Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Haha Megapuddle - good one!
Getting movement through the puddle water would definitely be beneficial but I doubt that I will achieve it with the pump that I plan to employ. I have no idea what flow rate/velocity would be required to achieve a whirlpool effect in a non circular and relatively deep 10,000L pool. That is why I was hopeful of achieving a reasonable splashing of water back into the puddle, eventually from three sources. I am planning to investigate the use of flowforms to 'energise' the returning water.
Re your tampering with my photo, my lawyer will get in touch with you soon!

Thanks, Charlie and Sickpuppies.

BTW, the washing of blue metal has commenced. Two hours of scooping, washing, rinsing and more scooping and we have enough clean grow media for 1 x half drum grow bed.

I heard back from the Water Corporation yesterday, re my inquiry concerning the pH of the water which that utility supplies to Claremont, in which suburb the Puddle is located.
Apparently the national guidelines state that the pH of scheme water in the range 6.5-8.5 is acceptable. I admit hearing that surprised me. I also learned that the range at Claremont (from Bold Park/Buckland Hill Reservoirs) is typically in the range 7-8.1.
When current stocks of HCl run low a bulk buy may be in order!
Actually, little topping up with scheme water has occurred since my last pH test and adjustment back to neutral with acid. Perhaps there is another reason for creeping alkalinity in the puddle, such as the surrounding brick pavers.
Further investigation required.

Just wondering if you have access to bore water PLJ. That is all we use here in the pool and fish tanks.

I use groundwater, or bore water, for my plants, my poultry and my fish up here in the bush where I live, Faye, but it is not currently an option where the Puddle is located. An under-eave, slimline water tank is a possibility though, and that should assist the management of the Puddle on many levels.

The pavers may raise alkalinity if they are new, but if they have been there for a while I would think all the readily available PH booster in them should have already been washed out. Toss a splash of vinegar on the pavers if you're in doubt, if they fizz, they are still leaching.
If you want a long term buffer against the high PH chuck a log or a few buckets of leaves in the pond, natural vegetation lowers PH.

There is no shortage of leaves in there, megapuddle, as I found out yesterday. When I was performing some prep work for the grow beds around the edge of the Puddle, an unfortunate incident occurred. A gust of wind blew over the lidded drum that I plan to convert to a radial flow filter. It toppled straight into the Puddle. Although it surprised me, it was no big deal in itself - except that I was using it as a small benchtop and had all manner of things sitting on it rather than have them laying on the ground.
My immediate thought was for my mobile phone which had been sitting on the drum. As I prepared to jump in to the Puddle to save the phone before it became saturated (and probably cactus), I felt it in my pocket . I was relieved to say the least but still had to go for a dirty green swim to save whatever other items went overboard. With my phone safe I had time to strip off and save my clothes from a dunking. From the manky layer of decomposing leaves at the bottom of the Puddle I salvaged a crosscut saw, a pruning saw, a pair of secateurs, my watch and a coffee cup (hopefully empty when it took a dip). There may well be more tools in there because I can't recall with certainty what I had with me at the time. Bugger!
The pH is already high, so how much higher would it be without the pH lowering effect of the vegetation that is already in the Puddle? Vinegar on the pavers sounds like the logical next step.

At least there was not a power drill or hair drier sitting on the drum

Good point, DrLuke! Fortunately I had already finished with my hair dryer and put it out of harms way.

Some progress was made with the Puddle yesterday. I have cut holes in the filter drum, installed Uniseals and pipes, and hooked up the pump just to get an idea of heights, angles, levels, flow rates, etc. Just as a matter of interest, does anyone know how to move a 40mm hole in a drum by about 45mm? Bugger, I got the angle wrong on one of the two GB outlets. I now need a 40mm PVC elbow of 22.5deg to rectify the problem - or another drum or even perhaps a lateral thought.
Additionally, in order to gauge the livability of the Puddle, I released 10 small home grown goldfish into it a week ago. They had not been sighted all week but suddenly and unexpectedly made an appearance yesterday. They swam around near the surface for hours in two very colourful schools. I swear they look twice the size that they were when released so we are are happy about that (especially since we believed them dead). Things are looking good for the introduction of Silver Perch (Bidyanus bidyanus) sometime in the next few weeks.

This is not pretty but it worked. I had to go 2 ways so its a lot longer than you would need and needs a little support, lots of silastic and shove it a couple of inches into each end of the 40mm.

You are right, Sleepe, it is not pretty, although the green colour has a certain appeal.
Since 22.5deg elbows in 40mm PVC are not available and I really didn't want to scrap this drum, I thank you for supplying your lateral thought. I was already planning to use flexible ribbed pipe between the pump and the 40mm PVC inlet pipe to the filter drum, but only underwater. ( Some of it is visible in the photo of the Puddle grow bed mock up, above.) Just yesterday I noticed there is a small length of flexible pipe amongst the old pool stuff and it could well do the job as my 45deg+22.5deg GB pipe joiner! It will undermine my efforts to achieve symmetry with the filter drum, grow beds and connecting pipes but, in the final analysis, the thing has to actually work!

Another cool blog PLJ ! where do you find the time?
Is the pool pump and plumbing still connected?
Aside from its massive hunger for power..maybe a pissabolity for a short 10minute run each day to get the water moving and herding the solids into the one spot for pick up by your filtration pump...

Definitely a 'pissabolity', pyro monkey, haha! (Are you a Kiwi?)
The original pool pump is still connected. Two weeks ago when I was visiting the home of the Puddle I happened to ask that same question. Then I asked for it to be turned on and was amazed at the amount of circulation it provided - more akin to a spa bath than a (former) swimming pool! I inquired as to the purpose of a knob that I spied in the pool moulding and was answered with 'I don't know - it doesn't turn.' Well, that was enough to set me on the path to discovery and, after giving said unturnable knob an almighty crank, the owner and I looked on in delight as millions of air bubbles streamed through the water from at least three outlets.
You are correct, pyro monkey, that the pool pump is power hungry (700W) and not a good proposition to have running continuously. Having said that, however, what a great source of pumping power it could be for instantaneous boosting of water/air circulation!
Daily 'herding of solids', as you quaintly phrased it, is likely on the cards. We may also replace the sand (or whatever) in the filter with zeolite, just as dandm and others have done before, to add a short term ammonia knock down capability to the arsenal.

The cheapness of drums makes the scraping of one not such a big deal to me...