Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I like the solar heat collector, has it made much difference?

It does actually! The problem is that it makes the water fluctuate like mad. Because it's a small body of water, it heats up quite quickly during the day and loses all that heat at night. Was at 6 degrees this morning. Might need to insulate it a bit better or something. I have the same problem with my 1000L tank. It's just an IBC above ground, and these cool canberra nights are really bringing the temps down.

Cool Canberra ,, ROFLMAO ,, let's say friggen freezing Canberra.
Insulation will help a LOT ,, Check protherm.com.au ,, great stuff

Are you turning it off at night? (I didn't fully read )

Yep, off at nights. I don't think the fact that it's a metal cage touching a metal fence really helps. It's acting like a big heatsink. I'll check out that thermal insulation stuff.

Rang around, can only get it in 20m rolls. Anyone else want to go halvies in some of this stuff?

I've posted another update on my blog. Plenty of photos. Still fairly dissapointed with growth, but it doesn't help that I burnt all the leaves.

If you can get bubble wrap for cheap, that will work ok.

If your water tests are ok, add a little seasol to the water to add nutrients, and some urea to bring up the nitrates.

Your system looks like my small one did, until I 'assisted' the nutrient levels.

Yeh, can get it cheap - 5 finger discount from work =)

I've actually been feeding the fish a whole bunch more than I was, so hopefully I'll see a bit more growth happening. I THINK I can anyway, but that might just be me. I got back from not feeding my fish for 3 days and they're all fine, but I swear the plants haven't budged. I plan on ripping those stubborn ol' bastards out and planting new fresh youthful plants with lots of vigorous roots.

Nitrates?

Nitrates this morning: 0

Big fat zero

Looks like I will have to give it a little yellow boost.

+1

Youll see some growth then

in the plants I mean

Can anyone tell me for real if this is nitrate or magnesium deficiency?



I have ripped out all my old plants and planted some new ones. Hopefully, that, coupled with me peeing in the water twice a day, should actually see the plants take off.

Interestingly, when I pulled out the spinach it had salt on it:


Now ain't that interesting! Spinach seems to suck up salt!

You bet spinach sucks up salt. My bore water has heaps of Iron, Magnesium and sodium; in summer, when it doesn't rain for ages and other plants are sick (literally) of the salt water, spinach keeps powering along.
Unfortunately for non-ap or non-organic growers, it also takes up heavy metals.

Heh, how interesting. I wonder why it goes crap in aquaponics then?

Any ideas about the first pic? I'm going to throw in some epsom salts anyway, but if someone knows for sure then that'd be great.