"Gravel Pit Self Reclaiming Aquaponics System"I knew When I ordered the book that there must be more to Aquaponic Gardening than using waste water from my fish tank,

[Larry Dale Smith]

and am enjoying getting started reading it! Especially since what I've learned about so far has confirmed what I decided would happen by my pumping water to flood irrigate from the free flowing liner-less pond in my gravel pit onto the gravel surface. I was sure this was a success of some kind despite of a huge increase of string algae (I must have 10,000 Japanese Trap Door Snails in there now from this) as the orchard grass which could barely grow there before filled in nice and thick with it getting 5 feet tall in places, and I was right the cottonwood trees growing in a stand next to the pond has taken off quite well now from having fish in there.

Now that I know my fish will do well and that the filtration system works,,,so to speak, can't wait find out/or figure out from the book and this forum what more to do, I will begin adding more fish (I spent around $10 on them to begin with, common goldfish and rosy red minnows as a test) I want to add Koi and edible fish of some kind, not sure how many goldfish I have now, but there appears to be plenty of minnows and snails to support many fish without extra feed, though the hoards of water boatman bugs have been scared off or eaten and only a few remain. I also have Water Sedge plants (quick former of peat) and bulrush plants (a wetland edible) ordered for spring planting along with quite a few of my spring planting trees that are on order being ones that will do well in the swampy condition/while making a nice wind break, so I should have a good start on my filtering of the water!

[Larry Dale Smith]

Seeing more and more water bugs as well as seeing a fish ot two dayly. Lots of baby water bugs thats for sure! Should be keeping the bass well fed. 

I ordered some of the algea sharks today.

[Larry Dale Smith]

I put in a bunch of mosquito fish Friday to boost the population of minnows as well as the protection from mosquitos since it's bound to turn out to be a bad year for them since we've had so much more moisture than normal, almost right at 10 inches of precipitation since the first of the year even after we had lots of snow early on when the 10 inches alone is more than normal around here any more it seems for the entire year.  And the pond has been staying good level despite fairly regular pumping.

I've been seeing more of the fish, even some tiny fry that may have been near newly hathced when I saw them.  (all minnows I presume)

[Larry Dale Smith]

Still been seeing tiny fish fry and sometimes in great numbers!  Often been able to spot ones as tiny as 3/16 inch long, or at least apearing that short. 

All the extra probiotic from the goat manuer pile near the pond is helping like crazy would apear! 

One of my chickens has been missing for almost a week.  But I suspect she may be out in the neigbors hay feild having a "hay day" eating grasshoppers and tender shoots.

The algea sharks are doing great as near as I can tell, they arived good health and transplanted well, then yesterday I think it was I spotted where one was gulping algea from the surface of the pond.  Loads and loads of snails converting algea and fish poo into liquid nitrogen (amonia), the snails also feed the goldfish which eat lots of plant matter to stay healthy despite the heavy metal content of the snails.

[Larry Dale Smith]

The mosquito fish are adapted to the pond and reproducing in great numbers none to soon, the first wave of mosquitoes arived last night and nearly ate me alive but are near gone now, only found a few while at the pond earlier and haven't been attacked near the house this evening. 

The abondance of the mosquito fish should keep the bass well fed as well as give the rosy red minnows a chance to repopulate. 

One of my chickens has been missing and I think she is out in the neighbors hay feild, but the grass is maybe 5 feet tall out there and no way to tell for sure. 

On the up side of what ever happened to my chicken, she was the boss chicken who always took the choicest bits of food away from the other chickens who got beaten up by her for finding them in the first place, or beaten up and made to go find them for her, and of course the rest of my chickens are doing much better without her around and I am interested to see if she ever returns, and if she does what her new pecking order will be if the others find they are strong enough to match her then. 

The pumping is still going well, been enough water for dayly pumping and the water seems to be staying cleaner and healthier than before. 

Not much sign of the grasshopers the place is well known for, kind of surprised as nothing has kept them at bay before, but I imagine they will be back later on when it's breeding time for them if not before this when the hay feilds gets cut. 

The gravel pit grow bed is really perked up from all the precipitation plus reduced nitrogen levels from the pumpings from the big pump only being put on it every other week in stead of every week, the rest of the pumping is perking up the cottonwood trees in the gravel pit and they are so lush I can hardly believe how leafy and vivid green they are! 

[Larry Dale Smith]

Last night my chicken came back and spent the night in the coop, she laid her egg and didn't see her after early morning, no idea if she is in there tonight as one of the other chickens wouldn't let me stick my head in this evening when I went to close the coop up for the night. Her feathers were bedraggled but she had good color.

[Larry Dale Smith]

Yesterday and today there has been quite a few mosquitoes about enjoying the overcast days, today most of the adult mosquito fish were out of sight and I hope it was because they were spawning thanks to all the mosquitoes coing round. They also seem to be perking up the water quality by the young fry eating harmful bacteria and destroying it, and the water has been staying sparkling clean. 

[Larry Dale Smith]

Almost no mosquitoes today, all eaten or vacated. 

I began seeing hungery mosquio fish a bit ago when pumping the pond, saw a few rosy red minnows too. 

Tiny mosquito fish fry are growing and showing more color. 

[Larry Dale Smith]

Ordered 250 more Rosy Red Minnows for the pond even though I've still been seeing some, just figure the bass need a good feeding and they are few.

The mosquito fish are still surprising me at what good things they are doing: gobbling mosquitoes, reproducing, new fry growing quickly compaired to other fish in the pond, and best of all the water stays cleaner with them in there as they eat harmful bacteria!

[Larry Dale Smith]

All but one arived in good health, just in time to, the hay feilds alongside me are being cut and the irrigation will get turned on soon after the bales are gathered bringing in loads of mosquitoes. 

I hate to even think what bugs I'm glad are here also from hay cutting, the once dreaded grasshoppers, but with them came abounding song birds and no more need for $40 bags of roasted meal worms for the chickens treat feed even if they are huge bags that go a long way, should slow down the layer mash even more too as well as the egg production has seemed to pick up already. 

[Larry Dale Smith]

Squash (hubbards) are growing in my goat manuer pile near the pond, was going to let all the piles age for a year first, however I noticed the pile that was getting the water to help it decompose from the pond when I ran the pump was breaking down much faster I stuck 8 potted hills of them in as a test, working good: they are healthier, more vigorous than any other cucurbits I'm growing this year, taking off much sooner than any hubbards I've ever grown, they show no sign of nitrogen burn, all while only one plant out of 24 has died. 

I saw quite a bit of my fish today, did also see a few of the minnows floating but the snails were making short work of those, the minnows are growing good otherwise though I've been seeing fewer and fewer of those just planted, but have also begun seeing their replacements apear. 

My tomatoes on the other hand are a compleat loss I think, so slow getting going in the house then got sickly just as I was getting ready to aclimate to outdoors and of course then didn'nt survive even the first day outdoors even with cloud cover and being a cooler day. 

My missing chicken is no longer missing!  Safe and sound and tonight I heard coyotes out and about! 

The eggs she was sitting on were smaller than she usually lays but didn't matter any way because not a one was any good I surmise after trying to boil them and what of them that didn't explode that I peeled were hardly fit to feed my dogs.

[Larry Dale Smith]

My extra water pumping with the second pump I got to irrigate the cottonwood trees has begun to help take shape of keeping the pond filled despite a bumpy start by the way the pond level didn't raise as much with the spring rains, especialy not raising as much for a record wet year with extream amounts of rain after record level of snow fall over the winter. 

The pond level is staying up high enough to pump 6 days a week, seems like this is the time of year when I have to stop pumping and wait till the hay feild gets flood irrigated for the level to go up enough to pump once each irrigation, then in humid August heat, the cottonwood trees drink the mumidity and give back to the neigbor the "stolen" irrigation water and then some, then on till fall leaf loss each irrigation of the hay feild raises the pond level even though that water isn't used down while running the pump, but once the trees loose leaves ground water refills on it's own. 

Now, the fish waste is helping my much loved cottonwood stand grow, which will in turn: feed more water to the pond by increasing the water vapor removal from the air doing several thing in it's self (removing fungus hazard, and giving health to my throat and wet cough while cleaning the air better), help provide more shade to the pond, and clean the water better by both increasing the root structure and the extra filtration from running the pumping more. 

Very excited to see what August brings, especialy after this much improvement after just 2 1/2 months of new strategy in affect, and I know June is the normal moth for fetilizing trees and bushes but have been running the flood irrigation pump every 5 days instead of every 14 to water my shrub willow windbreak, seems like that should give good growth this sultery month. 

Every week was to often with the flood irrigation for all summer, so maybe just part, the very active growth period maybe? 

The fish are flourishing for the most part, and still ridding my place of the mosquitoes as fast as they find me! 

[Larry Dale Smith]

Well, the water table is up good considering the leaves are still on the trees, the water table is also holding steady in the cool weather, I plan on giving a last pumping tomorrow while the warm weather is still here to do so.