Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Ghetto rigged a canister filter out of a 5 gallon bucket and lava rock. Need some batting for it but the lava rock may do something overnight for the water.

Pictures in the morning.

Filter Floss or furniture stuffing love it in my reef tanks amazing if not the best mechanical method material that and your rock will be amazing bio and mech filter

I need to get some floss or batting. This is just lava rock.

Maybe able to tell difference in water between yesterday and this morning. Just slightly less brown. Bulkheads where just sitting there unused and had lava rock. Overall cost so far in that was under 5$ bucket, lid and 1" barb for bulkhead.

Getting better. I see fish. One visible near mold line of IBC tote.

Because I'm having issues sleeping from what may be a ear infection I figure I should post a few pics.

Yep. Batting works wonders.

As soon as I figure out what is going on with my ears I will start on the grow beds. Last week rainy and too hot. Now the fear of going deaf and horrible pain that won't go away.

Perhaps some sort of surround to block the sun from your IBC would help reduce algae growth?
1/4" ply works well and is pretty cheap.

I was even looking at the concrete hardi board. Pricy but will last fairly long. I need to finalize where I want my line coming into the fish tank before I clad everything.

As for the ear the doctor says that "The ear canal is so swollen shut that I can't see anything to find the problem" now on high dose antibiotics to reduce swelling and see what the issue is at a later time.

No more fish deaths so far. I think Darwin killed off the ones that could not find food in the merky depths of the once green IBC tote. Then again these are feeder goldfish and can die even in the best water conditions I have seen.

Sounds like the system's going well. Hope your ear is doing better now as well.

The ear is doing better, there is a dull ache that still there. Kinda of like wearing ear buds.

Right now it is raining and temps went from a high of 96(36) yesterday to today right now 74(23). Ground is so wet and squishy.

Growbeds will be a 4'x8' frame made from 2x6s. Supports on ends and middle with a 55 gallon barrel sump in the middle buried to the height of the sump with the pump.

I may just get a pleco for the IBC. Water is clear, but the sides are starting to grow things. The RFF has a nice film in it right now with a combination of algae and bloodworms going to town.

Look at the batting for the bucket filter. It does very good at filtering and all of the specks in the white are bloodworms. Hit it with hose for a few minutes to clean it out and back in it goes.

I did get a pleco for the tank. $12 for a 6-8 inch one. It should do ok till the weather gets colder.

Pic of the tank at night. Less glare with the sun. You can see where it started on the SLO tube.

The pleco has been busy. Photos are 2 days old or 2 days after adding the pleco.

Removed a SLO for now to just to act as a skimmer and to be able to see the tiny fish better.

I'm messing with a eductor design. The DIY PVC ones do work, but could be better and the lockline and threaded ones are fairly expensive. I also have access to a 3D Printer and I am tempted to try this in it.

3D Printer is a LulzBot TAZ 4

I moved the pleco from the fish tank to the RFF. A happy fat fish.

Nothing yet on that eductor.