Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I think a little rockwool puff, above the high-tide line but with a "tail" dipping down into the water (when it's risen) will work just fine to wet their whistle... seeds too.

Rick

Hey Rick,

I have a bit of Rockwool I can use for just that purpose, but, are there any special safety precautions I need to take when using rockwool? I think I read must be worked wet rather than dry. And won't rockwool stay to wet and rot and grow algae and that sort of thing?

Take precautions not to inhale its dust. It is more pleasant to work wet, but "dry" I have not had issues beyond skin irritation. What I worked with was bulk fluff for building insulation and i knew it was made from nice inert granite. Treat it with extra caution if you don't know the source material for certain! Rockwool sold for plants has been "stiffened" and I would use without worry.

As children we bought "itching powder" as a novelty and it seemed to be the dust from something very much like this. Temporary discomfort... Once I know for sure it's not ASBESTOS my mind eases a great deal.

Rock won't rot (why I don't use cotton), yes algae will grow on it so tuck it into the shade and keep the amounts small. Just enough to wick some water up to some of the roots.

I would be more concerned with fragments flaking off and getting to the fish and pumps! So try to secure it enough to stay put until the roots grow in and anchor it. Roots enjoy it.
Overall, from your questions I believe you already will be cautious enough. Any chance that it's ASBESTOS just avoid dealing with it.

What I keep on hand now is big sheets of "Poly Batting" from the omnipresent American retailer W@l-M@rt. Locally it may be "Polyester Pillow Filling," "Poly-Fill" etc. etc. Inexpensive and sterile. It can be cut into strips to wick water up, sheets to make a quick filter pad (but they do clog), mats to perform capillary transport in a raft situation, or even to fill a non-allergic pillow!

Try some different configurations and share the results, we're all watching!

Rick

Cheers Rick you have a picture of this 'poly batting' i could see?

At your service...

ROFL@ its natural state, very witty Rick, bravo

Sadly have to report, lost another fish :facepalm: Was one of the big ones, have made a video of it all, will report in detail later at night, at a time when there is probably a beer in my belly.

Ah so, went up to the system 12 hours after having last checked it, found one of the new big fat goldies dead and floating next to the top of the SLO. Am pretty sure the SLO wasn't the cause of the death though, think it was an ammonia/nitrite spike or something due to the increased feed they been getting past couple of days. FUnny thing, the back of its fins were eating up, had found all the goldies mobbing around the carcasss, well most of them anyways, and they even had a go at my hand when i reached in to get it out, I think the goldies ate that goldie! before or after it was dead theres no telling :/

Changed about 30-40 percent of the water, held feed back, will start again tomorrow.

Developed another minor leak, this time in the SLO outlet from the FT, thinking about just ripping it oput and putting in a new SLO, might do that tomm.

ST looking great, those supposed red lobsters doing a great job at it.

Can definately make out at two sprouts in the chili bed, so at least something has taken root, yay, the germinating pots doing well too, tomatos and chilis are at least. Will transplant them into the AP soon as they sprout a second set of leaves.

Saw some algae in the ST today and some in the GBs, first time seen it there, hope the sunlight kicks in in a day or so, have a feeling the plants may be slow becuase of that.

Doesn't feel like I'm moving forward

Damn! Damndamndamn!

Lost another one, one of the small ones this time, went up just now, roughly 11 hours after I found the fat one dead and did the water change, thinking now should have added some salt as well, was checking the GB's actually for continous flow and just glanced at the FT saw that this little one was swimming around a bit dodgedly, so went about fixing the continous flow by adjusting the ball valve inputs to the GBs and the breather pipes in the siphons, got it done and then peeked at the FT to see this one not swimming at all just floating by the SLO drain in the corner, already being pecked at by the other fish, they seem REALLY ravenous! kept off feeding them just at the moment, will do so in the afternoon.

The seedlings in the planters are really coming up, have been supplementing them with water from the AP system past couple of days, think that may be having an effect.

But back to the almost dead goldie, so I tryed to float it upright and rub it a bit like I saw the aquarium shop guy do but to no avail, also the other fish kept trying to get a bite in through my hand so felt that there was no way it would survive in this tank, figured no way it would survive with the turtles, especially spartacus, so chucked her in the ST, figuring it would stay out of the yabbies reach. It swam around happily once and went to the far corner, at which point my mobile battery died and I was in the dark, saw it fall to the bottom once and swim back up, fall again, and be leapt upon by the yabbie hiding behind the pump, it din't come up again. I din't actually see the details as it was dark but that yabbie made damn quick work of the goldie! At least all her minerals/nutrients remain in the system this way

While I was looking at it I noticed nothing strange about it, till I noticed what looked like blood around its mouth and a bit on its forehead, mayhaps the fishie got into a fight she couldn't handle, or tried to chomp the metal wire around the SLO or the one holding the grill in place, in either case a matter to be pondered in the morning.

I think the last fish kill was on the 12th, if I haven't missed a post while backreading my thread, and now I have two in as many days, intriguing.

All seems fine at the moment, all GB's siphoning nicely, crayfish and fish all looking happy, and alive

Beginning to suspect that the big money plant may be eating up all the nitrates, thinking will remove it when transplant the seedlings.

Fed only once a day again today, will do this tomm and for the next couple of days till am sure no more fish dieing.

Must make myself a new GB, a big one, so that its just one GB, these planters afford just too little growing area and coupled with my extra large grow media I think its really holding me back. One GB will also significantly decomplicate the plumbing and reduce points of failure.

I'll second the "nope" on that.


According to UVI's notes on their commercial system, they fed their fish about 60 to 100 grams of food per day for each square meter of growbed. So, if you are feeding 30 grams a day you can probably support around 1/2 of a square meter. This is very rough, but should give you an idea.


The sketchup site has tutorials.

Potassium: I wonder if there is any cheap dense source of potassium that you would have access to there? I found suppliers of potassium chloride in your country, but min order is 200 tons..... *grin*
Maybe call garden or farm suppliers?


I wouldn't count on it as the chemistry of iron is a bit complex and there are various compounds that are soluble and available and others that are not. I've been trying rusting pieces of iron, but things still show deficiencies unless I add chelated iron.

I understand that the huge deposits of iron that exist around the world were deposited when the life first polluted the earth with it's toxic waste product (O2) and killed off most of what existed. Before that those deposits were all dissolved.



They love to eat fish, tadpoles, frogs, and anything else that get's close. Quite a bit like crayfish. They also love to walk away in search of a better home, so be warned. Interesting individual characters, though.

Hey hey, thanks for the great input hydro, will update if I manage to get any lead to those suppliers, but I have a feeling the bananas being eaten by the crayfish ought to introduce potassium into the system as well, otherwise TCK had a great input regarding potassium bicarbonate which should definately be able to get, I think.

The turtles are quite interesting individuals, filthy buggers though, got to set up their turtleponics beds ASAP to at least reduce water turnover somewhat.

All fine in the AP system, had been watching these white dots and then black sooty stuff on the chili plants that I've been complaining had stalled, was reading the forum and saw through some pics that they be aphids, washed them off with plain water as suggested by TCL in taht thread. Also spotted a lot of cobwebs around the system, even in the media so am sure have got at least some friends working with me up there.

Seedlings coming along nicely too, maybe a week more and they'll go in.

Only plants really happy and impressive in the AP so far are the basil, hope those peppers and tomatoes get going soon.

Also still got that slow leak at the SLO outlet from the FT, but it doesn't seem critical so am letting it slide at the moment.

Speaking of crayfish, do I need to feed them or will they keep feeding on the wastes coming into the ST?

Waste is probably enough to keep them alive, but they love fish food..... or fish as food (as you have found). My wife put some fancy goldfish in with my common ones and the crayfish quickly caught their long fins and dragged them down.

yea I keep chucking in some pellets but not really sure they eat them, anyhew, they will be sure to get fishy treats if any more die/are wounded

Spent a while today fighting with a sticky siphon, feels like thats what I've been doing for days.

Will go up in the morning and drill a hole into the bell tubes, just about 10 mm above the crenelations I think, that ought to stop the siphon for sure, the breather tubes not functioning at all anymore I think, all blocked up with algae is the guess, got to go back to the fish shop and pick up this blue tubing they had, it was smaller but at least it won't allow algae.

Chili's coming up, the older plants look better for the bathing to save them from aphids, have a good feeling about it. Little ones popping up in the GB now as well also, can't be sure, but a tomato seedling may also have taken off in a GB, woo freaking hoo!!

If you have an aquarium you could keep one in there for a few days to see if it eats pellets.


Good idea. I think it should work well, especially if it is a small enough hole that it will not break the siphon by itself. Another concept would be to place a pot or bowl over the assembly to keep it in the dark.