Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Aeration (and ambitiously, aquarium seeded media?!?) has seen ammonia drop to under 1 overnight.

Come in Spinner!

Good work!

Reaching the final stage of finishing the main AP system.

Added timber decking panels to the GB stands (enclosing my airpump, timer and electrical box) and a timber hatch to the FT.

Timber is hardwood Batu with linseed oil finish.

I like the final product. The timber work sets off the whole system, I reckon!

Also put together a mini-skippy biofilter to help get the levels squared away. So simple and inexpensive to make. Just used a few of the scrubber pads that you can buy in 10-packs from 'B' for $4.80. Seeded them in my aquarium for a few days then set them into the skippy filter. The results from the added filtration were instantaneous!

I'm yet to affix the hatch. Unsure whether to put it on hinges, for have it so that it lifts out and away. Suggestions?

The whole lid is easily removed by one person and prolly weighs in at @ 20kg.

My first attempt at timber work, and have thoroughly enjoyed the exposure to learning new skills and plying my luck behind powertools!

Wow, yes looks great.
I have a TMH (Too Much Help) Unit too. Also looks nice an' innocent when asleep...

Keep up the good work!

Rick

Looking very good blue thumb I especially like the indoor window aquarium AP and the synchronized barra ;]

Have you coated your FT/GB with anything or is it just these stainless steel drums?

The tanks are galvanised, however they are lined with aquaplate, a food grade liner that is becoming standard in potable water tanks, raised garden beds and of course, FTs!

BTx

Look'n good BT....very tidy

Sorry I have to ask, What's the reason for the biofilters, doesn't that defeat the AP purpose, It's supposed to be a natural cycle, won't you be filtering all the goodness for the plants out, Not critisising, just curious thats all.

On the contrare, dear Jenkyns!

The biofilter is only helping the system. Like the GB's, the biofilter will harbour nitrosomonas and nitrobacter microbes - the good guys who will process my organic waste and matter from my FT and complete the nitrification process from ammonia -> nitrite -> nitrate = nitrogen for the plants.

The biofilter (so long as it remains algae-free) will only break down the wastes to the point of them reaching nitrate, which in turn will make its way into the GB's and feed the plants. As a bonus, it adds mechanical filtration to capture solid wastes from my FT, which will in turn be mineralised by bacteria or constant water flow, and may also be removed from the system and processed externally, if need be.

The additional filtration will also allow me to increase the present bio-mass on the system overall. More fish + more fishfood = more waste + increased biofiltration + increased aeration = more bacterial activity = more nitrates = happier plants!

The biofilter was integrated to help get the system up and running at a swifter rate. Amongst other media, I have used scrubber-pad media in the filter, which I allowed to bio-seed in my aquarium for a few days. This definitely helped jump-start the process. Call it chance - call it coincidence, but, within 24 hours of adding the biofilter, my total ammonia levels dropped from 3.0ppm to 0.5ppm.

I have gone from feeding my fishstock once every 3-4 days, to feeding generously twice a day, with the trout eating til their lil' bellies are content.

[quote="pjenkyn"] It's supposed to be a natural cycle [quote]

It very much is a natural cycle. The biofilter only complements it! By definition, AP is the symbiotic cultivation of plants and aquatic animals in a recirculating environment. Whether it be my GB’s or added recirculating BF, it’s all good! Think of it as me adding another hundred (random figure, I know) litres of GB – without the burden of consuming a larger footprint or cubic meterage!

BTx

looks fantastic

Regards
Matt

As I am very new to AP, But manage a retic and Pond shop, I was curious as I am a man who loves his Gadgets, ie I bought a remote control for my retic valued at 1200 not that I paid that but I'm all for it, Just an excuse to try more out and as for increasing benefits to the system meens I have to look at something new for my future system, thanks for the helpful info.

That was a great explanation bluethumb, well stated :]

Am planning on changing up the GBs on my system, will use one of the old planter GBs as a biofilter as inspired by you, was looking for a good use for them, cheers mate :]

But what I'm going to do is just fill the GB with media, most of the same that has already been in the system for about 6 odd weeks. Then I'm going to run it on continuous flow so that the water falls onto the top of it and gets sucked out of the bottom of it, will put some aquarium filter wool or something of that sort, perhaps just a piece of foam at the outlet to make sure that solids don't continue on to the new GB.

Yours, way i can see it, water flows in the bottom at the back of it, through all the added filter media and then up out that overflow so that the solids settle at the bottom.

I'm going to try and raise mine up a little as well so that I don't lose surface area on the GB, some form of small bench thingy I think and then put plants under it that don't need direct sunlight, or vines.

Also, I think I'll go ahead and put a raft in the biofilter and plant in it! or even in the river rock in it if water level will allow. Also, just thought of this, will be a good place to add shell grit, the rock dust from crushing of the river rocks, bananas and the chelated iron, which supposedly I should have in my hands before the end of the coming week.

So, how come you haven't planted in your biofilter?

Yep,
I reckoned my second system cycled in 10 days simply because I added a few handfuls of media from my first system. if you want thing up and running fast, its the way to go..

good explanation

Regards
Matt