Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

OK everything is assembled in the yard I need to figure out some timing issues. My bed with the bell fills faster than the other bed tomorrow ill pick up a couple valves so I can fine tune them. I'll run it for a couple days to proof everything. If it doesn't blow apart ill move it to its place for the winter and start cycling it.

Assuming your drains are similar, then you can easily balance the distribution of water volume to multiple destinations by utilising gravity and the concept of a "common distribution manifold"

If your pipes are going to "blow apart" then you've too much pressure, so use larger diameter piping. In AP we're primarily concerned with moving large volumes of water at the minimal pressure required, so in our sense, pressure = resistance = wastage. Small diameter pipes = low volume at high pressure, larger diameter pipes = high volume at low pressure.

I do not believe he literally ment blow apart.

Yeah, I got that: The pipe is not literally going to explode with pressure in a normal AP setting. Standing pipe "blowing apart" i.e. separating from a connective part, such as an elbow or a 'T' can be a sign of excessive pressure or overly restrictive flow. I've never glued any component, simple pressed the pipe into the connections and static friction holds it in place; only pipework which is outside the boundaries of the GB and FT gets glued, not against the water pressure, but against being knocked by passers-by, animals etc, insurance against being able to pump water out of the system. When gluing is required, I start with the weakest solutions first such as silicone, before building up to permanent solutions such as PVC cement.

If I bury it, I use PVC glue. If it is in the pump side, I still use PVC glue, but with screw apart unions in key locations.

No I didn't mean literally " blow apart" all fitting are press fittings and they wont come apart. But Murphy and I go way back and I have learned to prepare. So reading thru the forums here and seeing problems other people have had I'm trying to prevent it. For instance pump failure, I'm set up to switch pumps by changing one fitting and the system is back up and running and still dialed in. Since airation is also a factor I'm running 2 ariation pumps on battery backup( have yet to test this system I need my converter) long term power outage will be handeled by a generator.
1 problem I am currently having it my beds aren't filling evenly. The way its setup I come off the pump with a straight pipe it T's and drops to the beds. I'm thinking its because the riser isn't quite vertical causing the T to not be level. It does gurgle a little Like its sucking air. I'll try to get the riser vertical and T level and see how that works. Can't wait to start killing er raising fish and plants.

Filling GBs at the same rate is only really important for the equal distyribution of solids and waste, and if you have (fiddly, temperamental) siphons. So long as all beds fill and drain, and the water flows through the media at the right velocity, then equal distribution of water is not a priority. Anyway, like previously suggested, use gravity to work in your favour and employ a CDM.

As it sounds like you've got the plumbing mostly sorted out, and probably wont be requiring to empty your system from here on, there is no reason you cannot start the cycling process now. Fill your system with clean fresh water, add some ammonia source such as fish emulsion (the popular stuff we have in Oz is called Charlie Carp, 20-40mL per 1000L is enough) or aged pee (quantity to add depends on the person and the age), pump and aerate continuously. You can add plants now. If you decide to go down the fishless cycle route, you can add more ammonia in a week or so when all of what was previously added has been "used"; the time interval between adding source ammonia will reduce until eventually you'll be adding some daily and it will all be converted to nitrites then nitrates before the next day (a condition I like to call "fully cycled"). If you want to get the fish in earlier, then don't feed them for a few days after adding them, then feed very lightly and monitor what effect the feed has on water quality. In all cases when cycling your system, monitor your water conditions with a test kit (it's not absolutely necessary, but it will give you a good idea on what is going on and build up your experience to deal with issues later).

There's lots on this forum about cycling systems with and without fish.

HTH

OK shortened the riser and put the T under water problem solved. Looks like s**t so I have another plan can I link my gbs. What I'm thinking is joining the beds at where I want the water lvl to start draining. Both beds have siphons the bell siphon will maintain a full line off the pump meaning it wont overflow the loop siphon wont. But if I join the to gbs it can fill the one with the loop siphon and spill into the one with the bell when it triggers I wont have to worry about it flooding my mud room. This would allow one riser and look much neater in appearance. But will it allow enough nutriants in the second bed?

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm having a hard time visualising the system and the problem(s)?

Got a schematic/sketch of the system?

Setting here beating my head against a rock when the wife pipes up with " why dont we use a why like we do on the garden hose?" that just might work so don"t to the local parts store 3 bucks and it works with exception of the damn loop siphon. so back to the parts store and get a drain for a SWAMP (evaprorative) cooler and install another bell siphon run the lines to the back and let her go for about 2 hrs, everything checks out 0 leaks siphons work. SO since everything checks out, drain it, tear it down and move it from the yard to the Mudroom now its setup where it will spend the winter. Since we have seeds germinating and no plants to put in it to help cycle the mrs so graciously said, "we can thin the petunias and moss rose" please someone SAY " CYCLING THE SYSTEM WITH FLOWERS IS VERY BAD"

Thanks for the help guys i picked up a little info in each one and it helped me figure out what to do to get this thing back on track Bunson the drawing was in the works when we hit on the fix for the problem

Hi K.Blunt, I am pretty sure that Joel will confirm that it is "bad to cycle with flowers". Hehehe He doesn't like flowers much.

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well System worked well cycled with flowers and goldfish it was an interesting experiment rt up to the point my son wanted crawfish well what could 5 little crawdads do and 20 goldfish well heres what they started eating the goldfish so we decided that since everything was working well the flowers were growing and such that we would shut the system down till we build the larger outdoor system next spring. so out came the plants we left it runnig with no plants till we get a tank for the last of the gold fish. well monday my sister showed up from cali and we were explaing how it works and such when my mrs. decided to throw some old tomato seeds in the closest grow bed. we now have a whole bunch of cherry tomato sprouts from 1 to 3 inches tall this is from seed in just 7 days so now the system is getting fired up full tilt and im back to the original plan of tomato in norht eastern NV in the dead of winter, yes winter, i woke up this morning to rain, hail, and SNOW.