Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

There was mention made in Joels book to avoid perlite due to it breaks down. I was hoping to save the back (which is pretty rooted ) and try and used a light medium for my growbeds. Is that still the recommendation, Avoid it? The expanded clay balls, are they lighter?

Thanks

Perlite can be used, but yes, it's nowhere near as stable as so many other mediums like 'the heavy ones' or expanded clay.

Expanded clay balls are great.... Very light, but also very expensive, their only draw back..

Even getting them very cheaply at maybe $20 per 50 L (less than 1/2 the standard price of some places), it would cost $200 just till fill one of Murrays grow beds. I guess it's ok if you have some $ you are willing to spend, or if you only have a small growbed.





This small bed took about 75 litres of clay balls, and for memory they cost ne about $40-$50 per 50L bag at the time....

You're gettin pretty good with timber too Joel!

I love DIY though I've had a few disasters on me hands.

Haven't you noticed the heavy airbrushing on my greenhouse shots, especially round the erogenous zones.

you must be going to run out of room eventually joel, maybe you should move all your fences out a metre while the neighbours are asleep!!

Maybe I'tt use the shitty cracked gravel on the bottom and expanded clay on the top 100mm for ease of planting on the fingers...

AA, I though maybe your pictures were just out of focus.

MonyaI have to wait for something to die, or move stuff... I moved the shed to make the large system, the barrel system only got built because the big mango tree I had died. Now I either have to loose the shed, or remove large productive fruit trees, things I'm not keen on doing.

Joel, if i were you i'd keep in close contact with your rear neighbour..........If there is ever talk of selling snap it up, and turn it into a rental with no backyard. Thats so you can extend your back fence line anopther half a block.

THAT'S SMART THINKING

And so we have it, yet more evidence that we are true addicts and the lengths we would go to to expand on our addiction!

im def in the right place im after my neighbours garden for my green house because it gets more winter sun !

blodger

Hey Guys. I am making the plans to start the growing bed. I was thinking of using pea gravel, but very heavy, maybe a mixture of lava rock on the bottom and lighter gravel on top. Has anyone every tried mail filler. The little styrofoam fillers added to shipping boxes? Commercial bio filter media is very expensive. Living in Florida, one does not have much choices in rock, just lots of sand.
Any other ideas.
Joyce

is that stuff food safe??? never seen it used for this before...

A lot of those new padding fillers (small foam like pieces) are made from wheat or something similar and they will disolve in water... I didn't believe it either untill we tried it at work, I even tried eating a bit and it tastes like some breakfast cerials but without the sugar.... I certainly don't think it's food safe and wouldn't recommend others eat it though......

Hell, give it to steve, he will burn it

Yes, I have see Steves fire exhibits. We have great fire work displays, especially at Disney, maybe he should give it a try> There maybe no other use for those little packing pieces, except to burn them.
I have years of regular fish gravel, the small kind from years of aquariums. I don't know why I kept it, buckets of it in the back yard, I think it may already have bacteria growing in it. I remembered these buckets late last night. My grow beds would be colorfull, pink, blue, some lime green.
I'll let you know.
Thanks
Joyce

pictures Joyce, we loves pictures!