Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi Candyman
I do sell a few cichlids all over Australia and I send them via AAE.
I will send you my details in a PM.
Lance

So a year or so on, what's the general thought on Red Scoria? Are people still using it within their systems?

Due to it's price point I'll likely end up using it in my system once it's ready for media (which will be soon!).

I could do without a second head though.

I used scoria to fill the bottom quarter of my grow beds plus more to surround my (bell type) siphon plumbing - as no plants are allowed to grow in that section for fear of root invasion. After 14 months I have absolutely no abnormal water qualities (perfect in fact). My initial fears of some toxins being given off seems ill-founded. Indeed my gold fishes have a much greater survival rate than in my enclosed fish house (in typical aquarium holding tank conditions).

But keep in mind it would be hard on your hands to work with if used as 100% grow medium. The clay balls on the other hand are perfect to work with (according to my wife - who does all the work! )

.....Candyman

Haha I love your style Candyman.

With a potential 2000L's or so of growbeds, going pure clay was just prohibitive in the bigger scheme of things.. and I can pick up trailerloads of red scoria relatively cheaply.

When I spotted the threads questioning it's safety.. well, my ears pricked up

Takes a long time to grow that second head though.....

I think all the doubts were caused by an article that claimed not to know if it was safe, in much the same way I dont know if my dinner plates are safe. There's nothing to suggest they are dangerous, but I really don't know.
Everything I've read and all the datasheets showing whats in scoria scream yummy!

The pros are...

cost
massive surface area compared to everything else.
lots of trace elements
lots of iron
good aeration due to lots of waterfalls going over irregular shapes (my observation only - fill a glass with scoria and watch some water drip and splach and flow in all directions - balls tend to be a bit calmer as the water flows over them)

not-so-goods are....

its ouchie to dig (get a stick)
it holds a huge weight in water even when drained, so if you move like I just did it feels like its double the weight it should.
when harvesting, you have to free the scoria from the rootballs. roots can get a really good grip on it. I get the feeling clay balls would be easer to deal with if you are really old, frail, or lazy. I'm guessing it takes 3 times as much shaking as clay balls would.

other...

pH is around 7.6 and moves toward 7.2 when your system is working

Where can you get it in bulk?
I bought mine in 12kg bags from bunnings

theres a nursery in the liverpool area that sells it for 140 a cubic metre

compared to bexley sands at 220 for the same amount

I hope to use a 2/3 layer of scoria, topped with 1/3 expanded clay (hydroton or any other acceptable substitute). Does any one know of reasonable suppliers in Melbourne?

I've found the following so far, but most don't give an indication of price:
http://www.domegarden.com.au/growing-me ... nded-clay/

Agromatic Corporation Pty Ltd trading as Autopot Systems 810 Springvale Road, Braeside (Melbourne), Victoria 3195, Australia
http://www.autopot.com.au/default.aspx? ... 650FCBEB76


Melbourne Aquaponics, 90 Marylyn Place, Cranbourne Vic 3977, http://www.melbourneaquaponics.com.au/

http://www.growfresh-aquaponics.com.au/products.php <http://www.growfresh-aquaponics.com.au/>

As scoria is mined here in Melbourne, I was hoping to get an idea of price, but Bunnings seems to be selling it at a high price in 6kg bags!

I just got my scoria from my local soild & garden supplier (1 x half metre on my trailer) - not expensive.

yeah I would have thought that you could get it at any garden supplier by the trailer load.... why would anyone think to purchase such a thing at "b" !!!!

- hot bunnings sales girl in garden section who seemed to think aquaponics was "like, totally worth while, karmically speaking"
- impatience
- lack of towbar
- poor forward planning
- tendency toward impulse purchases when starting a shiny new obsession
- in-bag washing option at public tap due to being on rainwater only
- hot bunnings sales girl in garden section who seemed to think aquaponics was "like, totally worth while, karmically speaking"

sorry mrs bullwinkle

I've been using black scoria. Same stuff as the red scoria really, just a different color. No problems with it.

I don't mind digging in it with my hands, but a couple of garden trowels help. Over time the sharpness of the edges diminish. When I pull up a plant I cut the top of plant off and just lay the root ball out on top of the bed. This gives the worms a chance to escape. Additionally, the scoria is easier to pick out of the root ball after it has dried and withered.

I've also noticed the gravel settles a bit (until you uproot a plant). Does this happen with other medias as well?

They have sales people at Bunnings? I thought they were all trained to run off when ever you had a question. In fact i sell personal alarms at work and i always let the customer that they are great for attracting attention at Bunnings.

Im also going to use 2/3 red cinder and 1/3 hydroton on top. Im from hawaii so we have as much cinder as you could ever want...

I watched in a aussie aquaponic tutorial video where he only used hydroton. He said you dont need to wash it, that after 2 weeks the water was all clear again?