Photos

Some photos:

Yum

Been picking a handful of red ripe strawberries for the boys each day for the last 3-4weeks. Haven't been able to get a photo because they are at them before I can get there! Makes me think I may need to turn one tub into a dedicated strawberry growbed! Cucumbers are going crazy, picking 2-3 a day so far and soon will not be able to keep up eating them. Tomatoes are setting fruit and plenty of them. I am experimenting with pruning and not pruning and seeing which produces more. Corn in the garden has fruited (?) but the ones in the growbed, although very very healthy, are yet to flower. They were put in about 3-4 weeks after the dirt garden one to stagger the crop. My next lot of corn need to be put in also. There has been more lettuce and chard (silverbeet) than any of us can consume and carrots are really taking shape. The beetroot have also formed really well. Capsicum, eggplant and chilli are all setting fruit. Watermelon also setting fruit (yeah - first time in 5 years damn it!). Photos to come.

Fishies

More fish!

75 silver perch

50 bass

25 catfish

about 30-40mm only though, thought they would be bigger. Oh well just need to fatten them up for the winter.

Got them in my old system which is currently operating as a fingerling system.

More fish a comin'

Been away for a week to Apollo Bay so got a friend to feed the fish while gone. System has been powering along. Lettuce really taking, basil going off, grapes and thornless blackberry shooting new leaves everyday. Will have to move the thornless b.berry as it grows pretty big. Will put it in it's own tub. Corn growing strong, tomatoes fruiting, cucumbers flowering and fruiting, beans going well, kiwi spreading, silverbeet and beetroot going crazy. All in all very happy. Have ordered 75 silver perch 50mm fingerlings, 50 40-50mm bass and 25 55mm catfish. arrive tomorrow. Can't wait.

Banana Peels

Have been experimenting with burying banana peels in the growbeds to add potassium to the system. They get buried near the roots and then after about 4 days, all gone. The worms must go crazy on them! So far, it seems to be helping with fruit set and flowering. Will keep the experiment going. No bananas in the old system and definite difference in flowering, particularly with the strawberries.

Phots are strawberry flowers, cucumbers setting fruit and chilli setting fruit.

Grape Vines

Put in the arbours today and the grapes. The AP system is strating to really look good!

Test Results

Test results for Today:

ph 7.4
Amm 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 40
temp 20

Also bought some cheap arbours from Bunnings for $10. Will set up the grape vine arbours today. I have enough fittings to turn them into a auto siphons but am keen to have a constant flow constant height system happening with them.

I am thinking that I will go the constant flow/height and if the grapes look like they are suffering, then will change over as required. The way I see it, the water should have more than enough DO for the root system not to rot. Can only give it a go I guess.

Ticking along!

The system is ticking along beautifully. Here are some update pics:

Murray Cod Pics

Here are some pics of one of the murray cod and a friend the boys found in their wading pool today.

A massive 51mm dumped down last night and today! Awesome!

6 Growbeds Online

All 6 grow beds now on line. Filled the last one up with 20mm drainage and set the siphon up using 25mm poly pipe as that was what i had laying around. It doesn't drain as fast, but does drain. Planted out heaps of seedlings tonight, silverbeet, watermelon, basil, thyme, lettuce and more lettuce. Also got 2 varieties of grapes which I am keen to try in the aquaponics system. I have had one of the bigger murray's isolated in a tank in my small system and have been feeding it just worms to look at growth rate and health. Checked on it tonight and it has one big belly! Too dark for a photo but will do so hopefully tomorrow.

Murray Cod now feeding!

After a bit of mucking about with some chopped up worms, worm juice and 2mm barra feed, the cod are finally feeding!!!!!

They are now visibly feeding, not as aggressive as silvers, but some of them do hit it pretty hard. I don't use any worms and worm juice now as they seem to be eating the pellets ok. Will keep feeding at 2 tbl spoons a day and then up the feed in a week or so.

Silvers are going off in the warm water. I am now mixing the feed 2mm and 4mm and am hoping that they will be all on the 4mm in a couple of weeks. There are some that are definitely on the 4mm at close to 7-8" long, but there are a few at 5-6" long that I don't think are on to the 4mm just yet. Hoping that 2 wks at 25c+ water temp will get some size into them!

Water tests are:
pH - 7.4
Amm - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 40

Got heaps of seeds in and hoping they will germinate by the end of next week. Will also buy some advanced seedlings this weekend and shove them in.

The 50 small cod fingerlings seem to be feeding, but I am finding it hard to judge the feed rate. Going at about 1/2 tsp eat feed twice a day, but I'm thinking that maybe too much so will go with 1/2 tsp a day for a week to see how it goes.

Bring on the aquaponics!!!! It's great to see when things just finally work!

Silvers feeding!

Silvers are feeding like nuts at the moment. Will try and get a photo tomorrow morning or night. Some of the murray cod have come to the top to hopefully feed. Still can't tell if they are feeding or just nudging the feed. Will starve them for 2 days and then try again, fi no go then switch to smaller feed.

Need Proof?

For those who need proof, here is a good comparison. Dirt garden watered 2 times a week (9lts) during warm weather, other than that, rain, heavily mulched with sugar cane mulch. During watering, also dosed with seasol. Aquaponics system, seasol once a month, that's it. Cauliflower in aquaponics, 1kg, dirt garden cauliflower 265grams for three. Admittedly, the smallest cauliflower could have been left for longer, but the leaves were wilting (even with watering) so time to harvest and recrop with something else.

Murray Cod!

Picked up 85 murray cod fingerlings today. 35 2-3inch cod and 50 1 inch cod. Transfered my 15 silvers into the big system and put the 50 cod into the little system to fatten them up. Hopefully all the fish go well and I don't get any deaths. Will only drop in a little feed for the silvers and cod tonight and tomorrow and up the feed in a couple of days. Water is still very cloudy but hopefully will clear up soon!

Growbeds go online!

Finally the growbeds are online! I have 4 out of 6 operational with the remaining 2 getting ready. The Yabbie tanks under the 2 non-operational grow beds need a kiddy cover before I get them cranking. Got a few trailer loads of gravel from a mate for free (big thanks Paul and Olivia) which was enough to get 5 growbeds full. Have had some plumbing issues and a few minor leaks, all of which are now fixed (touch wood). Water is very very cloudy and hopefully will clear up in a few days. Will run the pump during the day only at this stage and then 24/7 when I get the fish in there. Heaps of oxygen as I have run a bypass from the sump back into the sump and this also acts to regulate the follow into the fishtanks. Will need to increase the fish tank inflow to get the water to circulate more, but this also means that the bell siphons will have to get bigger breathers to stop the siphoning. Might do a couple of test siphons and breathers.I have 3 that work great but 1 that takes a while to stop. Will increase the flow maybe tomorrow and add bigger breathers and see how that goes.

Trenches dug

Trenches have been dug for the plumbing. All of the return piping will be 90mm stormwater pvc pipe. I will have two returns to the sump. This diameter should be more than enough to cope with simultaneous draining. I have decided not to use the olive barrels as extra sumps, as I am pretty sure that the sump and the yabby tanks will be more than enough. There is potentially room for another growbed, and I will add an extra sump if I add another bed.

Should get the pluming done this week ready for the gravel by the weekend.

Grow Beds Arrive!

Big day today! Grow beds arrived so off to the garden supply to get besser blocks and sleepers. $$$ later, and enough material for 6 stands at home. Stands built, ready to plumb next weekend. I have decided to go with 2 yabby tanks under the grow beds, these will slow drain to about the 250lt mark and will help to "top up" the sump. I will also bury two 220 lt olive barrels and equalise them with the big sump, so total sump of almost 1500lt with an extra 500lt slowly topping it up (maybe even a float valve for this?). I will build a kiddie cover for the yabby tanks not too dissimilar to the sump cover and have the top removable.

Grow Beds Tomorrow

Grow beds being delivered tomorrow. Can't wait to get cranking! Need to get concrete blocks and sleepers for supports. Assignments, corrections and reports can wait!

Damn Birds!

Birds got to our aqua-strawberries again today! So screwed on some hoops (1 1/4 inch poly pipe) and dropped over a bird netting. Doesn't look too bad (bad light so no photos) and will keep the bloody birds at bay!

Second pump arrived today. Will probably use this pump in the big system and when my little system needs an upgrade/refurbishment, will use the sump pump in that one.

Vegie Planning

Sat down to plan out what vegies to grow in the aquaponics tonight. At the moment we have:

strawberries (which the birds are getting to - need to net them)

carrots

lettuce

silverbeet

cauliflower

cress

snow peas

basil (sweet)

basil (purple)

wild thyme

sage

mint

chili

capsicum.

These current beds will be revamped and be dedicated for:

lettuce

basil (both)

strawberries

cress

spring onion

sage

wild thyme

silverbeet

The new system will have as a summer crop:

corn - three varieties

tomatoes - three varieties

cucumber

watermelon

beans - three varieties

capsicum - three varieties

egg plant

beetroot

carrots

chili

The dirt garden currently has:

beans

carrots

potatoes

spinach

leek

garlic

spring onion

turnips

sugar snap peas

silverbeet

broccoli

beetroot

strawberries

apples

oranges

apricots

olives

mulberries

blueberries

pears

peaches

The aquaponics and dirt gardens should provide more than enough fruit and veg plus some.

Plenty of fish as well. I am going to buy or build a smoker for the trout!

Hayley is becoming the master of preserving, there is still 1/2 a jar of sundried tomatoes left from last seasons crop (and we eat heaps!)

Most of the fruiting trees will have their first "real" crop this year and should flourish next year.

Apricots went crazy last year and will again this year. Just need to net the fruit this year to save them from the damn birds (lost half to birds last year).

Getting the seedlings ready.

Full moon is out so time to plant some seeds. Hayley has got some seeds going in the mini greenhouse and most of them will go into the dirt garden. These seeds will be specifically for the aquaponics system. I'll keep these seeds inside on the mantle piece above the gas heater. Should keep them nice and warm and aid germination. Once the leaves are up, I'll take them outside and put them into a makeshift greenhouse.

Pump arrived!

My sump pump arrived today! 9500lt/hr on a float switch. Also ordered a 24/7 pump and will see which best suits my application in practice as well as uses the least amount of power.