Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I don't think scoria contains any lime or carbonates at all, I'm familiar with 5 or 6 systems around Sydney with scoria from different suppliers and none have a high ph problem.

I doubt that smearing something around the outside would fix a leak, but it wouldn't hurt to try. After a few weeks of cycling the growth of biofilm might stop the leak (might). Otherwise I think you'll have to empty it to fix it properly.

You could put a pair of goggles on and dive in silicon, mastic will work under water.

Two suggestions for leak fixing:

If it's a pipe connection or some regular shape, you could try a rubber sleeve and some hose clamps.

If it's a more irregular shape, You might try an epoxy putty. If you do this it sets rock hard and would b difficult to remove.

You can get silicone that cures wet. Where are you getting the Scoria from? Can a friendly forum member do required test for you before purchase amd delivery?

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This is the leak. It's not massive. But I think that I will drain the tank and then fix it.

I'll dry it inside and out then smear some more silicon on the outside and on the inside of the fittings to try and fix it. If it still leaks I'm just going to remove the tap and all the silicone and start again with just a plug.

Fortunately I have a spare dirty water pump and FT#1 is just sitting there - so I have the means to fully empty the tank and somewhere to put all the water.

Yes, empty it and fix it now- smearing more over the top will not fix it. Rubber seals under compression are a way better idea than bogging it up with sikaflex. Transfer the water to the GBs for temp storage if you want to re-use it.

Proper volcanic scoria wont have much in the way of carbonates, and no limestone. Who knows what the fake stuff has in it.

Ordered 2.5 cubic meters of scoria which is being delivered tomorrow!

Have fun with the shovelling!

The fun part is I now need to put on my gardening clothes and move a cubic meter of mulch to make room for them to dump the scoria!

Woot woot! Now to start rinsing!

Oh my goodness! Trying to rinse scoria is an exercise in futility and a huge waste of water!

I just reused the same water in a wheel burrow. seemed to wash enough of the dust out without wasting too much water.

I gues any rinsing is better than none... But I felt like as I neared the end of my wheelbarrow load of scoria the rinsing water was so thick with silt that it wasn't cleaning any more. Nothing to do except have a fresh bucket for each load.

AND regardless my water still looked like tomato soup!

I'm quickly learning a bit of sediment is unavoidable...

I like your system setup. Good luck on washing the lava rock. Hopefully you have some help, it is probably the most labor intensive part of building a system.

Here is how my kids washed mine. Lots of holed drilled in the wheel barrel. There are many good ways to do this job but none of them are fun.






Your system is coming along nicely.