Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

the drain from the duckweed tank to sump would be 2in ( the same size as from the FT to GBs) should I make it bigger?

I think it would be good to kick it up at least one size. Even if 2" could handle the flow better to err on the safe side.

very true, wouldn't be very expensive to just add two sets of 2in drain ( i am cheep and don't want to buy a stick of 3in and fittings.

I installed my new uniseals and my bell siphon works perfectly. 1/2 drains faster then i expected it too. Is there any good rule of thumb for how long a GB should take to fill and then drain?


Rinsed the clay balls ( i dont know what brand they were ), ran vinegar thru the system, then rinsed one more time...did i mention i got the clay balls free...would have started with new, if i realized it was going to be this much work.

Filled tank up, let it sit for 24 hours to let some impurities boil off....took water temp....was 60F(15C)...realized it was middle of winter....

Spend the last 4 hours trying (thanks google, how did we get by with out it) to figure out how to make a solar heater, how big it would need to be, and would my FT be able to retain any heat during the night that it gained in the day, how to turn it's pump on and off,...ect...

So have a few ideas in my head, will find out what you guys think tomorrow.

I don't think it really matters that much, remember a lot of us are using CF where growbeds never really empty. My old system which was on siphons cycled every 10 minutes but each bed was different. If you have one or more cycles per hour you should be fine. I originally said two here but I see where others are saying one is enough in another thread.

http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=11574

Very good then, i prob get around a 10 min cycle also.

About to cycle system. I have access to an other aquaponic system that is fairly mature. I was thinking about asking them for some of their grow medium or sludge from their grow bed to make my cycle go faster.

I took pH today. Tap water was 7.6, FT was 7.6+ adjusted with pH down. Will check pH again in the morning, before I start cycling.

Good idea

Checked pH this morning at 7.2 and water temp was 50F. Got to find a cold water fish, maybe some sort of feeder fish to get a good amount before I start heating and add tilipa.

So last night i came home and checked the water. its been nice and warm for a few days, water temp was 71F and air temp was 84F at about 4pm. Was happy to see that Nitrates were present already...(less then 6 days).



So now i just keep my ammonia levels at 2ppm or so till i get my fish and expand grow beds?

Stop feeding if you are feeding..

and wait till the ammonia has dropped..

Juergen

I am not feeding, no fish yet. But going to keep my eye on ammonia every few days, once it goes to 0ppm from 2ppm the day before, thats when its safe to drop fish in?

it should be..

At a suggestion.. do you have any salt sensitive plants in the system..

My current large system.. has no grow beds in circuit yet..but has been salted to about 3%..
I'm cycling up the last part of my system as I type..

My system flow is ..

Fish tank >> settlement >> insert Growbeds here.. >> Insert sump here >> Pump >> Moving media filter >> return to FT..

The parts in red are what is currently flowing water..

So there is my long winded comment..

Salt your tank so you don't shock, any new fish.

Juergen

Update on a few things:

Still no fish

Plants went in almost 1 week ago, lettuce didn't like it at first because i wanted to mess with a perfectly working bell siphon and screwed it up. That's working now. They all started to show sings of growth in the past 3 days. Celery REALLY likes this abuse, beans are now showing more runners, kale...well, hasn't changed much, and the lettuce is filling out fast. They all started to show sings of growth in the past 3 days.

So for the not so good things:
Hydroton...I got this stuff used from a friend who stopped growing indoors, it was just sitting there in his garage. I hosed it off, and soaked, hosed it some more, kept doing that till it the run off was clear. Thought that would be good enough for free, used Hydroton.

I have done a three 50% water changes, since i started cycling (no fish), because my ammonia levels keep going up. I started with 5ppm,( I know it was a little high), I was shooting for 4ppm. BUT i think the source of my hydroton clay balls has ammonia salts or something in it, that is leaching back into my water. Each time I change water, I test ammonia within a few hours to make sure i have acceptable readings (4ppm each time was my goal). But a few days later its back maxing out my tester. So this is the 4th time my ammonia level has been higher then 8ppm. This is also the first time I have had a good Nitrite reading, so NOT going to do a another water change. Just going to let my plants bath in Nitrates.

Everything is maxed out....PH is ok...plants are growing, I am just going to wait to do any more messing with my water, till ammonia reads 0ppm and enjoy the free fertilizers.


Also, that "mature" system I got some grow media from last week, is what i believed spiked my nitrates. since they were in the process of removing plants and putting in new ones.

I thought water changes during cycling just made it take longer...?

What did you use to dose ammonia... could be that your initial readings were perhaps beyond the scale...