Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

??? I prefer to watch the stuff in between
nearly as exciting as waiting for A Symmonds to go to the pub.
Poor bugger!

After experiencing virtually no growth since adding the new GBs and ST, after going away for the weekend I'm starting to see some growth.

Todays test shows:
PH: 7.6
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 10

I've added some seasol last weekend, and before I went away on Friday. My nearly dead cucumber vine has sprouted some new leaves, the mizuna has shot up a bit, and the mint seems to be on the move again. Hopefully the destabilisation of the additional hardware is over, and I can start to see some proper growth again.

notice the moon is getting to full...
also I bet some plants have bolted and by the new moon will have developed perfect seeds,

On another note, I'm thinking about modifying my overlow from the FT. Currently, the overflow begins at the top of the FT. I'm thinking it would be better extending it down to the bottom, to help remove solid waste. Also, floating food would not overflow into the ST.

Is this a good option? If so, should I take it to the very bottom and put in elbow to have it open horizontally, or cut crenellations into the bottom and have it point towards the bottom. Finally, what should I use to ensure fish don't enter it?

Extend it down to the bottom - put an end cap on it, and drill 8mm holes in the end cap + the bottom of the pipe.

Make sure the top of the pipe before it exits the fish tank is a T-piece, or else it will turn into a siphon.

Thanks OBO - forgot about the t-piece. Would have been a bit of a problem without it!

hey...

can someone sketch that design up and explain how it works?

thanks
jT

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=3989&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=digging
Bottom of page 1, Ignore the rest of the stuff just look at the FT
Water enters FT and overflows via the outlet vented to stop a siphon CHIFT (Constant hight in Fish Tank)

thanks

got it.....

just added it to my 5 pages + of notes....

jT

Sleepe... and others... if you want to link directly to a post....

Click on the little page icon... top right, besides the "Posted:" Date/Time....
it will refresh the page and url to point directly to the post...

Copy the url... and paste into the post you're editing... like this...

http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum ... 04#p157304 ...

I've used screen or netting of appropriate size to keep fish from swimming into large pipes. I just cut a square of the netting big enough to fold around the end of the pipe and zip tie it in place. This makes it pretty easy to slide off if I need to wash the gunk off of it and I can usually still slide it back on without needing a new zip tie.

I've had a few fish go swimmies through pipes that I thought were way too small for the fish to fit through and yet they do.

Thanks Rupe

Decalsby
5+ pages, bit to go then?

I've been a bit quiet in here of late, but the aquaponics is still coming along. A quick update:

First of all, today's test results are:

PH: 7.2
Ammonia: 0.25
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 40!

Nitrates have gone through the roof. I added some humonia about a week ago, suspecting nitrates were a bit low. Maybe I should have tested first, as they have now gone through the roof. Is 40 too high?

I've had some growth issues lately, as follows:
GB1 (on the back deck)

• Italian parsley died - not sure why
• Thai basil doing OK
• Mint is thriving
• Chives doing OK

GB2 (on the back deck)

• Vietnamese mint is thriving, though I notice a little die back on tips of most leaves
• Curled parsley not growing at all, but not dying
• Basil not growing much at all either
• Oregano doing OK, but also not much growth

GB3 (downstairs)

• Eggplant flowering for a few weeks, but only one flower just starting to fruit. I think it's 1 of only 2 flowers I hand pollinated. Slow stem growth
• Zucchini growth a bit slow, but getting there. Picked one huge fruit today (almost a foot long). Another fruit is not doing so well (see photo)
• Capsicum just started showing a bit of growth after the humonia. Flowering started a couple of weeks ago, bu didn't progress into fruit

GB4 (downstairs)

• Tomato started to do well, with no maintence. Some fruit appearing. I think I should start looking at active maintenance
• Spring onions have been in since virtually day one, and I'm yet to pull them out. Might do it this week and see what I get
• Celery not growing at all, after probably 2 months. No idea why this won't grow??

GB5 (downstairs)

• Mizuna growing well until smashed by green caterpillars. I picked all of them out that I could see, but might attack them with Dipel for more effect.
• Cos lettuce growing pretty slowly. Last lot never reached proper height, and when picked only looked like "baby" cos. I suspect similar reason for celery not growing

GB6 (downstairs)

• Pak choi doing well until smashed by green caterpillars like mizuna. Dipel for them today too I think.
• Tomato doing the same as GB4
• What I thought was cucumber may not be - one fruit is slowly emerging and I maye have got it mixed up with the rockmelon, as is appearing round amd not at all like the previous cucumber. Regardless, fruit almost non-existant despite many flowers. Possibly a pollination issue.
• Note the cucumber from the previous cucumber planted a couple of months ago. I thought the plant was about to die, with onyl a few leaves left on the vine. Then a fruit appeared, but alas, it doesn;t look too healthy after a few weeks of growth (see photo below)

The fish are powering along. Maximum size ~15cm long, minimum ~10cm. I'm feeding them 2-3 scoops from a baby formula scoop (I reckon about a tablespoon) per day. I've tried feeding them a little more, but when I do it sits on the bottom of the tank for a while. Mostly feeding at dawn, but trying to remember to feed them at dusk also. They all seem healthy. The also get the odd but of duckweed now and then, but it seems to last a couple of days. I expected them to eat it quicker than that.

I noticed today a bee buzzing around. Got some strange looks from the wife when I got a bit excited about that, but she's not the one having to hand pollinate!

So, there's my latest trials and unfortunately but mostly tribulations. I really need to start spending a bit more time on them and trying new methods, rather than the current "they'll come good" approach. I'm certain that things went downhill after adding the sump and upper 2 GBs. Perhaps not enough ammonia to support the extra to GBs, but I'll keep monitoring and keep you updated.

just realised that the dodgy looking zucchini is actually a cucumber, after eating a healthy one from the same vine. Thought it looked more like a cucumber- must have got my seedlings mixed up

ROFL...

I know it's hard to tell the difference between things if you eat them with your eyes closed Ryan...

But with your eyes open ... surely you can tell the difference between a cucumber and a zucchini...