⚠️ This forum has been restored as a read-only archive so the knowledge shared by the community over many years remains available. New registrations and posting are disabled.

All times are UTC + 8 hours




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 60 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2, 3, 4  Next
Author Message
PostPosted: Dec 11th, '13, 19:04 
Valued Contributor
Valued Contributor

Joined: Dec 1st, '13, 18:07
Posts: 53
Gender: Male
Are you human?: Yes
Location: Sydney
Hi all,

I'm really new to aquaponics. I've understood the concept for some time but it wasn't until more recently when we had our less than 12 month old water tank replaced under warranty, that we thought about doing something along the line of aquaponics. I've been researching for a month or so now and have come up with an idea that i'm hoping will work. It will be based on the top and bottom of a 2300l slimline water tank for the grow bed (approx 1.3m2/400L) and sump (approx 500L) and a 1000L IBC as the fish tank. Apart from this, the only other things I have considered so far is the pump, from what I understand it would need to be 4000l/h to cycle the 1000L FT once an hour based on a 15/45minute timer and insulating with some kind of foam/timber surround.
As for plants and fish, I assume these decisions will come later (correct me if I'm wrong).
I have attached a very 'rough' drawing (if you'll call it that) of my concept and i'd appreciate any feedback or suggestions on whether you think it may work or not.

Attachment:
File comment: 2300l slimline water tank
Iphone 11122013 619.jpg
Iphone 11122013 619.jpg [ 87.67 KiB | Viewed 8676 times ]

Attachment:
File comment: AP concept
Aqua setup1.jpg
Aqua setup1.jpg [ 27.3 KiB | Viewed 8676 times ]


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
    Advertisement
 
PostPosted: Dec 11th, '13, 20:37 
Xtreme Contributor
Xtreme Contributor

Joined: Aug 27th, '13, 13:58
Posts: 172
Gender: Male
Are you human?: Yes
Location: Adelaide
Design looks great. May need to build a frame to support the grow bed from deforming and bowing out.

Hows ya heights, may need to raise fish tank or bury sump.

With your pump. Make sure you get one that can pump what you need for that given head height for that period or time. Eg. 4000lt/hr at 2m.

Let us know how you go, and post pics with your progress.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Jan 5th, '14, 19:35 
Valued Contributor
Valued Contributor

Joined: Dec 1st, '13, 18:07
Posts: 53
Gender: Male
Are you human?: Yes
Location: Sydney
So I managed to get a bit of work done over the last few days. GB and ST have been cut out of the old water tank, picked up my IBC, purchased a heap of supplies and got to work.
The GB is sitting within a stand made from bessa blocks, sleepers (undercoated and 2 coats of paint and set up so that zero runoff of water will come in contact with the system when running). Because of the access needed for the ST fittings I made the stand a little longer and will add another small growbed. The ST sits snuggly underneath all this with a pipe union and drain valve fitted as well.
The IBC will most likely be elevated about 75-100mm more. In the GB I have fitted 10mm safety acrylic/perspex over the old water tank inlet hole and a 90mm fitting and cap over the old overflow hole.

At the moment I'm now in the process of working out how to make my bell siphons, getting my list of parts needed for the plumbing and looking into which submersible pump I should buy for the ST.

Any suggestions or comments are welcome.

A few pics of the build


Attachments:
Aquaponics Setup 03012014 001.jpg
Aquaponics Setup 03012014 001.jpg [ 88.22 KiB | Viewed 8542 times ]
Aquaponics Setup 03012014 002.jpg
Aquaponics Setup 03012014 002.jpg [ 49.39 KiB | Viewed 8542 times ]
Aquaponics Setup 05012014 003.jpg
Aquaponics Setup 05012014 003.jpg [ 64.38 KiB | Viewed 8542 times ]
Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Jan 5th, '14, 19:37 
Valued Contributor
Valued Contributor

Joined: Dec 1st, '13, 18:07
Posts: 53
Gender: Male
Are you human?: Yes
Location: Sydney
And a couple more...


Attachments:
Aquaponics Setup 05012014 004.jpg
Aquaponics Setup 05012014 004.jpg [ 73.63 KiB | Viewed 8542 times ]
Aquaponics Setup 05012014 005.jpg
Aquaponics Setup 05012014 005.jpg [ 56.74 KiB | Viewed 8542 times ]
Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Jan 5th, '14, 21:13 
In need of a life
In need of a life

Joined: Apr 7th, '13, 20:30
Posts: 1664
Gender: Male
Are you human?: Yup
Location: Perth hills.
Great idea ics, looks great. Will you be able to access the sump comfortably?


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Jan 6th, '14, 04:59 
Valued Contributor
Valued Contributor

Joined: Dec 1st, '13, 18:07
Posts: 53
Gender: Male
Are you human?: Yes
Location: Sydney
skeggley wrote:
Great idea ics, looks great. Will you be able to access the sump comfortably?


Hi Skeggley, access to sump is about 100mm between the bottom of the growbed frame and the top of the sump.
Is access to the sump something that is needed regularly? My thoughts behind this are that using a ball valve and a union on the outlet of the sump tank fitting, I would be able to isolate the water and then transfer or drain it to remove the sump if needed. The pump itself will be accessible by removing the small recycle container size growbed that I intend to fill the gap in the framework with (As seen in the third photo of yesterday's initial post).

Thanks for the feedback and any further comments.

ICS


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Jan 6th, '14, 16:03 
Valued Contributor
Valued Contributor

Joined: Dec 1st, '13, 18:07
Posts: 53
Gender: Male
Are you human?: Yes
Location: Sydney
Managed a good 15 minutes of work on the system when I got home from work today. I fit the 2" tank fitting to the bottom of the GB as well as started a dry fit of the pump pipework.
This week I'm hoping to finish my research and get a pump and grow media as well as a few more concrete blocks to raise the height of the FT. I'll also need to do a trip to Bunnings to pick up a few more pipefittings.

ICS


Attachments:
Aquaponics Setup 06012014 002.jpg
Aquaponics Setup 06012014 002.jpg [ 51.91 KiB | Viewed 8476 times ]
Aquaponics Setup 06012014 001.jpg
Aquaponics Setup 06012014 001.jpg [ 32.99 KiB | Viewed 8476 times ]
Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Jan 7th, '14, 12:03 
Legend Member
Legend Member
User avatar

Joined: Jun 22nd, '11, 17:01
Posts: 527
Gender: Male
Location: Central West NSW
Neat looking system mate

How much did the slimline tank cost you?


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Jan 7th, '14, 15:05 
Valued Contributor
Valued Contributor

Joined: Dec 1st, '13, 18:07
Posts: 53
Gender: Male
Are you human?: Yes
Location: Sydney
jono81 wrote:
Neat looking system mate

How much did the slimline tank cost you?


Hi Jono81,

The tank didn't cost me anything. It had a crack in it and was replaced under warranty.

ICS


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Jan 7th, '14, 19:01 
Legend Member
Legend Member
User avatar

Joined: Jun 22nd, '11, 17:01
Posts: 527
Gender: Male
Location: Central West NSW
nice one


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Jan 13th, '14, 03:57 
Valued Contributor
Valued Contributor

Joined: Dec 1st, '13, 18:07
Posts: 53
Gender: Male
Are you human?: Yes
Location: Sydney
A little bit more work has taken place. Most the plumbing is done, tested my siphon but I'm not quit sure it is correct. I had to put reducers in the drain for it to start. Will there be any difference once there is media in the grow bed?
I bought some polystyrene floor insulation from bunnings for $60 which should keep the sun off the FT during the heat of the day.
Need to pick up my media, slowly progressing.
Attachment:
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1389556628.326739.jpg
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1389556628.326739.jpg [ 107.22 KiB | Viewed 8279 times ]



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Jan 13th, '14, 18:16 
Valued Contributor
Valued Contributor

Joined: Dec 1st, '13, 18:07
Posts: 53
Gender: Male
Are you human?: Yes
Location: Sydney
A few pictures of the IBC fish tank with new sides. Need to come up with some sort of cover next.
Then give the sump a quick clean out, clean and drop in the scoria and I think I'm ready to start cycling some water.
Attachment:
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1389607947.821703.jpg
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1389607947.821703.jpg [ 72.1 KiB | Viewed 8252 times ]
Attachment:
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1389607959.889825.jpg
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1389607959.889825.jpg [ 87.49 KiB | Viewed 8252 times ]
Attachment:
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1389607973.739034.jpg
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1389607973.739034.jpg [ 85.76 KiB | Viewed 8252 times ]



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Jan 13th, '14, 18:29 
In need of a life
In need of a life

Joined: Feb 13th, '13, 23:10
Posts: 1856
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Gender: Male
Are you human?: it is probable
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Great work, love the quality.

Regards, Martin.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Jan 13th, '14, 19:00 
Moderator
Moderator
User avatar

Joined: May 6th, '11, 12:06
Posts: 12206
Gender: Male
Location: Northern NSW
Man you are very neat. Love it.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
PostPosted: Jan 14th, '14, 19:31 
Valued Contributor
Valued Contributor

Joined: Dec 1st, '13, 18:07
Posts: 53
Gender: Male
Are you human?: Yes
Location: Sydney
Pretty excited, another step closer. Despite not having my media yet, I finished cleaning the sump tonight and filled the system with water. After I hit the switch and the first fill, the siphon kicked in, drained and started over. Too good to be true I thought.
Second fill was a different story, by this stage I had started playing around the inlet pipe work to the grow bed, it was plumbed pointing straight at the base of the siphon which somehow must of been putting a little more positive pressure on the siphon arrangement. After I moved it the siphon wouldn't start. Long story short, the drain needed a reducer to hold the water in the siphon pipe work that little longer for it to start.

Now it is running, cycling at about 15 minutes to fill and 5 to drain. Does this sound about right for a 400l grow bed?

Tomorrow when I have some daylight I need to check my slo pipe work. Now there is the weight of the water on the base of the tank, I think the base has sunk a little lower than I measured and the horizontal pipe work looks about 40-50mm off the bottom. Is this too much to work effectively?

ICS


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 60 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2, 3, 4  Next

All times are UTC + 8 hours


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
cron

Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group
Portal by phpBB3 Portal © phpBB Türkiye
[ Time : 0.093s | 15 Queries | GZIP : Off ]