Dufflights system

[dufflight]

Been a little cold lately.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01579.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01582.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01581.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01586.jpg

[dufflight]

System has been running well. Ammonia and Nitrite are zero and the current plant load is using the nitrates. There is a little over a hundred fish in the pool. Most getting around the 40cm mark. The catfish seem to be catching up with the silvers.
In the 380ltr side tank there are a further 390 ish fingerlings. And one cod that doesn't do much.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01550.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01552.jpg
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[Castaway]

Lovely shot of the frost on the leaves Duff. Your plants look very healthy. How old is your system?

[dufflight]

Over six months. Should of posted it in the next section. :mrgreen:
This is the first lot of winter plants. Was thinking the frost had killed them but today they look fine. My Mango tree didn't like the cooler weather.

[Lee]

Looks great Duff. Can't wait till my system looks as good as that. Pics are awesome

[dufflight]

General system photos.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01515.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01426.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01391.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01399.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01312.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01201.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01154.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01050.jpg

[dufflight]

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[Murray]

Great photos Duff.

[dufflight]

Its the only problem with having a camera that holds over 10000photos. Not counting video. I think I've taken 1400 since I started AP. :shock:
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01636.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01632.jpg

[Luke]

Hi Duff,
excuse my ignorance, I am only new to aquaponics but what is the big red barrel used for?
By the way, your plants look fantastic!

Luke

[dufflight]

The olive drum is a swirl filter. The water goes through this and solids settle on the bottom to be removed. Most grow beds also take the solids out of the water.


Video update
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vT98Frpv ... annel_page (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vT98FrpvpFk&feature=channel_page)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aAh6vu7 ... annel_page (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aAh6vu7Axc&feature=channel_page)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-yT-E_s ... annel_page (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-yT-E_sLJI&feature=channel_page)

[dufflight]

Keep forgeting the BSF in the compost bin.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01667.jpg
Will have to stake these soon.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01670.jpg
One of the silvers. Hard to get an idea of the size. This one is 2mtrs down.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01628.jpg
Goldies are a bit the same. Need an underwater camera.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01592.jpg

[Julia]

General system photos.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01515.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01426.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01391.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01399.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01312.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01201.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01154.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01050.jpg

Hi Duff,
Fantastic system and healthy plants - hope mine look as good as that one day!

[dufflight]

Little catfish and silvers are still doing well. Silvers have been in there for 2 months and the catfish for 1 month. Almost 400 fish and no deaths so far.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekq5UnaE ... annel_page (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekq5UnaEmu4&feature=channel_page)

[wild]

Hi Duff - in your video I just watched it looked like you have mussels in your fishtank. Do they also help to filter solids from the bottom of the tank?

Cheers, Andrew.

[dufflight]

Mussels are filter feeders but work more as water polishers. They get rid of a lot of fine particles. Can't remember how many went in. 200ish They would go well before NFT or in DWC to keep the roots a little cleaner.

[Aussie AP]

Thanks for the reminder duff. I must put some in the sump of the duo kit.

[RupertofOZ]

For those that don't know... the mussels have a unique breeding cycle, that requires a fish "host" as part of the reproductive process... Silver Perch and most freshwater fish will act as the "host"...

The movement of the fish swimming nearby triggers the female mussel to shoot out micrscopic spores... which embed themselves under the scales of the fish host...

Similar movement within proximity of the male mussel results in it releasing it's sperm.... the fish swims through the cloud of sperm.. thus fertilising the mussel spore...

The mussel stays attached to the fish host, growing... for about a month, and then drops off as a baby mussel...

The fish host is not harmed in this process... although it is essentially a "parasitic" process...

[dufflight]

Getting sick of top down photos.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01681.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01682.jpg
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[Castaway]

What sort of camera did you buy? Good photos

[dufflight]

Same camera. I use a HDR-SR1 Sony High Definition Handycam. Just filled the 650ltr aquarium and threw in a few fish. Used water from the pool so no cycling and have a 2000lph pond pump moving the water around for them. The warmer water has had a big effect on the silvers. Might have to throw the other 116 in there as well.

[ColinW]

Love the photos Dufflight.

[Castaway]

Same camera. I use a HDR-SR1 Sony High Definition Handycam.

I thought you might be using an underwater camera. I want to shoot some video underwater but without a suitable underwater housing I might try a simple low tech solution - put the camera in a glass aquarium system and push it under water and try that.

[dufflight]

You can get underwater cameras for checking on boats and fishing. I just filled an aquarium I had laying around. But thought of siting it in a small aquarium and pushing it below the surface.

[dufflight]

Readings that are not all zero's. Almost forgot what the other colors looked like. Small water change with the pool to bring the nitrite back. All the water is salted and fish haven't shown any signs of stress.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01714.jpg
Silvers are loving the temp inside without heating.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01703.jpg
Installed one of these bio wheels coz I was interested in how they worked.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01705-1.jpg
ABF, its been handling most of the bio load but it needs more time to mature.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01713.jpg
Some duckweed until the fish work out its food.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01707.jpg
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[dufflight]

http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01719.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01718.jpg
This one shows no transplant shock.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01722.jpg
Still need to move some more.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01744.jpg
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[dufflight]

Had my first floater the other day. Lost one of the small silver fingerlings. Think the other fish gave him a hard time so I've uped the feed. One lose out of 400 fish in a 380ltr tank is not bad. The temp is on the cold side and small silvers have problems over wintering unless they have enough size before the temp drops.

[Murray]

Hi Duff, those plants look really healthy....typical of an aquaponivs garden...fantastic photos.

[Castaway]

The temp is on the cold side and small silvers have problems over wintering unless they have enough size before the temp drops.

Whats the water temp Duff? How big are your silvers?

[dufflight]

Not sure of the temp, but its cold. And some of the silvers are 50mm ish. Not the best size for this time of year. Once the glass tank can handle more bio load I'll move some more inside. Could even move more now and do water changes every day.

[dufflight]

Tested the pool water. Am 0 Ni 0, was as far as I got. Moved 40ish small catfish into the pool and another 5 silvers into the glass tank. Did a small water change between the pool and the glass tank. Will be doing daily changes to keep the reading down. The glass tanks temp is around the 20 degree mark without heating. :mrgreen:

[dufflight]

Had the pump that feed the fingerling & Georges tanks fail recently. It broke the shaft so the impeller stopped. Not sure how long it was out, at least 2 to 3 hrs or since the day before. When I finally found the spare pump I did a test on the water and it was Am 0 and Ni was between the 0 and the .25. Didn't lose any fish. Bio film covering the tanks was enough to keep the readings low.

[dufflight]

http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01757.jpg
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[wild]

Wow - they look awesome! I cannot believe you can have such an abundant amount of foliage and no nasties eating away at the leaves. That dipel must be working well! I will certainly be doing the same when my system gets up and running as I definately want to be able to produce vegies that look that good. :)

[dufflight]

Real test will be on the tomatoes this year. I'm just about to plant for summer. Going to grow them inside for the rest of winter.

[dufflight]

Found an easier way to go water changes. Hooked up a davey pressure pump to a garden hose and ran the cord to the power board next to the glass tank. Now when I siphon off water I just hit a switch and the water gets pumped in from the pool. Doing water changes with cycled water has a lot less effect on the fish. They will swim in the flow and don't show any signs of stress. The bio filter is holding the readings as Am 0 to .25- Ni to less than 0.5. But I've moved more fish so I expect to be doing small changes for a while over winter. The other problem is how fast the silvers are growing now there water is warmer. :mrgreen:

[dufflight]

http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01776.jpg
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[Murray]

Duff, that Bok Choi looks good....I do not have any luck with that family of plants. The grubs just take over.

[dufflight]

I'm finding if I spray dipel every week or so the bugs don't attack them. But it is winter so it may be different in summer. The more micro activity on the plant the better.

[Castaway]

I found growing Bok Choi at the right time of year plays a big difference to getting a successful crop. It grew fine in February. Got a good crop - ate it and planted it again in Winter - it went straight to seed. Very little growth. Some plants just grow better in the right season. But it looks good in Duffs system. Did you manage to get your chooks Duff?

[dufflight]

They stuffed up the dates. So this week for the chooks. And enough time to finish the pen. Means the dog does not get to chase them around the yard now.
A new sewage line is getting dug soon and I was thinking of getting them to dig a couple of big holes in the back yard for some more fish tanks or ponds. Will have to fence them off so the dog does not end up at the bottom.

[dufflight]

Moved all the fingerlings today. Water was getting cold and some of the little silvers where karking it. Moving them into the pool was easy, just remove the standpipe and guard and let them go down the 40mm PVC into the pool. Water is all the same and they like the larger area. So 80+ days with up to 400ish fingerlings in 380ltrs of water. I was going to leave the catfish and goldies but its too hard to pick out the silvers among the other fish. When the tank was empty you could see how thick the biofilm was around the walls and bottom. It was interesting to see how fast the bacteria grows with high o2 and a constant food source.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01730.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01551.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01496.jpg

[dufflight]

Ph 7.4
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0

Inside system is reading Ammonia 0 and Nitrite .25-
And the fish are eating like crazy. One of the silvers looks to have tripled in size while the tank has been cycling. Haven't done a water change in 3 or 4 days and have upped the food a lot.

[ColinW]

What was the water temperature that was killing your Silver Perch, Duff? My Silvers seem ok with water at 10o - BUT I did just lose a little Catfish yesterday - not sure of cause.

[dufflight]

Think silvers can go to under 10 but they have to have a bit of size about them. I have some around the 35cm+ and they just slow down and stop eating. But the ones that died were small, 30 to 60mm. Water is around the 10 mark based on feel.

Might pay to keep a few tanks inside next year. I'm surprised by the fish growth so far inside.

[dufflight]

Little guys in the inside tank.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neBPghCRYM4

[dufflight]

Feeding. :mrgreen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAEZtjhCaYo

[Castaway]

What are the fish eating in your video Duff? I recognise the catfish (not cute) :lol:

[dufflight]

Brine shrimp. That was the 3rd feed for the day. Mainly giving them ground pellets and flakes. The tank is handling the bio load with only trace nitrite showing. You should see the catfish in the pool, 30cm ish and as thick as your arm. Still cute. :mrgreen:

[dufflight]

System is running well. Been busy lately with other projects. It does highlight the best thing about an AP system. It can look after it self. Just throw a hand full of food at the water is all I've had time to do. I never check on siphons or pumps. If water is flowing and fish are happy I just walk past and go to work. Wish my back yard was like that. :mrgreen:

[dufflight]

Everything is running well. Even managed to dill a drain hole in a standpipe that was leaving one gb filled when it managed to flood and drain and start again before the timer turned off. Was something I noticed when I first put the gb in, just never got round to fixing it. :oops: Plants are going well and fish are starting to liven up as the water gets a little warmer.
Have a guy looking for some koi to trial.

The inside tank is running at
Am 0
Ni 0
Na never check it.

Some of the silvers have managed to grow 4 or 5 times there original size over the coldest parts of winter. Will put a 100 ish silvers in next year over winter and see how they go.
I have liked how the bio wheels performed but can't tell how much of the load they were handling. Going to build a bigger one for outside if I can source the material.

[RupertofOZ]

What temp are you running the silvers in Duff?

[dufflight]

Water is 20 degrees without heating. And the DO is pretty high.

[RupertofOZ]

Ah... the benefits of a large thermal mass... ;)

[dufflight]

Now if I can just move a 5000ltr tank inside I'd be set. Maybe the house has some room. :mrgreen:

[dufflight]

http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01864.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01865.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01866.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01868.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01881-1.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01869.jpg
Bio Wheel on inside tank
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01901-1.jpg

[Tsaphah]

I see you are also into origami :D with the seedling holders.

What is that bio-wheel made from? If its like paper, could a pool canister filter could be used for a larger scaled one?

[dufflight]

Was only suggesting that to FF yesterday. Pool filter looks like a similar material and has the added bonus of no metal. You would have to mount it in a larger container unless you have enough room for it to spin.

[Tsaphah]

Ahh.....great minds think alike 8-)

[dufflight]

Picked up a 1600ltr rainwater tank today. And its not for rain. :twisted:

[Tsaphah]

Ammonia supply??? :roll:

Was given 4 red claw last night, so into the sump tank they went! Will help my system cycle quicker.
Those things are dam good escape artists, the one tried climbing the cord to the pump!!

[dufflight]

Most of them try to go home. If they are born in the tank they tend to stay put. I've heard of people finding them next door and down the road after they make a break for it. :mrgreen:
With yabbies if they get out of one of my tanks they head for the pool to check it out.http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/1shark.gif

[Tsaphah]

Somehow I don't think they will make it back to Emerald! Besides we have a miniature fox terrier (terror), who would love them to death!!!

Hows the bio wheel ideas progressing? What is the ID of one of those fabric pool filters, could some form of bearing be made up using PVC pipe? That way you could pump water into the inside for "backwashing".

[dufflight]

Should not need backwashing. And as long as it is centered it should spin okay with PVC sticking out through the sides of a drum. Just working out the best place for it to go. I have a 200ltr swirl filter that goes all the time. But I have a 1000ltr+ swirl filter thats not connected yet. 5000lph pump going through that and overflowing through a bio wheel.


Moved the 10000lph pump to the deep end of the pool. I had set it up in the shallow end so it could not drain the whole pool in a HSM. But after a year nothing has happened so it will get more solids in the deep end. Also it is on a 15min per hr timmer. The swirl filter that goes 24/7 is more likely to drain more water.

[dufflight]

Water must be heating up. Tossed a few pellets in tonight and 50 ish arm size catfish came to the surface. :shock: They are getting bigger. Then the shadows of some of the larger silvers. Hope they haven't eaten all the fingerlings.
Inside tank it going well. I can see the benefit of keeping fingerlings overwinter inside. These guys attack there food like piranha. Not sure if it is the 20 degree water of the high DO in the tank.

[RupertofOZ]

20 degrees plus is enough to stimulate Silvers... my tank today was 18.6 (morning) and 21.7 (late afternoon)... fed the Silvers morning and late afternoon... could have stood there and tossed more at them no problem...

[dufflight]

Almost tempted to turn the heater on for the pool. Give the fish a kick start to summer but I don't like adjusting the temp too fast for the fingerlings that made it through the colder weather. New tank for my next system is 1600ltrs and with 2 380ltr sumps. I have one 500ltr gb I'll use for it. Not sure what type of fish I'll put in it.

[dufflight]

Started to clear a space for the FT. Still not sure on the fish, will have to check with the aquafarm. I would like to have a couple of hundred fingerlings to start with in the large tank. And maybe some more in one of the 380ltr tanks. Nitrate should be strong so I may use the gb for tomatoes or another heavy feeder.

[dufflight]

http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01908.jpg
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http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01912.jpg

[dufflight]

Ph 7.6
Am 0
Ni 0
Na 0

Need more fish.

[Aussie AP]

I appreciate the regular updates duff. Nice to see things ticking along.

[dufflight]

Its cauliflower.
Now I just got to work out what to do with a GB full of them. :shock:

[dufflight]

Water is starting to heat up and clear. Corrugated tank boss came in today so I've run out of excuses not to move the tank into the pool ground. New system should be up and running in a week. Pre cycled and aged, just the way I like it. :twisted:

[froggo]

Hi Dufflights,

with the caulies, beans I just cut up and par boil for a minute then bag and freeze.

God bless, froggo

[dufflight]

Power out today for an hr ish. First time the power has been off that long.
Hooked up a small battery air pump to the salt water tank.
Didn't do anything to the 650ltr glass tank. The fish stayed in a group on the bottom. DO is kept high in this tank with ABF's and bio wheels as well as a pond pump.

Outside system I also did nothing too. Fish didn't seem to notice anything was different. When power came back on I turned on a pool pump that adds a lot of o2 to the water just in case. Will keep an eye for any stress signs but I don't expect any.

[dufflight]

Water is clear and the temp means the fish are eating again. Will have to vacuum the bottom so I can get a better picture of the fish. You can see schools of small silvers and catfish swiming around.

[dufflight]

http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01940.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01932.jpg

http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01933.jpg
Lettuce with a little insect damage
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01936.jpg
This was a stunted tomato plant that I moved to another GB out of the way.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01939.jpg
Purple plant
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01941.jpg
This duckweed tank had produced all year round.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01942.jpg

[Castaway]

That cauliflower looks good. You dont seem to suffer any iron deficiency at all. How old is your system with the photos above?

[dufflight]

12 months ish. Very set and forget at this stage. Can leave it for weeks without checking anything. Insects prefer it that way. :mrgreen: But with the dipel and seasol spray there is no insect damage on any of the cauliflowers even though I haven't sprayed them for a month.

[ian]

Tuff Stuff Duff!
Looking great. I can only aspire to emulate your sucesses.

Cheers IanK :mrgreen:

[dufflight]

Thought I'd have a go at catching a couple of the large silvers. Put a net in the water and threw some food in the water and waited for a fish to get close. After 15min of watching catfish swim in and out of the net and bump into the handle not one large fish would come near it. :shock: :evil: I could of easily netted a bucket of catfish but these are not eating size. Going to put the net in the water at feeding times to see if they get use to it.

[dufflight]

Well I never did catch any of the silvers. They are staying away from the surface at feeding times now. I did get 5 of the catfish and put them in the 380ltr tank. They seem to like it in there. Went outside to take a few photos but the battery was flat. Will have to get a few shots over the next couple of days. I put in some water chestnuts and they have sprouted and are growing towards the surface. They seem to really like the AP water.

[ColinW]

Hi Duff - where do you get the water chestnut seeds? My wife has been buying frozen water chestnuts - would be great if we could grow our own in AP!!! Regards - ColinW

[dufflight]

www.greenharvest.com.au (http://www.greenharvest.com.au)
Under there shop for rare plants. Also got some of the best looking Asparagus from them. They do the plant sale once a year and it goes until they run out.

[dufflight]

Spot the GB.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01945.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01947.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01948.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01949.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01952.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01953.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01955.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01956.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01960.jpg
Water chestnuts
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01950.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01951.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01957.jpg

[Murray]

Duff, Water chesnuts require cool water ? That's right isn't it ? Do you know the temp range that they will thrive in ?

[dufflight]

Green Harvest info

Waterchestnuts are a rush-like plant to 1m tall, native to swampy, tropical areas of Asia. There is a small variety native to the tropical wetlands of Australia.

It is important to understand that waterchestnuts are not aquatic plants but rather swamp or edge plants. As you are growing a root crop it is important for a good yield to have sufficient depth of soil for good root growth. On a backyard scale a bathtub provides a useful deep waterproof container; on a larger scale a paddy can be constructed or a dam shaped to create a wide shelf below water level. Plant the corms in early spring 5 cm deep into your chosen spot. Plant 2 corms to the square metre, overcrowding the corms will dramatically reduce yield. A rich, sandy, well-limed loam with a pH of 6.5 to 7.2 is needed. Well composted animal manures or other organic fertilisers can be used to improve fertility. Keep the corms well watered and allow growth to reach around 10 cm high before flooding 7-10 cm deep. Maintain this depth for the whole growing season which should be at least 7 frost-free months. In late autumn, when the tops have browned off, drain completely to encourage hardening-off of corms. Leave 3-5 weeks to mature, corms should be a rich chestnut colour. Keep refrigerated until used, or until replanting next spring.

In cooler areas of Australia waterchestnuts can be grown in glasshouses or poly tunnels.


http://www.greenharvest.com.au/Plants/w ... _info.html (http://www.greenharvest.com.au/Plants/waterchestnuts_info.html)

[cyberfysh]

Interesting that you have your water chestnuts in a fish tank; I put mine in the gravel grow bed, where they seem to be very happy, though (having read your info above) I probably didn't plant them quite deep enough. And I'm not sure how I'll go with the whole "hardening off" routine in Autumn... :?

Colin, I got my chestnuts by mail order from Diggers http://www.diggers.com.au

[dufflight]

The tank is a zeolite spillway feed from the GB's. When the plants finish all I have to do is divert the water and it will empty.

[stucco]

What is the plant in the third and forth picture?

[dufflight]

Artichoke. Grows to 1.5 and produces a edible flower. Its been going nuts in AP and I think it may produce faster than in soil.
Peter Cundall recons they are breeding grounds for good ladybirds and gives them away as pest controllers and something to eat as well. :mrgreen:
And they are perennial(my favorite kind of plant)

[DALE]

hey duff we nave good number of lady bugs out here too, do u get any of the 28 spotted ones which are bad for our vegies? I havent found any yet but wondering if u have

[dufflight]

Last year they were every where. Did a real number on the plants before I noticed them. Thats why I was looking at Artichokes. They grow like a weed and can be used for wind breaks to gardens. And if they are breeding grounds for predatory insects thats a plus. Have not eaten one yet.

[doug e]

by dufflight » 17 Oct 2009 19:26

Aloe Vera in a GB. Got to put a dragon fruit in and see how it goes.
Duff, I have been growing D/fruit for exactly 2 yrs now. You are prob aware there are a number of diff varieties?? red skin - red fleshed/red skin - white fleshed/yellow skin-white flesh. Beaware there is a variety which is not self pollinating!("one" of the white fleshed).... you can tell the diff varieties by the number of thorns growing in each node. I am sure they will not like frosts?? If you have a specific Q..........PM me. The basics for us in the tropics are full sun,raised bed, very free draining soil (sandy) they like mulch, regular water, must be trained up a stick/log which shud be no more than 2m high and you have to support plant (when it reaches end of log) with 10g wire covered with old poly hose/something.
Cheers Doug
PS I am having trouble with photo size!!!

[dufflight]

http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01961.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01964.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01965.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01967.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01969.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01974.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01971.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01972.jpg

[stucco]

:shock: WOW :shock:

[Murray]

Maximum photo size for upload 600 pixals wide.
Here is a handy site that allows you to resize photos on line http://www.shrinkpictures.com/

[dufflight]

http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/phpHHu3HGAM.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/phpHHu3HGAM.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/phpHHu3HGAM.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/phpHHu3HGAM.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/phpHHu3HGAM.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/phpHHu3HGAM.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/phpHHu3HGAM.jpg
Coooool toy. :shock:

[dufflight]

3 bottle feed tonight instead of the usual throw feed at pool while passing.
Rush of catfish(30cm by wrist thickness) followed by goldies and smaller catfish. By third bottle the big silvers came up. Big suckers. :shock: Going to have to get some diving equipment. Noticed a little yellow on the side of a couple. May be yellow belly or a couple of the black goldies that went in with the original batch.

[doug e]

Duff
some photos of dragon fruit.
cheers Doug

[Castaway]

Those chooks look very happy :D

[dufflight]

RAIN. :shock: 15000ltrs ish for the pool before I stopped the diverter. Mainly cos the rain is not stoping and over the next couple of days the GB's will still catch a lot of water. Fish seem really happy and have been hitting the food hard over the last couple of days. I guess rain has a high DO by the time it hits the roof.

[Murray]

I sure wish it would rain a bit more here...we only got about 14 ml out of that rain yesterday...looks like it is all gone now.
Yep, lots of DO in rain water, and some folk claim that storm rain is correctly charged with the right ions or whatever which makes plants grow really well.

[dufflight]

http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02005.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02007.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01997.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02003.jpg

[Murray]

A few worms there Duff, it all means a healthy system...

[dufflight]

http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02011.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02014.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02021.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02025.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02028.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02026.jpg

[stucco]

Dufflight, Nice pics man! that makes me want to run out to buy artichoke starts. Such a cool lookin plant. :mrgreen:

[newfarmer]

Nice one Duff, I pulled out my artichokes last year as I thought they weren't doing anything, looks like I should have waited a few more months...

How did you get on with the filter you were building in the blue barrel?

[dufflight]

The olive drum in the last photo is a 200ltr swirl filter thats been going for a while. I'm about to put in a vortex chamber for the inside.

[dufflight]

Hard to get a picture of these guys.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02031.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02034.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02036.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02037.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7sn6Ob2qgI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgYwytE3B-U

[newfarmer]

The olive drum in the last photo is a 200ltr swirl filter thats been going for a while. I'm about to put in a vortex chamber for the inside.
I had to look twice, hidden behind all that growth... :D Very neat!

Is this essentially what you did on the inside (minus the media):
http://leisure.prior-it.co.uk/build-diy ... ex_Swirler (http://leisure.prior-it.co.uk/build-diy-pond-bio-filter.shtml#Settlement_Chamber_Vortex_Swirler)

What sized pump do you have going into it?
And how many beds are on the same line?
Did you notice much of a pressure drop (I'm guessing not much if it's only a swirl filter, and no media inside)?
How big is the FT that it is connected to (and how many fish approx)?
Now that it's been running for a while, how ofter do you find you need to back flush/clean the filter?

[dufflight]

Nothing fancy on the inside, just a right turn and the out let feeds from the top. I use a stick to give it a stir before turning on the tap that feeds from the bottom. Only empty it every now and then when I need some for the dirt garden.
FT is 55000ltrs with 500+ fish ranging from advanve fingerlings to 35cm+ silvers.
Swirl filter is hooked up to a 5000LPH pump that has part flow through it and the rest goes into 3 ish GB's.


Got more fish food today.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02047.jpg

[ColinW]

How much feed is there Duff???
Haven't seen any pics of your Yabbies lately - or have you eaten them all??? :?

[dufflight]

160kgs


George cleaned up some and the rest of the fish got the rest. I keep a look out for any that may of gotten bigger than mouth size.

[Tsaphah]

You know your serious about aquaponics when....

You buy 160kg of fish food! :shock:


Anyone want to add to the list? ;)

[newfarmer]

Duff, that's a lot of fish food...

Do you eat any fish, or only the plants, I know George is a pet (and rightly so I must say), but what about the others?

A quick scan through your posts, and I glean you have the following fish in you systems:
Cod x1, silver perch, yabbies, cat fish, gold fish.

Do you have any coy, and if so, do they breed (or any of the other fish you have, gold fish, etc) in your systems?

I know that silvers for instance need a hormone injection, but more wondering if you have noticed any of your fish that have bred naturally? :oops:

[dufflight]

Would eat if I could catch one of them. :lol:
47 ish silvers all over the 35cm mark
50 catfish 30cm ish but only as thick as my wrist
130 ish silver fingerlings but I don't know how many are left.
260 ish catfish fingerlings that I still see in schools from time to time.
20 ish+ goldies that range from small to 35cm.
1 lazy cod.http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/1shark.gif
Plus any I've added and forgotten about.
And any yabbies that have survived. And a couple hundred mussels.

Silvers will breed by themselves. Think they use the injection to force and sync.

[RupertofOZ]

Sorry Duff... the Silvers wont breed by themselves...

They need specific "triggers" in nature... that even in ponds or when simulated in tanks just haven't been successful...

Hormone injection is the only way... and this applies for almost all Australian Native fish... with perhaps the exception of the Murray Cod... which will self breed in ponds if ALL the conditions are right...

[fishfood]

Hi duff do you have an overall photo of your setup pool the lot
Thanks FF

[dufflight]

Sorry Duff... the Silvers wont breed by themselves...

They need specific "triggers" in nature... that even in ponds or when simulated in tanks just haven't been successful...

Thats probably a good thing. Could get messy if they decide to get busy. :shock:


Hard to take a photo of every thing without getting onto the roof. Doing a re-shuffle soon so I'll try for a better photo.

[dufflight]

I've just finished getting most of the cauliflower plants out of a 300mm GB. The root balls were massive. If I had used 150mm gb's I think the roots would of formed a matt. But its the wind that would of knocked over the plants that I would of been worried about. I still think in a controlled enviroment 150mm would be okay for some plants. I use 300 to 600 and larger. But would put in a shallow one if it was protected from the weather and it would depend on the plant.
This artichoke plant is 1mtr ish high and is growing near the edge of a gb and handles the same wind that knocked half of my shade cloth down.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02026.jpg

In full sun a pump failure will dry out a shallow GB faster than a deeper one. This should also be taken into account for plants that take a long time to grow. How long do you think these plant would take in summer to suck all the water out of 150mm gb?
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01945.jpg
I've had 3mtr tomato plants growing into autopots that ran out of water in summer for a couple of hrs. Its not good to see a 3mtr plant hit the deck after a couple of hrs. We have backups for the fish but the backup for the plants is in the water holding capacity of the GB.

[Daryl]

:D Wow looks good Duff !!!

[ColinW]

Man!!! Amazing stuff!!! BUT I still need to see the Zucchini. Regards - ColinW

[dufflight]

http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02050.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02051.jpg
Hooked up the large swirl filter. Only has 5000lph pump at the moment, will hook up the 10000lph once I re-plumb the gb's.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02056.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02062.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02064.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02070.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02065.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02063.jpg

[dufflight]

I've had the swirl filter running for 15min per hr and a small drain to the ABF. It half empties the swirl filter through the ABF before the next cycle starts. So it acts like a header tank. When I hook up the sequence valve I may use one of the outlets to fill a header tank as a backup and have it drain through the ABF back into the tank.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02058.jpg

[Tsaphah]

Is this all part of your plan to maximise nitrification?

[dufflight]

I've had the swirl filter for over a year. Its been hooked up before but is now more of a header tank. I'm going to be making a larger ABF that takes up one 380ltr tank and should be able to process the bulk of the load on the pool and increase the DO. Its also good to have a header tank slowly feeding through the filter then into a smaller FT before going back to the pool. Gives a few hours of grace if the power goes out.

[Murray]

That is a real good move Duff...Header tanks are a real good addition to any system.. We have added some recently to clients Homestead systems, works a treat. One arrangement has 1000 ltrs below and a swirl filter on top of that. The swirl acts primarily as a header tank, but obviously doubles as a swirl filter for those who want to extract some of the solids for other uses.
I will dig up a pix later on and post it.

[dufflight]

Am Trace
Ni Trace
Na 5
Ph 7.8 ish

Need to put a few more plants in.

[dufflight]

Okay just running through how the new timer is going to be hooked up.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/timerconfig.jpg

First idea was middle switch sends power to timer and then back to the 2 power points. Lets you run 2 pumps on the same timer.

Second idea was to have power go from the switch to the first power point. That then via a cord goes to the timer then back to the second power point. Idea behind that is you can have a normal timer in the first power point that can turn the system off of a night. But you can also just have a timer before the pump.

[dufflight]

Moved a GB today. First I removed all the clay(clean after runing for a year ish) And left the gravel that I put on the bottom. I had let the GB dry out for a few days but there was still a worm party in the gravel. 2 people and the GB is now a couple of metres closer to the sun. Broke one leg, was the benches :evil: Will have it up and running in the next couple of days. Lesson learnt. Put it in the right place in the first place.

[Murray]

They (GB's) are not the easist to move that is for sure...... We have a forklift, so that makes moving them a lot easier.
Was it a flood and drain bed Duff ? and how was it operated, auto siphon or fast fill, slow drain via an upstand with hole in the bottom ?

[dufflight]

Was auto siphon but had a hole in the stand pipe. Was on a timer but as it drained into the ABF tank I ran it 24/7 a lot. Was a good GB to compare to the others as this was under tin I didn't plant in it a lot. Not enough light, was going to replace a sheet of tin above it but never got around to it. So more filter than GB.
Most of my GB's are auto siphon with a slow drain option. If they fill and drain and half fill in a pumping cycle they still slow drain what is left. I also have continuous flow with a flood & drain cycle. One 380ltr gb has been running like this for over a year with fine gravel. When I dig into it all I find is unhappy worms, they don't like being dug up.

[dufflight]

Darn inside tank. Over feeding and the Ammonia is a green I'm not used to seeing. Dropped half the water and cleaned the sump out. Topped back up out of the pool.Still mopping up the mess on the floor. :evil: Will do a couple of water changes in the morning from the pool. Nitrite was zero so maybe a recent thing. Only noticed the flashing an hr or so ago. Don't like how the tank has a skimmer to the sump below. Floating food gets into the sump if the fish are not quick enough.

[Tsaphah]

Duff, could you please explain "flashing", as to me thats something you put on your roof or what uncivil servants car lights do!

[Murray]

What is happening Duff ?????

[dufflight]

Duff, could you please explain "flashing", as to me thats something you put on your roof or what uncivil servants car lights do!

Flashing is when a fish turns on its side and tries to rub themselves on the bottom of the tank. Its an indicater of something being wrong with there enviroment usually. This time it was a higher ammonia level.


What is happening Duff ?????

Sump was catching fish food. Its a flaw in the aquarium design to skim from the top. These fish are fast at eating but if the food gets to the other end of the tank the overflow gets it. Without a GB attached to a fish tank there is a lot of maintance in keeping eating fish. Most aquariums are ment for ornamental fish. They are feed flakes that have enough in them to keep the fish alive and keep the waste at a minimum. Silvers on a normal diet can overload a tank without enough filtration.


On the outside system, I put the rest of the media back into the gb I moved. There was still worms in the bottom even after it had been disconnected for a week or so.

[RupertofOZ]

Duff is correct... flashing indicates that your fish are "irritated".... often from a parasite called "Ich"... but sometimes due to pH or ammonia "burn"... or just a general desire to scratch an itch....

The fish turns sideways and rubs against the bottom or any pipe work... exposing their silver side to view... literally flashing in the tank...

Salt is the first option when you see flashing... and of course a water test, and corrective action if necessary...

Here's a couple of examples of Silver Perch "flashing"

[attachment=2:3e4q3bwo]100_3872 (Medium).JPG[/attachment:3e4q3bwo]

[attachment=1:3e4q3bwo]100_3891 (Medium).JPG[/attachment:3e4q3bwo]

[attachment=0:3e4q3bwo]100_3892 (Medium).JPG[/attachment:3e4q3bwo]

[dufflight]

Let there be intermittent light.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60Koc94hdnw

[dufflight]

As I've been doing a re-shuffle My small swirl filter has been turned off its 24/7. The large one is now on 24\7 and also runs one GB as constant flow. It also overflows through the ABF tank so George will be happy. When stopping the flow I noticed the raised gravel pipe under the inlet had a high concentration of worms and more worm eggs than I've seen in one place. It does seem to become a breeding ground and filter chamber for mineralizing solids. I'll have to incorporate it into the larger swirl filter. Maybe a half drum of gravel this time.

[dufflight]

Zucchini
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02121.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02133.jpg
Differnt kind of zucchini
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02125.jpg
Yacon in with the asparagus
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02136.jpg

[cyberfysh]

Your zucchini look pretty impressive, Duff!

Have you actually harvested any yacon? I have some growing in my dirt garden (actually in a styrofoam box), but I have no idea what to do with them when they're fully grown... :)

[dufflight]

Think you have to wait for the bush to die off. Then dig it up. Mine suffers from 'Duff has to remember to water it'. :mrgreen:

[dufflight]

A litre of acid added over several hrs. Ph 7.2 :shock:

[dufflight]

Another ltr. Its funny how the plants have responded so quickly. Maybe should of done this a year ago. Will leave the PH for a while so as not to stress the fish too much.

[RupertofOZ]

So what are you now Duff... about pH 6.8 ... :wink:

[dufflight]

PH 7.0, 6.9 ish Hard to tell with the light blues. Wonder if it will slowly go back up.

[RupertofOZ]

Ok... needed the extra half litre to get to 6.8 .... 2.5L all up.... kewl, right on the money...

[dufflight]

Not a bad gestimate being 600km away. :mrgreen:

Planted some corn today, A max hybrid form Greenharvest. Not coated in that pink stuff so it could go straight into the GB's. Also noticed my Egg plant getting bigger and new flowers.

[dufflight]

Was not keeping an eye on the zucchini and with the recent rain it grew too fast and I didn't remember to tie it to the pole. :evil: It had a gravity problem and wont be growing up any more. But not a bad way to grow. 1.5mtrs straight up with trimed leaves and the zucchini hanging like pawpaws. With try this way again.

All the plant and the fish in the AP system are going well. PH is good.

[Murray]

That is a good idea Duff, to tie the Zucchini up...I must give that a try. I have given up on growing that type of thing (squash etc) because they take up too much room. Spread out too much.

[dufflight]

Ph is around the 6.5. Its been raining for most of the last 9 days. I droped 10000ltrs out of the pool to stop the fish from looking over the side.

Some of the tomato plants are not looking good being wet for this long. The dirt garden is going nuts.

[dufflight]

Rainy
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02137.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02139.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02141.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02149.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02150.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02152.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02153.jpg

[dufflight]

Ph is around the 7 mark. Rain has stopped for a while. Fish are really hungry.

Has anyone used hydrogen peroxide as an emergency o2 option. And for use against aglae and pathogens in fish.

[dufflight]

Harvesting duckweed from the swirl filter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEh1a7THWQc
Some of the catfish
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caK6pG3D9Uo
The ABF tank with the duckweed showing how the water moves.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBPjoQOFCrg
George is in there somewhere.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02164.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02165.jpg

[dufflight]

PPM of the pool is 1200. Not sure what that works out as. Got an PPM tester today. wanted an easy way to check smaller aquarium tanks for how clean the water is.
Rain water is so clean it does not even register. But the tap water show up on the bottom of the scale.

[RupertofOZ]

What are you measuring Duff??

[dufflight]

I'm using a Bluelab Commercial Truncheon that does CF & EC.

[RupertofOZ]

Never been able to draw any correlation between EC/CF readings in AP.... my Perch tank (salted recently to 3ppt) reads off the scale..... probably not surprisingly....my Barra tank about 2000, the Trout system about 1200... and the hydro bins about 1600...

Which means???....

I'll do some standard tests and see if I can find any correlations...

[Murray]

I have been mucking around with the same brand EC mtr as Duff has for a bit over a year now.
EC readings are useless if you run salt in your system unless you know exactly what proportion of salt you have actually got in the tank as separate from the natural salts that develop as your system matures.
In Hydro system it is very accurate measure of nutrients as almost all Hydro nutrients are salts.
In AP a large proportion of our nutrients are organic and not able to be measured with a EC mtr, however, over time natural organic nutrients and minerals develop in the AP system which will make an EC mtr respond and give a reading.

So in a very general way it is a trend indicator of nutrient content in a given system, but not as accurate as if you were a Hydro operator running typical Hydro nutrients, and then not if the trend is masked or distorted by the presence of added salt.

This is one of the reasons I do not like running salt in my systems.

[dufflight]

I was just thinking that like the PH meter its a quick check before I get the viles and drops out.

[dufflight]

White fly. :evil: You leave plants growing without checking on them for a month or so and the little ******s move in. My continous flow GB is getting to be a solids filter and not in the good way. So I put the bell back in. I don't have a problem if I use a raised section under the inlet. But without it the clay blocks and the worms don't seem to become active in the one area. And dam, the 1000ltr swirl filter collects a lot of stuff. :shock: Moved some duckweed and could see the solids on the bottom. I still don't know if collecting solids is such a good idea. If I didn't use the swirl filter then the gb's would of got this lot and the worms would of mineralized it. I do have 500+ fish and it does make a nice duckweed tank. But on a smaller system I think it would be just creating another task. Why play with crap if you don't have to. The fish are going well and will eat anything I throw at them. Silvers are really big. And the catfish are everywhere. Going to introduce some smaller tanks so I can harvest fish. I could probably get the larger silvers but I don't think stressing the other fish are worth it.

[Murray]

If I didn't use the swirl filter then the gb's would of got this lot and the worms would of mineralized it.

Yep Duff, that's how it is here, I dismantled the "Rocket" filter a few days ago because it was just a pointless exercise. It provided no extra benefit on the floating raft system, and no benefit hooked up to any of my regular flood and drain gravel systems.
By having it there I was depriving the resident worms of their regular food source.
Filtering out the solids in a regular gravel grow bed system is pointless. It is a waste of time, energy and equipment.

[RupertofOZ]

Unless of course your over-stocked... and/or under-filtered... ;)

[rpenney]

Great system. I am just getting mine setup and this is providing a lot of inspiration.

I saw you had some photos of sundews early in the thread. Are they in the growbeds? If so, how are they going with the nutrient rich water?

[dufflight]

The sundews were in pots pushed into the media. They were going great till someone moved some stuff and blocked there light. :evil:

[dufflight]

The fingerlings I over wintered inside.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSOO_YEhn3A

http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02210.jpg
And some pictures of corn(Max hybrid) and tomatoes I have neglected.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02201.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02205.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02202.jpg

[Castaway]

Until I looked at your YouTube link Duff - I thought you had done some taxidermy to your fish. The water is so clear I thought you had them stuffed on a hat rack! They look pretty lively and healthy to me.

[dirtyhabanero]

Is it possible that the clarity of your water Duff, no muddy particles, has allowed the fish to grow 'happily'?

Im on the verge of throwing some fish into my tank but my water quality is very poor, can't see the bottom...

[dufflight]

I can see the fish 2mtrs deep in the pool.
How much media do you have the water running through.

[Murray]

Clear water is always nice and that is what we all strive for, but Australian native fishes live naturally in muddy creeks and waterholes.
I think the really clear water is good for us so we can enjoy the fish, but the fish are possibly not all that keen at looking at us...:)

[dirtyhabanero]

I can see the fish 2mtrs deep in the pool.
How much media do you have the water running through.

Just less than 1/2m3 of 20mm gravel. It is early days though, maybe I need to wait a little longer? I have stumbled upon several sites about bacterial diseases that lurk in the muddy solids, though instincts are telling me i'm being a bit gullible. Would be nice to achieve a nice low death count when things get going.

[Castaway]

I think if you have clay particles in your 20mm gravel you will need to wait some time for the fine particles to settle.

[Murray]

I have stumbled upon several sites about bacterial diseases that lurk in the muddy solidsWritten by people that do not understand Aquaponics.
Aquaponics is a natural system that closely mimics nature. If you follow a few simple guidelines it works like a treat.
There is plenty of help on this forum to guide you along the way.
There are books and DVD's available. Here
(http://www.aquaponics.net.au/product/category3_1.htm)
If you are going to invest in a reliable food source it pays to get good information and build the system out of the best materials you can afford.

[burnt]

My water was really dirty to start with-20mm river gravel in grow beds. After 4-5 weeks it was clear as and has remained so. I can easily see the bottom of the tank now.

[Murray]

Fine looking tank you have there burnt !!!
It is just amazing how well those grow beds filter the water !

[dufflight]

I also think its a good idea to have enough plants growing at the same time. When you pull out a plant there is a lot of compost worms in the roots. I think this is because the roots also act as a filter. The more plants the better a gb works. The worms will always go where the food is. My raised sections under the water inlet is a good example and root masses is another. They will also get rid of the roots when the plant has ended its life cycle.

[Castaway]

I must admit that ripping out a few old Basil bushes yesterday i saw a very large compost worm wriggling in the rootball. They do very well in a gravel bed. they grow much larger in AP than in a conventional dirt garden. I have plenty of worms growing in a bathtub worm farm and they are fairly small and weedy in size. But compared to AP they really put on weight. Why is that? Must be all the extra oxygen they get perhaps?

[dufflight]

The worms seem to be on a good thing in AP. I gave up on the worm farms. They breed faster when supplied with a good enviroment. The worm eggs that you find in a gb and the amount of worms that are active. In the worm farm it was to labour intensive for the time I have. I ended up putting the trays from the worm farm onto the gb's so the worms would move there from the castings. In the end I could not see the point of using the worm farm. I've read a bit about vermicastings but I think its already a part of AP anyway. If you don't put the worms in a system. They will find a way to get there anyway.

[DaveOponic]

Nice photos Duff..... are you growing yabbies? You have some seriously deep GB's there....Is the red barrel a bio filter?

Dave

[DaveOponic]

Can't seem to get my profile photo to attach to the message.

[dufflight]

I did have a olive drum swirl filter but its not connected any more.

[dufflight]

Removed a few plants today. White fly was getting out of control. Also added a bit of acid as the ph was drifting again. Threw some more seeds in and transplanted a southern Red Paw Paw into a GB by itself. Its been in my kitchen for a while now so I hope it likes its new home.

[dufflight]

Have 3 paw paws in the gb's now. The corn cobs are starting to fill out. Now I just have to dump 8000ltrs of water. Due to the rain the pool is really close to the top. Going to use the pressure pump and a sprinkler in the back yard. Or I might give the bottom of the pool a vacuum. Now back to work.drinkanim

[dufflight]

More seedlings planted. Threw in some more acid to get the ph moving down again. Might have to look at somthing that will buffer. Or wait for the acid to eat away what ever is causing the PH to drift up.

[stucco]

Is your pool/fish tank made of concrete with a marcite finish? Marcite is supposed to be kept at around 7.4 – 7.8 any lower it etches away the finish and exposes calcium.

[dufflight]

This one is fibre glass. I think the buffer is in the gravel or the amount of aglae that can grow on the sides of the pool. I've been thinking of making some conrete tanks.

[dufflight]

http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02218.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02224.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02222.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02226.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02229.jpg

[dufflight]

http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02230.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02220.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02221.jpg

[Castaway]

I can see a battle of the Paw-paws contest coming on soon! :cool: Looks good.

[Murray]

Need more members growing Pawpaw so as I travel around Aussie , can have pawpaw for dessert every night ......:)

The battle of the pawpaw........? :genius:

What a good idea.

[dufflight]

The last photo was a paw paw that I damaged the top. It threw a branch half way down the trunk. So it will be interesting on how it bares fruit. A lot of people put a tin can over the top to make them branch and control there height.

[dufflight]

New smaller system design. Barrel on the left is a ABF that the sump feeds into. It will have 6x150\200ltr gbs. I think the tank is 1500ltrs ish. Bell siphon or flout in the tank to control the F&D cycles and a 40mm sequencing valve to direct flow to the gb's.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/untitled9.jpg

[stucco]

I still haven’t been able to fully understand the whole sequencing valve thing. Does the pump shut off every time it changes? If so, does it cause problems with the breaker tripping or wear and tear on the pump? The drawing looks good – all my systems have been planned in retrospect- 20 /20 hindsight- it’s a wonderful thing. lol.

[dufflight]

Its usually the pump turning off for 30sec ish and then the new flow of water sequences the valve. In this case it will be the siphon that controls the flow. A pond pump in the sump will go 24\7 and keep a constant height in the ABF.

[dufflight]

Layed out some more cardboard boxes and covered them with hay in the back yard. I've been slowly getting rid of all the lawn and this seems like the best way. I then ran the AP sprinkler over the area for a few hrs. The AP water gives the ground a bacteria kick start and the goodies help improve the soil. It also seems to speed up the breaking down of mulch into the soil. The trees go nuts and there is always new growth. The weeds also like the AP water.:mad:

[Castaway]

There's no stopping you now. You'll be doing "Chop n Drop" next. That is throwing any prunings directly on the ground to aid mulch fertilisation and speeding up microbial activity. A Food Forest awaits...

[Murray]

Can highly recommend Geoff Lawtons DVD "Food Forest" Here (http://www.aquaponics.net.au/product/prod127.htm)

Very interesting ideas.
Trouble is at my place, everything looks good at the moment because we have had so much rain, but normally, here it is like a desert...terrible country...can't even grow proper weeds.....that is one of the reasons I love AP ....it can be done successfully anywhere, even on very poor country.

[dufflight]

Thats always been the problem with my soil. It may take years to get it performing for the amount of space I have. Its easier to concentrate on a smaller area and mulch over the rest. AP is a great tool for improving other parts of the garden. I have the Food Forest DVD and the other one. Very interesting aproach to generating a stainable area. I like the idea of buying some land and setting up the ground work so when I retire its ready. Just not enough hrs in the day.

[Murray]

I know the feeling Duff, Why does everything have to be focused on when we "retire' It is all back the front really.... If only we had the money and wisdom to do all this good stuff when we are young and have loads of energy.

[dufflight]

Almost got all of the corn out of the system.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02266.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02268.jpg

[bushboy]

quality looking corn duff - well done - take credit for
your expertise, and to your fish for the top quality poo!

[Shane]

You take great shots dufflight,
Congrat's on the corn.

[dufflight]

4500ltr rainwater tank arrived today. Its going to be the FT on the new system and the other tank I was going to use is now a sump. 200ltr ABF is going to be an olive drum if I can pump enough o2 into it. Not looking forward to cutting 4 or 5 thousand bits of pipe for it.:carrot:

[Tsaphah]

Hey Duff, was at the B store this evening, in the gardening section they have rolls of plastic gutter guard, its like a mesh, I was looking at wrapping it over some slotted/drilled pipe to stop fingerlings getting into the GB's. Recon it would work well in the ABF.

PS. Its cheap too!!

[DaveOponic]

Wow that corn looks great! I'm going to buy some sweet corn seed tomorrow. it is something I have never grown in AP before. Have just pulled out last of the cherry tomatoes & waiting for new Barra fingerlings. Just wondering though if I should lower my GB's as they are at one metre height and the corn is sure to grow taller than it would in the ground. Don't think my 6 ft step ladder would reach the cobs.

[Murray]

Hi Dave , the cobs are at about half way up the corn stork so it is not much of a problem to harvest. Sweet corn grows really well in AP.

[dufflight]

Hey Duff, was at the B store this evening, in the gardening section they have rolls of plastic gutter guard, its like a mesh, I was looking at wrapping it over some slotted/drilled pipe to stop fingerlings getting into the GB's. Recon it would work well in the ABF.

PS. Its cheap too!!

Thanks. I've been thinking of differnt ways of keeping the fish out of the other chambers. Its going to be a learning experience as I now have to deal with problems that a large system does not have eg temp, water.


Corn is considered a heavy feeder in soil gardens. It can perform badly if the fert is not kept up to them. But in AP they seem to go great. And as Murray said the cobs are low on the plant. My gb is on a stand and it was easy, no reaching or bending. 2 cobs or more per plant and they still want to keep growing.

[dufflight]

Tip of the day. If you see a frog jump into a cod(george) tank don't try to get a closer look. I hadn't seen George in a while with all the duckweed growing in his tank. Was like putting your face near a mouse while a snake grabs it. George seems to be going well for the split second I saw him.http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/1shark.gif

[bushboy]

poor frog!

[dufflight]

Just got to get it over or throught the fence.:carrot:
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02289.jpg

[Murray]

What is the plan for the tank Duff? Once it is over the fence.

[dufflight]

Fish tank for a smaller system. Then I though about using it as a rainwater tank but came to my senses and its going to be a fish tank again. 4500ltrs. I'll cut some of the top so it has a hatch. 200ltr ABF running all the time and I'm not sure if I'll add an airlift swirl filter as well. Still thinking of the GB's or something a little different.:cool: Maybe a Flood and drain aeroponic hybrid channels.

[Murray]

That will be different and interesting.

[dufflight]

Hooked up a couple more gb's today. They are ment to be 600ltr ones but they look more like the 500ltr ones. Hooked both up together and am still working out if I will connect to one siphon or a single slow drain. The out let is only 40mm so I may try both. I've been toying with the mega siphon that controls a group of gb's with one siphon. Got a lot of spare water so it does not effect the system to fill a lot of gb's at the same time.
Gravel turned up today as well. Forgot about that stuff. http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum/images/smilies/1upset.gif
Have 2 more 380ltr gb's to plumb up as soon as I can move George. A 1000ltr ish rainwater tank will be the new external ABF or a gb, depending on how I feel after moving all that gravel by hand again.

[Murray]

Shovelling gravel must be like giving birth I reckon. :)

[Tsaphah]

I guess we will never know, will we?

[Mantis]

Just read right through this thread and it is inspiring for sure

Have you eaten any of your fish yet

[dufflight]

Just read right through this thread and it is inspiring for sure

Have you eaten any of your fish yet


Still can't catch one. But I'm getting closer.

[Mantis]

Maybe a fishing rod :)

[dufflight]

300+ catfish would like a go at that. But the 50 ish large silvers will ignore it. They tend to turn vegan as they get older.

[Castaway]

Hi Duff - please post a photo of George as I feel he is part of the family now...

[dufflight]

This is George. Photo is old, he hides under a layer of duckweed.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02059.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01636.jpg

And this is what George likes to eat.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02243.jpg
He will be easier to see once I get him in his new home.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC01754.jpg

[Castaway]

I gotta feeling you will never eat him!

[dufflight]

Was reading a discription of Murray Cod. 'Single fish make great pets' This guy came from the river so I'd never eat fish from there anyway. But its nice to have differenct types of fish. I'm looking at smaller systems with this in mind. It would be nice to have a choice, Jades, Barra, Trout, sleepy\murray Cod or silvers. Barra and Trout would make a nice pair to use a heat exchange with. Take the heat out of the trout tank and put it into the Barra tank. Could be run off a 12v freezer from solar and batteries.

[dufflight]

Filled one of the gb's today. 2 buckets and 1.5hrs. Hope to get the second one filled in the morning. Think I will go with the slow drain. I have a spare 10000lpr pump I can put on a timer to fill them once per hr. Will run them 24/7 for a few days to season the gravel a bit.

[davidstcldfl]

Your a busy guy Duff.

[dufflight]

http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02321.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02323.jpg
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http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02331.jpg

[dufflight]

http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02318.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02338.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02334.jpg

[dufflight]

Pulled a pump out of the water, had not been running for months. Took the cage off it and theres a yabbie inside. Little guy was about 10cm+. Must of hid in there when I put the last lot of yabbies in the pool. He was too big to get out of the housing. Looked fine, might have to look into yabbie cages. They can't hurt each other and the fish can't get them.

[davidstcldfl]

Hi Duff, In post # 229, you have a picture of an air pump. Have you had it for long...How do you like it ?
I've been looking at those.....pretty good readings on 'air flow VS. watts'. Plus ,they don't seem too $$$. The place I was checking them out ...says they have an 'indoor' rating. No big deal, just build/make them a little 'house'.

[RupertofOZ]

Looks like it might be the ACO-008... 12 outlet...

I've been running one for about a year... and I'm more than happy with them...

They can run quite warm, especially if they're drawing warm/hot ambient air... (which adds heat to your tank)... so enclosing them might mean that you'd need a small fan (or two)...to dissipate the heat from the enclosure...

People have used computer fans to do the job...

[dufflight]

These ones are good for getting the air deeper into the water. I have a blower that does 3 times the volume but not as deep.

[davidstcldfl]

Thanks so much for the input guys. Trying to decide between a 'blower' or a pump. Like you said Duff....I'm concerned about the 'depth' and 'volume' of air.

Sorry Duff, didn't mean to 'hog' your thread. Thank you.

[Murray]

I have a 100 lpm diaphram type air pump that runs a big cylinder type air diffuser at the bottom of a 2300 ltr tank and it runs small airstones in 3 x floating raft beds with air to spare.
I purchased a blower type that had double the capacity......sent it back for a credit.
Would not blow air through the cylinder in the big tank, at all.

[dufflight]

Some of the larger blowers can do depth but they move an insane amount of air. The 300lpm I have does .75mtr at the most.

[RupertofOZ]

Yep, have that model as well Duff.... 12 outlets... ten in the trout tank, one in the bio-filter... and the other in the hospital tank...

Tank about 600-800mm deep.... metres of airline... all works just fine...

[dufflight]

Water is starting to clear again. Fish are feeding like mad and some of the catfish are getting big. The new GB's seem to be helping with water quality. George will have a go at your finger if you put it into his tank. The paw paw are thicking up, hope they go well over winter. Need to put some more plants in.

[francois]

hi dufflight

Just read right through your thread and it is inspiring for sure.

nice very nice

i have been thinking of trying pawpaw's
glad to see it grow's well

brilliant

[Murray]

Hi Francois,
See more on Pawpaw in AP here (http://aquaponics.net.au/blog/?cat=10)

[dufflight]

Moved some arrowroot into the new gb's.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/2010/DSC02375.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/2010/DSC02377.jpg
Fruit salad tree has new leave, so it seems to be doing okay.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/2010/DSC02376.jpg
Garlic starting to grow.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/2010/DSC02379.jpg

[dufflight]

Dragon fruit cuttings have rooted up and started growing.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/2010/DSC02380.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/2010/DSC02381.jpg
The tomatoes that grew over the sides and along the ground are now sending up new growth. Will have to cut off the branches on the ground.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/2010/DSC02378.jpg

[dufflight]

http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/2010/DSC02384.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/2010/DSC02388.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/2010/DSC02391.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/2010/DSC02392.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/2010/DSC02393.jpg

[Byron]

with your fruit salad tree, how many grafts does it carry? is it goin well?? im thinking of getting one need to decide if they will go well. not cheap once you add a few grafts ($25 a graft with up to 8 grafts)

[dufflight]

Think this one is a different kind of fruit salad tree. It produces one fruit that has a fruit salad taste.

[dufflight]

Set up a small wicking bed, added a couple of tomatoes but will be using it for carrots & radishes.
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02420.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02421.jpg
The AP tomatoes are still producing(2yr old plants).
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02416.jpghttp://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02417.jpg
http://i691.photobucket.com/albums/vv276/dufflight/DSC02418.jpg

[Julia]

Hi Duff,
Amazing tomatoes - what sort are they?

[dufflight]

Hi Duff,
Amazing tomatoes - what sort are they?

Not sure. They kinda look like beefsteak but could turn out to be anything.:)

[Castaway]

Two years old tomatoes in an Aquaponics system? :cool: That must be some sort of record...They do look like Beefsteak a bit...got that crinkly creased shape...

[dufflight]

At the end of there fruiting I'll hard prune and see if they keep going. A lot of pests that attack the roots in the soil have a hard time swiming in AP.