Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

ya know Steve, I had to get some new 90elbows bc I used the original one's to get GHF up and running. Gottem from B and just not convinced the connection to the pipe is as good as last time. Getting late now, so I will glue them 2moro and have another crack. Last time I didn't glue and it wasn't a problem.
For 2nite, the milkvat has 1700lts of fresh water and an airstone so there should be no probs. It's bugging me tho.

especially if you have a downward slope! i'd not be surprised if the "higher" elbow is slowly letting air in

Ok, I took one for the team. Sucked one end of the pipe to get a siphon going and it does. Am getting bubbles in the big tank from the water coming in. (Don't remember that from last time.) Water still siphons when the pump return stops but I can hear a gurgling in the join line which I never noticed b4. The plot thickens.

How many silvers did you get yesterday

300

Cant help yourself can you

Short answer,'no.'
Long answer, if and when my Vic AP store opens, these guys will be in the big tank for ppl, say 20-30 to a 2000lt tank in spring. Hopefully will have some spawned fingerlings of my own to go into their sump/fingerling tank at that time.

Bit of a balancing act with the new babies.

The siphon effect from milkvat to fishtank is not great bc of the cover on the pipe in the milkvat to prevent littlies swapping tanks thru the siphon pipe. Water does siphon, but slowly.
Have a trace ammo and nitrite reading today. Have slightly opened the ball valve to the milkvat to slightly increase the clean water to this tank on the return cycle from sump.
The trick will be maximising that inflow whilst not letting the tank overflow bc the siphon action is not keeping up with the inflow.
So far so good, see how it pans out over the wknd.
Eating keenly and very active so all seems fine atm.
Dasall.

little bit of protein scum on the surface of the water this morning. Dissipated pretty quickly when the return pump kicked in. Couldn't see any dead fish, so my guess is a little uneaten dust on the base of the tank. This might explain the trace ammo and nitrite readings. Little fishies eating well so all SEEMS fine.

Ahh. This is the part where fish start turning up dead but everything seems fine (e.g. VB's "the fish looked healthy (apart from it being dead)").

I hope it doesn't come to that!

you been reading the last chapter in my book?

OK.
Used longer pipe into milkvat, changed clogging doily to slightly larger diameter gutter guard over end of pipe to try and keep littlies in desired tank.
Siphons like a beauty. So well in fact, that I have the return valve to this tank fully opened. Ideally this is where we want most of the return water going and then siphon into big tank. There will be more crap etc in milkvat so the more turbulent the water, the greater the likelihood of it being sucked thru to the big tank and out the pump to the gbs.
Just need to get thru one complete cycle, fingers crossed.

good luck mate!

TT, my syphon link is 100mm stormwater in a u shape, and works a treat. turn upside down, fill from hose, cap low side when full, keep filling, cap high side when full, dunk in water, remove caps. A clear window would let you see any air buildup.

But hopefully yours just works from now on

one of the male broodies is feeling his oats and giving the girls a hard time. Filled their tank with a bucket of mossie larvae from my duckweed barrel. Might take his mind off things for 5 seconds.
The water temp is only 18-19C, but with the sun slightly lower in the sky, their tank gets more sun for longer. Perhaps this has tricked him into thinking it is spring.
They all look ready to pop.