Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

You could feed trout every hour if you wanted too - they are greedy/hungry little buggers.

I don't think they are much of a night feeder - but I could be wrong - I just never heard them attack the food any where near as much when it was light.

Feed them as often as you want as long as your ammonia and nitrite levels don't go silly.

I think it helps if they can see it at night but they will eat. Fished for rainbows once using floodlights over the side of the boat after dark. Caught 32 trout between the four of us.

Interesting...
I've been checking the water daily, to make sure I don't overfeed the trout, and today's pH (8.4) is higher than it has been (7.6-7.. I thought that the fish would make the water more acidic over time?

Update: just done a second pH test (8.2). I wonder if the higher temperature today (22.9) resulted in the higher pH? Fortunately the temp is already dropping! The trout fed OK at 22.9, I was surprised. I usually do the testing in the morning, to try and reduce the number of variables, but had to do it this afternoon today.

The trout do not always know what is best for them, I would minimise or not feed at higher temperatures.

They didn't get much, but I will remember your warning. Hopefully this hot spell will be the last one before winter.

Update:

The trout have been in for almost a week. The water has turned a bit green, but there is no visible algae, just fine particles. The tank is covered with two layers of 70% shadecloth, but apparently that isn't enough. I need to build the cover before I put anything heavier on.

So far the water tests are fine. Ammonia 1.0 nitrites 0, nitrates 10. The pH has been moving a bit, but still in the 7.6 - 8.4 range. I have a cotton sock filled with washed shell grit ready, but I don't see the point of putting it in until the pH drops.

The plants are growing well. I put in punnets initially, so the plants would grow faster. It works!







We have already started picking the lettuce leaves.

Update on the first system, with silver perch from 2010. We've eaten some, but about 12 remain.

We have created a clear spot to seed bok choy and pak choy. The celery has self-seeded from the plants in the bed previously. The rock melon is hanging on, but will be ripped out soon.

I would just put the shell grit in now if I were u. It's not going to raise the ph unless it drops below q certain level (7.4?)

That is looking lovely! I would recommend that you thin the celery. I find that I really only need about 1 plant per person. If you have rabbits or animals to feed then perhaps a bit more. I know that I don't need more than 5 plants to keep may family in celery and we just love it with peanut paste as a snack, healthy, fresh and easy. That reminds me that I have a peanut plant self sewn ready to harvest pretty soon.

I bought a punnet of celery (8 plants) before the celery seeds germinated in the original bed. There are two of us... so how much excess celery is that?

Fortunately some of my friends love celery - I usually give away all my excess vegies.

Does anybody locally need some celery seedlings?

When I had too much celery I looked at preserving it and found that it could be dehydrated as well as frozen for soups, stews etc. I decided that there are better things to make soup from. I don't see that it was worth the cost of elctricity to freeze or dehydrate it as we can almost grow it year round. I like my celery for dipping into dips, stri frys, salads and as I said before, filled with peanut paste or cream cheese. I also eat it while I am pottering amongst the systems, and I almost forgot - in juices. Makes great rabbit feed to, I befriended many a rabiit with daily bunches. They would follow me around their cage, and so when they escaped, all I had to do was bend down and they would come to me. Hehehe!

My neighbour has two sheep, but they already come for handfuls of grass. They might break through the fence for celery! Considering that they are both bigger than my dogs, that won't end well.

I'm going to be looking after a friend's chickens on the weekend. I might use the celery as a bribe.

This isn't in my AP, but it's beautiful:



The flower only lasts for a day...

It is very beautiful, very similar looking to the dragon fruit flower, I think.

It is a dragon fruit flower!