Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Charlie, I cleaned my pump today so I got the information from the motor plate. You need to clean the pump at least once a week to keep it from clogging up and then burning up the motor. Is is from China. A company named Resun. Type PG 1800, 250 W, H max 6m, Q max 1899 l/h. 3000 plus baht. $100 plus American dollar. We use the same type of pump in our koi pond and we have had excellent service for over a year now. I just let it run 24/7. In the photo you see the blue pipe at the far end of the pool. I have a hose attached and it also is running 24/7. When I am not using it I just let it run back into the pond. The two pipes with cut-off valves are to let the water run in the pond and aireate the water.

My name is "O" (โอ๋ the + sign make sound highest, you know Thai language, different sound level give different meaning) My name should spell O+(look like male sign). My friend spell Ao+ so I use this spell.
For Thai, nick name is actually real name (the real name is usually long and good meaning un-familiar India language)

My GB fill with 3/4 granite gravel(for construction) I bought from ... (I dont' know how to call in English but it's the shop that grind rock from mountain.) much cheaper than buy from retail construction store. About 13x Baht per ton.
Then sort the smaller out.
My grow bed drain back to the FT.
I grow tillapia and Tapain(I don't know English name)

AO You grow tilapia and Tapain ( is that the red tilapia?) If so it is called a Pla Top Teen and in English it would be just a red tilapia. I think in English the dark one is called Nile Tilapia. There is quite a few different tilapia in the world. All taste great.

All of my GB that drain back into the pond are a 50/50 mixture of coco coir and rice hulls. The GB that drain off into the soil are a 1 - 1- 1 mixture of manure, rice hulls, and coco coir. I also have some soil beds that I load up with the same mixture. This is my first year with AP and also my first year using these mixes so I will have to wait and see what works best.
John

ปลานิล - Bpla Nin - Is the dark green one, Nile Tilapia.
ปลาทับทิม - Bpla Tab Tim - Is the Red Tilapia.
ปลาตะเพียน - Bpla Dta Pian - A type of Carp, tasty but very hard to eat, thin and boney.

Thanks Dui - good to have that sorted out. So AO has Bpla Dta Pian and Bpla Nin. My friend Steve tells me that both the Bpla Nin and the Bpla Tab Tim taste the same but that for some reason the Thai's like the Bpla Tab Tim better. Is that true? I think that they both taste the same.

I know Tab Tim are usually significantly more expensive and generally harder to find.
That may be due to slower growth rates and higher mortality rates (based on UVI figures)
They put so much spice and stuff on it, I doubt they can taste the actual fish, hehehe.

I like them stuffed with Lemon Grass, skins salted and then BBQ'q.

Help - maybe I have a problem. When you think that you have an ammo problem is draining part of the water and replacing it the fastest way to correct the problem?

I ask because I stocked 80 top teem on the 22nd. 2 died on 24th and 1 on 30th. I think normal, but then on Dec 5th 3 died and 1 more died on the 6th. My test kit is out of date and I won't have a new one until some time tomorrow so I drained off about 25 to 30 cm's of the water by watering almost everything in my back yard and topped the pond back up again with fresh water. The amount of water I changed is approximately 25 to 30 percent of the water in the pond.

The reason I thought I was having an ammo problem is that I have been trying to get a good bloom out and feeding the fish a little extra food at the same time. At the same time I am only watering my garden beds with the water so as to filter it some and water the seeds that I have planted. Most things have sprouted, however, nothing is really growing enough yet - almost like having no plants yet.

Am I correct or screwed up?

Duinui - Is that the way they cook the pla chon at restaurants? If so it sounds good. I have never tasted a bad tasting fish yet that was covered in salt and BBQ'ed. So far I have eaten them fried and broiled. Broiled with lots and lots of basil - when cooked it taste of basil. I really love eating fish, even raw fish. I love sushi. Have you ever tried using top teen for sushi? We know we can get them fresh. LOL

I doubt that with that much water you have ammo problems.
I never had more than a trace in any of my systems, but the fish kept dying...
Do you have any air pumps (Algae consumes oxygen at night, so with a good bloom, DO will drop)
Are you moving (pumping) your tank volume every hour or so?

I never found out why my fish died, so I am probably not qualified to diagnose your problem, I couldn't diagnose mine....

When I had a small aquarium with an Ammo problem (many years ago for the kids) the shop said I should do 50% water changes daily for a week then 25% changes for 2 weeks (presumably until the filter cycled)

All I have learned has been from this forum and Google University, mostly this forum.

Sushi... not my thing, just tastes wrong to me

I have one pump that does 1800 liter per hour turnover. I let it run 24/7. The water is pumped from the bottom of the pond to about 45 cm's above the pond and splashes back into the pond. I don't know how to calculate how many liters in my pond so I don't know how often all of the water is turned over. The pond is 8 feet by 20 feet by an average of 40 inches deep. Do I still need an aireator? I have/had 80 fingerlings and in a day or two 150 more will arrive.

Around 14,500 litres then.
So 1800 lph.. nowhere near.
Also you are pumping it back into the pond, and not to GB's.

I would say you need some air, especially at night.
DO could be your problem, but 80 fingerlings in that much water, really shouldn't be a problem.

I had 8000 litres, loads of air, pumped loads of water into GB's but they just kept dying.
First the Catfish, then the Nin and Tab Tim, never found out why.

Sorry I can't be more help.

John,
You may like to take a quick look at my ex-system in Surin (if you haven't seen it already)
In my last post I mentioned I had 8000 litre system, this was what I was referring to.
Not sure there's anything in the thread that will help you, but it might be of interest.

Hi John!

I like to hear about the systems in Thailand so please keep the pictures and info coming. My wife and I host exchange students and so far have hosted girls from Bangkok, Khon Kaen, and currently Udon Thani, who have all been super wonderful, so I like to hear about how it's going there.

What part of the system is the biofilter if the beds are only watered occasionally from the hose?

Some people tell me that before transfer fish long distant, we have to feed no food.
And temperature and pH should be change slow enough. Otherwise fish will die.
Fish dead is normal problem after transferring.

Fish were put in on November 22nd, I don't think transfer stress/ph/temp is the problem.
But what you say is completely right, fish for transport shouldn't be fed, and temp and Ph should be equalised slowly.