Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

This is the last day of Christmas vacation for me, and I've reserved it as an AP-only day!

As noted in the 2009 system thread, got the in-ground sump put in then stalled out last year. I hope this year will be better!

Goals:
1. Get started earlier with something that can grow plants.
2. More growing volume and plants this year. Hopefully more than ever!
3. Experiment with non-gravel-based growing media/setups.
4. Trout!

Right now I'm thinking about planted walls and other lightweight frameworks.

For the fish the plan is to set up the sump as a raceway tank, with a continuous pump going from one end to other with a bakki shower/trickle tower for continuous aeration and biofiltering, and a solids settling gadget with a sump pump in it on a timer. The sump pump would get the accumulated solids out to the beds. Some gravel beds and a variety of other kinds of planting setups like walls and towers. I want to try cheap lightweight materials and charcoal as a lightweight cheap medium.

Today the system frozen a foot deep - you can walk on the sump ATM.

Good Luck in your search for new materials!

I've been thinking a little along those same lines. Gravel is great up to about 6 tons and I was ok with the 2nd 6 tons but I don't want to buy more gravel at this point. And I don't think my big system needs any more really (I'm close to a 2:1 ratio.) But during certain seasons, I need more plants or I need plants that suck up more nitrogen.

Good to see you getting back on the horse DD...

Here's a neat portable gardening framework that is similar in a few ways to what I am have in mind for this year's system:

http://leopoldobcn.com/en

Dave!
See if you can get "haydite" or "Buildex" expanded shale at a concrete supply yard. Don't mention aquaponics, or any kind of ponics, or bonsai...
It may be OK to say you are sourcing "Green Roof" material.

York Building Products Company York,PA
Lehigh Cement Company Allentown,PA
or
Binkley & Ober, Inc. East Petersburg,PA
New Holland Concrete New Holland,PA
Beavertown Block Company Middleburg,PA

why not mention AP or anything else?

jT

They have bags of expanded shale at the garden center here near the house. $7 for 40lbs. For a small system, that is not a bad price.

Mark

Hey thanks for the tip Sminfiddle!

I didn't mean to imply anything negative or surreptitious, on the contrary I am a vocal booster of AP among gardeners, in home centers and heck, whenever anyone'll listen!

But it seems that when a sales rep sees his pile of nice porous aggregate as a bulk material to hydrate a concrete mix, there's a certain (low end) price in his head. If he is selling a soil amendment to a landscaper, there's an assumed smaller quantity and higher price tag involved.
If the idea is he is gonna sell relatively small bags of container-ready (albeit unwashed) media to a "Hydro" farmer or worse, by the cup to a bonsai enthusiast, it's going to only be worth his time if the rate is higher. I got a "whole yard minimum" and what I think was a high delivery price at a place here, my impression was I said the wrong words and got pegged as small-potatoes or fringe market.
I am pricing crushed granite for container soil as another example. The fertilizer store in the city limits wants $27.99 for the same size bag that costs $7.99 as chicken grit at the feed store.

Always exceptions, like yesterday at a stone/gravel yard I got into a great discussion with the owner about media/propagation/citrus/granite/local food but at first her staff wanted to sell me limestone or crushed shells as a sub for expanded shale.
YMMV but I care about APers' pocketbooks as we wander in search of good media.

Rick

Over the past week or so, I just learned to say I need "IT" (fittings, shale, concrete, gaskets, a little rubber hose thing that looks like this, and etc...) for a science project. Makes life so much easier!

Mark

I shoulda tried that on Joel when I bought my GBs last week !!

Reed switch, eggs, ammonia, car door actuator, enough downspout for 6-7 stories...

What's he building in there?!?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaLjwSpZ6Cs

You're very wise Rick.

27"/68cm of snow from the 2010 blizzard last week looks like this:

One of the last of my tilapia in the Fall: