Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Malaga Hydroponic solutions will do 3 x 50L bags of expanded clay (not hydroton) but ordinary looking brown stuff like in my trough bed ( steve smartt system ) for $105.. not sure if its a good price or not but if you buy online and select pick up option its not bad. If you cant get to them during opening hours for whatever reason, i can pick them up and hold on to them or drop them off if you are close and not fussy about delivery time ... shop to my house 4km... the offer is there...

also very hush hush... dad has an account at total eden... ( thanks daddy) if people are after fittings, pipe etc and want to put together an order let me know and i will see what i can do to help you out. price will be less than retail... I will ok it with him before hand tho.

Cheers

Steve

To my knowledge there are only three expanded clay products available in Australia...

50L bags of Hydroton, 45L bags of "Canna Aquaclay".... and occasionaly some 45L bags of second grade irregular shaped Chinese stuff... which doesn't actually have a "brand name" as far as I know....

There is another product marketed as "aquaclay".... at about $120+/50L....

Either way $30 a bag is a fair price....

Hope this doesn't turn into a hyjack,
but How is "expanded clay" made?
Is there nobody in Aus that can make it?

What is involved in making it?
i.e "Expanded" Cooked in a vacuum??

The clay is formed into pellets and fired in rotary kilns at 1200°C. This causes the clay to expand, like popcorn, and become porous

So why cant we do it here?

have you got a rotary kiln?

Wouldn't be too hard to make a smaller one. How long at that temp for the pop corn to be ready. And is there anything special about the clay.

Yeah, cos I gots plenty clay here... if all I had to do was dig, then burn stuff to fire a kiln... be cheaper than scoria.
Got my own private black clay mine out back here.

Might be moisture content before firing. Looked into making a forge before. Can't be that hard to use the same principles just not as hot.

What's involved? I've probably got the gear & abillity to build one

rotary means that the kiln is rotated... kinda like the cement rotater.

we're using Hydroton all the way in sunny southwest Florida! Like Aliflor better though; anyone else using GRO DAN cubes for their seeds?? Our heirloom seeds are quite happy starting in it!

Something like a large barrel or it could be small for this application. I would use 2 chambers, one for the clay(inner) and the outer sleeve for the heat so the fuel does not leave any residue in the clay. And have the drum on a slow turn and the heating flame next to it with the flame going between the layers. Or if you are going electric might be easier. But not as much fun.

there is an old thread on this, search for it with TimC as one of the authors

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=499&start=15&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=clay
Hope that works.

Don't think the clay would have to be perfectly shaped to work.