Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Welcome back Big Red!

Sorry about the drama in your life, good luck getting things going again.

Well I have been rebuilding the grow beds.

First I constructed a new stand for the grow beds. A different design from the orginal. This time a lot sturdier and concreted into the ground.

I am in the middle of removing the gravel and shifting the half barrels onto the new stand.

Here are some pics.

Hi BigRed, nice to hear from you again...shouldn't take to long to get that "mature" system back on its legs

Yeah I think it should be back on its feet by the end of the week with some new plantings.

I have 3 growbeds ready to be connected up and 2 more to put in place. I put a pile of the gravel from the only working growbed into a old beer fermenter and it now is sitting on a blue drum next to the tank flooding and draining so I can still have a bio filter going.

I will use the rest of my blue drums and I should have 10 beds going and then I will try some on those black ones that you are using they look good.

For the tank lid growbed I would rather use Hydrotron rather than gravel as it will be lighter.

Les do you know where I can get Hydrotron the cheapest in Brisbane?

I've never used (or looked for) hydroton BR...not sure of anybody in Bris that has...vb might have more knowledge

Think VB was getting his from Nerang Hydroponic Centre

Most hydroponic shops should either have it or be able to source it.

Edited : Or try here....

Grow Hydro - 22 Mining Street, Bundamba, Queensland 4304
Tel: 07 3816 3206

Thanks guys.

I can get it in caboolture but its $50 a bag. I will try that one and ring around a bit.

got mine from a hydro store in wacol for $35 a bag, I think.

After a week of work on and off between other things the grow beds are now in place and better than ever.

This frame is now firmly cemented into the ground.

I have them all in a flood and drain configuration. I spend a few weekends last year before I gave up trying to get autosiphons working last time. This time the gods have approved and they worked without dramas.

I now dream of a see of grow beds and cant wait for next weekend to start on the second string of 5 half barrels.

These autosiphons are magic and it is great to watch them going off. I could watch them all day.

See - just an hour or two of work and its nearly back to normal

As George Costanza would say, 'I'm back baby.' Well done mate and stick it up 'em. What have u decided on fish wise?

Yeah thats right Les. It has been great fun.

I planted some seedlings this afternoon.

I have the orginal Jadies still in the tank. I have no idea how many of them are left from the original 100. Once the the beds are cycled I can start to feed them up again.