Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I see some of you guys with massive quantities of hydroton expanded clay.. How in the name of all that is holy do you afford all that?

Is there a cheaper way to get it or something?

tip off the local PD then wait outside your neighbors house until they dump his hydro gear

It can be a case of time Vs money, and which is more valuable, as well as a number of other factors.

Here a trailer of gravel costs $65, this is enough to fill a 500L bed. But then it will take most of the day to clean it, shovel it, and wheelbarrow it.

If your buying hydroton in bulk you can generally get it a little cheaper, say $30 a bag or so a 500L bed will cost $300 to fill but it will be done literally in 10 minutes and then take 5 minutes to wash. Now If I was doing the drafting work I used to do, I'd be getting $30 an hour, so working an extra 8 hour day has paid for the extra cost of the hydro, and I haven't had to clean and shovel gravel all day..

Plus there are other benefits, it's easier to work with for planting plants etc, and it's lighter, so support structures under the grow bed don't have to be as strong.

So yeah, ultimately the initial cost seems pretty scary, but it just depends on how you look at it...

Dont tell everybody that

sure gravel is $65 for 500L vs $300 for hydroton, but it might cost you n additional $200 in construction to support the wieght of the gravel.

it really comes down to picking the most cost effective medium for the situation.

From mypoint of view the benefetitsoutweigh the deficits.
Eg Hydroton is sterile - gravel if not from an accredited supplier may contain phytophthera cinamomii (dieback)
Hydroton is ph neutral and chemically inert
To supply a small courtyard with limited access the expanded clay is bagged, light enough for me to handle and clean to work with
Washing uses minimal water by comparison
There are no ongoing costs such as soil improvers for the outdoor gardens

plus I have learnt
"IF THE FIRST EXPENSE,IS THE LAST EXPENSE, IT IS THE LEAST EXPENSE"

I would be curious on the method of producing the hydroton, my mother-in-law has a pottery wheel & Kiln. Is there a special type of clay? Is there a certain method of firing the clay balls?
Thanks - John

Don't know if they use a specific clay JK.... know its fired at about 1200 degrees, usually in a rolling/rotating furnace... which gives it its shape...

Principally manufactured in Germany and some places in Holland...

Can't see why almost any clay wouldn't work.... given the benefits of Bentonite (think that's the right spelling) maybe that sort of clay would be an alternative....

It's still pretty expensive though, for a system large enough to grow a meaningful amount of food using a hydroton system to make it worth while your probably looking at $1200, which is a fair chunk of change.

i guess what i'm saying is $65 for gravel in a small hobby system is ok , but if your going for hydroton you'd want to see some payback in the form of a reduced grocey bill. atleast i know that's how i think about things before slapping down $$$

How long will hydroton last for? Gravel will last forever. My next bed will be hydroton (bought the stuff a couple of months back) and I hope it has a very long life.

Don't know for sure Vb.... but I know of people using it in hydro for many years.

Hydro usage can result in residue of "salts" attaching to the clay balls... every crop or two they just wash them in white vinegar, hydrogen peroxide or a diluted bleach....

Then rinse a couple of times and dry.... only realy breakdown through tumbling or rough handling.

Saw that in a big way when I made my first biofilter and made the mistake of having a void at the top of the filter which was only filled with water (and therefore moving hydroton. Within a week the surface had worn of most of the clay balls resulting in massive clay deposit in tank. Fixed this with a design improvement.

one quick side note - where's a cheap place to get gravel from in perth? paying by the bag sucks, B wants $15 per 20kg bag!
some place south of the river would be nice

Johnkofi, trust me I am working on the whole making them idea.

I know how to make them, just don't have the machinery to do so. To prepare the dry clay, mix in coffee grounds or saw dust, these particles will burn away leaving the clay more porous. Add in some silica sand to lighten the mix slightly. Use terracotta if you can...

To form the balls you need a large ball mill with water sprayers. It needs to turn at just the right speed and just the right amount of water to form the balls. You keep adding clay/water until they are the right size. You need to make sure the balls are dry enough so they don't all stick together when pour them out. You will need to dry them for a week before firing them... And yes... you will want a kiln temp of at least 1000 deg Celsius or 1800 degrees Fahrenheit.

What sort of area timmy? I'm working next door to a guy here in Jandakot that sells it for about $60 a trailer load, soil city on the corner of Berrigan drive and Jandakot rd.. If you go in there, ask them about aquaponics..