Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Just cut your feeding down and you'll be right...

(that trophy for biggest trout is getting closer and closer.. hahahahaha... evil laugh)

Yep, especially as you're going away.... I'd be cutting the feed in half...

From memory you've got 20 trout in one IBC... and 20 Silvers in the other... but I can't find what you did in terms of water flow... did you connect the two IBC's or end up running teo seperate systems??

Rup, are you thinking that the grow beds might just be full of solids?

If the readings are zeros I would have thought the water would be clear.

Uneaten food?

Are there algae that live in suspension?

It's not just colour from the feed, it's actual particles right? I read somewhere that some trout pellets have a lot of tannins or something and can make your water brown.

I think I remember stu saying that he had pipes up from his pump fill with solids. He swapped to SLO I think to solve it, but perhaps the solids aren't making it out of your FT for some reason.

HEY! how come EB gets away with fine print with everyone jumping on him?

Yep, 20 trout in one, 20 silvers in the other. 400L GB for each. Didnt end up connecting them in any way, ran seperately.

I will admit I have never cleaned out uneaten food or bothered with the algae on the sides of the FT, could it just be a build up over time? Should I be cleaning it out?

As mentioned I dont have a large flow to GB's so to control the syphon cut off so maybe Im just not picking it up.

I saw that fine print EB!! You just wanna win this year and I thought I may be in with a chance but what do ya know eh "cut back on the feeding charlie".......your pure evil

It's still a relatively new system... near maximum stocking... being fed heavily to date...

You could well be overwealming the bed with solids settling out due to the with slow flow... and a fast drain, which IMO will pull all the fine solids straight through the bed...

Even the worm population probably hasn't increased to match the solids input yet...

Try the sock method... and cut your feed way back... and make sure it stays lightly fed while you're away...

that should have read ...

HEY! how come EB gets away with fine print withOUT everyone jumping on him?

Understood Rupe. Will do.

Would CF help me out? Couldnt hurt to try I suppose, try get the solids to stick

if you have a solids build up on the bottom, it's easy enough to make a vacuum cleaner with a length of hose as a siphon, but I'd check that solids are actually exiting your system, put a sieve under one of the flows into your grow bed, ie just a kitchen sieve, you should see solids moving all the time. Give your pipe work from the pump/SLO a knock and a jiggle, and see if you get a solids dump. That might mean they are sticking in the pipe. If the flow isnt enough, the pipe work can act like a swirl filter, and leave your solids half way up the pipe, and still be letting water flow past them. This would mean the solids might be being left behind.

I run my system with too low a flow and get problems like this. In my system, I also get algae build up because I run clear plastic pipes. The algae also traps solids but lets water through. Jig the pipe and it dislodges and creates a 12mm poop into the GB. If your does the same, it might be a clue. Or if you run a SLO, you could turf off your pump and see if it dumps solids back into the FT. This woul also indicate that the pipework is collecting solids.

Yeah if rup is right about the siphon sucking the solids back in, it would definitely be more gentle.

What's you media? Is it really big?

Not really, maybe 15-25mm

I converted to CF last night so see how it looks when I get home.

Dunno what your talking about...

Hi Charlie, had the same issues as yourself mate. Lots of small and somewhat large poo from the trout suspended in the FT.

Only way i solved it was to back off the feed

Yea ok Zman, assumed it may be a common problem, not doing much different to most.

Checked FT tonight after going to CF and seems to be clearing up, have opened the pump up full now and will see how it looks again tomorrow night. And yea, have stopped feeding and re-evaluate tomorrow.

Have to admit, kinda like tinkering...

Bit of rain today, didnt get home from work till late but thought Id take a few pics of how its all coming along. Sorry bit dark out so hope they turn out ok.