Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I just asked around from some quotes and I need about 35 cubic yards... Comes out to about 1200$ US. Was wondering how much everyone paid for theirs. (By the way, I am really looking forward to hauling and washing all of that gravel. That is in fact the reason I got so interested in aquaponics )

Varies a lot here depending on the type of gravel. Bluemetal probably cheaper and river pebbles expensive and others inbetween.

The more round the gravel is the easier it is ti get your hands into it when you need to dig into it.

my blue metal was $40 CU Mt

2 tonnes = 2 cartons of beer

Was perfect river stones 20mm +, but had been crushed to ~ all 19mm and some fines by the time I got there to pick some up. Looks OK though

Woo hoo! I found a new source does 20 cubic yards for 200$

If you guys had the choice would you go with the pea gravel ,crushed gravel, or river rock?

Looking forward to cleaning 35 cubic yards of gravel!

Whatever you use, make sure it is not limestone or marble!!!!

I've used the 1/2" brown river rock but if you can get stuff that is between 1/2" and 3/4" that would be even better.

The rounded river rock is easier to dig into.

The pea gravel is likely to be a bit small.

Crushed rock will be harder to dig but if it is the right size (closer to 3/4") it might be better.

I know many people have taken to putting larger cheaper rock in the bottoms of the grow beds and then do the top layers in something easier to handle like the river pebbles or clay balls.

Boy I have fallen behind. I'm finally looking to purchase gravel but I have one more question. Would anyone know if 3/4 crushed gravel would be PH neutral? The guys at the building supplies place did not seem to know. It did look like it was maybe crushed granite/marble (not sure about limestone). Right now I am leaning towards this stuff called lodi brown, some sort of river rock that is about 3/4". But in order to save some money I would like to use some of this crushed gravel that is 1/3rd of the price.

Crushed granite should be pretty much pH neutral.... ask for a sample and take it home and soak it for a day or two....

Test the pH of the water before... and after a day or two...

Thanks!

Lodi river rock is ok for PH. The gravel, 3/4" crush will most likely affect PH causing it to rise. I did tests on all the different types of rock available in northern California. The two types of gravel I tested were not acceptable as media. The next cheapest stuff available in my area was the black or red lava rock which is actually scoria and works just fine.

35 yards?!? that's a lot of media. How big is your system going to be? It takes 1 yard to fill an IBC, so 35 IBCs?

One more thing; if you want free rock, check craigslist free section. I just checked your area and there are many people giving away free rock. You will have to remove it from their yard.

Removing rock from a landscape is one of the most labor intensive landscaping projects you can do. I removed about 5 yards of rock and dirt from my front yard. Took one day with 4 people. You have to do it by hand, if you use a bobcat you will end up with too much dirt. Even doing it by hand there will be dirt that needs filtered out. The best way I found was to buy a 2' x 4' screen with 1/2" holes and nail it to a wood frame at a 45 degree angle. Then you just throw the rock on top, gravity will pull the rock down, sifting out the dirt in the process. I suppose if you had someone there with a hose, you could wash the gravel at the same time. I am thinking of posting on craigslist: Free dump site for your rock. That way I can get the rock without having to do the labor of removing it myself.

link to my first system thread in which I tested the different media
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=7545

Forgot to mention this too. 3/4" gravel comes two ways, crushed and uncrushed. Uncrushed is called drain rock usually. The crushed may also be called road base. It has very tiny particles in it that would be smaller than even pea gravel. It is used to make roads with. The tiny and sharp edged particles lock together when compacted making an almost completely smooth surface.

Gees - we're paying $75 here. Thats why we decided on river pebble for $100...figured that a couple hundred bucks more was acceptable if we werent cutting our hands on the stuff all the time. Got the first 5 cu mt the other day - dirty stuff!



Am curious as to how you are looking forward to cleaning 35 cu yards of the stuff??

Have to say we are dreading it, although we are going to try putting it into a fruit bin tipper to wash and move it next to the greenhouse then bucket it in - if the tipper forklift doesnt work for washing we will be at it for a while I think - will be doing 10-15 cubic metres of the stuff but not sure how much that is in yards.

Yikes, I probably jumped the gun and should have held off on the order. And I misspoke, I meant 3 cubic yards, system is 3 IBC's cut in half. I asked the source and they said it was strictly granite and no limestone so I thought it would be okay. I guess if worst comes to worst I can use the gravel as the base for the greenhouse... Were PH levels just way too extreme? Is there a way I can adjust it or would it be constantly raising the PH?

Also, would you maybe happen to know what the gravel was crushed from in your area? I'm crossing my fingers and hoping it was limestone.