Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Charlie: if you lived in Perth you wouldn't have a lot of time on your hands!

Thanks guys for the offer if..........
I think I better do it myself. By all means it is the way to get there that is so exiting

Cleared the greenhouse today, weather provided we'll dig the IBC in in the next days and then the bigger growbed can be ordered. New strawberry towers are to be made and the little green frog is following the old strawberry towers everywhere. Funny little creature............maybe it's not the same and we are surrounded????

Here we go, the actual process has started and questions come up left and right

IBC FT finally in the ground in Greenhouse but not finished. Needs a frame to look nice and to rest IBC GB on

Added the big GB first since I have to put my strawberries plant in there from the old hydroponics.

Pump isn't in there, plumbing isn't done but I've filled the GB with water and now comes my question:
Can I plant my strawberries from Hydroponics in there and just put a little Charlie Carb in the water for them to be able to keep growing? No fish yet and nothing has circled. The water has been in the tank for a few days and I can put a bit of good pondwater into it as well.

Any easy instructions for me to follow?

Looks fantastic Gran

Yuo can plant your plants Gran... and a bit of Seasol will keep them going until you get your fish...

Or a bit of Charlie Carp... which will actually provide some ammonia... and get the cycling happening... before your fish arrive...

Thanks for the heads up Rupert but when you say 'a bit' what do you actually mean to the 500ltr media volume GB and 600 ltr of water in FT?
A spoonful, a cup full..........not the whole bottle????

Seasol.... I'd use about 1/2 cupful... once a week...

Charlie Carp... never used it... others have and could perhaps recommend... but hopefully cautiously... so as to not spike the ammonia through the roof....

The ammonia generated from the Charlie Carp... could lag by a day or two....

When were you planning to get fish???.... and any reason why you can't. or don't want to cycle with fish...???

Joel & Faye would happily guide you through cycling with fish... it should be on your system tip sheet...

Thanks for your reply Rupert
Cycling with fish..........not possible in the moment since it is much too warm and Faye told me not to put Trout in water under current temperatures. Gotta wait until Mid April I guess.
Since I only have the one little FT and wanting to get some fish soon, Trout seems to be the way to go. I've got these little black small fishes in the pond who , being very shy and not feed at all, take care of mozzie larvae. I could feed them a little to reproduce fast and use a few of those, but they are soooooo very small and sooooo hard to catch being as fast as they are.

If only the temperatures go down a little
Would make life a little easier selfish me thinks.
But then again, good thing that nobody can change the weather, it would be war on all levels.

Then adding some Charlie Carp.. to assit your plants.. and "fishless" cycling... is the way to go...

Just make sure you with hold the Charlie Carp... and get your levels right .... a week or so... before adding the fish....

You should have cycled before your tank temps drop to trout time...

Thanks Rupert, shall use CC sparingly for now and monitor what it does to the water

....and an update in between.....
My pump is in the FT and pumped too much water too fast into the one growbed and despite my sieve in front of drain the chinese pebbles, allthough cleaned through a washing cycle before (water from hose straight into bed and straight out of bed into buckets) blackened my utterly clean water in FT.
My guess is that this is not hurting plants and eventual future fish?
Just need confirmation

Mmm oh dear. But don't worry it will settle in time. You could alternatively pump it out on to the garden if you are worried or don't like the look of it.

Come to think of it, it is a silly question................well, Newbies!!!!!!!!!!!

Oops, didn't see you earlier, Faye.
I couldn't be bothered by the looks, I was worried about the little fish babies that have my name written on their backs already

When I see my GB I think I am already running out of space

The plumbing isn't finished.............by far not finished.
Glad that there is a tomorrow. Imorptant at this stage is that the GB starts to cycle and the hydropnic plants have a home.