Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi! We've decided on clay balls as the media in our grow beds but the cheapest I've found is almost $40 for a 50Litre bag

Does anyone know of a cheaper source in Sydney?

Thanks in advance!

Clay balls are expensive and most people end up using scoria, volcanic rock, less expensive and just about as good. There are a few places around Sydney which deliver. I have 16mm and 20mm and both sizes work well.

River gravel works well too, my first system has just over 25% clay balls and 75% river gravel, but I saved a fortune by just going with river gravel on the big system.

Excellent thank you! I thought clay balls were the best but it's good to know there are cheaper alternatives that work just as well.

There's an ANL only 10minutes from where we live and it has Scoria.

They sell 10 X 15kg bags for $75. Sounds like a good deal, I wonder how many grow beds this would fill...

The first IBC system we bought came with a GB full of what looks like crushed red clay pottery.. Would this be any good to use or should I find another home for it in the garden?

my half barrels took 4 x 20kg of 14mm each to fill if that helps work out what you need.

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I'm interested in this one. My growbeds are small so I felt like I could afford clay balls given I'd also read they were the best in terms of biological surface area per volume. Is that not right? The other advantage, it seemed to me, was that they're light so easy to transport and also easy to plant seedlings in. But I don't have any experience of the alternatives.

Don't bother with bags, even cheaper by the ton !
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