Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Thanks for the helping hand I will be sure to check the other systems younmentiond as well. I can see how tilting may be a problem you could simply stake them and screw the top of the barrel to the stake not sure about the long term viability of such a concept I surmised that some con create in the bottom to archive to cone shape would be a better option I would pet in some pet bottle to lesses the amount of concert and the over all weight that will make the solids settle in the area where the air lift can pick it up.


My next question is one in a area you have some expertise that is duel fow Aquaponics, or as you put it a system withing a system. What I am wondering is if i can run a Aquaponics system with a smaller system withing that main system designed to clean the larger system.

The way I am looking to do it depends on how the solid waste acts in your filters when your system is on, more to the point is if I continual drain from these filters at a slow rate while the main system is running will it remove the solids from the water flow or does there have to be the down time and the string up before you compleatly drain the filter?

A quick skech

Looking at the skech also point out a flaw in that i want to use them on different levels and that would mean that how it is now all the system water will just go right out the drain in the bottom. I found the solution would be to put the stand pipe over the center drain at a night just over the main drain but under the night of the water level when the system is on.

So the drain will only drain when the system is on and the water level rises because of the increased pressure. My water level rises 2.5in so i could put the center drain stand pipe 1in higher than the main drain, when to system is off the water level is at the lower main drain and the center drain sits above the water, when the system is on and the water level rises 2in then the center drain can work, the out flow through will have to be sized according to the main flow definatly less that the main drain in fact it should be sized to remove just the dirtiest,

care to take a stab at the percentage of main flow required to operate the sub system designed for active filtration by settiling. My best guess would be to look at what mother nature does.

Just looking to push the concept further.need help In sizing the required settling tank in fact I should have 2 settling tanks one for miniralisions of the solids. My thinking is that if i am drawing out the dirttiest water I wouldn't need a really big tank I would need a long trough i think will do maybe get fancy with some lengths of 4in pipe, no holds ?ared in the design phase. In fact assuming the concept of the blum drums work and I hook them up by way of lay flat pipe drains independently to a 4inch PVC pipe manifold or a single blue drum or what ever pruserised container I can find that way the prusses in the manifold dictats the amount of filtration rather than the main water flow. Just thinking out loud and recording it for future use. What do you think about the concept I put fourth.

Basically turning the slump tank into a kinda fulidise solid waste seperator kinda thing, the limiting factor to the sub system will be to maintain a water flow that is able to lift the solid waste from the bottom of the tank up the stand pipe an into the drain so the flow for the sub system will be the same regardless of size. Of the main system.I ent even look at anirobic conditions yet, but that for latter right now thinging about if it can actually work to our benifit.

In the end all of the filters would be of the same design and same hight so if I have a water flow that can rais my solid waste the standerd hight in the filters but not any higher then have the out flow of the slump at a hight that the solids can't excape. It would be a close enough system to what I want.

Damian i have posted some pics of my upgraded filtration on my thread,it should explain what i was trying to say.

The settling tank I talk about is in early stages or development

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHXftn2H ... ata_player

The Youtube vid is a "rainwater" collection system.. and a bit dubious at that...

Not sure how you could really turn the design into an effective :settling tank" for solids....

Much easier ways of doing things...

Ok Rupert I know its kinda dumb just looking at it. Seams like moving the water through them will be hard. I ent that interested in the sump at this point I was cruzeing YouTube and saw that vid witch looks similar to what I was thinking. My belife is if you run them in serieas starting from the botom left tank feed in the bottom and drain from the top to the next barrel linking all the barrels and exiting from the top right most soilds will have droped out of the stream. I am mostly interested in just the active swirl filter design and if its worth giveing it a go. I may try this one out next week, I started to get the parts required pull together. My place is a mess, I haven't been on site too often and don't want to post pics of the farm in current state. Plus not sure what size to put the stand pipe I am thinking 3/4. Might be best.

Even if the solids drop out in each barrel though Damian... unless you have a way to frequently remove them...

then wouldn't the solids just increase in each barrel... and become resuspended with each bottom inflow...

A single, or dual barrel radial flow filter would seem to be a better option...

The barrels aren’t quite big enough for true settlement,but if when you come in through the bottom you take a standpipe two thirds of the way up,then double elbow to push the water back down,the heavier solids cannot do the u turn back up,so will settle on the bottom. Then skim your outlet just under your water surface. Stand pipe bigger the better,i use 3inch inlet and outlet.

Ok.. I'm with you Dasboot...

Yep.. with a vertical barrel.. and that configuration... it should work sure... basically an upwelling system.. ala radial flow...

I was just going by the horizontal configuration in the youtubie... couldn't see how it could possibly be made to work...

If you did them in series,the last one something like a shade cloth or similar above the elbows but below the outlet you have a chance to knock some of the smaller bits that will get through because of the high flow through the barrels,periodic cleaning of this under a hose pipe should do it.

The idea is to have a radial flow filter with a center drain bell syphon set just above the static water level.

When the water is flowing it should constantly push solids out through the center drain.

A siphon... in the radial flow???

Sorry.. can't picture it.. or understand....