Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Todah

Today we move into our new house

Mad crazy lifting and carrying type actions.

As a result I will now be able to finally, actually get things going. Also as a result I will be off line for a while. Don't know how long but I suspect that the 3g wireless connection I use won't have any reception where I'm moving to. So i'll be in touch when I'm connected again.

Also its going to be a busy month. This weekend as you know I'm moving, next weekend is our final weekend before our big easter trip to somewhere between Newcastle and Sydney for the Rowany Festival.

Lots of fun,

Stuart.

PS if anyone has any answers to my question in the previous post that would be good.

Finally I've got some progress to report



Here is the GH frame mostly up and I'm starting on the base walls.



Here is some of the weather thats being disturbing progress.



Frame is mostly done and base walls are also mostly complete.

My most recent post is an excellent example of why you should use the preview buttom and why I miss the #$(^ button.

Here is the missing weather photo

Saltbush, sandlewood...

Barramundi, Mulloway, Bream... maybe trout...salmon...

Typically the only water needed is to replace plant transpiration... 5-10% per week depending on season and temperature...


Good sized greenhouse Stuart... was that on the land... or did you pick it up from somewhere??

Regards the "weather".... fair enough to knock off coz it's getting dark... but I don't wanna here you quit coz of a "little" snow....

for starters what is the salt strength most plants will survive with 4 to 5 ppt most hydro systems run on a mixture of salts

OMG - I must have missed this thread. Huge greenhouse Stuart. What is that white stuff at the sides of the greenhouse?

This may give you a clue

The GH was meant to be twice the size for $300 but the guy I got it off changed his mind and decided that he wanted to keep one half so he gave me the other half for free. When the cover goes on the GH it will a twin skin. So I'm using the cool room panels to insulate the sides of the GBs and FT because other wise the beneifts of the twin skin will be nullified by the heat escaping out the sides. Along the same line I'll be adding an insulated skirt on the ground around the base of the GH.

My question about salt and water use was from when I was considering another site to set up on where the water in the creek was around 10,000 somethings (salt water being 32,000 somethings).

So with the change of site and all, what are the New current system design plans?

I am quite partial to Lined tanks/grow beds on/in the ground but I'm in a pretty warm climate and the ground temps here are a good thing for moderating in both hot and cool seasons.

I don't understand the "but" in your above comment. Did you mean because? Yes the ground temps will moderate temperature swings but I've been thinking of insulating the ground that the GH sits on so that I get its thermal mass but reduce the heat lossed to the soil. This system will eventually be my warm system and I want to stop as much heat loss as possible due to that white fluffy stuff you saw in my previous post.

Here is the design.



The pump (laguna 11000 at this stage, not ordered yet) sits in the sump and runs continuosly to the FT. The growbeds alternatively fill from the overflow of the FT and then empty into the sump. When a growbed fills the over flow fills a holed bucket which due to the water flowing into it fills, gets heavy and opens the valve to empty the GB while at the same time cutting off flow into the emptying GB from the FT. Also the other GB's valve closes because its holely bucket is now empty. The default position of the valves is closed to the sump because without water in the buckets the counter weights raises the outlet pipe. Once the system is started (allow only one GB to fill first) they should alternatively fill (about 1/2hr) and drain (about 1/2hr) in turn.

You are right, the but should be because. Though in a way I guess I meant but since I figured your climate was a bit cooler and the ground exchange would not be so good for you perhaps. Sounds like you got that part sorted anyway.

I'll be interested to hear about how your weighted outlet method works out. It seems to me like something that could be pretty tricky to get working right but would be really nifty if it is reliable. I have a "Flout" running in one of my grow beds and it is great (just takes up extra space though.)

So is it going to be like two separate venturi drains one for each bed, the outlet of the one not running is lifted up while the other one flows into the other bed?

I always love seeing new systems start taking shape, so exciting Keep up the good work!

You might think about putting the sump at the other end away from the fish tank so that the solids have to go through more grow bed before finding their way down to the sump. Might help keep the sump water cleaner for you pump and NFT tables.

Great price for the G'House - and it is so big. How much will it cost to cover it with double skin stuff. Will you be using the blower type?

Yep I know. When you where first getting the flout up and running I was watching (not sure if I contributed any at the time). This design came out of my musings on the flout and some of the problems that you had with it.



Yep



Not really an option but I've been thinking that I'll have the inflow on along one side on top through a slotted pipe and the outflow on the other assisted by a slotted pipe on the bottom.

If anyone else has comments on the design I'd appreciate them but be quick as its being put together now.

Its around $600-$800 per skin. Plus the fan, connecting pipes and stuff.

I like the simplicity of the layout and use of space Stuart...

What is going to feed the NFT trays...

I presume they'll return to the sump along with everything else...

Thanks Rup. Origanally I was going to have a header tank that the sump pump returned the water to and from there most would return to the FT while the balance went through the NFT table. Now that I know more about pumps I am thinking I'll get a small pump just for the NFT.