Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Oh you aquaponists - your all so bloody methodical!!!
Oops, no - havent checked any of those things. But i can read the source water Ph -whenever ive checked it before its always been neutral although Ive heard tap water can vary throughout the week.
I'll check the temp for you as well - might take me a while though to get sorted out. The temp outside this morning was 21.
I'm generally a 'smell the water' type when it comes to chemistry Is there anyone else out there who takes this approach?

I do both. Smell the water (literally stick my head over the tank and inhale). feed the fish and if they don't eat for a few feeds, test. and panic LOL

Now that would be a sight to behold - reminded me of Janet's cat pic.

ROFLMAO
picture Les hiding behind the shed door and racing in, grabbing Stu's ankles and raising them above the tank.............

The funniest bit Les, would be as you raced in, you would first go arse over tit over the bucket of duckweed in the doorway. If you missed that, the pedestal fan would get ya, if not, the power cords would see you flat on your back, or the left over piping would see you down. I would turn around upon hearing the commotion and ask "What the? You okay Les, been on the grog today mate?"

......its all fun and games til Les gets hurt!

Smelling the water is my most practiced water test.. Well second most after looking, if it looks good and smells good, then I figure it is good..

I do smell the beds. Earthy and good....mmmm, nice. Right now I'm running tests since the system is in a state of flux (and there will be 150 fingerlings dropped in next week. EEEEEK!!!) As the situation stabilizes, I will be testing less and smelling more.

I'm a go by smell and how the fish are acting, dip finger in water too sometimes, can't believe you don't do the finger dip trick it's a crucial mechanism for seeing how hungry the fish are

But I want to get some good guidelines for an affordable stone mix that keeps pH steady. Scorias an obvious choice in the mix for NZ we have mountains of it, literally.

If I was paying what you are for 150 fish Janet, I would freak as well!. We are rooting for you.

Yeah, the upfront price is a little steep. But I intend never to buy them again, so it evens out.

What is it about scoria that achieves this. I'm currently trying to decide on medium for my system and would aprerciate your input.

This is why I hope to get others figures.

Scoria alters pH slightly. The trick is to learn which colours do what and why. I'm only beginning this type learning curve so can't say too much as I'd hate to run you crook.

My scoria bed in the carnivore tank still drifts down ever so slow, it's mainly black scoria. The water clarity is excellent though.

I'll dig notes out later I'm filing (dumping old business files to make way for new) and my lounge is awash in piles of paper at present.

I'm quite sure a simple combo of scoria and shell grit will make for steady pH, and am close to finding the right mix. Unfortunately it's nigh impossible to get figures from anywhere else to compare.

Aeon time for a update and more photos

Love your setup! Think I might borrow some of your ideas for myself. Think the sandpits are a great idea, plus there cheap!

Hi Aeon:
So did you ever get water back in your AP system after the accident?