Aquaponics 2.0

The second version of the aquaponics system was fantastic. There were alterations and certainly improvements. But first, the news...

Well, there's good news and bad news.

Good news: Elliot successfully built a filter from a rubbish bin and scourer pads and the system ran brilliantly with filtered water, and the tank looked clear and clean and great.

Good news: We bought four new fish three weeks ago and they are still alive.

Bad news: We have to move.

Bad news: The new house has no area for an aquaponics system so yesterday it got dismantled and the fish have been relegated to a life of living in a tank and having people stare at them.

They do seem rather happy though

We did have a good chance to get the filter up and running for a while and the new fish in the system before we had to start the packing and moving process. We don't know how long it will be until we get to set it up again but the filter certainly improved it and we will be well on track to having a flawless system when that time comes. The water levels were all really good and the fish seemed happy and well, didn't die.

The filter came as a result of there being quite a bit of sediment at the bottom of the tubes where the plants sit. Some Youtube research was done and a trip to the Warehouse and some plumbing place later, one filter was built.

Elliot made the filter from a rubbish bin, taped the top of it up, cut a circle from a peg basket for a mesh/net type effect which sat 10 cm or so off the bottom of the bin and then 30 or so scourer pads were placed on top of that. He put a 25mm tank fitting in the top which is where the water from the tank comes in and goes down a pipe which takes the water to the bottom of the filter, it then leaves the pipe in two directions which creates a swirl and that takes all the yucky sediment stuff to the bottom. The water then fills up to the top, travelling through the scourer pads which catch any other nasties. The water then exits the filter from the outflow fitting into the tubes where the plants are. Elliot also made a overflow which was another fitting higher than the outflow pipe just in case that got blocked the water would exit the overflow as a last resort.

I was amazed at the difference it made. The tank was so much cleaner and the water so much clearer. We thought the water before was pretty good, but this was amazing. I could actually see the fish. The ornamental vase that was in there became completely clean and the fish look happy (as happy as fish can look I guess).

Elliot also added a new pump to the sump tank to pump the water out faster as the water level in the fish tank was getting to low. This was also a great improvement and did the job perfectly.

We had one survivor from the first lot of fish and he had a few lonely weeks but was stellar. We cycled the system for a while and the water tests were all good and stable so we made a trip back to Hollywood Fish Farm, got four medium comets and introduced them to their new home.

They and the aquaponics system were going great (after the two very minor floods) and we were hoping to grow some new chilli plants in there but then got the unfortunate news that we had to move. We sadly leave behind our beautiful garden and conservatory that has served us so well.

The fish will come to our new home at Tern Place (doesn't quite have the same ring does it?) and we will have a nice big new deck for some planting which I am sure we will make the most of. There will still be chillies and hot food and we still have 10 bags of dried chillies to get through!

Herbs and veges will still be grown and it's all just another chapter in the life of a renter I guess.

Sunset Road has served us well - not only the garden and conservatory, but has been the perfect place for our first chilli growing season and our first home together (awwwww). It also gave me the inspiration for "Sunset Chillies" - a name which will stick and some memories that will last a lifetime.