Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

no I've lined up some screened gravel from my husband's cousins (landscape suppliers).
I was just interested in the pix of EB's system because the pea gravel looks so much like bauxite. I wasn't sure if he would use it, but it looks soo much like it!

oops, in the book he says he used cracked gravel in his first system, then switched to straight pea gravel which ment a red bauxite gravel, so I'd guess you have good eyes and ya know your rocks.

I grew up in NQ where the council used to use it in landscaping situations, also my aunt and uncle lived in a bauxite mining town, I saw LOTS of it

lol

Hey guys you are a bunch of nuts in truth

i like it here

i will make it my home so move over cause i got the Aqua bug.

One prob though my gravel is limstone i just read it will raise the pH of the tank its in.

Could it be used in a aqua steup?

Hmmmmm, a percentage of it would be great as the gravel (don't know how much, but probably 5% to 10%). If you use 100% limestone then you'll probbably buffer to PH 8.2 with a high KH hardness. not sure plant would do all that well at 8.2

Just got the offer of a trailer load of quartz 10-15 mm for nothing...is quartz a viable option for growbed media or should I avoid it??

should be fine, quartz doesn't leach anything, it's only carbonated crystals, hard as all get go, watch your hands and the bed-sides for scratching

Got for it mate!
It is inert, so it is 'safe'... well, for the plants but not your hands

Thanks for that info.... when it comes time for planting I might have to employ the old 'bribe the kids for phone credit trick'

I have been using 14 mm blue drainage metal. It is quite angular so has a lot of surface area. Also, supports roots well, is hard on hands, but you get used to it.
On the downside, it is really heavy and has a lot of fines in it which need a good rinse before use. I use a steel frame with shadecloth stretched over it then hose down. Very effective.

Latest beds are perlite with a 10cm layer of gravel on top. Much easier on the body. No results yet, still in its infancy.

C'mon Mon, how many times a day/week/month do you actually put in new plants - me thinks this is another AP myth like "gravel washing"

& no better way to clean glue or silicone of your hands (serious - not OT banter).

Has anyone heard of pumice stone for growing media? There is an abundance of volcanic rock that is quite airy (lots of holes) in my town. Its not light enough to float, so that's not a problem. . .

Anywho, just a newbie trying to figure out the details of the system I'm building. . .any advice would be nice.

PP, one of our members from El Salvador, DTHawk, is using rock straight off the side of a volcano. Here is where he got his from

Welcome to the forum

PP, I have used lava rock in my bio filters and it is great for the bacteria to grow in. I never thought of using it in the grow beds because it would be hard on the hands while planting. Let us know how it works if you use it.