Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Ah, but an often overlooked aspect of hydroton is it's resale value. Used hydroton does not stay for sale for very long...

Good quality expanded clay.. like Hydroton & Canna... doesn't degrade...

I'm still using the same stuff from about 8 years ago.. and have moved my systems three times...

The cheaper Chinese and Thai clays are a different story... but getting better...

Read somewhere that someone said hydroton floats a lot as well... bullocks.... the cheaper pretend clay balls do...

Been using red lava rock for a few years and the occasional rock found while doing yard work.

Aside from the initial rinse and being somewhat rough on the fingers, I have not had any issues. It is fairly lightweight, by volume, extremely porous and relatively inexpensive.

I don't check Ph or do any of that fancy stuff the pros do. I don't fuss with the system too much. Just add fish and plants occasionally and harvest when ready.

Has anyone tried transplanting their seedling plants growing in rockwool directly to their media? Does it breakdown or just cause a lock around the root?

I haven't done it with rockwool but when I have had firends help me plant seedlings I lost a lot because the dirt wasn't washed off them very much.

I thought I had explained that nearly all the dirt had to be washed off but their view of nearly and mine must have differed. Once I woke up to the problem all the seedlings that were struggling but still alive I lifted washed the dirt off and replanted. Most of them recovered.

I believe that this was caused by the dirt staying water logged and hence depriving the roots of O2 I imagine rock wool could do the same.

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had a chap comment about how he read a report, suggesting that ""OLD clay balls can turn toxic""

I am awaiting any links to what was claimed, but wondered if you more-experienced-guys, may have heard the claim..

I could begin to imagine how media within an anaerobic zone, could release some ?? nasties if re-exposed..

Anyway - anyone heard of an "Old Wives Tale" like this..
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Where was this comment made? Was it on a hydroponics forum?

Sounds like a comment from someone selling new clay balls....

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I too, feel it is something from someone with a vested interest..
Still waiting to be told of the source..
I , like you guys, will be surprised if the source is kosher ..
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giving the benefit of the doubt:

If the media were exposed to a toxic material

and

If the media absorbed or adsorbed the toxic material

Then the media would in their words "turn toxic"

But it wouldn't have happened without the exposure to the toxin in the beginning. The clay would not have manufactured the toxin nor would it have driven down the street to pick it up.

Just saying

Just found this thread. Very cool. I also found a couple of youtube sites that nixed expanded clay, not because they were toxic but because if you live in a freezing area, water locked in the porous clay will expand and over a couple of seasons reduce the clay balls into mud. The was another site that has a new product, decrying expanded clay due to the mining environmental impact. This product uses recycled glass and the product looks like smooth pumice... interesting but I didn't bother pricing it.

A couple of thoughts on whether it would be any cheaper to MAKE your own porous clay balls. Any potters out there that know the costs of firing clay so it hardens?

My two thoughts, for what they're worth (Consider the cost of my free ideas!) are:

- Mixing clay with organic materials that burn off leaving holes. (Mix straw and clay and send it through the wife meat
grinder ? ha!)

- What would happen if you mixed clay with baking soda and baked 'em?? Slo bake and then hot fire??

fun stuff to think about...

Marketing twaddle. Of all the mining industries the mining of clay would have to be one of the ones with the smallest impact. Kind of comparable to sand mining for glass production except with an even smaller environmental foot print.



While the glass they are using may be recycled quality glass manufacturing require larges amounts of recycled glass. Regularly they can't get enough glass so they make glass, smash it and then feed it back into their furnaces repeatedly. Each time the quality of the glass improves and then they can start adding raw materials which is diluted through the high quality glass and then gives them enough glass that they can make stuff.


Depends on what you factor into the cost. If you value your labour at stuff all then it might cost less cash. I doubt your kiln would be as efficient as a commercial one so it would cost the environment more. Mind you if it was wood fired from wood that was going into a bon fire anyway....

Now that IS logical..

Fortunately not a problem in Sidiney.
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just had my wife check and my balls are in good and working order........................

But just wait until winter and they freeze..
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