Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Scotty,

yes, another biofilter, but it needs to be more than that, as i would like to add fresh water mussels, etc... in different zones to mimic a more natural process

I like the idea of putting some floating pot scrubbies in mesh bags for some of the media and the some ghost shrimp under them in one of the 4 zones........

RS, great system. How much access do you have to the sump swamp? I am sure you considered the difficulties of harvest or, worse, cleanout of a dieoff. Filter feeder seems like a good idea.

jdphish,

the walkway is 2' wide in between the 2' wide GB's. All the walkway boards can be removed to access the sump. So this leaves the 2' under each of the GB's on each side of the walk way, and 2' under the GB on east end of the ST, that is a bit harder to access, but not impossible.

If i can find the right kind of fresh water mussels, i think that would be a great addition....

Now, What Else, and Where to put it down there.....? any Good IDEAS for down there Guys, before i just go ahead and do it.........?

i'd add fat head minnows (or rosy reds).. they'll eat any skeeter larvae,
they breed fairly easily, and would require minimal input, you already have scuds, or was it artemia?

if you do add minnows, they need spawning structure, ponds use pallets, (i read that floating wood works) but i've seen aquarium keepers use pvc or flat rocks propped up to create ledges

Thanks Keith....... I have Gammurs Scuds, and have been feeding them to baby tilapia......

Update time again,

It seemed that it took all summer and part of the fall, to get around to getting all the upgrades I had planed, built, installed and running, and then till the very end of the year, to find the time post a update........................................

First project was the black and blue grade Matla biofilter walls in the sump tank, and moving the pump bipass spray bar to the west end of the sump tank, so that the sump pump bipass water, has to travel back through the matla filter walls to the pump on the east end of the sump tank

Next project was replacing the 8 trickle down biofilter flower pots that were cracking out, with 1/2 blue barrel biofilters, adding 2 drip pipes underneath the barrels, to spread the water over as much FT surface area as possible. Also Including a back flush feature, to clean them like a swimming pool filter. The 1/2 barrels almost doubled the amount of pea size expanded shale volume in the trickle downs, compared to the flower pots.

Then we replaced the very first small pump, with a 3/4Hp 4800GPH pool pump, (same size as the sump pump), that now also pumps water up into the trickle down biofilters, just about doubling the total flow through them. This pump also feeds the swirl nozzles in the FT, and feeds several other trickle down biofilters over some 55gal barrel FT's, etc.... that the first small pump had been doing....

Then came installing 4 more 55gal white barrel FT's along the west wall of the GH. And rasing the original 3 barrels FT's to a height that would allow me to install a 3rd Solids Lift No Hole Over Flow Siphon in the main FT, that feeds all 7 55gal FT's, and then have the 7 barrel FT overflow drains, drain into the small GB on the west end of the GB / ST combo unit, all by gravity feed......

For next year, I have several projects planed, to try to get the entire system close to self sufficient

New projects in no particular order
Adding fresh water mussels to the sump tank, and perhaps some other stuff.......

Newly hatched tilapia fry raising tanks, to hold the water at 95F, for 3 weeks, to increase the number of Males

Rain water collection system off my shop building, and a Activated Charcoal filter system, to clean any nasty's from the rain water before i use it.........
may look at implementing some other things for further radiation fall out treatment as well

A 55Gal or so, in house AP system for breeding tilapia during the winter, while the green house FT water is below 80F

a green water algae grow out system, to help feed small tilapia

A large worm bin

A Black Solder Fly bin

A Bedini Fan Charger system, using small solar panels and other tricks i've learned lately, to charge batterys that will run a small 110VAC inverter running 2 Hako Air pumps, and take these 2 air pumps completely off the grid.

A Bedini Charger system, to charge large battery's that will run a 240VAC inverter running the 2 3/4HP pool pumps, to take these 2 water pumps off the grid for at least some of the time.

I feel that if i can get all these projects built and on line this year, then that should cover almost all of the bases, for a very close to a self sufficient system as i can get to, during this next year...........
Then if the whole world doesn't go completely to hell before 2012 ends, I might be able to get the system completely off grid and self sufficient in 2013

The new Trickle Down Biofilters

I ran 2 2" pipes parallel connecting each of the 8 Trickle downs 2 drains, with 1/2" holes spaced down the pipe length in a alternating pattern, to cover as much surface area of the FT as possible with splashing water, for oxygen aeration and other gas exchange that happens with splashing water

New 55Gal FT's

new pump

stuff growing

more stuff growing

more

more outside veggies

Wow big update RS, Happy New Year! Looks like a nice place to sit and watch the plants grow.

You've been busy RS...