Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Not handfuls - try about 2 tablespoons and then test after a couple of hours - repeat if needed morning and night.

Thanks heaps for your help guys. I have brought the pH up to 5.6 over the last few days using hydrated lime. I'll keep bringing it up til i get to 6.5 over the next week or so.

Anyone need any, i ended up buying 20kg of the stuff, don't know why, but was cheap. Might have to find another use for it, as i have heaps.

I also stuffed a stocking with shellgrit and put it under the return line to the sump.

Fish are doing great.

I bought a 15$ PH meter off eBay to test for PH below 6 - my system is about the same size as yours with trout and dips down daily

When you say "dip" do you mean dips as in goes down and then comes back up again or goes down a little each day?

I measure pH, DO, salinity, EC with a YSI Multiparameter Meter. I use this daily at work, and is calibrated daily as per our NATA requirements. At least i know my measurements are spot on.

I've been thinking of taking some water samples into work for the labs to test for everything. Like heavy metals (especially zinc, as i have galvanised steel near my tanks), hardness, bacterialogical, biological, organics, total dissolved organics, suspended solids, etc. Mainly out of interest, but may also help with getting my water and system running at it's optimum.

What other parameters shall i test for.? Any chemists out there? I did my degree years ago and as i don't use those skills all the time, i have forgotten many. I don't work in the labs, i work out in the field.

@ Stuart I meant it girls down and I have to add lime

Please help me rid some pesky ants that a causing chaos for my plants.

I don't have aphids, so that rules that reason why they're there.

The ants are eating my passionfruit plant. They have almost eaten right through the main stem! And I'm worried they will kill it, right when i have a heap of fruit growing on it.

The buggers are also eating my silverbeet stems. Not my main concern, but still want them to stop.

I have tried garlic/chilli spray, but the ants are back eating within seconds.

I just put out some honey/yeast mix to see it that kills them off.

Even tried Antrid well away from the AP to try and kill the queen, but no luck there.

What shall i try next?

do you know where there hole is? if so get some of the ant dust and sprinkle a bit of that on there hole and they will take it into there nest and it kills them all off

Yeah, they have multiple holes that they travel to and from.

We religiously sprinkle ant dust/sand in and around their holes, but seem to have no affect on their numbers.

Any ideas on fish safe sprays/deterrents? Might be hard to cover all their access point to the growbeds/plants as they have many. Ie the GB legs, fence, bird aviary, sump tank etc.

Ants hate and die with diatomaceous earth

Some test results from last night(5pm)

Air temp 37c
Water temp 19.97c
pH 6.4
Dissolved oxygen 8.17mg/L or 90%
EC 2066us
Salinity 1.06

Will do ammonia, nitrites and nitrates tomorrow and post a few pics.

Trout doing great(touch wood), lets see how long I can keep them going. Cool change and rain today will help.

Dodgied up some shade cloth for these warm days we have had.

Added a blue barrel for Black Berries.




Some plant shots.


Fruit growing on Passion Fruit vine.


Vietnamese Mint growing well.

Ammonia and Nitrites zero, Nitrates still high @ above 150

Nice going Sam.

Does the metal cladding on that bed get hot and heat up the bed or does it not really affect it?

Regards, Martin.

The beds and FT are insulated. I have thought about painting them white.

The iron does get warm to the touch on a sunny day.

It was all built with recycled materials, except the pumps and plumbing.

Nice setup sam, thank dog for the cool change!