Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

The fish are still ignoring any food I tempt them with when it gets warmer,
since that last disaster I had no loses.
The only thing I’m picking for now are salad greens and yesterday also first few sugar peas.
And at the back behind them are some broad beans in flower.

When asked to make a small Fairy Garden, I never imagined a Fairy Castle were supposed to be part of it.
Doesn’t look much yet and have no idea how it will look when finished.

Did you know that vermiculite or perlite as well may be used to make concrete?
It’s very light but not much better than papier-mâché.

During the last rebuilt I had to move the big cabinet to the garage to make space for the second IBC.
Now only the relay boards are housed in small cabinets above the FTs.
Also have connected the recently acquired 100 A/H deep c. battery to the B/Up system.

With my DW still on extended (double) long service leave there seems to be somehow less daytime and more work that normally would be.

Originally I had the Power failure B/Up sys. connected by mains sourced DC voltage energized relay
but didn’t liked much the idea as most of them are not made to be permanently on,
so replaced it with a pair of complimentary transistors and few resistor and diodes.

One transistor, supplied from (mains) 12V holds the second, battery supplied transistor opened.
On power failure the second transistor turns on the relay.
It’s my own design, had it running practically since installing the B/Up sys.
Used only twice in emergency as I recall but tested regularly to discharge the batteries. Worked perfectly every time.

The only problem I had during the testing stage, if I remember well, the circuit will not work properly, will not reset
if the mains sourced 12V were much lower than the battery supplied voltage.

I’m only a hobbyist in this field, so if any of you pros can see any improvement to it, do let me/us know.

AP pretty slack till now, getting greens, snow peas and broad beans from it,
but the fish are still ignoring the food.
On Sunday came across some earthworm that I threw in and the SPs went ballistic but had no interest in pellets.
Will be getting warmer this week so hope seeing some action soon.

My other project is getting along slowly, wanted a decent size watchtower to be part of it
but could not squeeze it beside the fairy castle.
Pity, had already another use in mind for it.
Will have to find a place for it somewhere else.

Did a bit of smoking as well.
Tried to buy some curing salt from my friendly butcher but he were running very low so had no luck.
Mentioned to him the pool salt and he saw no problem, it is the same salt that gets further processed before it gets to the supermarket.
So that’s what I’m using now.

Love the oven, did you buy plans, make them up or find them online somewhere?

a modified MTO

Earlier on I thought I had an issue (raised on another thread) with my SPs and Cats not feeding or only very little, changing to a new, fresh food didn’t help much.
but did notice them getting very active and feeding with a storm coming in, so as my SIL suggested, may be because the water temperature rarely getting over 21oC,
except for that early heatwave when it did rise to 24oC.

The GBs look quite bare after pulling out most of the winter greens, lot of them were going into seed anyway.
Do have other seedlings ready to put in.

Nice oven. Want to build one soon, just have to work out heat etc. Going to put a hot tub next to it with pipes running through it. While you cook the water gets heated.
2 bird kinda thing.

Also working on a new controller for the #2 IBC and the TUB FT.
Till now I am using the one from the previous 3 TUBs sys. running both pumps in each FT sequentially but the IBC together with the TUB.
The new one will allow me to run the FTs pumps alternatively
( IBC pump1 > TUB pump1 > IBC pump2 >TUB pump2 > …….)
so if one FT will go into HSM, the other will continue normally, changing only the Pump Off time.
In the design have also provision for a temperature sensor inversely change the Pump Time Off period
but with the FT water temp. reaching 24oC during the heatwave, that may not be warranted.

And I did finish the other project (almost).
Already lit two light (small) fires, and with two more the oven should be ready for the big one.
And now to find somebody who knows what to use it for, pity embi’s not just across the road.

That oven looks great, at first i thought your door to oven height was going to cause you problems with lighting the fire, but it looks like it fires up just fine. Mate you can cook anything in the suckers, very difficult to overcook any meats as it keeps so much moisture in. Chickens are fantastic, and of course the classic pizza's. AP fish in the wood oven, that's my plan. Your AP system is very neat, love it.

Steve you will get a good lesson at embies place in march gettogether

Hopefully will not have to wait so long, F&F.


Hardly catching some breath after finishing that “Fairy Castle”, my DW presented me with two boxes overflowing with stuff for HER Fairy Garden.

Newer imagined there could be so much fairy junk to be found.

Glad she is pleased with my effort but she’s getting heart attack when catching out Bailey (cat) playing hopscotch with the dwarfs.

Wild Portulaca was already discussed on another thread, I planted some bought seeds of a cultivated variety,
its doing pretty well but a seedling I put into a GB took two weeks to start growing but now is catching up.
That Green barrel sys. is powered only by two resident goldfish.
Seeing how well it does, have planted more seeds.

Now to find out how best to use it.

Earlier bought grafted tomato and an eggplant.
Did chose plants with developed suckers that I cut off and transplanted.
Turned out that the same rootstock was used for tomatoes and the eggplants.

Used two of the bigger rooted suckers to graft “Mini Lebanese” eggplant on.
Just cut small sliver from the rootstock and a eggplant seedling and joined them together.
One graft was successful, one misaligned when tying it together so didn’t take but the rootstock developed a lot roots from the callus.

over 40 oC in the shade, not exactly confy temperature to spend the day outside
so time for a bit of update

No picks of fish, water's to murky
While the non AP toms and eggplants were doing quite well, those in the GBs till recently were doing nothing.
Had to pull out the eggplants, always full of mites and struggling to survive.
Thought it better than to contaminate the water with something nasty.

Last week the toms, Hungarian Heart and Peron started growing and they're catching up.
On the non AP toms so far, it does make difference leaving the pollination to the nature or giving it a bit help with a toothbrush.

SS I see that $12 @ B's was a good investment (and time saver by reading your thread) have had mine in use now for over 2 months and still works well. However, I think the accuracy is a bit out, (about 1 deg) as have had 2 reading side by side. But still a good buy.