Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Unfortunately you've just joined the one hundred club, now you can't quit...
Sorry 'bout that. And...
Congratulations.

Have a nice day.

Skeggley Had to think about that for a couple of seconds.

First thought was number of dead fish but no, you meant another mile stone.

The last 4 don't swim belly up in the FT just yet. The shubunkins are eating and seem very normal to me-no-fish-person and the 2 Sps are shy as they all were but still alive ...............
If they go too I shall continue with feeder fish to keep plants growing.................somehow there must be a way to stay on top of all of this.

Slowboat: That was of the first thoughts of all the experts here...........some toxins. Question is where they would come from. Replacing the IBC might be the last chance.

Update:
One SP left out of 21, 2 Shubunkins still hanging on..................

Hi gran,

You should paint your ibcs so algae doesn't grow and steal your nutrients.

I think a good shot of CC and seasol at the start helps to kick things along - but you have fish so they should do the job.

Does your greenhouse get lots of sun?

Lots of sun for the greenhouse, going to put shadesails over it again as I had last summer but still more a hothouse than a greenhouse. My husband told me to put the protable aircon in there............not very wise IMO
I started with Charlie Carp, wasn't a good start, only Seasol from then on.
FT is lowered 2/3 in the ground, the bit that is above ground is insulated with Rockwool and black cloth, black shadecloth on top/underneath the gb.
I did everything by the book as far as I know and still no luck :(:(:(:(:(
Frustrating!

Hi Gran, I had trouble with fish dying in a IBC, lost 60 fish in a year.
My IBC was 3/4 dug in to the ground.
Solution, I drained it out and discarded the water, the I put a liner in the IBC, started again with 2 SP about 3 in long in the tank over winter for no deaths. Added 30 fingerlings from Gavin mid Oct and no deaths.
Just this last week I managed to find a 1000l fish tank so installed that, pumped the water from the IBC, and transferred the fish to their new home. No deaths. Dug out the IBC, filled in the hole and Bobs your uncle

ThommoPerth
Thanks for your input, I had thought yesterday about a liner. Since I am on a limited budget I have to be careful not to set more money on a dead horse.

Liner for 3/4 IBC FT would be somewhere around $90 which still leaves the 1/3IBC GB possibly leaking 'stuff' back to the lined IBC FT then.

Food grade IBCs seem to be impossible to find, the cheapest reliable source of a recycled IBC would be $220.

In my very limited space the ideal solution would probably be placing a food grade recycled 1000l IBC outside and right next to the greenhouse, line and cover the 3/4 IBC, then use it as a sump and tell the grand kids 2013 Christmas is cancelled

On a more serious note I am almost glad to hear that it maybe is not entirely my "skills" that have let me down although I feel with all those who had misfortunes along the way and it seems to be a $%^&* long way for some.
Still bears the question how and why those successful APs are so successful in what it seems to be a very short time.

I got my liner from Ebay for$120 delivered, fortunatley I have a BYAP grow bed so did not have to worry about that.

1 other thing u can try before changing things is to empty your fish tank and grow bed out at wash them out with chlorine, this well steralise them, make sure u rinse them good and the rifill, any chlorine left will burn of in a day or 2. Then start again.. might be a good idea to rinse your grow media as well but not with chlorine.

Old situation above pic

New start.
I managed to get the AdBlue IBCs, took 2, one will replace the one I don't trust anymore in the greenhouse (2/3 bladder in ground and 1/3 GB), the other one will go outside next to the greenhouse and serve as 1000l FT.
Due to space restrictions I can't place proper round FT unless I rip everything out. Too old to find new husband so that's a NoNo.
Before I make more mistakes of whatever sort I'd like sound tips from you experts.

2 goldfish and one SP still alive.

What is better, get rid of all water in the whole system
or
pump BYAP GB as full as possible, change IBC bladder in ground to new one and return 'old' water back into new bladder, fill up slowly (over days) with tap water through BYAO GB.
Second version makes more sense to me since the BYAP GB pebbles are soaked with the old water anyway and the addition of new water would dilute whatever is left of possible nasties?

Will rinse the chinese pebbles from old IBC GB with clear water before they go back into the new IBC GB.

Keep eyes on ph etc.................
3 little fish for the renovation-start enough?
They would have to go later into the 1000l IBC outside,
IBC in ground would function as sump tank only with proper lid and no sunlight reaching.

I intend to pump water from pump in sump to fill outside FT through top but with pipe reaching to bottom of tank to have some uplift, running through Venturi between pump and FT
Overflow water from FT into growbeds and then each one dumps to sump again with the BYAP GB having another Venturi attached to the waste pipe

Sorry to bother you with these questions but the old brain needs all the help it can get from you

I am sure I forgot something

What, no comments?
I am probably too confusing

Got my 2 IBcs delivered, looking good, have been used once and come all the way from Onslow.
The guy gets them at certain intervals, anybody interested just PM me.

Found one mistake already in my new plan, well, it is all on paper, the 3 survivors still swim in the old tank.

Plenty of work to do now

How's the remodelling going Gran?

Thanks for asking skeggley, I seem to be stuck in a time loop.
I installed the 100ltr fishtank outside the greenhouse, it is connected to the big growbed, the Adblue IBC growbed has to be installed and the old IBC FT replaced with the new Adblue IBC/then sump tank.

There is one Shubunkin and one SP left in the 600 ltr and the SP is chasing the shubunkin off every food pellet that hits the water.

Maybe I should seperate them, one goes into 1000ltr outside shaded and insulated IBC and the other one stays in ST.
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm............?????

Little update and a Happy New Year to everybody.
All running smoothly now, 2/3 IBC tank in Greenhouse replaced with new bladder functioning as ST, 1/3 IBC GB installed on top.
Leftover 2 fish seem to be happy in the 900ltr of water and feeding and now I just noticed that the last SP must have taken an eye out of the Shubunkin, poor little fish is now back in ST swimming somewhat straight.
This is by far the most complicated and time consuming hobby ever for me.
I don't even find the time to take pictures.......................

Keep smiling, Gran.

Hehe, very hard to keep smiling since my bed will probably be put into the greenhouse.............