Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi!
This is my first post here. My mini system has run already for 3 weeks without fish. Yesterday I bought 3 guppies. I wish them good luck with me.

My system is indoor. Many pumps, hihi... nevermind. I hope to get fun with this.

Hi. Welcome Fred.

This is neat. you can lose two pumps easily, they're jusy extra ad not needed in the function you've given them.

Distribute the water from pump one evenly over your bed it should flow into the peat as you want it to. Why all that peat. Aqua will naturally drift down in pH. So will peat.

Unless you have a cunnig plan or end goal requiring all this filtering ie: zero waste.

Zero waste is as simple as having enough filter yes.

Hello,
Right, I wonder if effectively I need all this peat, so I've this in project. There is peat in the other container and the ph goes down easily enough.
I need a way to down the ph, it is 7.5-8 from the supply. I've noticed it going up in my previous system, but it was hydroponic only...
The three containers are at the same level, in real, so I need all the pumps.

Nice.

Have you considered using a passive return as they are on the same level. I used passive return successfully with Deep Water Culture Aquaponics. It was a wee bit slow, however, that was my pumps fault at the time not the setup.

I can give detail if you're not familiar with the concept. It may be possible to reduce it all down to one pump. You can tell me to bog off you like it how it is

If the peat is working for you all good! My source water is 7.0.

G'day Fred, or first member from Geneva I think!!
Photos please!!

Aquadict: Next system I will make it with the minimum of pumps. I'm thinking about the next system too

Monya: Pics once I have a camera!

Nitrite is very high. I hope its oky until tommorow for the fish because Î don't have water without chlorine yet.

A trueaquaponicist... not finished with the current system and already planning the next

one idea would be to take the buffer tank out of the loop and use it with your peat to lower the water before you put it into the system. this way you are aging and lowering the pH of your water before adding it to the system.

This could get rid of two more pumps or keep one and use it to pump from the buffer tank into the system.

You've obviously gone to a lot of effort in working this out and setting it up, nice one Fred...

And welcome to the group.

Welcome fred.

IMO PH of 7.5 is great. Unfortunatly we cant keep the ph's at the ideal 6.5 for hydro in auqa systems.

You will find that as the system ages and more bacteria "set up shop" your ph will drift downwards naturally, and the aim will be to raise it again. Good KH buffering does this automatically, and will maintain your ph at about 7.5 be careful with the peat, as once your system has found its sweet spot you may find that it really drags the PH down. Besides that ph range you stated for your tap water is the ideal ph for breeding the beneficial Bac. See the useful info section.

Have fun here

Steve

Yes, it is exactly what I do, as the water circulates periodically, not continuously. I wait at least one day between adding fresh water and transferring the buffer tank to the aquarium.

I didn't knew that. Cool, something not to bother.


Thanks all for your welcome. I hope to learn a lot here.
I've seen already some of your pictures, until I visit them all.

Fred, thats my opinion, other may have a different view, but i definatly would not go lower than 7.0.

See the plants prbably prefer it lower, but bacterial efficiency is greatest at about 7.5. so if you have a system running at max density levels i'd stick with 7.5, if not then you could probably run it at 7.0 but like i said i like to cycle my systems at about 7.5 and 25C to get the quickest possible "cycling". change the parameters after that if you like.

Guess what? I think there is a camera waiting for me at the post! I'll finally dare to show somehing

woo hoo
Looking forward to them pics!!!!