Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

They were looking alright this afternoon but I think I'm an the edge of my first HSM...

Charlie's advice to clear my water pipes was a great idea.
The water flow from the pump had dropped a lot so I decided to shorten and clean the pipe and to also move it to the rear of the GB to neaten things.
Cleaned out the pump and GB distribution ring while I was at it.
The pump output went through the roof and I was stoked.
But the flow into the GB was faster than the media guard would let it drain. Even with the bypass valve back to the FT fully open the flow into the GB was too high.
Managed to turn the pump down just enough to stop my GB overflowing and emptying the FT on the ground. I think so anyway, I'll have to keep checking tonight to be sure. Pulling out the guard to perforate it some more is going to cause some dramas I'm sure. But the extra flow and water movement is worth it.

The HSM though is that the extra flow diverted back to the tank stirred up the water and it's pretty cloudy now and I'm worried it will harm the fish. Was very clear previously, now it's distinctly soupy.
Couldn't believe how much muck there was on my seemingly spotless FT.

On a separate note I've added an extra airstone to the tank too, aiming to oxygenate the tank as much as I can to help the fish deal with the nitrates as best I can.

All good steps Bodgy.

I hope the fish make it through.

Regards, Martin.

I almost drilled an emergency overflow hole in the front of the GB when it looked like I couldn't slow down the flow in.
The annoying thing that I didn't mention was that when I shortened the pipework I also removed the bypass valve since it hadn't ever been needed. That was a facepalm moment.
So I had to pull it all out again to refit the thing.
I'd marked the water height on the media guard and just checked it, all is well - the level isn't rising now thankfully.

It's always interesting when a backup for emergency moments is retired as it has not been needed as there were no emergencies... doh!

If you read certain books/papers you discover that is why the space shuttle Challenger blew up in 1986. The o-rings on the big booster were not rated to fly at low temperatures but they gradually launched at lower and lower temperatures due to there being no failures. Eventually they went past the safety margin and launched in the cold where the o-rings could no longer fill the gaps between the solid booster rocket sections (as they moved during launch) and hot gases escaped which caused a catastrophic failure. Kinda like you removing the bypass valve Bodgy...

Glad you're getting there with all the changes.

The pump output had never been high enough to need to use the bypass valve so I thought why bother?
Now I know!
I just replaced the pump since it was 'leaking' voltage into the FT. viewtopic.php?f=8&t=22402&p=465791#p465791
So I've gone from a 4000L/H pump to a 1050L/H pump but it still pumps more than my media guard can drain so that's no problem. I'll have to get onto increasing the holes in the guard soon.
Good news though is that the water has fallen clear and the bream are still alive in there.
Found one lonely goldfish that's avoided being a meal in the FT that I've decided to rescue and give to a friend to keep. It has been hit at least once by a bream and since I'm a softy I'll give the battler its freedom.
Nothing else to report really, no news is good news at this stage.

That goldfish reminds me of a mouse that used to live at the Fitzsimmons Snake Park in Durban (now closed unfortunately). They dumped him into the cage with a bunch of other mice as a meal for a group of Cape Cobras. All the other mice got munched but the snakes couldn't catch him. After about a month he was still going strong so they put him in his own cage with a big sign saying "Mighty Mouse" to live out the rest of his days in peace and quiet without having to worry about any predators coming after him. I thought that was really cool.

Glad to hear the Bream are all doing well. Seems to have been a fairly successful experiment so far!
Must be hard not to eat them

Thanks Kat, they're all still kicking along, the first one still peeks out at me cautiously when I'm visible but the new ones are not so keen on me at all.
This weekend hopefully I'll be knocking together a net using some shadecloth that has a smooth slippery side and a frame made from an old ruined bimini top from a small boat. If I cut down part the frame to the right size, I should be able to net out pretty much the whole IBC and leave the fish in some amount of water at the front of the FT. I'm hoping this should make for an easy harvest and minimise stress on them.
Then maybe have my first fish harvest a month or so after starting the system, probably on Sunday. The fish that swallowed the hook may as well come out I think, since I'm sure it won't do too well. Amusingly I've only recently planted veggie seeds and still waiting for germination but 1st fish harvest is already on the cards.
I've been too lazy to clad and paint the system yet and still need to add more media to fill the GB properly.
Today I did remove the media guard and re-drill the holes from around 4mm to 7-8mm, now I can run the pump full tilt without the bed overflowing and I'm much happier with the water distribution into the bed too.
To get the guard out without losing too much media into the FT I cut the bottom off a garden pot and jammed it into the hydroton around the guard then emptied it before pulling the guard. Didn't work perfectly but it helped a lot. The auto siphon works properly now too, not that I plan to use it right now but it is good to know that I can.
Apologies for the lack of pics, I never seem to think of it when I'm doing a job. I'll definitely get some of the IBC sized fish net though, since I reckon it'll be a neat thing.
Oh, and Martin, love the tale of Mighty Mouse too.

Hey Bodge, missed ur post about the pipe sizing for your pump. I used the same pipe as you for quite some time (20mm) and cleaned it regularly as mentioned but looking back I would have been better off with 25mm PVC pipe. That flexible hose gets really hard and brittle after a year or so is another observation. When I upgraded my pump to a 6000L I up'd my pipe sizing to 32mm and flow was really good, so good in fact I experienced similar to you where the beds couldn't handle it but I then at the time was plumbing in the DWC so it all worked out in the end.

p.s. I too think your thumb is in much better condition than my toes (thanks Marty)

No worries Charlie, just making sure they are never forgotten...

No fish harvest this weekend, the deeply hooked bream didn't make it.
I was always suspicious of claims that fish with a hook inside them would live long after release, even more dubious about it now.
The other three seem to be alright though with the earliest addition to the FT looking the best of them.
I'll stick with those three until the weather starts to warm up I think, then most likely onto another species. With such a small system an annual growout seems kinda pointless though, so who knows where I'll go from here.
Have a few ideas and any of them could win out in the end.

Cool Bodgy. What species do you plan on next?

Regards, Martin.

I was thinking of going the conventional route of Silver or Jade perch but my safe stocking limit of around four kilos makes me not all that interested. Waiting a year or 18 months to harvest seven or eight fish (IF there is no failure in that time) seems vaguely pointless to me.
If I can manage to catch bream I may continue with them, just run each fish in the FT until I catch their replacement. It's looking like it might be a sensible choice with pan sized fish on hand constantly with no grow out required (if I can catch them...).
I am also still considering running Spangled Perch as another option, if I do I'll use them much the same as I am running bream. They are slow growing unfortunately and their maximum size is quite small also so it would be more of an experiment if I went ahead with them. Bream can be caught a short walk from home though and I'd have to go for a decent drive to catch spangled perch so they are less sensible for a few reasons. They do have a very wide tolerance as far as water parameters are concerned, which is one of their more tempting features. Also, being aggressive feeders they should be very easy to get onto pellets.
(pic below to show what a Spangle Perch looks like, the colours in the pic are slightly more vivid than normal though)
I do have another unusual temptation but I'll keep that under my hat at this stage since it's an aquarium species with a very limited market and I'd hate for someone else to use them and destroy my market before I give it a try.

pretty fish that.