Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Scottie, that good looking bug could make you a contender in the photo competition, why don't you get your entry in without delay, it has been extended you know!
( It looks like one of the crusader bug family/shield bug but I would have liked to see the pattern on its' back)

don't encourage Anne to get too used to the AP experience, or you will spend all your time chasing chooks out of the grow beds

Well I ended up climbing inside my fishtank (partner was freakin' out - told her she had to be there so someone could tell the Coroner what happened! LOL ) to clean out all the fine sediment acculumated at the bottom of the tank - it was 2-3 centimetres thick!

Put ~1000L mains water into tank with appropriate amount of dechlorinator/dechloraminator. Kitchen tap water readings below.

Also measured ammonia tonight, but no noticable increase - I thought the chlorine/chloramine was converted to ammonia? I was expecting an ammonia spike - what's going on?

Test again tomorrow (morning if you've got the time) and post the results Scottie.... be interesting to see.

Scottie - the theory is that chloramine would be converted to ammonia. The thing is that not all water mobs dose with chloramine, may just be chlorine. Even with those that do does with chloramine, there may be little left by the time it gets to you. Can't take the risk and not neutralise though.

what species of fish? Madius Aquaponutus?

Re-tested ammonia again - same reading. If VB is right, then there's no chloramine in my mains water supply.

Yesterday I put in a couple of litres of water from a pond & just now I put in several litres of water from a fishtank that hadn't been cleaned out in 6 months. So ... GBs have been seeded.

How often do I need to pump water through the GBs while I wait for the system to cycle? The gravel stays moist for days. At the moment I run the pump before & after work. Acceptable?

I'm hoping my system is cycled by New Year & I can put some fishies in. (Not Madius Aquaponutus! )

the more often the water goes thru the beds the better Scottie

atleast you couldn't paint yourself into a corner! it a round tank

FISHIES!!!

Just got 8 feeder fish to help cycle my system. They are about 7-8cm long. They are currently sitting in a bucked mixed with a couple of litres of water from my tank. They aren't very active anymore ... just sitting on the bottom of the bucket more motionless than before. I put a couple of flakes in, but they just sat there ... I measured PH, it is 7.2 in the bucket.

Oh! I just wandered over to have another look ... flakes are gone!

Is it ok to put them in my tank do you think?

The fishies are in.

scottie good to see you got the toes in the pic.
aside; If anyone gets in a tank with a lid on it, they should have someone know where they are as the air in a tank can be used up pretty quickly...and you know what that means...fish food and a lot of it!!
If you find a need to get into one and all is good until you start to feel tired get out right away!
A fan atleast should be used to push air into a tank before one decides to get in there.
If you were on a work site as I find myself at, occassionally, the requirement is to check the air quality before entering and to have breathing aparatus on hand should you be in there for a length of time.

confined spaces can sometimes kill with out any warning signs, and the rescuer usually goes too. when a person sees two or three collapsed people they then think twice about attempting a rescue!

hey scottie,

good to see you have your system up going. look forward to your progress.

all the best.

thats why I thought i'd say what I did...