Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I love your "grass skirts" on your GB's. Seems appropriate for a Hawaiian system.

I love the grass skirts too, gives it a lot of character!

I tested my water when I got home from work tonight. It looks like my NO2 is falling which is good news. I've only had this system running for about 2 weeks. I think the quick cycle is entirely due to the Organic Digester I introduced early on. I'm sold on that stuff for any new system. Not sure about the PH results. I'm not confident in the accuracy of the PH test in this kit. I've had some fluctuating results. And no, my kit doesn't have a nitrate test. It has a phosphate test instead. This was the only test kit they had at the local aquarium store. I'll be looking for a new kit. Anyway, I'm in the market for some new fish! I'll probably pick up some fingerlings this weekend.

Added a trellis to the system because the pole beans were getting to the point where they were starting to fall over. Also, the green squash plants were getting kind of big and I didn't want them to start spreading all over the bed. I still need to add the bamboo skirts. I also drove out to Hauula and picked up about 25-30 tilapia fry. They've been added to the system and have already made friends with the comets. I see them all schooling around the tank happily. The plants seem to have had a growth spurt probably due to the availability of nitrate. I picked up a nitrate test and the results can be seen below.

I've had pineapples in my system for 6 months, and they still look exactly the same as the day I put them in

They don't seem to want to grow for me. Hopefully when it warms up a little, they'll take off. I'm sure you have a better climate there for them.

My wife is a juice fanatic and goes through 4 or 5 pineapples each week. Now that I've told her how easy it is to regrow the tops she saves them all for me and insists that I plant them. I have 7 additional pineapples in pots on the other side of the yard. A few in pots are doing very well. A video I watched said that it takes 2 years to get fruit from them though. He also said that they will look like crap for a while before the new growth really become apparent. I told my wife that if she keeps giving me pineapple tops people are going to mistake our house for Dole Plantation. We're going to have tour buses stopping out front! I was planning to make some raised beds in the front yard for root crops... and pineapples.

I love pineapples too - and I think it's great that you have found a way to get wife approval for all future expansions haha. Good job :-)


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This morning's readings.



I'm pretty convinced that my PH test has gone sour. I have been getting varying readings from this test. This morning, the initial test was about 9 so I tested again and it came out at about 8. Just a few days ago it was reading 7. The expiration on the bottle says 1/15 but given the results I've had I think this test is done.

Anyway, ammonia and nitrites are pretty much at 0 and nitrates have dropped a little. Not sure my tiny fish will supply enough ammonia and waste to fortify the bacteria. I may add some humonia once a week until the fish gain some size.

Some of my plants are showing signs of deficiency. My guess is iron and magnesium. Pole bean and basil are a bit yellow. Snow peas as well. When should I start supplementing minerals?

Wow Squatch, the system looks great. You've giving some of us new ideas for next year's project. LOL

Keep the growth pics coming.

Shoot, I just realized that Hawaii must be one of the easiest places on earth to maintain an AP system. With the constant mild temperatures it must be a dream.

I do business out there sometimes so I remember the mild weather.

I'm jealous now.

All the tilapia fry I picked up for free have survived! I haven't had any further losses of the feeder comets either. The fish seem happy. Here's a shot of them schooling around. The comets have actually grown quite a bit since I put them in. I think I may have been over feeding a bit. The water was getting a little sour smelling so I've cut back on the food. Once I get a better airpump I'll work on vacuuming that sediment from the bottom. My little indoor aquarium airpump just isn't strong enough for the job.



As you know, I have 3 grow beds 4'x8'x1' and all are flood & drain. I have a full IBC used as my sump. When all three beds are filled at once I am nearly at the minimum level of water for safe operation of my pump. The other morning I wanted to check my water level so I pulled the siphons out of all three beds and let the beds fill to capacity. The water in the sump was just deep enough to allow the pump to run! I added about 10 gallons of water and replaced the siphons. So I've started to make an automatic top off using a float valve and a rain barrel. I've made a device that I can just lower into my sump tank and connect to a garden hose that will monitor the water level. I just need to work on the rain barrel part of the equation. I've got a 55 gallon barrel and I have it more or less in position with a rain gutter feeding it. Once installed I think we get enough rain here that I shouldn't have to worry about top off water.



The float assembly is no doubt more elaborate then necessary. They didn't have a regular float valve available at my neighborhood hardware store and I didn't want to wait for mail order or drive to the other side of the island. So, I made due with what was available. The tall PVC pipe is there so I can easily retrieve the device from the sump tank if necessary. I do need to replace that T-connector with a 1" cap. The flat section the toilet fill valve in connected to is just a piece of the IBC which was cut away (never throw anything away). There are holes drilled into the PVC to keep it from floating. Everything still needs to be glued. I wanted to give it a test run before it was glued.

I'm also going to order a DC airpump this week so I can make that cool DC backup air supply!

Looks great! I have grown pineapple from "tops", and it takes about 24 months. I don't think they will do well in an AP system...bromeliads like drier roots. Could be wrong, but I still don't want to waste that much space in my GB to wait 2 years for 1 fruit.

I'm with you. I just tossed them in there due to "external pressure." I think I have about 15 pineapple tops waiting due to those external pressures. They'll be moved when I have an earth bed ready for them. I have about 8 artichoke seedlings started I also need to make a bed for. I think artichokes and pineapples both like a drier root. Looking forward to both!

A friend is going to drop off some fish from her system tomorrow. These fish will be larger than the fry I already have and I'm not sure how many she's bringing. Whatever the case, I want to salt them before adding them to my system just to be safe. I was planning to use a 20 gallon tank and add 16oz of aquarium salt and leave them in there for about 20 mins. Is it safe to add them to my system after this type of bath as long as there are no visible signs of illness?

The system is chugging along. Mostly everything is growing although some varieties are growing slower than I'd like.



The "Bean Bed" is doing well and should improve now that I've started adding chelated iron. The leaves are obviously yellow and I'm hoping the iron addition will remedy the problem. They pole beans are climbing and the bush beans (on the front/left) are slowing progressing. The cherry tomato plants at the inlet have remained nice and dark green and have even set a few fruits. The Manoa Lettuce, Kale and Beefsteak Tomato seedlings are coming along.



This bed is dominated by the two green squash plants. They've just taken off. You can almost literally watch them grow. I'll train each to follow along the top of the trellis in opposite directions. Under the squash plants are some snow peas which continue to struggle but are hanging on. The Pak Choy on the right side looks good and should improve with the iron supplementation. The Red Pak Choy has been struggling terribly and I'm afraid will have to be removed. I already pulled one as it was badly wilted and had a bunch of tiny brown eggs of some sort on the bottom side of the leaves. I tried to wash the plant and relocated it but it continues to wilt.



This is my herb bed. The basil continues to thrive and always offers it's pungent aroma whenever I draw within "airshot". Also installed are thyme, sage, cilantro and garlic chives. We are really looking forward to having mature plants we can harvest from as we are preparing our meals.



My fish seem quite happy. I am very surprised at how much they've cleaned the tank! When I introduced them into my IBC there was a good deal of sand/silt on the bottom leftover from when I added cinder to my beds. The fish seem to have eaten(?) the sand as well as most of the slime from the walls of the tank. They are also getting more comfortable evidenced by their aggressive nature when I feed them. At first, they were timid and would slowly seek out bits of food. Now, they are nearly like piranhas when the food pellets hit the water! Fun to watch.



Here you can see my pole beans are beginning to show their beautiful pinkish flowers which will likely be followed by their first fruits.



The kale seedlings will definitely need to be thinned but I'll let them go as long as possible. Hopefully, the ones that are marked for removal will be large enough for the dinner plate when the time comes.



Manoa Lettuce is popping up. I really expected my leafy greens to grow faster than they have.



My Beefsteak Tomato seedlings are gaining size and will need to be thinned as well. I want to save as many of these as I can by transplanting into buckets or some other option. A dutch bucket arrangement would be ideal for these when the time comes. I need to source some free 5 gallon buckets and I think I may have a few places nearby.



The cherry tomato plants have appeared healthy from the day they were placed in the bed. They continue to maintain their dark green leaves however they haven't gained much in size. I can only assume they are busy developing roots and are merely preparing for the huge burst of growth!



The pepper plants have been struggling lately. I have no idea why. I also have some fushimi pepper seedlings that are also struggling. I'm not sure what they need to be healthy.



Here you can see the Pak Choy which appears healthy but does show some yellowing on the leaves. The iron supplementation should solve that problem. On the left you can see the red Pak Choy which is struggling terribly. Not sure what is wrong with it but I have added some baby Pak Choy seeds under the remaining red plant. I'm afraid the red plant will be removed soon. The arugula has been struggling from the beginning. When it appears to be gaining in strength it then starts to wilt and fade.



Here you can see another set of seedlings I am eager to see do well. I have seen much mention of Malabar Spinach so I've started some seeds and they appear to be doing well. I will train them up the trellis as they grow. In the foreground you can see a beefsteak tomato seedling that can't make up its mind if it wants to thrive or dive.



Here is my basil. The Thai and Genovese are both doing well. Also, along the front, you can see lots of little genovese basil seedlings popping up. I'm sure they'll be out of control before I know it.



Here are my thyme plants. I had originally tossed some thyme seeds into this spot and they did begin to germinate. But, as soon as the little seedlings would become visible they would disappear! I suspect early morning birds were raiding my crop. So, I picked up two seedlings and they've been doing very well. I absolutely love the smell of fresh thyme! Can't wait for these to explode and drape down the front of the GB.



Here is my tiny sage plants and my cilantro behind them. The sage has been slow coming but has continued to make gains. The cilantro has been dodgy at best. I had some seeds sown behind the seedlings but they could not get a foothold so I added some additional seedlings which appear to be doing well enough.



And here are my garlic chives. This is another herb that I absolutely love! I also had some seeds sown behind the seedlings but they failed to launch. I picked up two additional seedlings and divided them up into the area behind the initial placement. The seedlings in the front have begun to do well. I'll let them gain strength for a while before I start chopping!



My red leaf lettuce seeds have been in this state for about a week or so. It seems all of my lettuce gets to the point pictured above and then just stops! Not sure what is going on under the rocks but I'm hoping they will also explode after they've been given some time to develop strong roots.



Well, that's the system as of this morning. I"ll continue to add some iron until the yellowing fades. I also want to add more fish. My friend which was suppose to drop some fish off this morning got delayed but plans to be available this weekend. I think I could easily handle 20 or so more fingerlings.

I'm also planning on an expansion consisting of a bank of dutch buckets. I plan to ask a few local businesses who have some buckets available. Hopefully they'll agree to save some for me.

I don't even have any fruits yet and the birds are already a problem. The other night I spread a bunch of seeds into my GB's to help further populate the area. The next morning I woke to find the cinder in my GB's looking like it was a dead zone for an artillery range! There were divots all over and cinder tossed all over on top of my pak choy. The only thing I could think of that would do this are the mobs of finches that maraud through the neighborhood every morning picking at everything they find.

The problem is getting fixed though. I have erected a 20x20 E-Z corner canopy frame around the GB's and I'm going to drape the entire area in bird netting. I bought 3 rolls of 14x50 foot bird netting. I've already joined 2 of the panels together. Once I join the last panel I'll have one huge panel measuring 42x50 feet! I'll drape that over the entire frame which should keep out all of the aviary pests while still allowing any pollinators access.

I may add some shade cloth to the top at a later date. I think the heat is too much as I already have a pak choy seedling that is starting to bolt.

Anyway, I think once I get this netting configured my system will be allowed to develop unmolested. And isn't that what any of us would want, after all?