Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

G'day Guys

Still here, still AP'ing - (though not pushing the system hard at the moment).

You're right Mantis - time to get onto Gav and get some trout - stay tuned.

Simo - no way man !

Gazza - Jeez, bhulokia beer ! How'd it taste ? Suspect it'd be too hot for me

Faye - yep, gotta have a signature ! No doubt there's hundreds of female AP'ers who read my thread for just that reason - a shame they're all so shy and elect not to comment

IceManDude - thanks

EB - yeah, I know. The new job has been pretty full on for the last 4 months, though things are starting to settle down now, a bit. I'll be coming back on slowly as a regular contributor again. Had a AP disaster in November so I've got some learnings from that to put up here too.

Bhulokia! love it! The first batch was very close to lethal - got a bit carried away with 8 jolokias and another 20 orange habanero. Lesson learned so second batch just 3 jolokias and a couple of birds eye, brewed with cascades 'ghost lager' it is a bit more approachable to those lacking an asbestos tongue.....

OK, system update photos for the first time in bloody ages. The system has fully recovered from the pH crash in November and is producing plant growth and veges again

120 trout coming this Friday from Troutman !

120 rainbow trout just went into the system

Love your work Gav !

Like the growbed leg protectors you made, great idea . That growbed on the ground looks happy and sad at the same time . Think you may need to give it some better support . Sorry to here about the great PH crash of 2011.

Yeah, EB said the same thing a couple of hours ago when I was down there.

Not too worried - it went like that in the first week and has stayed like it for the last 12 months. Also, it's only the small, 1500L & one GB, system up in my little orchard, so it only carries a few forgotten SPs, but produces enough veges to be worthwhile.

Finally got around to finishing my blue barrel propagator My dad put most of the effort in back around Christmas time, but it's taken me this long to finish it off and plumb it in.

Note: This is not my idea, but a blatant copy of the brilliant idea of Steve S from a couple of years back.

Good to see you still in the game chilidude :]

I missed your blue barrel thingy Chilli, can you explain a bit about it please

Im assuming its to raise seedling? And what is the clear stuff, just clear plastic sheet?

I like it! Very cool!

Oh....and how is it going so far?

No worries Charlie

Yep, it's a seedling propagator. Water from a GB trickles through to keep the humidity high and that water then trickles into my duckweed pond (a water filled GB) and subsequently back into the main FT.

The clear plastic lid over the top is polycarbonate.

As you can see in the photo below, it works pretty well - some of those seedlings are to go into a soil garden and some into the AP system.

Yeah, thanks Abdul - never left, but did stop bleating about it for a while.

very nice Chilli thankyou ............i will be stealing idea's

Feel free Jessy - if you want more detail on it, check out the blue barrel propagator thread by Steve S - he put a great effort into making it clear how to do it 12-18 months ago.

The only difference I have from his, is that he uses a smart valve to control his water level in there, whereas I just have it flowing through the expanded clay (I'm not smart enough to figure a smart valve out ).

Fantastic chilli.......and thanks for the details. Been trying to sort out a propergater for winter. I love it.

If I set one up in Onslow I probably could cook a steamed pudding in it over the summer

How are you securing the polycarbonate "closed", or is it just siting there under its own weight? In some of the first picks it looks as if it roles back quite easily when you open it, as if that is it's natural tendency (i.e. its was stored in a roll for a long time)