Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Marc, I used the word 'retractable' to describe the design of my standpipe because I can put my hand inside the media guard and retract it (ie pull it out), but perhaps 'detachable' is a better descriptor.
The pic below depicts my original prototype. Improvements in the design of my next standpipe may include:
- switching the arrangement of the drain holes, eg drill the single large hole in the joiner and drill the array of holes in the standpipe;
- shifting the holes to the lower section of the joiner and standpipe stub so as to be closer to the bottom of GB, which will allow the gluing of standpipe proper to joiner.

The standpipe stub is held firmly in place by a uniseal so would stand up to the force exerted against it during standpipe removal.

I have also drilled a very small diameter hole at the base of the joiner to allow more complete drainage of the lower few cms of the GB, if ever required. This hole won't be necessary in the GB I am currently constructing.

thanks PLJ I might have a go at something like that this weekend.

Wow we really have had a lot of rain. We have just passed 1300mm for the year. Just like the good old days.
with the rain water tanks full i can now use the suplus water to change the water in the fish tanks. So far i have done three 50% + water changes and the nitrates are now below 100 ppm. trout are loving it. About to go out and do another water change as i cant stand seeing water pour out of the rain water tanks.
so much for the forcasted dry finish to the season in this area.

It hasnt been a bad year for rainfall apart from June which was well below average but I would be buying a new gauge if I were you as according to the weather bureau nowhere in southern WA has had 1300mm to date (http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/awap/rain/ind ... ar&area=wa), even the Bickley station which at 384m traditionally receives the highest rainfall in the Perth Hills has only had 971mm for the year up to this afternoon.

I sometimes think the Mt Lawley gauge is under the veranda!

pours all day at our place and they record 1mm?

Hey Marc, Your plants are definitely a rocking. If your Nitrates are now below 100ppm what were they at? No wonder your Kale is 2m high

I'm not sure I need a new gauge TM but I would concede that accurately measuring rainfall is problematic with all the trees around.
However, Bickley is the only official weather station I am aware of in the southern Perth Hills currently providing publicly available data, and that is north of me. We almost always record more annual rain than Bickley. Today Bickley has recorded 1.8 mm of rain to 5pm. It has been raining here since 11am and we have recorded 22mm and it is still raining.

Also there is an area of the Darling range that has the highest rainfall in the SW except for the south coast. I understand that the top end of that area is from about where I am to an area north of Bunbury. In the old days this used to be the 1400mm isohyet.

I'm sure that it is possible that 1300mm is high as it may include water blown off the trees or human error but it would at least be somewhere significantly higher than Bickley as the area is in the top end of what is historically the wettest area of the Darling Range.

Anyhow I'm just happy to have full tanks and see the creeks and rivers run well for a change.

The nitrates were between 400 and 500ppm (despite all those vegies) . The test is hard to determine very accurately at those levels so I do 3 tests at different dilutions.

The 2m Tuscan kale is in the dirt garden and is finally flowering.

With all the rain I'll do another 50% water change tomorrow.

Mate, I start to spin out when my nitrates hit 5-10ppm. I'd be freaking out at your levels. Sounds like an excuse for more growbeds

Jeez Muzz how many more do I need I already have 5 growbeds and 6 barrels (the other 2 barrels and grow bed don't count - yet)

Note to self - tell SWMBO that Muzz says I must have more growbeds.

Trout will take fairly high levels of nitrates without causing them problems. Last season they got to 800ppm and I still pulled a 1.6kg trout and a heap over 1.2kg but I was seriously pushing my luck. I did lash out and did a 50% water change when I saw the 800ppm but that was it.

Marc, there are plenty of stations near you even one in Roleystone at 250m alt and they have only recorded 833mm (150mm less than Bickley) up to today.
http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/weat ... startYear=

You may have recorded more than this but over 400mm more??

Up 'til now I thought that my trout were going to be smaller than last year. Firstly I was not feeding so much only what they would eat (often in the dark) before I went to work - IMO forget the idea of feeding trout as much as they can eat in 5 mins or feed until they stop eating - you will just get fat fish and really high nitrates like I did last year.
I have at best been only able to feed once a day and maybe twice on the weekend for most of the season. Now that the days are longer I have just started feeding twice a day.
Anyhow the first fish I pulled out in late July was only 269gms and another just shy of 300gms, the next in early September 325gms. Then a couple of weeks later a 353gms fish. Nothing worth bragging about but still I was very happy with the results.
Then a couple of days ago I had a dip for some fish and pulled out a 1070gm/350mm fish


and then a 752gm fish.


and then a 845gm fish

and finally a 533gm fish.


It seems that I was only catching the smaller ones while the big one got away.

This one seems deformed (or is a cross with one of the Silvers )

With water changes and less feed the nitrates haven't been so high this season and have managed to keep them under 200ppm and they are under 50ppm ATM.
SWMBO noticed the muddy taste last season but this season she can't taste it.

SWMBO had a go at filleting the fish. Great effort for a first attempt, at least there were no bones. I fried up the carcases and had a great feed as well. I was surprised how much meat was left on them. Anyhow the photos below show how orange the flesh is.



This will be the last season of having trout in the smaller tank. The new 3000l tank will be plumbed in as soon as the trout season is over and ready for next season. I will then have a total of 7000l.

I also notice that the blue barrels are adding significant amounts of heat to the system. Even in the depths of winter the water on the sunny side would be very warm to touch. Good for winter but not so good for summer. I will have to put some covering over them otherwise my trout season could be over very soon

Look at the size of those things!!!

Maybe now she won't hold onto the purse strings so tightly, eh

From memory MrBill I pulled a 1.6kg trout at the end of the season and another dozen or so between 1kg and 1.6kg. She was definitely happy with that. Now all I have to convince her is to let me keep the Silvers. She 'recons they are a waste of time 'cos they take so long to grow but I love them so they will be a fixture for the time being.
She has been fairly good with the purse strings as i estimate to have spent in total, without food, fish, power, vegies between $13000 and $14000.