EdgewaterAqua IBC system and Blue barrel set up

Edgewateraqua

After joining the forum a few months ago and spending every waking moment, (and some pretty vivid dreams) thinking about it Aquaponics, i have built my first trial system and and have most of what i need to build a CHIFT PIST IBC system.

I have managed to procure some IBC's through work for free, and along with some bits and pieces i have laying around have made some progress on building something workable and not too industrial looking.
While i have been gathering the things i need however i just had to get something growing and after a visit to the good people at BYAP have built one of their blue barrel systems.
I was amazed at how quickly the seeds i planted began to sprout and the growth they have shown in just 3 weeks.
I am currently cycling the system with Charlie Carp and Seasol.
Im still trying to work out how to get pictures up but hopefully will have some soon.

Edgewateraqua

Hmmm having trouble uploading pictures,
Have resized them to 800 by 600 but every time i try to add the file i get logged out and have to log back in and start over again?
Has this happened to anyone else?

Edgewateraqua · 2012-03-14 18.30.56.jpg [ 169.5 KiB | Viewed 8290 times ]

Trying it again. picture of my home build blue barrel system as seen at BYAP

Edgewateraqua · 2012-03-14 18.31.03.jpg [ 172.51 KiB | Viewed 8290 times ]

OK so i worked that out.
Attached are a few picks of the blue barrel system

Edgewateraqua · 2012-04-02 17.05.35.jpg [ 149.3 KiB | Viewed 8290 times ]

Planted mixed lettuce, rocket, spinich, leek, spring onion, pak Choi and broccolini seeds and a couple of marigold and cauliflower seedlings i had handy.
Its a lot i know but just wanted to see what germinates well in AP.
Most things sprouted after 3 days.

Attachment:

2012-03-24 17.08.47.jpg [ 93.42 KiB | Viewed 8290 times ]

1 week in and most things are growing well except for the spring onions and leek.

2 weeks in and i cant believe the growth from just a cap full of charlie carp and a cap of seasol.

Edgewateraqua · 2012-04-07 17.05.43.jpg [ 134.4 KiB | Viewed 8290 times ]

Took these photos yesterday ( 3 weeks in) and still cant believe how healthy everything looks.
Up till now i have only added about 40ml Charlie carp, 20ml Seasol, 1/3 teaspoon chaleated Iron, and 15ml Ph down (Phosphoric acid).{ My tap water is aroud 8.4 ph once i let it sit overnight}

Todays water readings
ph 7.2
Ammonia 1ppm
Nitrite Off the scale
Nitrate 10ppm

faye

Looks awesome Edgewateraqua! Have you started eating those microgreens, I reckon you'd have enough for a family salad.

Edgewateraqua

Thanks Faye. Have only picked a few rocket leaves that are still quite bitter at this stage, but don't want to thin things out to much until the system cycles so they can absorb all the nitrates.

Edgewateraqua

Can anyone tell me how long it usualy takes to cycle a system once the ammonia converts to nitrites in 24 hours? Im at that stage now with the blue barrel system but nitrites are off the scale and have been for a week or more now. Should i keep dosing to 1 or 2 ppm each day even though the nitrites are so high, does this advirsly effect the bacteria that convirt the nitrites or will this cause me problems when the bacteria catch up and cause a big nitrate spike?

RupertofOZ

Don't dose any more.... let your nitrites fall to zero.... and you'll be cycled...

Edgewateraqua

Thanks OBO. :notworthy:

Ill put away the

charlie carp now

Edgewateraqua

Just tested my water and could just be my enthusiasm but i think the nitrites have dropped from off the scale to 5ppm. How exciting, ill get to add some fish soon :getfish:

bunson

Continuation from Dean's thread....

Edgewateraqua wrote:

I realize now that i should have salted the system from the start. I have strawberries growing in it so was reluctant to add salt.

The choice was always there, a dead strawberry plant or a batch of dead fish; choose the money or the box?

Edgewateraqua wrote:

I have been back to the supplier and they have had a lot of trout deaths over the last 3 weeks also and have attributed it to water temperature being over 22C.
All the trout they have now looked healthy and happy but i noticed they are running air stones in the ponds now.

I don't know anything about the company in question, but it seems to me that no reputable supplier/retailer would allow their water temperature to get that high, or at least get that high without adding a bucket-load of air? There are professionals, and there are "professionals".

Edgewateraqua wrote:

Anyway i have picked up another 10 from them to give it another go.

.... and?

Edgewateraqua

Yeah i guess i learned a thing or two the hard way.
I added salt as soon as the first fish was found dead but it was too late for most of them.
I know not everyone uses salt and my blue barrel had run for a few months with 12 silver perch fingerlings and 4 gold fish without a hiccup so i thought it would be ok in the IBC without salt.
I really must get some photos of it up on the forum.
Anyway the silvers looked like they where flashing so have salted the BB system to 3ppt too.
Have just fed the trout this afternoon and they where all feeding very happily.
No sign of stressed fish so far.

Edgewateraqua

Wow has it really been ober 6 months since i have posted anything about my system on here?
Guess thats what happens when you do all your forum checking on a tablet of smart phone.
Too hard to upload pictures or write a decent update.

I have expanded a fair bit since july so will just post pictures to recap whats going on.

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