Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Found that site : www.maximumyield.com/viewart.php?article. Might be of interest.

I think that article highlights the nub of the problem and points to the solution as well WD....

Its the oxygen depletion in the nutrient solution as the temperature rises that's the real problem..... this leads to nutrient salt formation ... "lockout"

Solution is certainly to cool.... but an airline in the nutrient reservoir and/or your channels works wonders as well.

Indeed Dr Lynette Morgan is very widely quoted in hydroponic circles....
particularly in regard to hydroponic strawberry growth.

She is Scientific Director for SUNTEC Hydroponic Consultants in New Zealand ...

http://www.suntec.co.nz/

Update .. a week or so into the pegola thing ....

The pergola is hanging off the rear end of the house which gets sun late in the day. The pergola is also shaded with shade cloth, and a couple of small lemon trees anda fence give heavy shade either side of the pipes.

Growth is therefore is generally very slow at this time of year, but the lettuces and cucumber seedlings are making progress despite low light levels. Summer will be a great time, as light and heat can be quite something late afternoon in this part of my yard.

Corriander, Parsley, beans and peas are surviving at the moment, healthy, but slow growth.

Water is clear as crystal and goldfish seem happy. Water smells good.

A couple of the plants seem a little Iron deficient, and I think I will remedy with a little Iron Chelate and maybe some trace elements.

I cannot wait for the summer. (Strawbs, toms, cukes, zucchini and eggplants, basil, mint, watercress, corriander, parsley and anything else I can think of everywhere hopefully!)

I think I will need to duplicate the pergola flood and drain pipe sytem quite a few times in my next break, and hopefully get the powers at be at my school to take AP and aquaculture a little more seriously!

On another note...

I have found that because we have had a long dry spell, and cold dry, then a cold wet spell, bees seem to be a bit sluggish and thin on the ground around here, and broadbeans in flower are not being pollinated.

Oh ... BTW for Perthies, Mazzagas Kelmscott, .. Mitre 10 ... (Gillam drive) are doing timers for $ 2.95 at the moment.

Bore da, Johnnie
Good to hear everything is progressing well if slowly. Since my last post I have put bubblers in all my tanks to improved the dissolved oxygen levels and it has made a noticeable difference both to growth and to take up of nutrient. I have also noticed that the fish are no longer coming to the surface and gulping as they did in the hot weather.
I looked at some DO meters to get regular checks done on all my tanks but they were so expensice I ended up gulping like my fish. I will get a less expensive measuring method.
I have the same problem with broad beans planted in te fields - too wet,too cold and the bee season is a disaster.
At the end of the day we have to live with what nature hands out.
WD

Great to hear WD.... so that's somethings crossed of the list... that much closer to everthing working in harmony

Just tossing around an idea that I discussed with Tony from West Oz. (Thanks for the little buckets my friend!)

Extension of the pergola thing I am messing with.......

I thought I would try an experiment growing tomatoes in suspended buckets hanging off the pergola. I have set three hanging baskets up.

Small cream buckets are suspended along the pergola on long lengths of chain at one metre intervals apart. At he bottom of each bucket is placed a return tube that takes excess liquid back to the pond. Fill a flower pot with washed cocopeat and cover the bottom of the pot with a nylon stocking. Plant the tomato in the pot, place the pot in the bucket and hang it on the bottom of the chain.

Fit a header tank to the top of the pergola with an overflow pipe directed back to the pond. Plumb in thin dia tube to the header tank to feed drippers directed down the chains to service each flower pot. Set your timer for 15 mins on every 2 hours or so.

The chain can act as someting to tie the tomato plants to.

I have tapped into the pump discharge line on the pergola channels I was messing with (see original pics) and can say that the tomatoes seem to like it, the strawbs like it and carnations like it. Lettuce loved it!

Original pics...

http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum ... pic_id=278


http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum ... pic_id=277

Will post some new pics soon.

Johnnie,
Do not rely on the plastic handles, they are not UV stabilised plastic and Will break. Get some wire and make a stronger support than the handle.

I have had a number of plastic handles break while carrying similar buckets.

We are waiting for the new photos johnnie7

Happy New Year,
Tony

Thanks Tony ...

After 1 day in the sun it was realised that the handles would cause probs.. they seemed to fade .. so I will try to figure a cheapo fix... the buckets themselves will only last a couple of summers

However ...

If I extend the life of a bucket by two years .. and it has a use ..

better that than the tip ...

A small contrib to recyling ...

But worth experimenting with ..IMHO

Thanks for your help my friend .. your suggestions and recommendations are valued!

I will be visiting a mutual friend in your locality tomorrow to see what he has in mind.

Have a great NYE!

Photos here:-

http://backyardaquaponics.com/forum/alb ... pic_id=365

http://backyardaquaponics.com/forum/alb ... pic_id=364

http://backyardaquaponics.com/forum/alb ... pic_id=363

http://backyardaquaponics.com/forum/alb ... pic_id=361

http://backyardaquaponics.com/forum/alb ... pic_id=360

Some of my other experiments here:-

http://backyardaquaponics.com/forum/alb ... pic_id=359

http://backyardaquaponics.com/forum/alb ... pic_id=362

Hi johnnie. I have some 150mm piping myself that i plan on raising strawbs in. How do they go for you? Any culture tips I should be aware of?

Well... I am no expert, but a few tips FWIW.

I think that they would like more light than they are getting at present.

A little seasol in the fish pond.

I would use hydrotron rather than gravel next time or I may even try cocopeat and encase the pot in a nylon stocking to stop the peat falling out.

Plant the seedlings as deep as possible. (I cut the pots down to do this!)

I may even try stawbs in one of the bucket dripper systems.

thanks, i was gunna run it as a deep flow thing. Might still, but i hadn't thought of grravel in the pipes.

Hi TT,

I use gravel only in the little square pots. Gravel in the pipe would lead to blockages I think (and be very heavy!).

Groovy pictures in the album, J7!

thx johnnie. I am thinking netpots atm but haven't fully decided yet.