Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Lots of mold here as well but maybe not the same since it's cool and humid instead of hot and humid. Make sure the water level is below the surface of the media and not exposed. If you do have troubles, starting the plants elsewhere and then transplanting when they get larger sometimes helps. If it's really bad then you'll probably have to change things up a bit (not necessarily just the water flow). I just tolerate some problems, it's like having bugs around, no matter how hard you try you'll never get rid of them completely .

I put in the replacement pump (an old above-ground swimming pool pump) and it *still* wasn't strong enough. So, I placed it on an upside down bucket to give it some elevation (not an option with the old submersible pump) and it works now . Out of curiosity, does a 4 ft/122cm elevation make that much difference with water pumps, or am I just having bad luck / poor choices with the pumps I get?

I've also cut all but about 3 inches off the arms of the T-connector feeding the two GBs. I'll probably end up sticking elbows on them as joc recommended. Now I'll have to mount this somehow.

I've also finally figured out why the leveling has been off. One end of the braces holding the GBs is a few inches farther apart than the other -- I can't believe I didn't see that before . Given the weight of the GBs, this is going to be fun to fix.

Two steps forward, one back. It's still progress.

Short answer is yes, but it depends on the pump. I am surprised you are having troubles seems you only need around 250L/hour or around 60 gallons/hour.

The tornado pump brochure http://www.waterscapes.com.au/pdf/torna ... _pumps.pdf shows a flow chart of how flow diminishes with head height on the last page (not a recommendation, just an example of a flow chart). My tornado is now my back up pump once I clean the impeller (note: it would not restart after switching off to test the new larger capacity Laguna pump, as there was a tiny bit of gunk on the impeller - bit of a worry if they are that touchy as it had only been in my system for <2 months).

There is a thread on pumps viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1409&p=500791&hilit=pond+pumps+good#p500791 that is worth a look.

I know you want to reuse and repurpose as much as you can , however it is also worth considering the ongoing energy usage and long term reliability of a freebie pump designed for another purpose .

Thanks for the links, joc. And I completely agree with your points about recycling. While using recycled and repurposed materials is a noble idea, the reality is that it can be pretty difficult to find those parts you need in order to make a proper, or even a working, aquaponics system. This is especially true in rural areas where DIY is more of a way of life and spare parts can be limited.

Another danger of reusing materials is that some materials may have previously been used with hazardous chemicals, making them undesirable to use with potential food sources. South-central Louisiana has a heavy concentration of farming and petrochemical-related industries, so pipes, buckets, bins, hoses, etc. have to be carefully examined for what their previous purposes might have included.

Finally, some progress. I managed to straighten the posts without taking down the GBs, I mounted the short irrigation pipe, and I built a stand for the pump and confirmed a decent water flow. There's still some tweaking that I will do at some point to have both GBs flush at the same frequency, and also to fasten everything in place more securely. The system is ugly as sin but it works. Other than the tweaks and getting a clear tarp to place over the top (call it a mini greenhouse), I think I'm ready to empty it and officially start cycling my water.

AND -- I need to put some sort of fence around the underside (and the pump stand as well) to minimize interference by the dog.

"Babe, I think you're right: That brick is more interesting than listening to him talk about the bell siphon again!"

CLOSE! I re-leveled the frame, reinforced the rails' attachment to the posts (they were splitting out to the sides), extended the irrigation pipe so the water goes directly into the rocks, made a mini-gate to keep the dog out of the fish tank, and replaced all the water.

I think this will be my final replacement of the water before the system goes live so I'm just going to let it cycle for a few days and start taking measurements.

I still have to get some clear plastic sheeting to keep the system covered for protection from insects, the city's mosquito spray, and the dog, and I may provide some sort of shade at the bottom to hopefully reduce the amount of algae growing in the fish tank.

@JayMen - With your flexible hose, i don't think it is opaque enough to stop algae from growing inside. Might want to look for an alternative just in case you want to change it out.

Regards

Also with your inlet pipes extended into the gravel you may see roots follow the water back up the pipes towards the source.

Today I learned the importance of having a backup power supply. Our power went out, the water ran out of the pump's hoses, and the pump burnt up when the power came back on

I say it burnt up -- I don't know. I don't smell anything burnt but it won't start up when plugged in (I confirmed the outlet is working), and the underside was still rather warm when I got home hours later. It was a fantastic pump, too. I'm really not happy with this situation.

I have another pump that runs off a 12 volt battery. I have a 12V marine battery so now I just need to find a way to charge it and keep it on a trickle charge. I have a feeling about about to become familiar with the costs of both a/c battery chargers and solar chargers.

@Curious, the new pump uses regular garden hoses so that should eliminate the risk of algae there.

@floridafishin, assuming I ever get around to planting I'll keep an eye out for this. If needed I'll just cut an inch or two off the pipes that go down into the grow media.

I just ordered a new battery (the one I had was bad), an AC adapter charger, a solar panel charger, and an overcharge protector/regulator. I also picked up another 6' length of garden hose to attach to the output connector on the new pump. The costs weren't as bad as I feared. I'll have to make some sort of rain-resistant housing for the solar panel and come up with a little cabinet to house the battery and other electrical equipment. Then I can restart the water cycling process -- unless the water doesn't need to be flowing in order for this to happen.

On that note, my initial testing of the water showed it to be at or beyond the highest pH level testable by my kit. I need to test some distilled water to determine whether my kit is faulty. I'll also re-read the instructions to ensure I didn't goof something up in the testing, but both the regular pH and the high pH maxed out.

I'm still waiting on the electrical equipment to come in so in the meantime I picked up a couple of 88 cent colanders, drilled some extra holes in them and tied them together with a brick attached. This should keep extra large gunk and fish from getting sucked into the pump from the fish tank and should also keep the mouth of the intake hose under the surface of the water. I'll keep an eye on the flow to determine whether more holes need to be drilled.

I also confirmed my water testing kit is working properly by running some bottled drinking water through it, so I definitely need to lower the pH. By how much is the question since the pH was beyond the range of even the High pH test kit. If the levels don't change once I start pumping again I'll get some pine needles and use that to lower the pH levels. Hopefully I won't have to resort to using commercial chemicals.

I got in the battery, solar panel, and AC power adapter. I'm not yet sure that I'll need the AC adapter but it was inexpensive so I'll hold onto it as a contingency.

The pump is a CountyLine 450GPH unit and it works quite well. The time between flushes is less than half what it was. It also appears to be self-priming, which is definitely a plus. Now I'll have to tweak the feed again so the two GBs flush at roughly the same rate.

This isn't a submersible pump so I mounted it up on the stand. Should I build some sort of housing over it for protection from the rain? I may do this anyway just for the noise -- I'm trying to be a good neighbor. I'm definitely going to put something over the battery and overcharge regulator once it comes in.