Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

i make it at 360L if you fill to within 50mm of the top..............i cant see my spa being too much more, maybe 100L more max ?

I'd say that if you can flow the water from your main tank through that tub then it will be fine, it will have the chemical / temperature stability of the main system + add a further 360L to your working volume. i'd say 10 trout in there at least, maybe double if you can ensure good flow through. i have one air stone and the water inlet is in the form of two sharp jets just above the water. see my thread maybe 10 pages back from the end? where the silly music is

The SS trough looks like to came from an old school where there were no water fountains but had troughs like this to wash hands and get some water to drink.

wass happening worms? I got my plastic on and fish are growing man, the great 'bathtub silver perch' derby is officially on. Seriously tho, my babies are 8-9cm but eating well. Hope things are good ur end. New pics man.

Wow! That look's like a 'polytrolley' or whatever the brand is tub (the blue one) they can be found used in bunnings stores and other places like supermarkets. I priced them, they're about $400 I think.

Not a bad score

tt, did you buy them that size or they grew to that, youve got 400 odd dont ya? what did that set ya back?

90c each, yep 400, 5-6cm when i gottem.

Hello!

It has been quite along time betyween post on this site but I haven't stopped lurking the pages picking up ideas and tip here there and everywhere. It appears TT forfets our grow out competition and so thereforwe i declare myself the winner

While my system is running soothly and producing some very tasty fish and vegies the fruits of my labour are far from some of the photos i've veiwed on this site. nitrate has climbed to around 20 inspiring me to finally finish the last few stand pipes and bring the remaining 5 tubs into line. I just love the sound of 16 bath tubs simultaneously overflowing, is there something wrong with me?

anyway, the only real problem I've got is plant growth...and I have sifted through the site to get some ideas on how to achieve something that resembles perhaps fayes success. Given I have high nitrate i dont think seasol is the answer and so the only additive i've used is chelated iron, 3 teaspoons a month (3500ltr tank). this has improved thing but somethig is still missing.

One key element i have overlooked is ph, i have never tested and don't own a tester kit so this is my plan and please feel free to shoot it down in flames. With our food waste collections at work we get alot of oyster shells, some raw some kilpatrick, I plan to wash and crush these shell and bury bag of the stuff in my grow beds as a buffering agent. questions:

will it work,
how much would i need,
does it need replacing?

Can any see anything else missing? whats the secret igredient thats needed to achieve those phenominal growths

keep up the good work

Hi worms, nice to hear from you.... do a pH test before you add any shells mate...

Your pH might not need, or benefit from the carbonate buffering affect.... indeed it may be the cause of your problems...

And Seasol, or Maxicrop are basically trace element products with little Nitrogen... wont harm the plants (or fish) to try some anyway...

thanks Rup,
Thats the info i need, Im familiar with seasol, is it just as good as maxicrop? and whats the reccommended dosage?

I thought the shells would be ok either way, not so?

Yes and no worms... if your pH is 8.0 -8.5 ... then effectively, no buffering will take place anyway... until pH got at least around 7.0-7.5.... so no real harm, but no real benefit

Point is though, you need to ascertain where you're at now... if you're between pH 7.5-8.5... then you'll be locking out a lot of trace elements from plant uptake... which may be the cause of your growth problems...

Find out what you've got at the moment... and if necessary let it drift toward a more optimal pH range... and address the buffering later as needed...

I would like a ph reading from faye's system for interests sake.

well i've bought a ph test kit and the reading this arvo is 6.5-7, i think thats ok? will get some seasol to add next.

the weather here is playing havoc, water temp was 25 on sunday and today its 11!!!

Seasol or Maxicrop. If your plants are just slow growing, but not showing deficiency signs PH wont be the problem.

You'll most likely be low on potassium.

thanks ozzie, potasium eh, i was also thinking that might be a problem, should i add dandelion leaves or is there a product out there you could recommend? is seasol sufficent?

Seasol is all you need