Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Abdul, I investigated traditional hydroponic systems and they use bitumen based sealers. That is what I used. Here we get stuff called super laycold. A kind of water soluble bitumen sealer that can be painted on. The first layer is watered down 50% as a primer and then the a couple more coats go on neat. It needs to then dry for 2 weeks in order to be fish safe. That said I do suffer high pH but my water has a pH of around 8.

Other people use epoxy paint which can be bought from marine paint suppliers but it is hellishly expensive in my experience.

Thanks Brian

The nitrogen cycle should bring that pH down sooner or later worry not.

Some nasty horrible critter of some kind got in and gobbled up all my pepper plants leaves. just the leaves. I think it was large like a bird or rodent of some kind. It made purple poos all over the place and the poo had large berry seeds in it. Really irritating! I am beggining to believe that the best place for an aquaponic system is indoors in a sealed greenhouse which keeps all insects and animals well away!

I have gotten my small greenhouse system up and running! It has only got two functioning growbeds so far but still its working. the others two will be working as soon as i figure out a good way to block up the holes they have in the bottoms. It has a 700 liter ibc Fish tank, 600 liter sump and four 100 liter growbeds. the pump is a little under spec but only uses 18 watts. I will need to purchase one that is one size up I think. I also will need to add some more growbeds and am definitely going to do some nft. I have some pvc pipes and also have a 200 liter barrel which i am going to make into a growbed. I am thinking catfish for this system or Tilapia. Which taste better?

Here is a pic of the root that got into my drain and expanded to form a blockage.

Root!

Hey Brian, it is not just aquaponics systems that fall pray to the critters. Backyard gardeners have been battling them for centuries. I did not get a single plum or peach off my trees last year...a day or two before they were all ripe, the trees were stripped clean!

Mosquito feeder fish.

Here you can see the greenhouse system which is now running well sort of. I need a more powerful pump as the current 18w one which I had lying about was way too small. I have the mozzie fish in the tank and intent trying to get them to breed like crazy as feeders for the trout which I want to pick up in the week sometime.

I have this barrel 210liter barrel full of short pieces of black pipe to make a filter for the greenhouse system. Any suggestions as to how best to do this?

wow..so many off cuts...maybe you should invest in a tape measure! lol

I have a bio filter on my system to supplement my not many grow beds.. It is a 80 L plastic rubbish bin with a 19mm poly drain in the base. It is filled with expanded clay grow media. I have a small pond pump in the fish tank (dedicated to the biofilter) which runs 24-7 as constant flow through a 19mm poly manifold with holes in it that sits on the top of the media. The rubbish bin lid stops light getting on the media to prevent algae build up and the media from drying out. The water flows through it at about 450 L per hour.

The idea is that as well as being a biofilter it is also a nice ageing system for grow media..so when I expand or if something goes wrong with one of the grow beds I have some standby media infused with healthy bacteria...

Having said all this my system is only 8 weeks old..I am a newbie..and it might be making squat all difference!!!

We're are all newbie's pyro, and it's a good idea, probably even deals with a good bit of the solids

Hi Abdul, nice to meet you, I have been quite enjoying your vegetable growing stories! Did a fireworks display next door to you last year...first time up that part of the world..quite an experience!!

Oh you mean in India! For a second you had me going like whaaaa?

Anyhew, nice meeting you too, welcome to the future

Ok, it's official. I hate autosyphons. Just wasted an entire morning trying to get the freaking thing to work and have failed e

Search for 'Affnan bell siphon' and you'll get some really good results, both on google and the forum.

Simple rule is, if the siphon won't start its too little flow, and if it won't stop then its too little flow.

Put up some pictures or video and we'll all help out buddy, don't get disheartened :]