Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

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CHIFT... PIST... SLO.. ST... FT.
must admit that for the newbie, the abbreviations are such a confusion
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What's the best pump for a CHFT PST system?

Would this pump be ok or do I need a pump with a float?

http://www.ebay.com.au/ulk/itm/161613563117

You know how I said I hate digging?



This was today's chore (Burying the irrigation pipe that takes pumped duck pond water to our veggie patch).... Now I have a little voice in my head saying: "Go on! Do it! Bury the sump tanks! Doooo iiiitttt...!"

Haha, go on, you might as well! You can keep a single IBC whole if you just bury half of it, it will be ground coupled which means it will be kept at more stable temperatures, and you only half to clad half of it to keep the sun off it.

DO IEEEET!!!

As for the pump, you'll find people for and against Jebao pumps. I have two, and haven't had any problems with them. They may not be exactly the lph they state they are, but I've never tested mine as the flow from them is more than enough. The fact they only use 25w each is a definitely plus, along with the cheaper purchase price than other brands (Laguna, PondMax and Aqua Pro are popular brands). I think for your system it would be more than adequate, the power consumption is small and you won't be needing to run your pipes with a massive head height.

Head height is the vertical distance from the water surface (for you in your sump) to the outlet of the pump. The larger the distance, the harder the pump has to work, which in turn decreases the efficiency. For lower watt pumps, they don't have the head heights of more powerful pumps, but it's not an issue if your head height is only a metre or so. You shouldn't lose much pressure and you ultimately benefit from the lower power consumption and initial purchase price.

Don't quote me on this, but I think float switches can be retrofitted to most pumps, but I'm not entirely sure if you'd need one anyway.

Ok - I'll have a bash at it tomorrow. I have to relocate an Apple Tree Sapling that's in the way of where my sump tanks need to go anyhow... Let's see how quickly I get sick of digging.

Water chemistry test kit arrived today! Ordered the pump too and found a supplier of silver perch close to us which is awesome.

I also bought some of this Bio Starter Liquid which is supposedly meant to kick start cycling. I'm not going to rely on it - but I figure it can't hurt.

So the next step is to order the IBCs and get started on them and then plumbing...

I don't suppose there's a handy post somewhere that contains a shopping list I can take to Bunnings for all my plumbing needs?

If there is can I have a copy?

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Ha! Looks like I will be scrutinizing the photos in The IBC of Aquaponics to try and come up with a shopping list...

Well. A long way to go... But at least it's a start. This will be the position for the biggest half buried IBC sump tank. You can see the shed behind the white chair - the FTs will be housed in that shed.

More progress than I've made at least. I'm still looking at 3 tubs sitting in a corner.

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What sort of trees are likely to drop leaves into your system? You need to be sure there is nothing that's toxic to fish.

Gunagulla - that's an excellent point. I am planning on making a hoop-type support structure out of electrical conduit and then attaching clear pvc to it as a roof to keep off the rain. (We get a LOT of rain in Turramurra)

I was also hoping to put a fine shadecloth around the whole thing to keep out cabbage moths etc that can be rolled up for gardening and when things are flowering to let the bees in.

This structure will also support a thicker shade cloth on the hottest summer days so our plants don't cook.

The closest tree to the Growbeds is an old plum tree. But once the hoop structure is built we should be safe.

Hello fellow sydneysider!
Just got of the phone having a weekly ap think tank with rendang Steve and he mentioned your post. So I dig out the old password and have my say:)
Being on this forum and asking the right questions means you are more then half way there.
I have started out in ap just across the road from you in wahroonga a few years back, but have since moved to the inner west. Thumbs up to most of the replies you got and +1 to gunagulla.
All I can add is:
Have you thought of removing your solids before the gb, treat offline and reintroduce or use on soil.
(Doing so will increase your ability to stock higher dens fish/mow the lawn 2x per week)
Have you thought of round fish tanks?
(I'll give it one saison and you'd be asking for one)
Ibc tanks are great and cheap but are a pain to plumb right to be self cleaning.

As you state you are about the fish and not so much the veg, so solid seperation, xtra biofiltration, uv treatment and temperature management is on your reasearch list next. It can all be done.
Cheers Ben (g/g2)

Hi Ben G2!

So nice to chat to someone who has experience of doing AP in my area. Wahroonga has similar soil and rainfall to Turramurra- did you have any issues with heavy components of your AP system settling/sinking?

I appreciate the recommendations you've made. My motto is: "Do it right, do it once" so I'll be doing some research on filtration etc now.

However - does introducing a bio filter increase the human intervention involved? I.e. Will it need to be cleaned out weekly?

I would love to have round fish tanks, but until I find a cheap second hand rain tank or similar this is likely to just be a pipe dream. (Pardon the pun!)

Lots to think about...

Does anyone know if an external pond filter with a UVC filter is worth installing?
http://www.edisons.com.au/free-ship-aquarium-filter-canister-protege-10000l-h-external-bio-filter-uv-c-lights-pond-tank/

I was thinking to install it between the sump and the fish tank - so the water gets on final cleanse before returning to the FT.

I have read a few threads where people install a filter like this before the GBs.... But I thought the whole point of the GBs was to filter the water?

Wouldn't installing a bio/mechanical/UVC filter before the GBs deprive the plants of their nutrient source?

I'd leave a space to install a filter if you need to down the line, but wouldn't worry about it just yet. The GB's should be able to cope with the fish waste easily enough as long as you don't over stock.

Keep your set up as simple and straightforward to begin with, that way if anything goes wrong you should hopefully be able to better diagnose the problem. That's one reason why I prefer to have a good sized pump running continuously and not worry with siphons, timers and the like, it's much easier to get set up and going right, and then if you want to change down the line you can.

If you find down the line that you want to stock more fish or the GB's aren't handling the ones you have well enough, then you can retrofit a filter without to much trouble.

There are definitely better ways to set up to begin with, round tanks, prefab UV stable GB's, external filters and the like, but the main problem with that is it can be cost prohibitive. There are issues with IBC's, but I don't think they are big enough to completely avoid doing. The rewards are still there and for the most part the negatives can be managed and dealt with.