Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

What do you Guys think of the Old Prospectors idea of accelerating the bacteria growth with compost tea?
I sent the FT a dark bronzy colour when I put that Powerfeed in - is it expected to clear up?


Pete.

lol, yes it will clear up. But it will probably go green in about three weeks time

Just hold tight Pete. You have enough ammonia reading atm.

Using compost or compost tea will accelerate the process but I don't think it will be long anyway.

I had been adding a little 1000 ml or so earlier to help the seedlings along as they had been getting a sip of tea while they were in the seed raising boxes.
For the last week I've been dipping into the FT to water the newest seedlings in the GBs, it shouldn't be long before they catch on as just a couple of stone depths down I can see the moisture wicking up through the stones.

When the weather is hot and windy the top layer appears 100% dry but when it's cooler about 50% show wicked moisture on the top layer. Should I reduce the overflow height of the stand pipe currently 50 mm below the surface?

I noticed in Brian's post he used small fish to cycle with, why don't we do that with fingerlings of our chosen fish as in this case?

Pete

Tough call on the water level for seedlings, how far down from the top is the water when the surface is dry? If the plants roots are getting water and you're pretty sure they'll get water at a lower depth then switch to the lower water level. Having a moist surface with seedlings encourages damping off.



You can but it doesn't always make sense. Sometimes the suppliers don't want to mess with just selling a few fish (as many as you'd need to cycle your system). Our entire order might be 30 to 50 fish and this is small potatoes to someone doing pond stocking (so getting less than this might be a no go). To cycle you wouldn't want the entire 30 to 50 fish dumped in all at once, the filter couldn't handle it and you'd likely have a bunch of dead fish. Another thing to think about is that some fish are much more susceptible to ammonia and nitrite and might not be a good choice for getting the cycle going. In many states it's not legal to go fishing to get something either. For example in Oregon it's illegal to transport live fish without a permit.

50 mm - what is damping off?
Thanks Scotty, and I'll try to remember that the next time I cross into Oregon.

Test result day 15 below.

Pete.

Missed your thread Pete, I like the stainless beds and ST. Theres only maybe two others that have used stainless that I can think of over the years. Nice.

As others have mentioned, your system is cycling. Luckily for you you have started into summer so cycling will be quicker in the warmer temps, although it can still take 4 or so weeks. Nitrates are showing so the bio activity is there. Patience is the key. What fish are you hoping to try?

Yeah don't expect to bring any pet fish either

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Damping off is caused by a variety of organisms, these cause seeds to die before developing or the stem to be girdled and collapse at ground level so the plant just falls over and dies. It's common with seeds and seedlings in over damp conditions. Lowering the water level just helps a bit to reduce the amount of moisture around the base of the stem and discourage this disease. If it becomes persistent then starting seeds elsewhere (under better conditions) and planting these into the system when they are larger usually gets around the problem (larger plants are less susceptible to having their stems girdled).

Oct 17th tests look good.

Trace of nitrites, nitrates etc all OK - that is basically a good indication that cycling is underway but not yet complete. Doubt it will be long now.

you basically want to watch now for the ammonia to drop and nitrites to stay low.

Thanks Guys,

I was showing some very interested friends photos (you've seen) on my phone and explaining how the system works when I suddenly realised how much I've learnt in the last couple of months. So a big thank you to all of those that have played a part of this adventure I've been having a blast and look forward to learning and enjoying the creation more.

As can be seen I've got two IBCs and a coil of poly, PVC piping and some electrical conduit sticking out of the ground next to the wicking bed. I plan on putting "Pete's second system" the same size along the retaining wall opposite the current system. I want to start with 35 Brown & Rainbow trout then in a few months start another batch of trout maybe a different variety in the second FT & GB. You may have noticed I can run both tanks into either or the same GB.

I've got all the bits for the uninterruptable power supply so will show when operating.

Pete

Just line the tray with 3-4 mil plastic, or buy the watering trays for your size of insert sheet you use. Pick up one end of the insert and fill with FT water, this can be done on a wood surface in the seedling area. Leave the GB for growing.

The companies make watering trays with holes for drainage that fit inside a watering tray with out holes in the bottom.

I put the seed tray on the GB so they experience the same atmosphere as they will be going into. When I water these and any other seedlings in the GB the water drains right through. By lining the tray how much water should remain beneath the surface 1/4 the height?

In the Bio-pond I have Duck Weed growing, I've read they're high in protein should I be collecting them now and freezing them for later? Many of the green ones have turned a reddy brown colour does it mater which ones I get?See pics.

Day 16 test result looking more like lolly water now.

Pete.

Hiya Pete, what is the bio pond?

Howzit goin Steggley,

a bio-pond is a pond, dam or huge swimming pool if you like that has the ability to clean its own water by pumping the water through beds of rocks (either internally or externally) in which plants grow. The growing plants consume the nitrates, mechanical filters clean the rest of the floating debris and if a crystal clear water is required a finally a sand filter may be used.

The system for domestic use was popularised in Europe by Michael Littlewood who wrote the book "Natural Swimming Pools, Inspiration for harmony with nature". The book like this forum has enough information to construct and operate your own bio-pond.

My pond is about 30 x 9 x 3.6 m, is mainly used for irrigation, aesthetics and fire fighting supply. Due to our varying conditions the pond can easily fill in 6 months with water coming from building roofs patios and surface water. In summer the water level drops below the GB walls but as the pump cycles it keeps the GBs full and the plants happy. In late every second summer we remove the reeds just above water level and by doing so we're physically removing the nutrient from the pond and encouraging new growth.

Pete.

nitrites strong in system now. Best to stop adding anything (or at least dropping the frequency) and let the ammonia drop.
hopefully the nitrite will go down fairly quickly as the bacteria population builds.

what is the pH of your pond water ?? Your AP water is siting up a bit at 8.2 - which may need some consideration when/if you add nutes for plants.