Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Further reading suggest they will not do well in AP.

Posted these in the plant section but will add them here also. Basil developing some black spots. I read it might be a fungus. Anyone know fer sure?

On another note, I am trying to brainstorm creative ways in integrating gravel with DWC. I will soon be constructing a hybrid gravel DWC bed, its gonna be cool. But I had another idea:

Say you make a DWC bed 6 inches deep and layer the bottom of it with 1 inch of gravel for the purpose of adding some bio filtration. it would add like 20 gallons of gravel in a 4x8 foot bed. What do you guys think?

A quarter pound would be plenty. Do folks sell worms for fishing there? Those are generally worms raised for that purpose which means probably good for AP... If you find out when fresh ones are delivered you will be most likely to get healthy ones. Probably 50 or 100 worms is plenty.

This idea has been postulated many times.. and actually tried once or twice... despite warnings that the gravel would become a festering mess of uneaten feed and other wastes...

IMO... keep your gravel in your growbeds... and your tank/growbed bottoms clean...

Ahh, thanks Rupe, guess that makes sense.

Will post my progress on my Gravel GB/DWC as it goes...

Rupe, this one's for you, I think you'd be proud!!

And well you should be proud HN... nice plant...

Here are some updates. Doing pretty good. The DWC bed is on its second crop. Going pretty well, had a pretty bad aphid infestation but I think I have it under control. I'll also have to get some shade cloth with summer on the way. The lettuce shrivels and burns these days.

The only thing I can't get growing are chili seedlings. They just won't grow. I had a hawaiian chili starter and that took off like no other but the seedlings just don't grow. I think its cause my pH is too high: 7.7

Strawberries are doing well even though its in Hawaii!! Checkout the sunflowers. Its a dwarf variety. pretty cool!

Man I'm gonna have a good dinner pretty soon!

one more

The only things that don't appear to be doing well... are those in the black scoria beds...

Apart from the media... is anything else different in/with these beds.... i.e flood & drain times??

rupe, only difference is the scoria. Flood and drain times are very similar. You think its the scoria? To hard on the roots?

do you think I should use a top layer of hydroton? I never thought about the media causing the problem. I just thought the other chili grew well because it was a starter that was pretty big.

Hard to say HN... seems to be the only discernable difference, other than the chillies were seeded in the scoria.... try seeding a couple of chillies in another bed...

Perhaps the scoria is getting too hot...

Maybe you could place a bit of white cloth around a plant to protect it from the heat and see if that makes a difference..

The dwarf sunflowers are indeed cool! I just planted some regular sunflower seeds, but I'm expecting to have to pull them because they'll get way too big.