Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I was cleaning the 55 gal fish tank with the red eared slider in it. Turtle has gotten bigger over the last few years. Time for bigger tank?

I'm liking this comparison here. The tomatoe plants are all sprouted within a few days of each other. Largest was pulled from dirt pot to growbed first. A few weeks later the other in the middle and yesterday the small one on the left. Which was the largest out of the dirt pot. Largest plant is around 15-16cm tall with a 4-5mm thick stalk(?).

I have added this to the system. It used up all the rest of the Hydroton I had.

Just a little update.

I forgot to ask when I posted those pictures above. How long would it take for that newer growbed to mature? The bigger older one has been going for over a year now and this just added on. Drain from top growbed goes to second growbed. Top one drains almost completely before the lower one fills and starts to drain. Lower growbed is getting wet but not as long as the top.

The beauty of adding grow beds to an already mature system is that it reaps the benefits immediately.

Left Thursday for a short vacation till Monday night and took a picture before I left of the system and will when I return. Hope everything does well.

I left 30*F crappy weather and cold for 60-70*F sunny weather and sunburns

Time for the update pictures. 5 days a growth difference is noticeable on the tomato plants under the lights.

I moved a few plants around, here is what I had before.

Limit on upload pictures Need to renew my Flickr Pro

I moved the 2 largest tomato plants to the other growbed. I'm getting very happy with the results in aquaponics other than on just the mint that needs to get out of there.

It is still to cold outside to move plants, but may be time to build larger outside.

Yesterday I removed the chocolate pepper plant from the growbed. It was mostly just getting watered by it and not using the provided nutrients from the growbed. It was a massive rootbound mess inside that can. Out of the many seeds that where in there that germinated only 3 stayed alive. Directions tell you to remove all but the best plant and I had 3 in that small can. The peppers are now potted in a 2gal pot and now I have to remember to water them because they are no longer in the AP system.

I am looking for IBC totes now. One for rainwater and the other for a FT. I'm wanting to go bigr and outside to the sun. If you go to page 3 of this thread you will see what I am still wanting to go towards. One 275 or 330 gal IBC tote for the FT two 55 gal barrels. One for a RFF and the other a ST or use both as a ST. 6 half 55 barrels for the GBs. Setup as a CHOP or CHOP MK2. Biggest set back on doing this so far is that I have a hybrid and can't fit really anything other than my fat ass in it. Wish I could just get the full 10ft lengths of PVC pipe in the car. $1.50 for 1/2" 10' long or 1/2" 2' long for $1.20ish. The 2" 2' long are $4.75 and the 2" 10' long are $6.80. I know WTF mate I live 5 miles from Home Depot, Lowes, and Menards so the PVC selection of pipe and fittings are plentiful. Crap selection a HD but 2 miles away, good selection at Lowes, and a massive selection at Menards but hard to find stuff due to layout.

Also parents want to get into chickens but I don't think this forum has anything about that.

Aren't there chickens AT BYAP?

I was just being smart on that last bit. There is a lot about "Chooks" on this forum and parents don't know what they are. Eventhough it is the same thing.

Here are the peppers decaned and put in a 2gal flowerpot. Like I said in the previous post now I have to make sure I water them because now the are not being fed water 24/7 from a small line off the growbed main water line.

One plant has buds starting to from maybe when the weather gets better this can go outside or eventually into the new system.

Nip those early blossoms. You will get a larger plant that will give you more peppers that way. If it is concentrating on growing peppers, the plant won't grow much. Try to get the plant at least a foot large before you let it fruit.