Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I think you guys are missing one thing in this discussion... You can still have nutrient film in round tubes...

I posted my "not nft" earlier, it didn't show the outlet of the system. I'm assuming from reading most of these posts there are a lot of people thinking round pipe = not going to drain completely. I put a 90 on mine with the outlet on the bottom for this reason, to make it drain completely. Then it's just a matter of not blocking the tube and figuring out your flow rate and you can still have nutrient film, not flooded in a round tube.

It was draining straight down, i revised it this past week so now it is going in to my second IBC so I could add my catfish in the smaller IBC and have it tied into the system for filtration (even if it's much lower flow...) I measured my flow and it came out at about 40 gallons per hour running through the tubes, so not the best for my catfish, but it is better than having them in a tank that has no circulation.,

I prefer the KISS term SWC for depths between 2 mm and 150 mm regardless of the section of the tube.

same petesake.

>> Yabbies was trying to help forum members but these things always end up like this.

actually Sleepe he was having a rant ... but the real point that has come out from some good posts is that there is definitely a gap where pipe based approaches *are* (or can be) neither NFT nor DWC... and (as Mr D himself notes) are subject to some unique issues associated with this type of technique/approach.

And there are certainly differences between *many* PVC pipe systems and what NFT sets out to achieve.
The problem is evidently the lack of an appropriate term of reference due to pipe situations being a combination of a few different techniques. But that is AP through and through - a mixture of ideas and methods to achieve similar outcomes of effectively growing vegetables in the backyard environment often with constraints that need to be solved in innovative ways.

The forums threads have actually remained reasonable well on track of late. This one for example has remained a good thread so far with some interesting discussion and information by a number of members who actually have a variety of viewpoints. These have teased out some of the issues of AP techniques in circular/PVC pipes and why they may not be considered NFT systems. And as Rob notes above - where they might be.

i dont see it as any worse than the term "constant flow"... it was always constant flood (CF), then some yankee noobs stared thinking CF must stand for constant flow.... so now we have people saying "flood and drain or constant flow?".... when a bell syphon flood and drain is constant flow.....

he can rant all he likes, but he wont change anything, idiots do what idiots do.
people are always going to make up stupid names for things that already have more appropriate names and they are always going to mistake one item for a similar looking or sounding thing.

As long as the plants are growing who gives a rats

Just got in from work, wet jocks and not in the mood for it so enjoy:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ul-cZyuYq4

Check out this NOT-NFT system that was in one of the shows that I watch... "The 100" which is a futuristic post-apocalyptic show about returning to earth 100 years after a nuclear war which made the earth uninhabitable... they somehow had PVC pipes to make NOT-NFT tubes to grow plants in the future! =)

There would be abandoned, fully stocked hardware stores everywhere I'd imagine.

The set/prop director obviously never did their homework though. Unless those pots were deep enough to touch the very bottom of the pipe there's not a snowball's chance in hell of that system working, and where's the resi, pump etc?

No its a hydro aeroponics system with an inner misting pipe, not a NON NFT system. And lets face it 100yrs the glue would have dried up so they got it from the working factory that produced the eye liner,lipstick,shampoo and soap.
Props director? Hello! That was designed by a septic online guru who wanted to add a little realism to the series

you dont even need glue. :smug:

A DSWPT system describes it.....

powered by perpetual motion and fast growing nuclear mutant lettuce...

What is it (if not nft) if you have round pipes with a thin constant film of water flow and pots above with a absobant strap for water to wicker up into pots till the rots get down?

I've coined it "NOT-NFT"