Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

The shade cloth would just trap the solids... and form a layer... which could become anaerobic...

I wouldn't bother with it....

Scoria, gravel etc.... topped with clay balls is fine... and often used...

Already suggested here : http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=317624#p317624 and the conversation continued for gorotsuki69 to suggest gutter guard, but to the best of my knowledge, no-one has actually trialled it yet?

If money was not a factor i'd be doing things very differently..

Costs add up.. Building a greenhouse, just brought 6 IBC's, another few hundred in timber to make the growbed supports, another few hundred in test kits, pumps, etc etc..

The greenhouse pic so far is in my signature link

Still need to buy plumbing, growbed media and greenhouse poly film ($300 by itself)

Just do it in stages as money permits.

Its taken me years to get half done.

When it comes to media I strongly recommend getting at least a good 150-200mm of something easy to work with on the top layer, the more the better. Trust me it will pay off.

No worries, will do - just scared about getting stuck with a truckload of media i cant use (high PH) - didnt fancy on looking like a tool at the sand/soil yard with a beaker and a bottle of vinegar.. lol

The vinegar test is only a quickie media check. Ask to take home a couple of cups worth of the different media and place that media in clean containers and cover with distilled water. Do a pH test after a few hours, days and weeks and see what affect the media has on the pH over the longer duration, just like it will do in an AP system. My local suppliers have seen me often enough to just smile and wave me through when they now see me arrive at the sales-yard with my Tupperware containers to grab samples of their stock.

Just go the Scoria

I have 14mm Scotia. When planting, use a hand shovel.

It works fine.

I bought hydroton by the pallet which worked out to be $35 a bag. Heaven to work with.
BUT Scoria is FINE.

I tried searching for info on brick chips and didn't get anything. Has anyone ever used them?

I was wondering if they'd provide some of the advantages of the expanded clay -- being porous for the bacteria.

it they are fresh clay brick chips, they might be reasonable. However, if they were used bricks you might have to contend with the mortar affecting the system pH.

Busted up bricks are not going to have the same round smoothness or extreme light weight of the expanded clay so don't go with that option if you are going to have to pay a lot for it.

I haven't priced them yet, but brick making is a local industry so I thought they might be inexpensive compared to gravel which has to be trucked in from places where there are actually rocks.

I believe Stalite may be a relatively local option to you as well.

Yep tried that without the separating layer it did mix a bit but it dident matter put enough plants in and you dont see the gravel mixture anyhow

Have tried brick chips over bottle caps on a very very small scale, separated by gutter guard.
I hand smashed the bricks then tumbled them in my cement mixer.
I was unable to source brick chips other than from a recycling plant so gave the idea away.

I ended up getting quartzite from Southern Silica. $6.50 US per cu.ft bag -- prewashed and free of fines even.

Ok iv now spent the last hour and a half reading this whole thread and iv still not got my questions answered. So im looking at 3 different Media

1/2in Pea Graval (looks to be smaller river rock)
size 86 Granet (smaller than the pea graval)
size 56 Granet (larger than the pea graval)