Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Actually technically all the plants you see are in a DWC arrangements.. or in better terms Constant Flooded bed.. the medie is actually them for better support and filtration.. but DWC and CF beds in my views grows anything faster once properly aerated..

thx man or is it thanks lady.!?!

OK so the change has meant no raft replacement, better plant support and a bit more bio area

That right?

THATS RIGHT!! think of CF as all the benefits of a media bed with all the benefits of DWC.. best hybrid in my book.. but its the hardest to maintain without adquate pre filtration of solids

Cookie,

All man LOL

in addition CF should NEVER be used as a mechanical filter similar to DWC... only as a Bio filter and well plants support as well.

Cool my Dude.. thats cool

Thanks

so RFF and particulate filter after fish tank clear water to growbed
solids to:
Mineralization tank
Aeration / degas tank
then either add the clear effluent back or use it in the garden and add supplements

Great update cookie! I like your thought process about constant flood.. But, there is the little thing about DO in your constant flood media bed.. According to Dr Ingham a DO should be maintained around 6ppm in tea brewer for the right microbes to grow. I would think it may be a risk you can't maintain those levels in your CF bed? On the other hand if we use gravel media we can possibly benefit from minerals being converted to plant food by mycorrhizal fungi If they are present..
Perhaps you have airlines buried underneath all that media in which case you might be alright.. Just some thoughts, what do you think?

Btw, just installed dual outflows from my trash can round fish tank. So far I love it. My RFF is a 5 gallon bucket and because the flow is so slow it seem to catch a ton of solids and some finer stuff I would never have thought would settle to the bottom of the RFF.
I am doing my first clean out this morning through the bottom shower drain of bucket.. Once I have all this down I can transfer this to my larger system I am planning to build soon. This 210 gallon round fish tanks are calling my name :)

Yes you may be correct.. I did consider adding air within the bed.. but I decided not to complicated it just yet and test the point that additional air is really needed.. there is not one way of introducing air into the bed.. the direct way is adding aeration.. but ppl tend to forget that the bed is not stagnant and new aerated water is always replenishing the bed constantly.. think of DO as any other mineral salt.. once water is flowing past everything it will the lost minerals and lost DO will be replenished.. I believe that in this situation Water flowrates are more important than increased aeration.. reason being faster turn over will give you the added benefits of better waste mineralization as well as nitrification as well as nutrients renewal in GB and finally Increased DO in GB.

WOW I knew RFF was good.. didn't know it was THAT GREAT!!! thats epic Swed. now to mineralization..

Yep you are right about the flow. As long as your having a quick turnover in your growbeds you may be ok.

Is there a point at which flow might be too great?

Florida, good question. I don't really know at what point it would get counterproductive if at all.