JohnnyD wrote:
I was wondering if I could make use of my existing pool sand filter and 1/2hp pump to recirculate and aerate the fish pond water while straining out solids made by the fish, then periodically backflush the filter, routing the flush to the hydroponic vegetable beds to feed the accumulated nutrients to them? Would this be sufficient to keep the pool water clean, or does the flow through the vegetable beds need to be more constant to provide adequate filtration and food for the veggies?
Or perhaps a proportional arrangement, with part of the re-circulating water going to the sand filter, and part to the vegetable beds, and the periodic backflush all going directly to the vegetables?
I just hate to see a perfectly good filtration system sitting there doing nothing, and I would also not want to waste any of the filtrate it collects, as it is obviously good fertilizer.
I also was hoping to both combine several earthworm beds, and several overhead bug zappers to provide feed for the fish. With some of the veggies grown using the fish effluent going to feed the worms, of course, plus using the pool water to help regulate the temperature of the worm beds, and vice-versa.
And with everything run by 1200 watts of windpower combined with 400 watts of solar power, feeding 1250 amp-hours of 12v battery storage and two 2000-watt inverters.
I'm shooting for as much closed-loop self-sustainability as possible here.
Anyone have any feedback or comments on my scheme?
Hi Johnny, welcome to the forum.
The level of filtration provided by a sand filter is not needed with media growbeds. You may wish to consider the sand filter if you are using DWC beds or NFT tubes where filtration is critical. The sand filter will clog VERY quickly unless the water is pre-filtered with a radial flow filter or similar. And finally, if the fish solids are flushed from the filter and used in the growbeds, then why bother filtering in the first place? Just pump the water with solids to the GBs.
Most people use worms in their GBs to help convert solids that make it past filtration. They also use a "rough" filter like an RFF to eliminate the majority of large solids and prevent fouling of the GBs that may require extensive future cleaning (remove and wash media, replace) after a year or two.
Those that want to reclaim nutrients from the solids generally use a mineralization tank or similar means of liquefying the nutrients and then return the liquid to the system. Lastly, most people discharge their solid waste to a dirt garden, wicking beds, or similar.
Backyard Aquaponics
