Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Quick update, system has been fine since the high nitrates and everything is kicking allong nicely except for the trout growth rates, I pulled the first two the other day, each the largest of a scoup with the net and neither broke 200g ringing wet. I also had to remove one of my grow beds due to a burst water main underneath it which isnt helping the problems. The plan for the last week or so is essentialy to do water changes like I would on one of my display tanks removing about 700L of water and topping up from the tap every few days to reduce the Nitrate levels, i've been using the water to feed other plants so im not "wasting it". I think the next step is to remove another 10 or so and will just have to deal with them being small so I can reduce the load on the system and try and put some size on the others.

Even small they still tasted good smoked.

A month on and i have now pulled 20 trout in total with the last 10 of those coming out last night, with my average size up to 270gm and the two largest being 310gm. Now that I have sorted out the planting density, the weather has warmed up to increase plant growth and removed some fish my nitrates have been manigable.

I think i was right with what my system can handle by the numbers, but not so right about my ability to grow the corect plants at the best time of year and in the corect density to keep on top of the nitrates. after I get back from my trip in december im thinking I will get 10 SP and 4-6 Barra, this way reducing the sheer number of fish in my system and also the requirement to get a certain amout of food into seasonal fish to have them at a good size to remove before the weather turns.

Any thoughts or input is appreciated.

Had some unusual die off of my tomatoes over the last 6 weeks or so so I decided to strip them out and replace, after cutting back the majority of the plants I noticed that there where coastal brown ants colonised in the bed and where actually inside the tomato vines I think I got most of the ants by flooding the bed and have left the body of the tomatos there to see what happens with them as they already have an established root system, Has anyone ever had problems with these ant before? I get them in the yard all the time and they are hard to get rid of requireing a special poison but I dont want to poison too close to the system/ in the GB.

Do fish eat ants?

I have an idea that as ants die, they release chemicals which might be toxic to fish en masse?

I hope there not toxic, there are thousands decomposing in one of the GB's at the moment.