Aquaponics - In grow bed media washing

Rather than washing my media before adding it to the system, I thought I wouldn't.

So I didn't.

I know it wont work as well as washing it properly, but I haven't felt so good this last week, so I thought I'd just drop all the new media into the grow bed and wash it in situ.

I have in fact done this to some extent with my second system when I filled the 2500L or 3500L or (whatever it was) grow bed, but that one was never used due to having to move house.

I've never written "in situ" before.

I made a media screen, and siliconed it in upside down yesterday.

I suspect it will come back to hurt me at some time in the future, but I might get away with it.

The standpipe has been removed and the elbow turned down in this picture, because I'm rinsing the media with chlorinated tap water, and I want to get as much of the water out before I connect it to the fish tank.

I cranked up the garden tap and tried my best to gig the hose around and move all the dust out.

And just dump the dirty water onto the garden via the driveway.

It started like this...

and ended up running pretty clear.













I'll give it a day or so to let the chlorine out of the remaining water within the grow bed before connecting it to the system.

I also flushed it a bit with some de-chlorinated water, from my top-up container, so I doubt there will be any issues, especially with the new 1000L fish tank ready to dilute any remaining chlorine.




120 things in 20 years. Taking shortcuts and often striving for second best practice when it comes to aquaponics, and washing grow bed media.