Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I don't know if you can get these in AU, but this could be an option.

http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fus ... 8/cid/2224

Colin, sorry to disappoint but I haven't ever lived in Bega. My sister lives in Eden and I was there last week however.
Our water here tends to be alkaline- usually about 7.0-7.4- even rain water which seems strange to me. Soils are old decayed granite.
My experience with copper pipe in our water is that it , the copper, seems unaffected.
I will however buy a test kit and just toss the copper I have into the fish tank and see what happens (Taking one for the team- BUT BEFORE ADDING FISH!!) After all I have a couple of months before the weather warms up. When I rethink that last line I reckon a month or so of the pipe just sitting in the tank would give me an idea- might even experiment with changing the pH of the water to see what happens- if I stuff up I can always throw away the water and start refill the tank. Will keep the forum posted. Thanks for your thoughts. Off now to get a test kit- thanks for the link LKB

Sometimes it is clear to me that my brain is not attached to the typing fingers- clearly the simple way to experiment with this copper idea is to use a smaller container and not waste(?) 4000l of good water. Will collect a couple of blue barrels next time I go into town, along with copper test kit ( lots of aquarium shops- one must have a test kit for copper) and bicarb and acid for pH adjustments. I have lots of little aquarium pumps so I might even try moving water versions of the experiment .Don't hold your breath folks but test results will come!

Sounds like a great idea to me Jim.... and it's probably more entertaining than watching TV anyway

Hi Jim
You could add a 3rd barrel to the test.
Cycle a basic biofilter using ammonia in that one and it should mimic a real system pretty well.
Plain water doesn`t have the ammonia content of a populated tank, which could make a difference to the copper levels

Swimming pool places could be another place for a CU test kit

Hex- good idea- and probably more real world than original plan-
Les- thanks for the tip- but why would pool places have copper test kits?

There is a bacteria cleaning type pool thingy that runs an electric current between 2 copper plates (kills the bacteria)....have a loving wife that religiously takes a sample down to our pool shop to test copper levels...coz we got one of them copper killing thingies.

They might even do a CU test for u


...its dark and I'm not running out there to get the techy name

So you werent into motocross racing 35to 40 years ago?
Your name seems familiar!
Colin

les, i thought those devices usually used another metal and were for the prduction of chlorine from salt added to the pool (which then kills the baddies) or am i thinkng of a different device. The name escapes me too

it uses electrolysis to split the NaCl into Cl and NaOH.............and i think thats why you have to periodically add HCl acid to neutralise the NaOH back to salt

ROFL, Ya big scardie!

Ioniser and it uses copper anodes...means that MUCH MUCH MUCH less chlorine is required

Need to test the water regularly so that no CU build up....had a lovely young lass swimming in the pool and the level was too high, blonde hair took on a greenish tinge



Yep - drop bears are rampant this time of year :confused5:

ioniser, thats the one. I'm sure my mates one has stainless electrodes..........now i'll have to go visit just to check LOL

All the chlorinators (ionisers) I have seen have been two SS mesh tubes inside one another.

Who ever decided copper was a good idea was stupid.

Cu2+ + (Na)Cl- = CuCl2

The resulting product would be Copper (2) Chloride (Cupric chloride). Very good textile dye and used in the refining of gold and silver. Simple chemistry people. Moderately toxic to aquatic life.

They are definitely copper, 2 separate bars and are placed ~100mm apart, where did you get the NaCl from - no salt is added to my swimming pool?

The CU ionisers are common here, infact there are 2 others that I know of in close proximity to me...will get a pic of it tomorrow (bugger - need to pull it apart now)