Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi there,

I'm a noobie and I've spent a couple of days reading up the forum and over the weekend setup a barrel system using my existing pond about 350L. There are 3 small koi that has been surviving for ages without food, aeration and etc.

I've a put in a small pumb (750L/ hr at 1m head) filling up the bed roughly in 10mins over my 110L drum GB.
It drains fully in 20mins. If I set the timing to 15min on and 15 min off, it would mean that it is never drain off fully. More like a third of the water left before the pump kicks in again. Is that ok?

The other end of the question is, if I set the timer to 15 on and 30 off, it'll drain off completely and 'dry' for 10 mins before the pump kicks in. Is that also ok?

I tried searching the forum but didn't come across thread with similar questions, particularly my system is really small being the first.

All input, thoughts and suggestions are appreciated!

Thanks!

Jordan

ps. I'm not sure if this is the right way to insert picture..hope its works..

Looks like you're using expanded clay pellets. (I miss hydroton brand ) I've found that they can retain water much better than using gravel so you can either delay flooding much longer or be fine with a very short to nil delay.

There are many people utilizing constant flood systems. My favorite part of that concept is if there is sufficient aeration for the plant roots, you know that the fish are happy as well.

However, I'm more a fan of flooding with longer dry periods to encourage the roots to expand which correlates with faster growth.

If this was true, I would think commercial growers would choose not to use DWC rafts.

Hi Jiordano ,

thats a great little system youve got going there. nice sturdy framing set up. Welcome to the AP family.

Have you started thinking about expanding yet, you know more grow beds, perhaps a second system

I'm more thinking of commercial hydroponics which is a more proven commercial technology. With aquaponics, the technical aspect of a flood design might not justify notable increase?

Also the stressors involved with the dry period is important but I got to thinking an all wet period might induce comparable reactions from the plant.

Hi guys,

Thanks for the input and encouragement. yeah, definitely thinking of expanding.
I'm moving to tropical Asia in a couple of months. Would try and step up to an IBC then.

cheers