Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

How's it all going BB,been a while since an update. Hope all is ok.

No major issues at the moment. Really need to get the plastic sheets over the grow beds on since everything is struggling with the cold at the moment.
Including the MC still. Losing one every few days. No problems with the system just has to be water temps. Nothing that can be done about it. Although the greenhouse gb covers would help. Not worried about it until I can get my new deck system up and running with heating from the pizza oven which is all underway!
Trout are travelling really well though. Brooks are streaks ahead of the rainbows. Both are feeding really well.
Last years senior trout is still living happily in the yabby tank.
He is not actively feeding on pellets though so may not be putting on as much weight as I would like. Maybe because if has a buffet of yabby at his disposal.
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It appears the power issues are still present. With all this rain the power had tripped this morning. I had left early for work in Melbourne and the missus rang me to let me know that she had reset the power and it seemed okay when she left for work.

Got home late this evening and sure enough the AP power was out again. Not sure how long it was out but i'm guessing all day. lucky its been raining to add water to the GB's and which then has been falling into the FT's which are nearing overflowing but oxygenating the water.
My back up aeration would have run for quite a few hours but I can only assume it had run flat.

Power is back on and fish are all okay from what I could see with the torch.

Good day for the power outage with all the rain helping with oxygenation, but not nice all the same

Close one Bundy, wonder how it would have turned out without the backup system doing its thing for a while

Glad to hear all is ok.

Backup supply is certainly a first build I am thinking our supply is not that good during the rain. Glad every thing was ok at the end of the day BB.

If the power is tripping due to the rain the fault does not necessarily lie with the power company. Possible that:
1. a faulty appliance causing the tripping due to the water
2. a fauly appliance cable causing the tripping due to the water
3. rodents biting through the wires so when it rains, they run over the wires causing a trip

Here it is 95% with the power company and trees on the line, 4% with idiots racing to get home because it's safer and knocking down poles which leaves the other one percent at home.

Its a real mystery my power issues but it is definately an internal issue. The shed (including the AP) and half of the house all runs off the one circuit breaker. Which I need to get an electrician in to sort out, however it does seem to coincide with us having heavy rain, and therefor I would be guessing the concuit that feeds power from the house to the shed is damaged somewhere and possibly impacting on the cables in the ground. Will be getting the electrician in to sort out a few other things for the decking lighting and power points so will be getting it all sorted out sooner or later.

I use to have a problem with the power point which ran my shed. The original owner cut into a power line in the ceiling then ran out side to an under ground line to the shed. This was danderouse and illegale so my electrician contected the under ground line to the shed to a new outside power point.

After a few years when ever we had rain it would throw the breaker. Ended up running a new line from main power box to existing shed wire ,connect in a weather proof box. End of problem. No where the water can get in , no circuit breaks, no problems

Made an update in the trout brag thread regarding the recent harvest but should also make note of it here. First harvest 31/07/12 6 brook trout total weight over 1.3 KG. Largest 250gm smallest 180gm.

Always look good on a plate

Very nice

It's quite frustrating really, at the moment I have a huge volume of fish feeding heavily and producing a lot of Nitrates (havn't done a water test in a long time however)
Yet its been too bloody cold and miserable to be tending to growing any vegetables!

Have been too busy lately to worry about installing the greenhouse covers over the GB's and therefor have let the GB's go.

I did buy a small Greenhouse seedling house for $24 and have set it up over one of the beds.
I will use this to plant out my early spring vegies over the next few weeks.
I'm thinking of getting my tomatos started early as well as some eggplant seedlings, and maybe try some capsicum and chilli again which I have never had any success with.

At the moment I have a few things going well in the beds
Leaks never fail me, also spring onion and chives.
A few cauli, broccoli, and cabbage have started to come along in the last few weeks the dirt ones are smashing the AP ones.
I had some limited succes with some chinesse vegies, most have bolted though.
Corn is all long gone but I don't remember making comment about it. I planted rather late in the AP last summer and did get a few good cobs.
Strawberries are still surviving and have started flowering again.
Celery is a bit eratic and I don't seem to get big thick stalks instead a lot of thin ones.
Have had no luck with the snow peas or peas this year.

Had mixed success with peas and capsicums but all sorts of onions go nuts. Broad beans are going nuts but havent seen any beans yet. Celery and silver beet seem to just keep going. Just sowed some cukes as they go great in the greenhouse system
Just adding thoughts