Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

The turbulence in our tank means that any duckweed (or other floating food) gets churned around and eventually finds its way into the pump and then into our plant growing system.

To avoid this, I cut the bottom out of a plastic bucket which I then suspended in the water. The water inside the bucket remains calm and the floating food stays where it should be......inside the bucket and outside of the pump and grow beds. I'm hoping that the fish will spot the duckweed and feed themselves as the need arises.

Flashlights and fish don't mix.

Whenever I shine a torch into my fish tank, I can hear the sound of fish ricocheting off the tank sides.

That's funny GD, when I shine the halogen into my tank, the fish come up looking for food!

Gary

I have done this with ice cream containers and some polystyrene to make it float!

Works perfectly.

oh the fun you could have

They don't like having laser pointers shined in their eyes either.

LOL - Well. I'd be a bit worried about that too I think!

Shin

I feed mine under a hallogen light each night.

LOL, sort of Deer in the headlights thing?

I'm feeding duckweed through my hole in the bucket idea on a daily basis at the moment and it's working very well.

Incidentally, the duckweed is on the move again......for us Queenslanders at least.

Given the difficulty that I experienced getting continuous production this year, I will (notwithstanding the fact that I questioned the need to dry duckweed) be setting up a drying system so that I can store the stuff.....at least until I sort out a means of continuous production.

On the issue of frightening fish with lights.......I think my problem is that my small maglite torch throws a small spot and the fish think this is a predator as it darts around the tank. I found that I didn't have the same problem when I used a desk lamp to illuminate the tank.

Gary, that is a good tip re the bucket with bottom cut out, I will try that one. My duckweed is starting to move also, I lost most of it during winter and the wild ducks come to feed on it in the front garden pond, so it is a bit hard to get enough to give the Jades a taste at the moment.
I have found that the Jades will eat almost anything green, lettuce, bok choi, silver beet, all disappear quickly from the surface of the tank.

Is there a green crop we can grow a few plants of in the grow bed that has a high protien content ????
Do you know of any Gary ??
I don't think there is much of anything in lettuce !! (as a food for Jade Perch)

There has been a few posts on sprouts, but I can't find them quickly.......But rather than having to go to the trouble of sprouting seeds etc I would like to find a plant I can grow in the grow beds that will yield a quantity of leaves every day that can be chopped up and thrown on top of the water. Any ideas you botany gurus ??????

Muzza www.aquaponics.net.au

I wish I knew the protien value of the WEEDS which come up in my dirt garden - they grow FAST, but I have no idea as to the nute values (besides for the wild nighshade I have all over the place) - if they were good feed we would have NO problems feeding the fish (neighbors would welcome us over to weed their gardens )

i know theres a weed they eat in france(in sallads), that we have here. i can picture it, cant think of its name, but its probably not very nutritious for the fish anyways

dandilions?