Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Nah, they'll get over it. It does do that gurgling, burpy sound.

13deg this morning.

Do your beds fill at all or is the system really just a continuous trickle (or considerably more than trickle) Flow?

I've never liked the dripper or holes in the pipe method of distribution since there are so many problems with clogging, and I discovered that before I was ever dealing with poo and food back when I was still doing hydroponics.

I don't know of any good way to distribute flow to each of the plants without problems with clogging. Now if you could convert to flood and drain, you get more bang for your gravel in the filtration department and you wouldn't need to mess with the distribution pipes getting clogged. Just let the water flow into the top of one end of the bed and have a loop siphon drain the bed when it gets to the right level.

But that is just my opinion.

I had a funking smelling situation going on the other day around my system. Turned out to be a wet glob of rotting fish food caught on some netting at the side of the tank. Was really nasty but things are much better after getting rid of that. I second the idea that you should keep the pump going all the time till you get cycled.

They don't fill much at all.

How do the loopy things work? I could try it I guess.

Loop siphons are pretty easy providing you can get the flows right (and even if you can't, there are tricks like letting the timer stop the pump for an interval so the siphon can kick out if the flow is too fast.

Anyway. Make sure the bed has an overflow in addition to the primary drain (should do this anyway because clogs happen.)

Then you just install a length of flexible tubing (I've actually used clear vinyl tubing in several places and then had to cover it with something to protect from sun/algae but it is handy for tinkering since you can see what's happening.) Hook it to your drain with the proper fitting. Make a loop that comes up to just below your desired high water level and then goes back down. It helps the bed drain if the bottom of the loop can be a little below the bottom of the bed. Easiest way I've seen getting the water from the end of the loop back to where ever it needs to go (if fish tank or sump is below bed, just let it free fall) is to insert the end of the loop into a bit of vertical pipe that is bigger than the tubing. Below where the end of the tubing is, you go with an elbow and run the pipe where needed. Hopefully sloping down most of the way.

Important tips, Try to keep the tubing from collapsing or pinching off the flow. I'm using 1 inch tubing for my big beds. I figured that should work since the inflow to my beds is 1" pipe but I reduced the flow with a valve. I've also done successful loop siphons with 3/4" tubing when doing a small system with a little pump.

Another way to do flood and drain if the loop siphon bothers you is to slow your drain down some how. (again make sure you have an overflow installed.) Then you can use a timer to run the pump to flood the beds then the pump stays off for long enough to let the beds drain. Would need a timer that allows you 15 min or 30 min intervals and enough of them to go round the clock. Little mechanical timers like this work fine so long as you can keep them protected from weather and make sure they stay plugged in. Those little mechanical timers might not be perfect (as in a 15 minute interval might actually be longer or shorter and it could change over time and temperature) but so long as you have the proper overflow installed, it shouldn't matter that much.

Good luck, I think you will be happy with the results if you go through the effort to do flood and drain.

Thanks so much.

I guess its tinkering time.

Holidays coing up so its all good... just gotta geep everyone alive for a couple of days!

I'm still figuring the workings of the loop syphon. Its got me a bit stumped but I like the fact that it SEEMS nice and easy and no moving parts to suck up the electricity.

Well seeing as your pump sounds fairly strong, you could probably save electricity with a timer and just restrict your drain a bit to do a timed flood and drain with a slow drain. Anyway, I'm about to go searching for some loop siphon pictures to help you out.

yabbies love carrotts chop them up and throw them in

Update time!

The water smells fine now, a little earthy but not like a dam. Yabbies are fiesty and all spending lots of time hiding in those pipes... what a life. Spend all day sleeping, come out and party at night and have food rain down from above. Poor things.
I fed them a cup of chopped carrot and a few have already dragged some into their hidey-holes. There isn't as much poo laying around either, running the pump 24-7 seems to be helping heaps.

The tomatoes are doing well. I'll try to post some pics of them this afternoon sometime. I might even get tricky and attempt to splice the photo from last week over the one from this week and see the growth. My other half has put up tomato strings in anticipation but they have a little ways to go just yet. No yellowing yet either (that I can see)

We dug the plastic out of the holes in the inlet and the flow is heaps better.

Maybe trial some goldfish in the tank (if you havnt already) to clean up after the yabbies. They do a great job of tank bottom cleaning. I dont know how nice the yabbies will play though

LOL... poor goldies!

Actually, the bottom of the tank has cleared up a LOT. I've noticed a circular movement by the water I have diverted from the pump, that combined with the outlet in the same direction seems to swirl poo back in the direction of the pump which then goes up to the growbeds. I also have a bit of fly wire over the outlet to clear away any big chunks that pass through. I know mechanical filtration isn't ideal but it takes care of anything stinky and big which slips by un-noticed.

I'm off to take some photos

Here we go...hmm... not much difference! LOL Slightly different angle but must have been my imagination that they have all grown.

Wait until the system matures - seedlings I planted yesterday have grown already. Probably still a bit cool out your way too.

Yeah, the evenings have been brrr but not so bad in the hothouse I hope. I can't wait until things mature and bounce out of the ground!

BTW are there pictures of your seedlings?

Tomorrow morning - been too busy today getting things ready - there shall be photos

My fiance says you can stick your aquaponics.
(He wanted to show off the growth in the dirt garden )