Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Thanks Doc.

I have my (free) blue barrel now.

What configuration am I going to go?

Might put it next to the system and see if I can get inspiration from that.

I wonder if one half as a grow bed, the other half swirl filter. Maybe leave the bed CF, get another blue barrel and make two new beds?

Oh well. Can think about it over the weekend. Beer time now.

What no photo of the barrel?

Sent from my GT-I9100T using Tapatalk 2

Thinned out a few Bok Choy on the weekend, making room for the ones left to grow.

The tomato plants have got flowers on, so hand pollenated just in case. I thought they were meant to flower in spring.

2 of 3 Mullberry sprouts still have green fruit on them. One looks like it is shutting down for winter. Hopefully it makes it through.

Cleaned out the blue barrel on Saturday. It had bright yellow ink. Dumped a two loads of grotty into the blue barrel, found a fitting so I could get the bell siphon to suck water strainght into the blue barrel. Two cycles of that and the water was clean. Left it till yesterday, water cristal clear, solid muck on the bottom, so back into the system some clear water.

Back to F&D with siphon. Water clear. I think it must have been the dust from the blue metal.

Fish not very interested in food now.

I love the way dew forms beads on the leaves of the plants. See also flowers on my tomato plant. Strawberry is still fruiting, at last a decent size, but there isn't enough heat to ripen them. Berries still on the mullberry shoots.



I thinned out the bok choy, but it is growing at a rapid rate now, so that space has been taken up already. Need to make sure the next plantings are more systematic. Using my little helpers randomises the plantings.



Nat, If you look carefully, there is the top of a blue barrel to the right.

I'm sure the brochilli have doubled in size in the last week, can't find the bok choy now, its all hidden away.

The strawberries are ripening. No fruit yet on tomato plant, but plenty of flowers.

On the weekend I did another purge of the Grow bed and got another slug of residues out. Wasn't worried about anything, it was a lovely day and I needed something to do. Water in tank cristal clear.

Thinned out all my bok choy on Saturday. The Brochilli has taken over the bed, and they were getting no sun light and growth had slowed down to maybe stopped.

Had a great laugh though when the oldest asked "Whats this dad? "and handed me a half chewed catapillar. "Oh, thats where I left it."
Second child was almost dry reaching.

Choo Chee Prawns. Yum. Cant wait till I use some of my own fish, chillies, garlic and coriander, not just basil and green fillers.

Can't believe brochilli almost $6 per kilo. Did a big grocery shop as the better Doc is off on a course , For THREE WEEKS. Going to miss her. Hopefully kids will still love their dad at the end of it all.

Plenty of time now to finish the swirl filter, turn the blue barrel into???? make shit loads of home brew, finish the damn rubiks cube...make lunches, cook dinner, do the washing, vacuum, ironing. Yeah I can see what will really happen.

Oh yes, the strawberry was lovely, apparently, as was its brother... apparently.

She who hangs out the washing gets first pick.

Maybe some for me this next three weeks, unless the kids steal them while picking up dog poo. Hope they wash their hands?

Worms have recovered now and are eating again. Bed cleaned out and eating fresh food. Slow and steady this time Doc!

The Brochilli Forest. Yay, some heads coming through now. Boy they get bigger pretty quick. Last week the heads were size of large pea, now almost tennis ball size. Hopefully they won't go to seed.



Oh yeah, peas and beans hanging over sides, thought I might as well use the vertical space. Why go up, when you can go down.

Tomatoes flowering like crazy. No fruit yet, but hoping.

A few caterpillers, but clean them up each day, feeding to fish. Follow the trail of poo to find them, as well as looking on leaves, that are eaten.

Fish still eating, but not much, Getting in two feed each day, but only half a scoop. Going to try feeding a few leaves off the brochilli. Maybe the fish will snack on those during the day?

Slight change in waterlevel following rain over last few days. Hope I can get the tank nice and full before end of winter, and maybe fill the blue barrel too.

Intense growth there Bee, lookin good!

Thanks charlie,

I had a look back at my original system (cycled but not mature) and I had far less growth on fewer brochs. They were very spindly. see photos on page 3 from Nov 2011.

I think the shade mesh has also protected the plants from the heavy rain. Can't wait to eat them.

So all the caterpillers were getting eaten. Went out to feed the fish last night and not only caterpillers, but also moths on the leaves. Not for long!! None of them floating in my tank this morning. Gotta love the fish, they were smashing the pellets when I chucked them in last night. We'll see if there is any brochilli leaves floating when I get home today.

Did you catch them and throw them in or did you use a light to lure them to their maker?

Martin,

Caught the little bastards by hand. They are pretty docile when laying eggs on leaves.

All the leaves gone when I got home, so they obviously enjoyed their snack. Shouldn't go off like pellets do if they stay floating.

One more week and I think I'll be eating brochilli, my brochilli. Meal sized, not snack sized like previous efforts.

Sounds vicious!

I'm sure the fish enjoyed the meal.