Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

be very very careful with the the home made sprays that include any soap or oil since overspray or a spill or rain simply washing it into your system could be bad for fish.
Glad to hear it worked though

Yes very true TClnynx, I googled organic aphid control and the top answer was liquid soap solution,I didn't want to use for the same reasons. After reading on,garlic kills them dead plus there was also a mention of chilli oil. So I took six cloves of garlic,four birds eye chillies and simmered them for about forty five minutes. I strained of the liquid into a bottle,added about 2.5 mil of organic washing up liquid then topped it up to a litre.
This went into a spray bootle,then using a very fine mist I sprayed the parts that had aphids on them,killed them dead,in the morning when i checked they just fell off. The garlic water is not very good for the beneficials,I haven't seen any ladybugs so I used it. Gave a little mist last night and again this morning there all dead.

Well the new site has been started,foundations are in,should have it levelled off today. Everything else is green and healthy,the beans have made it to the shade cloth and don't look like stopping.Just need to work out the move,with minimal disruption.

The first of the Chilli plants has come into flower,the Papaya has finally decided to make a move and the lettuce has just gone crazy. Finally got my Chelated iron,received a phone call today to collect from my post office in Meachan tomorrow. Mid week of to Chaing Mai to pick up Potassium Hydroxide so everything is falling into place.

It's all looking pretty good...

Cheers RupertofOZ
It's all coming apart very soon to get moved,at least this proved I wasn't wasting my time using such a large pond. Have been reading with interest the Ferro cement thread,wish he would hurry up with the growbed . Might do the same or cast them, two to begin with maybe 3.5 mtr x 1.5 mtr,still in the careful planning stage.

Update on our second attempt,with plenty of pics.
Decided to use a poly cover as the rain sometimes,even through shade cloth was flattening everything,I have left it open either end for air flow and to keep the temp down. There will be removable shade cloth panel that will hang up inside when we get the blistering hot days,just got to make those yet. The black beds were a good find,there are about the same capacity as two half barrels only better. The plan is to have another three,this brings my filter area up to 63 cubic ft.

There has been a fair bit of plumbing,the three inch is the manifold returning to the pond. The barrel halves are still waiting gravel,the river has been in flood now for weeks so I can't get to the gravel beds,it hasn't not rained for a couple of days,so hopefully the level will go down. First pic shows the tubes for lettuce etc.

Experimenting with sponge cubes to start my lettuce seeds, I soak them for an hour in super start solution for an hour,anything that floats I discard,then place one seed in each cube before placing them in the tray with pond water just touching the bottom of the sponge. After about two weeks they go into a drinking cub with the bottom cut out,then into the tube. It's my first attempt,but it looks promising.
The other two bottles are one of the best finds,the garlic spray was the end of the aphid problem,I got rid of the ants,then after spraying no more aphids. I have still to use the other one,still waiting for things to grow.

Finally the lettuce tubes,there will be more to follow,one thing I will do is either paint them white or insulate them against the heat,same for the exposed manifold. The water depth in the tube just touches the bottom of the sponge,when the root system gets bigger,I will lower this to give a slight air gap.
Future plans include a small vertical arrangement,the tubes havering a filter media in as per the Agrotech system,work in progress that one,then there's the chickens,the worm farm,solar water heating. In the first pic,in the background is a trail solar water heater,made from recycled water bottles and plastic pipe,this one is only five rows,but it still managed 60 degres, using thermosyphon,next stage is fifty rows.

Presumably the water heater is for those long cool evenings in winter, as I can't see the need for hot water in your summer - if it's anything like mine!

Nah,it's to take the chill from the water when I shower,iam not a youngster any more cold showers just don't cut it. Washing up and the laundry all that much better with hot water,the Thais do there washing in cold water,then bleach it to make it look clean,very hard on clothes,just one step away from beating the crap out of it down at the river between to stones.

The new tanks arrived yesterday,so today will start on the frames,the site was cleared I will level things as the frames are put in place. The two barrels I will link together then sink them in the ground as my sump, my new capacity works out to 2500 ltrs.
The insulation on my tubes raised a few eyebrows,works well though,I will finish the tanks then add more tubes,I will use the existing drain pipe as its not needed.

Great solution for insulation of the pipes, Dasboot! Man, you're inspiring and make me impatient to have my stuff ready here.

Good to see everything is going well, growth seems to be excellent.

When there is a change, we should meet up either there or here and have a beer and chat.

Yea looks great dasboot.