Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

SLO is a Solid Lift Overflow

Fish tank is always full , Water is pumped into fish tank ,water and fish waste is drawn from bottom of fish tank and taken out by a pipe , a tee piece on the top of this pipe prevents a siphon effect happening and is an emergency water outlet if pipe gets blocked at the bottom (pics of a SLO on page 1 of this thread)

SLUGS

Ive been cleaning out some beds , deep flooded two got easy 100 slugs out of one bed , and 6 out of the second . I do this twice a year im thinking I should shovel the scoria out onto black plastic and cover with clear plastic , we have a little heat wave coming "40 celcius" . Wonder how hot and dry it has to get to solarise slug eggs.

My cream system has never had slugs , the green system has always had slugs , probably came in on the scoria even though I washed and screened it well .

Wondering if my electric fence unit would kill them , its a big powerful one shove a live and earth into a growbed for a half hour every couple of weeks

I get by using iron slug bait around the base of my plants but who knows how much damage to roots is happening

Another option is set up some temporary raft beds and plants for a season and run my gravel beds empty , and deep flood them once a week to drown new hatched slugs .

I hear Beer traps are good for slugs. Go to your local pub, grab all their overpour beer waste and replace your water with Beer!!! I'm sure your fish'll taste nice also Beeroponics!

Back on the Slug Killing today Bed on the right was starting to look sick only had celery left that was on its way out . So pulled the plants and deep flooded the bed , caught easy hundred slugs , chooks loved them.

Bed on the left only has two tomato plants and some chives so I will flood that one tomorrow .(old photo)

I leave the beds deep flooded overnight to drown any crafty slugs that hold their breath .

System has a dozen small Murray Cod in it.

Ive been building its great to actually be able to put my hands above my head again , I put up a sun shade structure the last couple of yrs ive been dragging shadecloth over system on the nasty stinking hot days , but plants just ended up a tangled mess.

Be able to train tomatoes and cucumbers up and along horizontal ropes and grow greens underneath.

looking nice there Terra, I'll be investing in some shade options for my setup, is getting full afternoon sun water temps have spiked to 27C on the hot days so far.

Guess what more hot weather , WONDERFULL

This week today (Monday) 43c then 46c 45c 40c 40c 29c 30c

Overnight temps 22c -- 25c

After the last run I have over a metre of tomato stalk / stem with no fruit set

I think I will hack some of them off after this spell just above the last fruits and they can shoot out fresh

Bonus though is my heat and mildew tolerant cucumbers (suyo cucumber) are going gang busters ive had 10 fruits 500mm long already plenty more set on the vines.

So far they are a winner

Massive vines to the top of trellis and beyond with no sign of mildew

Normally I get a few cucumbers and the mildew takes them so have to keep replanting

Suyo Cucumbers

Catching a few green caterpillars when I can find them

We have had a run of very hot weather with warm nights as well , put in a few cucumbers for a mid / late season supply and they were up in 3 days. Someone on one of my gardening groups recommended the Suyo variety so i got some they are terrific every variety ive tried in the past got smashed with mildew , getting lots of 500mm fruits our friends are starting to avoid us .

Thinking of you Terra enjoy todays *#@*+^# weather

Tonzz we have Friday as well just make sure you use up all that nasty wind we don't want / need it .

My small Fish set up I have plywood around it as a screen and a roll around evaporative air cooler blowing in there , must be helping as the cats have moved in there , 30c under the growbeds where the cats are stretched out .

I have learnt only plant one Suyo Cucumber

The Chooks are learning to love cucumbers

Wifey refuses to have cucumbers for breakfast

4mm of Rain overnight that should tame the hot weather for a couple of days

that sounds familiar, I planted three cucumbers in a veg patch once... half filled a large fridge at one point!

Drank a lot of gazpacho over that period. Have you tried it? We found it an efficient and palatable way to consume large quantities at a decent rate, if you've got a few tomatoes to hand... it's good because you can season and spice it to your preference, I liked mine with garlic. Perhaps you can convince your wife!

Looked at the Gazpacho sound terrific , I have tooo many of the small sweet chillis as well .

Ive got heaps of frozen tomatoes , still picking enough fresh ones but they will stop soon (three weeks of heat waves didn't set any fruit )

do you find you get ber on your tomatoes in the heat? most of mine are fine but any fruit that has started growing over the last week or two has it and any little ones from the last couple of days that have a bit been cooler dont. its got me stuffed whats happeneing but thinking they just cant drink enough on the 40 degree days to keep up with losses buggering up their internal chemistry somehow.