Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Wow,

The growth rates of plants goes up when you add fish to the system. Continuous feeding with fish poo, reather than occasional dolups of SEASOL and pee make a huge difference. Broc and lettuce close to double in size over last two weeks. Caterpillers having trouble keeping up with growth rate. Rain washed all dipel off!

Still no change in am with about 20 crushed pellets, so will increase feed rates. Still don't see the fish, but they must be there. Added some duck weed for them to munch on between feeds. Pond down road almost overgrown with the stuff after warmer days.

Had to lift the grow bed, as the drain was well under top of water. Siphon gushes right to bottom and stops really quickly. Used some 90x90 H4 CCA treated posts (although the treatment record showed they were really treated to H5). They have been sitting outside in weather for 5 years now, so no surface residues leach.

It was mighty effort to lift the corners one by one high enough to slip the posts accross the FT. Fences and a pile of paving in the way, so limited access.

Rain hasn't stopped for the year yet and I don't want to drain any water out. Water level about 2 in from top of tank now, might have to add overflow and suck from a sump until water level drops from evap.

Need to find camera to put up some photos next update.

Sounds very good Dr bee, can't wait to see the photos

my SP are most active near sunset and will happily attack pellets and bugs at the surface. that will be your best chance of seeing them

Time for an update!

Well I have finally spotted the fish. Had to be quick as they hide under the pump. They are all bigger than the pump now, so are showing good growth rates.

Troutman- all SP's have survived to date.
Lettuce is growing well. Eating hearts out of them. Lovely soft leaves. Outer ones bitter and tough.

Have to make some changes this week end. I have had just one outlet from the pump on one side. The broc and lettuce grow well that side, but minimal growth on the other side.

Will put in a ring main over the weekend with drippers through out to spread water around. Had the first snow peas off the system. Boy do they grow fast. Tomato seedlings going off as well, but can't seem to grow any new lettuce or strawberries. Will try putting on paper towel as others have mentioned.
Seedlings grow well in the strawberry containers.
Will also trim down the sides now that I am happy with 30cm bed. Gravel is wet due to rain. Don't need to add tap water for a little while, as I collected some from last nights storms.
Water in tank is clear, phH dropped to7.2, rates and ites zero. Happy days.

Good to hear, you should start to see a lot more of them now that the waters are warming up a bit.

Weather has certainly heated up!
Tried a ring main, but holes kept blocking. Put tees in which have improved the spread of water to each end of tank.
The Brocs have finally started showing heads. Hoping this hot weather doesn't make them go to seed. Maybe they are all steamed.
Have been eating the hearts out of the luttuce, just the soft leaves. Can't get a seed to grow at the moment, so need to keep all the old plants going.
Tomatoes planted since last post already have mini romas growing. Also have big romas and cherry toms planted as well. Hope I have the probelem of too many toms. Kids love eating them striaght off the vine. I think only three snow peas made it inside for salad, rest eaten straight off the vine.
Had a HSM this morning. One of the kids had turned off the wrong power point. Luckily wife noticed pump was off when hanging out washing. Fish still alive and displaying normal behaviour. Will definatly install solar backup to spray water. Seems like I have one or two bolters, well and truly doubled in size.

Damn lettuce all went to seed.
Damn Broch gone to seed.
Snow peas all dried up.
1 Strawberry flowering.
Tomatos growth seem stunted.

Wondering if not enough output from fish yet to maintain high growth rates. Lettuce and broch taking all nutrients? Should I add some Seasol? Any ideas?

Not going to put any more fish in, 15 SP's all well, and growing as mentioned previously.

Would like to add more duck weed from local park. SP's loved it when they first went in. Added shade and as a food source. How do you quarantine to make sure its okay, and keep some growing so I don't have to get another batch?

Dr Bee,

I am also in Bunbury. Just finishing off my second system and might put some duck weed in my new tank. From which park are you getting the duck weed from? Have you had quarantine issues and disease from the duck weed?

My system has now been cycling for 11 weeks and has been showing nitrates for the last three weeks. My growth rates have been dissapointingly slow. I was expecting much more from it. Apart from the rainbow chard everything else is slow. My raised vege patch is outdoing the Ap system by a mile.

Borby,

I got a bucket full of duck weed from the ponds running down the side of Kingston Estate (Australind). I got a few snails, but was able to get rid of them. No diseases visible. Fish all lively and seem unaffected. That was three months ago.

I did plant the brochs at high density, 12 plants in 600 x 300 area. Good growth but not remarkable.

Hey Dr Bee,
Sounds to me that it is the change of season and it is time to get the summer crops in. These would include basil, chives, parsley, celery,tomatoes, plus many others!
Yes you can add seasol.
15 silver perch will start eating more as the weather warms up, so you can feed them more, this will help them grow and provide more nutrients for the plants. We recommend a good quality floating feed, that way your plants will also get everything that they need.
I would grow the duckweed ni a separate pond/ tub, tank or whatever, add a couple of native pygmy perch and that will keep mosquito larvae under control and you may even get the frogs to visit

Thanks Faye,

I have a bucket of your floating pellets. I'm crushing them up as the fish are still small. Not sure how much I should feed them. Feding about 15-20 pellets, twice a day. Is this enough or should I start increasing. Not really wanting to live on the edge and have to test every day.

SP's from gavin about 3 months ago. now 75-100mm.

I would think that you can gradually increase the feed to as much as they will eat. As the pellets are floating if you throw too much feed in and it is still there in half an hour, obviously it was too much, sccop it off. Easy really!

Faye,

I'll give that a go. I have found that the food tends to sink once crushed, so might try not crushed. See what they think of that? Could always cut them in half - pellets that is, barely enough for a cracker if I did sushimi with the fish.

Hi Faye,

I was wondering about a good alternative to my goldfish...pygmy perch? Would you know where can I get these from?

Pygmy perch are not really an alternative to goldfish - koi might be!
The reason that I suggested pygmy perch, though they are little, they are quite suited to a still pond where one might grow duckweed, they eat mosquito larvae, but not frog eggs.