Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Agreed... 10% is pretty consistantly reported during warm/hot weather... don't sweat it...

Most of it is being lost through transpiration through the plant leaves... the hotter it is, the more they'll transpire... nothing you can do about it..

When I grow tomatoes, I am finding that the water levels drop really quickly. The tomatoes grow at such a fast rate, converting the water into plant cell production and general plant transpiration.

I haven't messured the amount of water I top up with, but it is quiet a bit when all 6 beds are in full swing. Our ground water in Onslow is ment to be some of the best in Australia, according to Water Authority Western Australia. I never had thew problem Fodder has experienced with fish going of their food. If the water was warm, they smashed the food regardless of the added water.

But I always added the water to the sump tank and let it pump into the main tank. Spooking the Barra would put them of there food, and I think a running hose in the tank with Barra most probably would spook them for sure.

Just a thought, but maybe fill up a bucket of water everyday and gently poor it into the tank, of onto the garden bed, instead of running the hose in the tank Spooked barra are a pain....

I have let the system drain out.

26/7/2010 the water level is 20mm from that line.
27/7/2010 the water level is 35mm from the line

Also the tank is about 1540mm wide at the top. So some one who is better at maths than me can figure out what that equals in Liters

CH

Sorry i was not clear, i actually force the bed to flood and then tie down the hose pipe at the oppisit end to the drain and let it fill up over about 30 mins.
It was in an effort to "mix" the two water PH levels and minimise the stress on the fish.

So after saying all that, the little blighters feed realllllly well tonight after putting in heaps of water.
Finiky little bastards. At least they are not eating each other!!!!

PS oh and the tomato's STILL are green. All i want to do is EAT THEM!!!!

CH

I grow tomatoes in selfwatering/wicking tubs in the greenhouse/shadehouse each year, and the 30L resevoir of water in the tubs will be used in 3 days with two full grown tomato plants..
So thats 5L/day for each plant and maybe a bit more when its really hot.

Fodder , they can stay green up to a month !!!!

26/7/2010 the water level is 20mm from that line.
27/7/2010 the water level is 35mm from the line
28/7/2010 Missed
29/7/2010 Missed
30/7/2010 Missed
31/7/2010 The water level is 100mm from the line

( tank is about 1540mm wide at the top. We will ingore that it gets smaller to the bottom)

found a calulator on the net


So i have lost 186L out of say 1000 in about 5-6 days.

Interesting.

Hi everyone,

Well its pretty well official, i am leaving the Pilbara and heading back to Sunny, warm and dry Melbourne!! (Croydon/ Ringwood area ) I am not sure about timings atm, but it will be within a month or so.

Also not sure about the AP system. There are people making noises about buying it, but the Removals guy says it will add stuff all to the load back to Melbourne. So either way i really done mind. Shame about the Barra, would love someone to take them off my hands, HEY Jessie, want some Barra? Also got a heap of Barra food...........

But if i do take it back i am going to get another grow bed and two stands, plus some Hydro-tron this time. Also would like a 2000L FT, but cant afford that unless someone buys the system up here. (All from the BYAP supplier, of course. Gotta support the good guys )

Now all i gotta do if figure out what a jumper and long pants look like, plus figure out what i can grow in the oh-so-sunny-and-warm Melbourne. But I am sure there are some cold weather experts down there that can help me out.

CH

An early welcome back , it's a lovely 12˚c and raining today and the central heating hasn't stopped all day.

Look forward to seeing your next AP system.

Brett.