Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I was looking for growbed media in Bunnings and came across Red Scoria and on the packaging said it was a suitable hydroponics media. I haven't used it yet but hope it will be fine as I bought 3 bags of the stuff.

Forgot to read this post
I, like many others, did clean my scoria meticulously.... and... then gave up and did the other growbed without cleaning

The system is more dirty from the pressure washed pebbles, silty brown colour.

I like

What else would work as a filter?

For that fine a particle...not much.

Any old cotton towel or sheet???

Cotton wool zipped inside a laundry delicates bag??

Just a thought, I haven't tried it but Rock wool insulation material might work. Since rock wool gets used for hydroponics and it comes in sheets and bats, you could probably pick what you need and use the rest for acoustic panels

great ideas!

I'll go and get some things today

regarding mineral wool

Mine ran clean after a few days of continuous pumping.

I did put a sock over the pipe returning water to the sump, but at the end of a week, the water was clear, but there was hardly anything caught in the sock.

So where does it all go?

It gets stuck at the bottom of the growbed and to the lower rocks.

+1

This idea I like - I've been thinking of getting scoria because it is much lighter than the gravel I have - I figured I'd use the gravel underfoot. I do like the idea of smoother scoria, so much so I am gonna check out hiring a mixer for a day or so.

I think it all gets captured by the media.

If you disturb your media it always throws up some stuff that's been trapped in there. In a mature system it's likely to be fish waste,

Once you have some bio-gunk in your system, any particulate matter suspended in the water gets trapped very quickly and sticks in the media.

I wouldn't want to test it, but I think a glass of milk poured into a mature system would run clear again after only a few hours. (please nobody do that)

I think the media dust would be a good source of trace elements as well. Like adding rock dust into a dirt garden.

Bio-gunk can even stop leaks in plumbing.

Bio-gunk is our friend

I'd like to see that BW.

Thank you BW for the explanation. I'm still a newbie and learning lots. I'm hoping to use scoria for my new system (halfway completed). I've been watching this thread eagerly.

I think I'll see who I know that has a cement mixer too.

I wonder how anyone would measure the actual surface area of scoria... crazy stuff.

From my experience last friday - you will feel cheated when you put it in there and see your water go coloured