Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

aussie zombie -

I'm cladding my ibc system in decking tomorrwo ( if I get around to it ) and Im going for "red batu" , after reading up on it a bit :

"Very resistant to decay, insects and fungal attack, even in tropical environments.
Resistant to abrasion, wear and dents. Naturally fire resistant."

" Red Batu Decking is an extremely durable hardwood. It has incredible strength and natural resistance to decay, rot, insect damage (marine boring worms & termites) and its fire rating makes it a perfect wood for long-life exterior decking, docks, benches and bridges. With Red Batu Decking, the application of sealers is purely optional. Red Batu Decking naturally weathers to a beautiful, silvery-gray patina. Hardness is approximately 5 times harder than pine, cedar and redwood and over 10 times stronger than composite decking products. Red Batu is harvested from managed forest projects. It is naturally seasoned and KILN DRIED to prevent shrinkage. "

all that AND its only around 3 bucks a metre

Thanks boris, sounds like a great material, I've decided to change my plans though. The main reason I wanted wood to make my pond was to keep it aesthetically pleasing but I'm just going with a practical idea now to avoid complications. I'll construct a green house around the whole thing to avoid weather and just use normal untreated hardwood. I'll have a look around from timber importers today to see how cheap batu is in QLD compared to normal aussie hardwood. thanks mate for the info. the red batu is almost extinct so I have a moral deliema to overcome, it would want to be a LOT cheaper than aussie hardwood.

As I said earlier, even hardwoods in Aus. are treated if they are rated for outside use, for example timber may be treated with Diffusol (Boron) H1 for flooring or Tanalith E H3 for decking.

The reason for this is that some states have laws (QLD I think) governing that if timber is rated for outside use and has a certian amount of sapwood then it has to be treated depending on the final usage.

As for the stuff from overseas, I wouldn't like to think what sort of stuff thats been sprayed with to make sure no bug survives the jurney..

FWIW I do use all of the above, have machined them and made different things for for myself and friends with it. If your handling procedure is correct, you shouldn't have a problem.

H.

Wonder what that actually means . Sounds like spin if I've ever seen it

Don't you guys have cultivated forests in Australia?

The lumber companies here in my region have 20-30 year logging cycles. It's a little odd to drive down the highway and see trees in perfectly straight lines with perfectly even gaps between them.

Friends from rural regions that grow up near these say they wake up one morning and all the trees are gone from that plot.

regarding health effects of treated pine.

i recall seeing a show on sbs about health hazards in and around the family home.

the guy that owned the place worked a lot with treated pine. he didn't use a mask for years of work. from what i recall the scientists that were assesing mentioned that prolonged exposure to the dust through inhalation can potentially cause cancer. it made me think about my own practices. from what i gather a small amount of the dust taken in to the body may not harm you. the chemical builds up over time and eventually triggers cancer.

my gut tells me that the organisms in organic food have the ability to purge toxins in the body such as these. chemically grown food just adds to the buildup. in times like these where there are nasty chemicals virtually every where, organic food is essential for health.

having said this i would avoid using any substance that can potentially leachate into the system. it may not kill the fish but it may harm organisms in the system. the fish may not kill you if you eat them but you never know. better safe then sorry.