Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Two question for the brains trust

What is the longest that a forum member has had a grow bed in operation without maintenance (other than planting and harvesting)

Does anyone know of a useful purpose for stringy algae?

I've been running my blue barrel system for about 4 years... never cleaned them, never even looked at them..

I did clean a trough attached to my heavily stocked Silver Perch system, after about two years... but mainly because it was root bound from heavy cropping of tomatoes and corn...

It was virtually clean...

If you stock to the levels suggested, in growbeds of the suggested depth... and with the capcities suggested...

Then IMO... I don't beleive that you'll have a problem...

Over-stock/feed... with under filtration capcity... and you may...

From memory... Joel hasn't cleaned his original system for donkeys years...

Here's the link to the above... viewtopic.php?f=1&t=6495&p=211544

Thanks Rupe
Interesting link your beds seemed pretty clean, it's valuable information
It seems that 4 years is the oldest that you know of? Would be interesting if anyone has had one in continuos operation for longer and how long GB's possibly last
Any thoughts on some practical uses for stringy algae?

My system went 2 years without string algae. Now it's appeared. Bugger of a stuff - the SP don't eat the stuff on top of the water. Compost it?

Hi Gemmell
I currently have a fair amount of stingy algae that I keep under control with regular harvesting with a rake and then compost it. I realise that excessive amounts of algae will deplete DO but I keep some as it provides useful hides for yabbies and young SP, as I gradually provide more hides such as pipes and yabbie hotels and the SP grow bigger I will progressively eliminate the algae.
I'm still curious about finding a use for something that grows so rapidly and is regarded as undesirable or a waste product

Would talapia not eat it? When I put my tilapia in the tank it was "pea soup" - it is clear now after a little over a week.
In the reef tank I employ turbo snails to eat the algea...they do a great job...look tasty too! There must be a fresh water cousin.

SP are omnivores, maybe get some of those snails, however I think string algae is a bit of a pain in terms of cleaning up. I've not heard many people growing it because it's useful for something, more that it's a complete pest.

about 6-7 years in my 4 bed corrugated iron system. The other smaller 1 bed corrugated iron system has been running for about 8-9 years and I cleaned the gravel out once. Decided to just let it go feral after that and since then I only grow water cress in the bed. I cut the water cress back every now and then but it's been growing in there for many years now supporting some big fish for the size of the growbed.

Unfortunately we can't have Tilapia in Australia

So 6 to7 years thats pretty impressive
Any advances on 6 or 7 years from other forum members?

I'm sure there are some who would claim to have been doing aquaponics longer than Joel... (most of them have only surfaced in the last 12-18 months).... but I bet they can't post any proof...

With a bit of photoshop, I can "prove" I was doing it in the 1800s...

I found photos of my first system the other day dated 2002 and it had been set up for a while when the photos were taken... Anyone with one of my book packages has the pics on the CD rom and it's part of the image metadata, so to that person who accused me of making up the dates once, .... The proof is there...

Acording to wikipedia, the aztecs and ancient egypt had some form of aquaponics.