From the time we set up our most recent system, the fish tank has had a makeshift cover on it - to keep everything (kids, pets, leaves, too much sunlight, etc) out.
The makeshift cover made it difficult to access the tank in the way that I wanted so I fabricated a new top. The two hinged doors now allow unfettered access when I want to feed the fish, or clean the tank, while keeping the system secure at all other times.
I'm keen to grow as much of the food for our fish as I can so duckweed is an important plant for us. While it can be dried, it's easier (and more practical for our purposes) to freeze it so that we have year-round stocks. After harvesting, we squeeze most of the water out of the duckweed and place it into small plastic containers. Once it's frozen, I turn it out of the container and store it in plastic bags.
We discovered that, by feeding it out frozen, we avoid much of the mess that otherwise occurs in the tank. A quick tap with a hammer reduces a frozen block of duckweed to a handful of small pieces. When we throw these into the tank, the fish chase them around eating the duckweed as soon as it thaws and breaks free.
Our two gravel grow beds have been very productive during the past few weeks. In less than 4 square metres, we've grown as much silver beet, bok choi, coriander, thyme, oregano, parsley and lettuce as we can consume. In fact, the chooks have been giving us hand to sort out the surplus.
I've pulled several of the silver beet plants to make way for a wider range of vegetables. While the beds are looking a bit patchy at the moment, I'm confident that, in three or four weeks, they'll be bursting at the seams with more fresh produce.
