Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Thanks Casey.
Cleaned the shade cloth/netting filter and the rff's . A little surprise in the one RFF. 2- 2-3" tilapia were thriving inside??
I haven't drained that RFF in several months, so who knows how long they've been there??

I put the old shade cloth back in this time. I was worried about losing too many good bacteria by switching the sections out.
I wish I could come up with a better way to clean that stupid filter. I thought of a netting bag that could be pulled out with a pulley from a roof rafter, but it would weight so much unless it's cleaned first? I guess the current "rinse as I go" method is the best way? It sucks and takes almost an hour, but unless I win the lotto and can buy a RDF, it's going to have to work. I'm considering a K1 up-flow filter like Ryan uses. I'l have Ryan look at it when he drops off my Koi. I'm sure he'll have some good ideas.

Chris,

I've never seen Ryans filter but upwelling through a media (such as K1) to filter out the fines is a very effective and efficient method. Instead of having to take the netting out, spray it down, then put it back in, you just cut the pump, close a few valves, add water until the beads can float and be jostled around (to kick off trapped solids), then open the bottom valve to release solids (assuming there is a bottom drain on the filter). Spending an hour cleaning the filter like that would drive me nuts.

Yeah, it's not the highlight of my week Sam. Ryan's is a cone bottom and like you said is every simple. I had a line on a 300 gallon, but couldn't get the guy to sell it to me. It may be worth the #50-400.00 to buy one. I think I have enough K1 left and have the plans from Ryan's workshop.

Install a bypass valve for the filter tank and keep things running while you cleaning..perhaps you already have a bypass valve on your shade cloth filter?

Upflow filter sounds like a much better idea than nets or shade cloth.

I don't have a bypass, just knife valves and ball valves that shut off the tank and RFF drains. That's the easy part. The hard part is standing on a bucket and reaching inside the IBC while rinsing all the fish crap off with a hose. Then once that's done, just have to fold/tuck it in the ibc, then add my drilled top and weigh it down with 2 - 32lb blocks. Then add a few hundred feet of netting and tuck that down. I have a bottom drain that runs outside to a MT tank, but it's already full, so I'm just dumping the fish crap water out onto the ground. The grass is growing good in this area.

I'm looking for a good deal on a cone bottom, but haven't found one yet.

The previous post should read 350-400.00 for a new one.

..
Many Top-Load washing machines have what I would call, an inverse cone..
Meaning a domed center, and a falling outer spiral to the drain pump well.. this makes them idealy suited to a. Swirl type operation..

I am so pleased with my Mk1 swirls, that I am changing to the washer outer tubs, and planning. Floating Media, and thinking of trying the actual pump to automatically and periodically pump to a settlement tank pre mineralisation...
The tub that I have chosen has a working volume with 55cm Dia. And 50cm high..

Considering that they have no recycle value, they seem a good environmental. Choice.. :-)

This all sounds a bit small for you Chris, but in would wonder if a few in parallel could work
..
.

What size cone bottom are you looking for Chris?

around a 300 gallon. I could use a 300-500 gallon.

UVI used a boat winch to pull the cloth and a high pressure spray bar above to dislodge the waste. A little more automated but there will still be fish crap everywhere.

We will talk this week when I'm over there!

I'd like to see a picture of Ryan and his method of fish transport

That was part of the training also. He uses O2 tanks with air diffusers.

Sorry for the double??
Yeah, that's what I thought of. Pull the whole mess up, then spray with power washer. Mine is inside, and it would be much messier then what I do now.

i alternate two sets and let one dry out when not in use. the dry solid waste makes a good fertilizer for soil. 55gall worth of mesh.

I have 2 sets also, but the last time I cleaned/switched out my shade cloth, I had a nitrite spike that took 2 days to recover from. I was thinking I was removing lots of bacteria in a 1500 sq ft. piece of cloth. This time it didn't spike, so I think my logic was correct.

Boy this sounds fascinating BuiDoi. Do you have designs on your build thread? What are you spinning the drum with or are you spinning the drum?
Brian