Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

In regards to feeding the fish, I have some Fingerling dust(cracket pellets) and some small pellets about 2mm long.

What is a suggested feeding pattern for 75 fingerlings, cheers.

Plants are looking great this early on Bear

And nice to see your little fishies!

From memory I think I crushed up small pellets in a bucket with a brick (you could use anything really) and just sprinkle a small amount and watch how they feed. Feed dawn and dusk. Its not easy to work out exactly how much they feed they will eat so you will have to watch their behaviour and any left over feed.

Hey bear,
First time I read ur thread through in detail. Excellent work, great attention to detail and finish. Looks beautiful. Plenty of room for fish and expansion with a tank that size . Can't wait to see how you progress, potential to be and epic system!

Luke

Thanks Luke, will be adding 3 or 4 beds in January plus a couple of duck weed tubs. Now that it is up and running I have to spend time cleaning the rest of the block up before the rains start. Cheers

All looking great there Bear

Thanks Rob had another disaster when I came home this arvo. Will post on it later, cheers

They say they come in Three's, Ride on mower battery sh*t itself, new battery. Lost 28,000 litres of tank water, repairs done and received some rain.

Came home Sunday arvo after spending the night with friends and could not see the fish, stepped back a bit and they came out of the SLO, definitely a NO No. Checked growbeds and counted about 35 dead fingerlings. had a friend come up while I got in the tank and removed the SLO, place a bit of fly screen over the bottom held by a cable tie as a temporary measure.

Need advise if this new modification will work, main 90mm pipe sits 50mm of bottom of tank. Only way I can get the new 50mm arms to sit is using this configuration.


The 90mm pipe in the photo is sitting of the table top the same distance it will be sitting of the bottom of the tank. I have had to cut back the 50mm elbow and T piece to get the required hight.

Just looking at the picture, the only thing I would worry about is that the stuff would settle out in the larger diameter section.
Probably just depend on the flow rate. I would cut slots about 1/3 of the way around the smaller pipe on the bottom and about 1/2 inch apart all the way across so you get plenty of flow. You did cap the ends didnt you. Make the slots as slim as you can so it does not let fish through just fish crap, 1/8 inch or so. Read your whole thread. Looks wonderful.

Also I would put a 45 or a 90 on the end of the return line so it would help the swirl action. The more the better. The fish like lots of flow.

Hi Don yes you are right I was only presenting a mock up of the 90mm to 50mm to get peoples opinion. Have already cut the slots and drilled out a couple of end caps I had. Just making the slots one blade wide as the fingerlings are small. When they grow I will pull it out and replace with pipe that has a wider slot.

Thank you for your opinion and I will post a photo soon when it is finished.

Even with the inlet pipe straight in there is a good swirl action around the tank?

A couple of shots of the finished modifications. just have to install it on the pipe in the tank.



just have to wait until help arrives, Blind Freddie may make it this arvo we will wait and see.

Woe hang on. A 50mm circle is a 50mm circle, no matter how many slots you put before it. The 90 to 50 reducer is going to be the bottleneck.

How many litters are you dumping per hour into the fish tank. 3000lt or above and I think you will have issues clearing the water from the ft fast enough.

I hope you will be okay, but just warning you to sit and watch for a while, since you don't have an emergency over flow on you SLO. I didn't see one anyway.

Okay, so what could you do if the SLO is not clearing fast enough???

Maybe put a 90mm T pointing up towards the surface in the SLO bottom pipe, run a 90mm or 50mm straight pipe to the height you want the water level, cap it and dill lots of little holes in the cap? Would this work?? Or just suck air down into the SLO, or reduce the suction to the bottom too much??

Maybe replace the existing 90mm to 50mm reducer to a 90mm T with two 90mm to 50mm's on each end, then a 90 degree 50mm off the end of each reducer down onto the FT floor, then you will not have a 50mm bottleneck???

Sorry to hear about your fish Bear. Dr Luke the system has at least 300mm of freeboard above the outlet of the SLO, so should just act as an accumulator head. But your right just keep an eye on it.

The outlet, from the SLO, where the gate valve is only 50mm, so waste of time putting a 90mm T piece on the bottom of the SLO.

Okay. So it eventually ends up at a 50mm on the outside of the tank anyway. Got it

Thanks Luke, as chainsaw said there is 300mm of free board but intend to sit with a couple of beers through a few cycles. Only got the 50mm clearance under the pipe so its this way or straight down with a 90mm elbow short bit of pipe and end cap with slots in the end cap and short bit of pipe.

Will report back this evening if I get it on. Can not get into tank unless someone is here due to my knees and back. Cheers