New Grow Beds

[GaryD]

Hi,

Yesterday, I bought some plastic extrusions that will make excellent grow beds......very cheaply.

They were originally part of a soft shell crab production system. They became surplus to requirements when the company that owned them developed a better way to grow soft shell crabs.

Each unit is 2.2 metres long and 600mm wide. The long trays are designed to accommodate 18 small square pots. The base of the trays is shaped so that it drains to a 90mm exit point.......with the prospect that they could be used as self-cleaning grow beds.

The trays and buckets come in batches of 10 sets of three trays (30 trays in total) each with its full set of pots......for $300 (that's $10 for each tray with 18 buckets).

Even if you can't use that many, you may be able to partner with someone else in a batch. For those who live in, or near, Brisbane, this is an offer not to be missed.

If you're interested contact Angus Cameron on 0412 868 445.......and I wouldn't leave it too long. They are disappearing fast.......very fast.

I'll post some more photos of these as I prepare them for their new incarnation in aquaponics.

Gary

[tonyabalone]

On the subject of new grow beds readers may be interested in using plastic animal feed troughs as growbeds. I have been using sheep feed troughs from a company called Rapid Plastics, a company that makes relatively farm equipment and aquaculture tanks. As their name suggests they are made from food grade plastic. The sheep feed troughs come in various lengths.
Their website is www.rapidplastics.com.au if you want to have a look at their products
I have used some troughs that we used for abalone trials and I have found them to be ideal for gravel media, total waste systems.
With some basic plumbing fittings from any hardware store you can retrofit their troughs and design a system for your particular needs.
I have designed a system for a local school. See the photo below. The idea for a school situation was to have a series of seperate grow beds so that students could do a series of experiments and each growbed can be used to trial different plants or different media etc

[GaryD]

Hi Tony,

They look good.

What makes the soft shell crab trays so good is the price........and their versatility.


Gary

[DaveOponic]

Hi Gary
That looks like a great deal. They should make good grow beds. If I was back in Qld. I would be very interested. I have located some IBC's here finally at a plastic recycler. Now I will have to do some cagey bargaining to get the right price.

[GaryD]

Hi Dave,

I'm excited at the possibilities with the new trays. My mind's been racing with the possibilities since I got them. Given my other priorities just at the moment, it's somewhat frustrating that it will be a few weeks before I can do much with them.

I'd be even happier if I could buy fingerlings for the same price that you can.

Gary

[GaryD]

Hi,

Today, I dismantled the 10 banks of three soft crab trays that I purchased recently.

I removed a total of 300 screws.....most with a battery-powered screwdriver and some (too many) with a hand grinder fitted with an ultra thin cutting disc......from the lengths of hardwood to which they were attached. In the process, I got two blisters and a nice little slice along my right forefinger.

By day's end, we had moved all 30 trays from the driveway to the other side of the house.

I'm really looking forward to see what I can do with these things.

While most people are looking for components for their proposed AP systems.......but, as the photos illustrate, I have the opposite problem: I have the gear but insufficient time. In the coming weeks, I hope to resolve that issue so that I can get down to some serious fish production.

Gary

[GaryD]

Hi,

Some time back, Crusty had done a bit of experimenting with some soft shell crab trays......which had resulted in the first photo. This image suggests that, aside from anything else, the trays could be flooded and used as raft tanks......or a duckweed tank.

Crusty no longer needed the frame so I acquired it (Photo 2) for use as a prototype stand.

I sat a tray in it (Photo 3) and worked out what I'd need in the way of plumbing fittings (Photo 5). I set the tray up so that it would hold water (Photo 6) and then I cleaned it all up and added the 18 buckets that formed part of the system (Photo 4).

Gary

[GaryD]

Having got it to the point where it would hold water and media, I filled the buckets with clay pebbles and planted it out with a variety of seedlings and a few established herb plants.

I haven't connected it to anything at this stage. It's full of fish tank water which will keep it going for a while.....long enough for me to work out what I'm going to do to keep it going.

I've established that the frame will support a media-based grow bed. Each individual bucket can be removed for harvesting, insect control or replanting. In this configuration, the grow bed would be self-cleaning......particularly since the base of the tray slopes toward the centre and the drain end. The trays can be set up for flood and drain or continuous flow (surface or sub-surface).

Coco peat or vermiculite could be used in place of the clay pebbles with a timer providing a measured quantity of nutrient-rich water one or more times each day.

The trays would also function as a straight media-based grow bed (without the buckets) but I'd lose the self-cleaning capability.

Gary

[DaveOponic]

That's a neat little bank of growbeds. I like that you can lift out the smaller pots .... at least I assume from the photo that's possible. I am always jealous of people in Aus. having hydroton. I have only been able to find an inferior product here and even that has now disappeared from the market. I am stuck with road gravel. Very co**** and heavy but cheap of course.

[DaveOponic]

Huh? The word "C o a r s e" was censored because it contains the word ****?