Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Well drawn Tim, certainly tell where you are going to get your AP equipment from, even EB will be impressed ..........................and Faye

Tim how will the far beds drain into the tank as these are usually drained by gravity. This means that drain pipes appear at a height that is about the same level as the rim of the drain tank making acces a little awkward. From my experience one of the factors is that all growbeds need to feed to the drain tank. What is the 1000l tank for?
How many pumps will you have?
Is that the 500l tank under one of the grow beds?
Yes I am impressed, it looks like you have mastered google sketchup.

Were we supposed to critique it!!!...I was so impressed by Tim's sketchup skills that I completely forgot about the finer details

I should have been more careful withe screenshot angle.... If you look carefully under the middle growbed, there is a sump under there. Water from the big tank gets pumped to the growbeds, they drain to the sump tank, and back to the big tank. I was thinking of using a smaller pump down to the growout tank, then back to the sump, so I can shut it off if I need to... Ie Purge tank. I am still toying with that idea...

Come on, criticism is very much welcome... Better I hear it now and not after it is built.....

Tim, I don't trust siphons, and I think they're ugly.
Is there any way you can link those two tanks without using an over to top siphon?
Tank outlets etc?

Nice layout Tim.
Some considerations that I have thinking about. Running your sump pump continuous back to the main tank and having an overflow back to sump. This allows for constant aeration during cycles and helps maintain the water level of your main tank. (more energy use thou).
Have your sump 100-150mm above ground level and/or have a lid to prevent debris and rainwater entry.
Place your tanks on foam (or some type of insulating material.) to stop heat loss through the ground during cold nights.
Have enough space between growbeds to allow heaps of visitors to admire.

KP: I will most likely link them a different way. I only drew it that way to demonstrate what needs to be done. I will probably use a bulkhead fitting and a length of flex hose, going from the rim of the main tank to near the bottom on the second tank, with a tap in the middle.

LB: So you mean Sump-->Main Tank-->Growout Tank-->To sump? I was originally going to do this. But what problems will I face during the low water times when the growbeds are draining back to sump? I would still need a float switch I think. I will try these things out when I get it in I think. I always envisioned doing it this way. I may even have a divert so I can still have shut off the growout tank to use it as a hospital tank/purge tank...

Good point about the sump. Yeah 100mm above ground would be ok, or I just cover it completely with something.... I could weld up a steel hinged cover and put shade cloth on it.

Insulation Wise, I think I will use fridge panels. I have insulwool but that isn't weatherproof, same goes with vermiculite, once it gets wet the insulation properties are practically gone.

There is plenty or room between the growbeds for people to get through, on paper that is... It may be a different story when it all goes in, but I trust my measuring....

Don't forget there will be a drain line coming accross the walkway back to one of the small tanks! I assume.

The drain line is usually just below the outlet of the grow bed (height wise), so knee height, that is why it would be in the way. Unless you put the drain tank under one of those beds and pumped it back to the main tank.

FAYE: I will either run ONE large pipe back from the two GB's closest to the wall (see picture), or one from each. Either way I will bury them so they are not visible. I want to pave the whole area eventually, but will leave that until I know it is all running... just in case.

Tim

Why do the GB's near the wall not have bell siphons, or am I missing something?

Damn, I though nobody would pick up on that one.... Yeah I forgot to draw them... hehe....

Well technically I am not using bell siphons anymore anyway. Basically Its just an outer standpipe, with the overflow and the trickle drain holes.

EB posted it just recently.... I didn't even think of it until I saw how he did it at the City Farm setup. Plus it is easily converted to an auto siphon if I need it.

If the drain pipes are buried, will the drain tank be buried too? If the water is below the ground level, in order to drain into a tank that would have to be lower. Sorry if I am having difficulty understanding.

As long as the source water is higher than the destination gravity will always do the work. The water always has to go somewhere... it has enough potential energy to lift the water to the height of the growbed.

You did see the sump? Well from bottom of growbed to ground is roughly say 80cm. If you elbow the pipe up again and over the rim of the sump, the water will still flow over. The only minor issue is I will still have some water left in the pipe, which is no drama.

Gotcha