FIFTY SHADES OF GREY

So we went to see this movie;

It gave me some ideas.

One of them  to use cable ties;

On the SLO at 50 mil intervals

Trout photos

European Perch

I have been concerned for some time with the Perch. 

You may remember they were introduced to the system last November.

Following good practice with the introduction of new fish they were isolated from the main system. Their water was salted to 3PPT. They settled in well. Perch are tough fish. They will tolerate temperatures from 4*C to 31*C. This was my main reason for choosing them.

After two weeks I turned a couple of taps, switched off the dedicated pump, and they were connected to the main system.

Everything was fine. Perch are not aggressive feeders like Trout. I fed them sparingly.

I would occasionally  buy some ‘red worm’ from the local aquarium shop

Winter temperatures were cool and they were almost in hibernation.

Their tank is outside, well insulated and sheltered. When frost or ice was forecast I turned on the heaters to keep the FT temperature above 4*C. They seemed fine. But;

 but.

Really just marking time.

So now I am asking myself was November too early? Should I have waited until now? Feb/March?

Anyway. I decided yesterday to act.

I again isolated their tank. This is where the design allowing a tank to be isolated quickly and easily paid off. Turn two taps. Drop in the pump, push fit connector Happy days!

I also decide to heat. I am using a 300W aquarium heater set to minimum about 16*C

Change can stress fish. I added salt to their system to 1PPT. That is one part per thousand. Water tests were good: Both Am and Nitrite negligible. I am keeping the PH slightly high at 7.7. I think this aids bacteria in cool temperatures. I will adjust as things progress.

This morning when I checked them their were fine. Again this evening good. Some fish now not hugging the bottom. I added one teaspoon of trout food. Some feeding activity but slow.

Patience.

There is not a lot of information about E Perch in AP. Evidence from Ireland suggests 23*C is the optimum temperature for commercial farming. Growth rates at 11*C are reduced by about 60% 

Now in my garden setting optimal growth rates are not my main objective.  Hardiness and ‘taste on the plate’ are my main deciding factors. 

I do believe that European Perch can and should be a major part of UK aquaponics.

Only by sharing knowledge and experience can we move on.

Air Lines

At last the new airline system is up and running. Sticking with my theme of using readily available piping. I opted to use 15mm household plastic pipe and push fit connections. I did use the super seals.

Larger pipe sizes give less friction loss. Like many things you have to compromise. Using 15mm pipe allowed me to bend the pipe and reduce connectors. “T” and “L” 

The only ‘specialist’ part was a brass half inch female to a 5mm hose tail. These I got from E bay. Nominally the inside diameter of silicone tube is 4mm but with a bit of warmth the 5mm fitted fine. The silicone tube was used for the last 50 cm or so and connected to air stones.

The 15mm pipe is not recommended for compressed air use. However with the relatively low air pressure I am using I decided to go ahead. My choice my responsibility.

I switched on the pump and it works great. Tomorrow I will check for leaks. Washing up liquid on the joints will bubble if air is leaking.

There is some noise with this type of air compressor. It’s out in the shed and I put an old mouse mat underneath. No problem.

Me Too!

The downside of an outside aquaponics system in the UK is that inevitably you are going to get cold and wet.

I need sunshine! I lipread from outside, on the cold and wet side of the double glazing! Hmm. Me too!

We fled south to Spain for a few days. A walk on the,’Sunny Side’

A ‘Chiringuito’ is a bar/restaurant on the beach.

 I will never tire of watching the Mediterranean. 

Combine this with grilled sardines and a cold white wine. Hmm Me too!

After lunch we found : ‘The Racing Club in Torrox Costa, Malaga, Andalusia, Spain.

On Saturday afternoons they have an open jam session: Mandolin Mick joined us that afternoon. Enjoy!

FISH NAMES

It’s half term. the grandchildren have come to visit.

The boys 11/12 want to name the fish.

RULES: No family names No easy names.

BOYS                                                        GIRLS

                                                                    

tyreece                                                      willamina   

tiger                                                           yolanda

bobeth                                                       rizzeta

budwazio                                                   smaugetta

swagzonzo                                                orketta                                                          

yoloswaginson                                          lepricorna                                          

platapuso                                                  tanyazia

dumbizio                                                   tonzanza

tus                                                             teneyzia

fecious                                                      banteta

jimbo                                                         scalatuna

tinchy                                                        tankaria

marquisi                                                    perchida

kowiegawa                                                grapetta

Forty five minutes of fun for all the family

Filters Part Two and NFT

Last year I had many problems with the NFT system.

I was using standard UK square line downpipes. These have many advantages over round tubes and I will continue using them this year.

Leaks,  water level, flow rate and quality are the main obstacles to overcome.

I was using the standard 90*  bends joined  together to give a staircase look to the tubes. However no amount of glue silicone or tape seemed to work. Constant drips.

I bought some square end caps which although they fitted well were still not 100% water tight. I had also planned on using standard 21.5mm tank connectors but this would have meant a constant depth of about 2cm in the tubes.

At one point I considered getting the end caps 3D printed but the cost was prohibitive.

It is important in a NFT system that the water is of good quality. That means very few small suspended solids. These will clog the roots. I built a pre-filter and a bio-filter out of storage boxes and until recently had planned on using them.

My friend ‘Serendipity’ came to visit and it all changed.

I found a cheap 22mm plastic manifold. A standard 22mm input and four equal 10mm outputs. Now instead of the water flowing down a staircase I get an equal flow into each tube. The tubes are on an incline. The high end no longer has to be 100% water tight so my existing end caps work.

At the other end I placed a vertical 110mm soil pipe with slots cut into it to receive the NFT tubes.

The water trickles down this tube and returns to the sump.

It is called a, ‘Trickle Tower’ I filled the inside with plastic bottle tops and eventually bacteria will establish and I have an additional filter.

I am also hoping that this will  additionally function as a cooling tower. Time will tell.

The main pump runs on a 15/45 minute timed cycle. This will not work for NFT tubes.. So I will add an additional pump just for the NFT on constant flow. In the line for this a ‘T’ and a tap with a return to sump will allow me to precisely control the flow to the NFT tubes.

I have continued with the 110 mm pipe. The bend has an access point built in. Slightly below this I have placed another media guard. The remaining  1.4 mtrs are filled with K1 bio media. A final media guard holds this in place. This then flows onto the , ‘sump with the pumps’

In front of this I have laid the 225 ltr olive barrel on its side. Water flows from FT1 through the RFF and into this tank. It then joins the line to the,’ sump with the pumps.’ 

Once it has settled down I intend to ‘box it’ Make it look a bit prettier.

All that remains then is to install the second pump and the lines to the NFT system.

Oh! and then the new airlines. That is another story.

Trickle tower

Access Point