Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi
Thanks Faye...
I finished off the one outside wall today.
Learned from yesterday and getting better at this.
Yesterday I had to make a business decision and I will have to leave for Pretoria on next Tuesday...
Will be working there for 20 days…
I want to do most of the building work before I go.
This puts me back as far as my system is concerned……

Hi all
Today I spent the whole day plastering the outside of the other wall and then bagging the inside of the two walls. Back breaking work but now it is done.

Looking good Francoise, see you when you get back from Pretoria

I started plastering and finishing of the tops of walls today.
Looks ok even a little overhang.
This building of my system from foundations to finish has taught me a few things…..and a sore back and hands
But almost there….tops and ends to finish.
The ends I will do after I have had my two bottom trays in place to see what will work the best.
I don’t want to build totally closed for access and maintenance.

This morning I tried my two bottom duckweed trays.

Had to rework the brickwork on one side and make longer by 100 mm for tray to fit with some clearance for pipe fittings.
I rebuild this broken end and tomorrow I can finish of both my ends….happy with the way things worked out. When the two trays are in place it looks good.

Eager beaver...I placed my trays in the reworked size...cement still very wet
i am happy....

the layout of pipes from these two trays.
from duckweed back into barrel sump

Hi Francois. I am a little worried about the concept of growing duckweed in the dark! This goes against all I know about plants and how they grow. You say you did it before but those pictures show duckweed growing under a heavy shade cloth and thus a far cry from complete darkness. I know that shade cloth well as I am a South African and can actually attest to the fact that I have actually become sun burnt lying under that exact shade cloth so it does let lots of sun through. Perhaps you should try and grow some duckweed in darkness before you proceed but I can pretty much predict that it will not grow at all. Am I missing something here? What does everyone else think?

I have complete faith in Francois and believe he can do what ever he sets out to He has determination and commitment judging by what i have seen of his past efforts. What has he got to lose?

Well I would love to be proven wrong! Growing plants in the dark. Plants people could eat or feed to animals. That would revolutionize the world! It's like trying to fly by flapping your arms. No amount of determination is going to make it work. Determination is fabulous, and required to achieve anything in life but please let's work with the elements and knowledge base we have at our disposal and not try and do something that is doomed to failure! Plants don't grow in darkness, except possibly fungi or some parasitic things but duckweed?

Please people... More opinions..

Oh and by the way Francois... I to love your work and in fact find it inspiring... But I am a little worried about this duckweed thing.

No other opinions

Hi All
Well the trip to Pretoria turned out well…..we finished the installation before the deadline and that meant coming home a few days earlier.
A team of eight of us stripped out an old conveyer and installed a new system.
Working twelve hour per day and a good team …..

Hi Brian
......A QUESTION asked by all.....???????
yes you are right by the way you intrepid the working of my system
duckweed grown under min light conditions (openings on side walls)
i can only say lets wait and see