Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

So what exactly is the point of keeping water "under" the growbeds? It obviously adds to water volume, but does not add nutrients or filter capacity. I guess it does add to the water volume, so you can stock a little heavier (but not much), but I would think any solids that collect there will not be taken care of by worms. So is it just a way to not have to build GB stands, or is there something that is actually functional about it? I am designing DEEP beds - three feet - but they will drain fully, so I am interested if there is an advantage to not draining deep beds completly.

Thanks
Mark

I'll let OBO discuss the pros & cons and wherefors of his method Mark...

But a general note... any water left in the "growbeds" ... will be constantly intermingled/refreshed with subsequent floods...

And the gravel will still act as a solids filter....

Worms survive and do their thing... perfectly well in a flooded environment... providing oxygen levels are sufficient...

Water will find it's own equilibrium. It will push water up where needed. From the pictures my assesment is - the weight of the water from growbeds (which are higher then exit port abbove FT will push the water through drains and up over FT lip. His drain pipes will never drain completely and his beds (as noted) only drain partially. Makes since if you think about it.

Mark

I did not think worms liked flooded environments??? The do need O2 don't they? After a rain here you find worms all over the place and I assumed they were just trying to escape.

All the water in the growbeds is drained from the bottom of the IBC, it does not sit there stagnant. It only sits there for the period between the cycles. The water has to travel up the standpipe from the bottom of the bed.

Worms live underwater fine, provided the oxygen is there. They 'breath' through their skin.

A commonly held misconception.... based upon the very observation that people see worms dying in puddles after rain....

They're not drowning... they suffocating as the oxygen depletes from the rapidly warming water in the puddles...

Worms actually exchange/breath oxygen through their skin... from water....

In a highly oxygenated flooded environment like an AP system.... worms thrive and multiply...

cool - did not know that rupe, but my only real experience with worms is when they are on a hook!

These worms are happy living 1 meter under water at the bottom of a 200 litre blue drum sump

and all nice and neatly buried, with a small retaining wall all round, and a shade tarp over the top, with lovely big spot lights, and a huge inground pond with bamboo fence all nice and pretty and....

Seemed to work ok too

And requires daily maintenance due to poor pipework

Anyways, system has run overnight well, water has gone murky as expected. Had quite a bit of rain this morning.




Planted up

point taken, I recall you (and a few others) suggesting on many occasions to go big on plumbing!

You adding a big ammonia source.

200 odd full sized silver perch and 1000 trout should be enough hey

http://www.overclockers.com.au/

i would say its cause the height of the water in the IBC is so much higher than the rise it can just push past it once its going it would keep on flowing till its the same hight as the rise

my loop syphons pull the water from the bottom of my growbeds back to the top then down again to the drain pipe, as long as there is a drop somewhere it will pull in fact in theory if you were to start a syphon goin with a hose you can lift the middle higher than the water level as long as the outlet is lower than the water level in the tank

gravity and surface tension makes a good syphon

Cheers
pete

Are you distributing the water via a "spider" or are you constantly pumping to all GBs?
What is your bigger pump going to look like? This is turning out a bit like my swimming pool plans, so I am interested in knowing your pumping rate and how many IBCs it can service.