Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

And I bought him a new set straight away. I know how desperate people can get without their holesaws.

Last week I went out and collected some duckweed from a nearly dried up creek. Most of it got eaten by the fish, but I put some of it in a bathtub to multiply. Well, no multiplication... most of it died

There was some left in the monster tank, some of it is still alive, but most of the remaining duckweed has lost all its green and are just whitish.

I went to a few pet shops today to see if any was available (cheating for the scrounger). At one shop they promised to order me some (here in a few weeks, like everything else that is on order at the moment...) At another shop the woman nearly bit my head off when I asked if she had any duckweed... "that's a declared pest in Queensland you know."

J, "but you've got some in your tanks, here"

"No, that's not duckweed its the leaves of this other plant"

J, "but it looks like..."

"No, I've been inspected by the DPI you know. All my plants are clean"

Well, after I recovered my head from her jaws, I nearly laughed in her face! Duckweed (Lemna sp. ) is not a declared weed in Queensland. Dept Primary Industries does not look after weed species, Dept Natural Resources and Water does. And, it WAS duckweed in her tanks!

I've called around a few places, including my work to see if they knew any duckweed around the area, and I'm back to the dried up creek from last week...

Maybe some of the remaining plants will some good and we'll be able to get started again with the green food source.

Have you tried garden centres. I know my local has a pond coverede in the stuff

our garden shops barely have ANY water plants, let alone anything useful!

One suggestion from work was to try some of the parks around town, so I'll call the Council and see what they say.

don't call them , that only gives them an opportunity to say no

That's one mad looking system you have there. Can't wait to see you trying to catch the full grown fish.

Nova

The force is strong with this one........................

Jaymie, duckweed ships very well, i can send you some of mine at the moment, i don't have much, as i grow it in my tropical aquarium and when it covers the tank i remove 80% and put it in the AP tank, it lasts about 8 hours But you're welcome to some

Regarding buying it in the aquariums..............i asked a BIG local aquarium about it, and got the same sort of response, ecapt they gave me more of an explaination. Fisheries does regular inspections of aquariums, and althought duckweed is not a declared pest here "DPI/F doesn't like us keeping or selling it" in her words.

I guess when you at DPI/F's mercy it pays to keep them happy

PM me your mailing addy, i'll try and hook up with F&F as i want to steal some of his duckwwed too! If its a different species then i'll send you both.

Steve

Don't worry about the harvesting, My rods are waiting to go!

Duckweed update - the Council called back and said, that while they didn't have any in the Conservatory at one of the parks, they thought there was some in one of the lagoons and I was welcome to any that I found! She even said that if one of the Parks Inspectors pulled me up to say that I had permission!

So, maybe on Monday while FIL has the kids in the park I might go wading...

Now, what can I do with 50m of 63mm poly pipe?



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solar shower?

thanks to the T city Council, I now have a bucket FULL of duckweed and Azolla and I know where to go back for more...

The roof beams are up for the green house and the film is onna truck somewhere... waiting, waiting.

We're off to the FIL's this arvanoon to pick some mangos. Yum, yum, yum. We should come home with a few boxes full... sorry C1 we're not allowed to send any to WA, but we'll take some pix of us enjoying them if you like!

Here's the roof beams, up finally, with carpet tacked on top to protect the greenhouse film

the tubs are only in a temporary position while the roofing happens

The duckweed tubs. I need to get another bed frame to cover the second tub.

At one of the parks in town there is a lagoon with heaps of lotus and Azolla sp. and Lemna sp.. I was a bit disappointed that no-one asked me what I was doing with a net and buckets, and I could have said that "Julie said I could", but you get that!

I meant to put this in earlier. These are some of the fry we managed to catch in the creek, that have survived for weeks in with the spangles and all. There seems to be about 20 fry from about 5mm long to 12mm (rainbow "fingerlings" I suppose )

Get a lense out of some polarised sunglasses and take a picture through it, it stops the reflections on the water and you can see the fish better. Trick of the trade...