Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

If you drill a hole and by chance have an air compressor handy it may help to give it a blast?

either way good luck.

Hi dthawk

Have you thought of using earthbag construction techniques to build your growbed walls and render over.
Get hold of cheap polyweave bags, fill with dirt, flatten and laid like bricks, then render with cement..

LB

http://www.earthbagbuilding.com/index.htm
http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/earthbag.htm
http://www.calearth.org/cvillage/cvillage.htm

LB, in case it isn't clear, the growbed here is long and narrow, more like a trough. What you see in the pics is the whole bed, not just one wall. A lot more mobile than earthbag stuff (although I like the idea of earthbag).

You probably knew that, just wanted to make sure.

Gnash, I tried that with a water hose but not with air. I will try that.

LB That looks like a real possibility. I will try that somewhere where I I won't have to move the GBs. Thanks for the info.

You are right steem. for now I need something mobile because I want something I can make on site and install quickly.

Put a bed sheet or cheap fabric over the form before use it works every time.

edited for clarity.

Thanks Steem for the clarification, I did think it was a just a wall..

Good idea JTF...If I ever get the form out I will do that next time.

Say, doesn't rotting wood lowere the PH?

Yup, it will lower the pH. Is that going to be a good thing? Which way will the concrete pull the pH.

They should pretty much cancel each other out I suppose. Oh well, I guess I took one for the team.

DT

Most often in ferro construction the shape may be defined over a former but is cemented after removal from the former ie you bend your wires and lock them together remove the wire frame then cement from both sides.

Hmmm. you have to have something for the initial coat to adhere to don't you? I cant see the cement adhereing to just the wire very well in my case. I guess if the cement was dry enough you might be able to and it would allow you a better control of the thickness of the final product.

I will try that with a small sheet of hardware cloth and see how it works. Thanks for the heads up. Good stuff.

DT

Found a short film on UTube you may be interested in (note how thin the walls are) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7IGsG0TzUo&NR=1

Hi DT,

In the other system in the rehab centre did you have to treat the fresh concrete with anything to protect the fish or plants either from alkalinity or other chemicals leaching from the concrete into the water?

Did you have many fish die among the first batch (presumably Tilapia) that you used to cycle the system?

You said that in the other system the shade cloth was a mistake because it cut down on plant growth too much. What % of the sunlight did your shade cloth exclude.

I find your work a real inspiration both for the techniques you are developing; and for what you are trying to achieve for the community there.

Regards

Rob

Hi Rob, welcome to the forum!