Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Using rock from last system, plenty bacteria there so not expecting dramas vb. Does this sound ok, provided i also start planting immediately?

All in all you will have to test night and morning for a while good luck [how are you going to carry 400 fish !]

TT - if I were you I'd add the rock from the old system and then add urine to get the bacteria populations up to a good size before adding the new fish. Might only have to run it for a week or 2 without the fish to do this.

Rock from the old system has been spread evenly across each bathtub vb. Been giving the natural ammo a run all week! No ammo in readings, buggerall nitrite and a bit of nitrate in the system. pH and KH and GH are 6.6, 60 and 60respectively. Will bang a bag of shell grit in one of the sump barrels tomorrow, see how much that raises pH and how much more buffer it will give me.

The fish will arrive at 13C and my tank water is 14C, it was 11C first thing this morning, but been a sunny day.

The birds are into my transplanted stuff straight away, so i need to get the shade cloth up next wknd in order to begin planting and removing nitrates. I have only about 2500lt in the tank at the mo, so can keep adding water if things get a little high readings wise in the short term. What do people think?

Sounds like you've got it under control so far TT

yep, and there's probably a pie in the face just waiting around the cnr Rupe, so if things turn to crap, i just need to be ready to act quickly.

FF, regarding the stocking rate, I will have some time up my sleeve, given they are only tiddlers I am buying (60mm). Provided the water quality is fine and there is plenty of air in the system, the stocking rate won't be an issue per se. The limiting factor will be the ability to remove nitrates. I have 8gbs on line atm and will bring the other 8 on line as quick as i need to, 4000lt of gb space all up. Build another gh? Perhaps. Offload some 100-150gm fish to my AP friends early next year? More than likely.

With 13500lt of back up water, I will be able to change out water as I need I think. I can use this water as liquid fert on the rose garden, potted plants etc, as i have a ball valve and tap in line back from the sump. The stocking rate is high by AP standards but moderate by recirc standards.

I am not particularly warm and fuzzy on the fish density thing. They are there to provide a nutrient source for food for my family. Yes I will enjoy feeding and looking after them, but I do not view them as pets, but an enjoyable means to an enviro friendly end. They will get the best care I can give them and regular testing will tell me when I am out of line and what action I should take.

Bit like setting off solo around the world in a boat, I think I have the bases covered, but won't really know until I jump into the water.

You have learnt well grasshopper.

Well, got my fish today, hooray.
John at Glenwaters was most helpful. He keeps his babies in 5ppt salt and assures me this is the key to their survival at a young age, in suboptimal temps. It was exactly 2 hours from home to his place so a big round trip.

400 6cm silvers in my big tank is a bit of a luxury atm but they will grow into their new home over time. John told me not to feed them til 2moro, so i have been good. That said, they were looking for food as soon as I put them in, which is a good sign. Salted the tank to about 4ppt which had immediate effects on the celery, but celery is easily replaced! I can up the water over time and reduce my salt concentration as i become more confident that the fish are happy.

Got a bag of 20kg, 52% protein Ridleys Starter food off him. 98 bucks, nearly choked but the food i currently have is still a bit big for them. John told me i could expect growth of an inch a month, so i guess we are looking at a 12 month growout.

I have closed off the sump return ball valve slightly, so it takes longer to empty sump but gives me fishtank aeration for longer. At most sump tanks get to 3/4 full. Looking fwd to watching things unfold.

didn't realise you got that many fish cool.

yep, my leb. watercress indoors has completely died off with 4ppt. i have found that most plants will tolerate 1ppt ok.

TT- that is expensive

what I did for my SP fingerlings was to crush the 4mm pellets...put the pellets between a couple of pieces of 4B2 with some well delivered pressure does the trick

I knew i was being had Ell, and didn't think quick enough about the crushing what I have thing. That said, it won't go to waste. I will use a little of each atm as some of the bigger ones are nearly ready for a bigger pellet. I was prepared to cop it given the mega protein content which should get them off to a flyer once the water warms a bit.

I use an old coffee grinder to crush the pellets

That is just not AQUAPONIC

nah...... just bloody smart....

:curtsey: