... theres a snake'.
So I walk out and grab the shovel... lookin' pretty spunky in my mocassins, and 8 months pregnant mind you... and waddle down the row to find a huge 6 foot brown with a small goanna half way down its gullet... pretty pissed at being disturbed at that point... Easiest dispatch I ever had

Now, I love snakes... always wanted a python as a kid but couldnt talk the olds into one... but where we are - when you have venomous snakes hanging around your house and property (which is also the location of your day job) cause thats the only place they can find food and water during a drought, its a safety issue for kiddies (and hubbies) that needs to be dealt with... Always glad when summers over :wink:

.

RupertofOZ

Naree... you do know that a large number of cases of snake bite each year...

Are the result of people trying to chop them with a shovel.... :mrgreen:

netab32

Yup, know that Rupe...

... thats why I was happy when I saw it already had its mouth full of something else

To be honest I got the better end of the deal... the amount of big, fat, hairy, disgusting spiders hubby has had to dispatch in the last 12 years makes up for making me lug a shovel down the block when I was 4 weeks away from having our first baby :lol:

My Dad and his blockhand who has been with him since I was still in diapers are very well practiced at it... and to be honest one or the other was called on the other times for back-up (I aint stupid) when we have had them in the house... (the little kids locked in one of the bedrooms till they were removed).

netab32

Have been so busy the last couple of days with the wedding, I hadnt really had a chance to look at the plant growth like I normally do each day... I had a good look tonight and the growth in the last few days is REALLY noticeable! Our cukes and corn are growing so fast, as well as the squash and zucchini. Interesting thing is that seedling growth is not very noticeable STILL... whereas all the plants that have come from seed we planted is really coming along well.

Think I need to start buying some good seed from Diggers or Eden seeds soon and look closer at propagation techniques

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netab32's system... 18,000L and counting

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A place to discuss aquaponics