Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I am not sure but I doubt it. I am being ultra cautious and feeding just a little because I have 16 small SPs and 7 goldies with their lives in my hands. I was going to increase the feed a little each week for the next 2 to 3 weeks and keep testing. Is this a good plan, or am I being overly cautious

I guess it must be nearly there as the ammonia and nitrite have dropped right back. I was under the impression that these two need to be 0 for the system to be fully cycled.

That's fine then, just take it slow and feed extra gradually...if the ammonia and nitrite levels start rising, ease back...cycling time increases as the water temp decreases

fishfodder, sorry for not getting back to you on heater link

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/FREE-POST-AQUARI ... dZViewItem

$9.99 and FREE delivery , 300 Watt.

Glad to see your having success with your single 300W unit. Are you running it from your off-peak electricity? ( assuming you have off-peak).

No worries chappo, I will get another one from your supplier.

No we don't have offpeak at the block of townhouses where I live so I will be interested to see what my next power bill looks like. (large, ugly and unwelcome )

For the future bigger system I spoke to an electrician mate of mine who said that using offpeak for heating fishtanks was possible but not necessarily legal He said that it was only supposed to be used for hot water systems. Any thoughts on this?

Adding off-peak power is only a matter of having a relay fitted that is turned on automatically at about 9pm and off at 5am ( there abouts).
The cable from said switch enters YOUR premises ,, I challenge the autorities to have the right to enter the home unless there is a danger or you are stealing electricity.
OK , time for me to get off my soap box.

I'd just guess your Sparky has never seen anything else than a hotwater heater hooked up to off-peak ( as you could imagine not many people have appliances etc that they only use at 9pm - 5 am).

But i could be wrong ,, I'll check.

OK , was on the phone with Energy Australia ..... they had never heard of such a question before ,, but YES it is 100 % legal .
But ,, don't worry it's a GOOD but ,, the best way around all this is ////// wait for it.
Energy Australia is now fitting new "smart" meters to houses / apartments etc ,, these smart meters know WHEN yopu are using power and charge at the appropriate rate

Even better ,, they cost a low price ,, NOTHING.

With one of these smart meters and a $7.00 timer ALL your over-night heating needs are at off-peak rates ....., I can see my Jade Perch , sunglasses and all , swimming at 28 Celsius even in July

I have just spent about an hour chasing Integral Energy (they are the authority down here in The Gong) about smart meters. The girl I spoke to at the call centre said if smart metering was possible, and she wasn't sure, I would have to pay for the meter. Bizarre considering I didn't think I would actually own it, should I take it with me when I move

Poor girl didn't have all the info and got all flustered when I started asking questions. The upshot is I may be out of luck, "potty mouth" Integral, are "potty mouth" useless

NUH ,, no ,, forget that Rubbish. Integral ..... do you have a contract for your power from them?
I love fixing things like this , They hate talking to someone that knows what the reality is .....,I will bet $20 , if your not on a contract ,, that i can get you a 5% discount and a smart meter for nothing. UMMM , I don't really want $20 ,, just saying I'm very sure i can fix your problem.

OH what wonderful customer service ,, Integral ..... means to integrate???? Well they seem very good at integrating sleep with work,.....,, been on hold 20 minutes , .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

My inquiry with Energy Australia was sorted in less than 3 minutes and then they even rang me back to confirm details .

They keep checking I'm still waiting ,, is this being nice or are they just hope I'll give up.

5 more minutes and it's ask for the call centre manager

I always wondered why the Technicians that worked for Australia post but where not good enough , eventually left for a job at Integral ....., we now know why.
sleep 7'55 work 15 minuters.

Don't forget the 15 minute tea-break.

Maybe they're on a timer based system FishFodder..... 15 mins on 45mins off....

Then again... judging by my last bill from Integral....I'd have to think they're a continuously draining system....

Our energy contract is not with Integral but they control the metering.

I had a look at their energy calculator and if I have it right, on my current energy pricing rate I could run the 300 watt heater all year 8 hours a day for about $130 dollars. I worked this out in their calculator by saying that I had just 3x100 watt light bulbs in my entire house with no other appliances running at all. I gather this would give me the correct result.

If we change over to Smart Metering then our peak rate would increase and may be greater than the saving made on the "off peak" portion of our power bill. I will have to look into this in greater detail. I think I stated previously that maths is not my strong point. Might have to let the Minister for War and Finances look at this one.

I will have a look at our next power bill then revisit the issue. Thank for the offer of help Chappo, if I decide it is worth it then I will let you know.

Yep,, first operator ran away at the embrassment of not being able to get me in contact with the provider I needed . Second operator tried to ask me to ring back necxt week ,, oh yeh baby , great service. Could I please speak to a call centre supervisor or manager,..... yes sir I'll put you throught to Sergio. I explained to Sergio what had been happening for the last half hour ,, he stated " WELL i can't really control what's going on in other dewpartments , you know a lot of people work for Integral". Staying calm i explained to him that I work for Australia Post and we have many many more worker than Integral but we take problems seriously and FIX them. best old Sergio could do was offer me to be tossed to the complaints department ( what a guy , what service , what OUTSTNADING customer relationship building).

OK , Customer complaints ,, oh dear ,, I'm trying not to laugh,..... the lady wants to file my complaint ( yep i guess that's her job ,, at least she was awake). After some worries about what list the complaint should be entered into it was filed ,, I was promised a return call about said complaint in the next week or two .......... WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank God almighty , Buddha and everyone else I'm not connected by these bunch of twits.

Very funny Rupert.

Don't sweat it Chappo. When I get frustrate I just walk out the back and look at my fish

Breath in, Breath out.

Rupert ,, Mate ,, get away from those suckers ASAP , my goodness , I haven't had such service since the old days when telecom was the only supplier ( who could you go to ,, so who cared).
I'm not stressed ,, just amazed that a company with these levels of service can still exist,..... maybe the world is still flat.