Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi all

I'm new to AP and have just set up my first system.
It comprises a single byap growbed w/fired earth medium, 1000l IBC FT, 300l sump (600l capacity)
I'm choosing to operate it as a chop 2 system and have cycled it for a few days now with no dramas.
I'm using a sump pump with float switch and have managed to balance the system to operate without a timer. It floods the growbed once every hour.
I will be adding barra fingerlings in a day or two, thanks to a local aquaculture farm operating here in sunny Exmouth. The owner said he'll even adapt them to freshwater for us.
Will post pics soon ,any advice appreciated.
Ive got the AP bug and haven't even started.

Cheers

FC

Personally, I don't "get" the concept of CHOP2? Why send water which could be containing wastes anywhere except to the filtration?

As your system is already built, there's not a lot of point in mentioning that you don't actually need the sump as a BYAP GB filled with 500L of hydroton only holds 140-180L of water (depending on the actual size of the balls), so your "low tide" in the FT would only be 720L (assuming you don't have the FT overflowing at 1000L to start with, but only, say 900L?) (You've effectively got the BYAP Courtyard system, like I currently have.) You can safely get by with two GBs and no sump (e.g. the BYAP Entertainer system). With your 600L sump, you have heaps of potential to expand to a 3 or even 4 bed system!

Balancing the flooding cycle by adjusting the CHOP2 flows and the float switch is fraught with instability IMHO. All it will take is some water being added to the system (rainfall) or lost from the system (evaporation, plant transpiration or leaks) and the pumping cycle will fall out of balance. KISS. A simple mechanical timer removes a lot of complexity and doesn't require any fine tuning, and will allow you to simplify the plumbing.

Have you been cycling the system with an ammonia source? How many barramundi are you thinking of adding to your squeaky-clean, new (and potentially un-cycled) system?


Scott

Yep... I can only see one advantage of pumping water straight back into the fish tank, if your pump is too big and you have to send some bypass water back into the tank because your growbed can't deal with the flow. Hopefully that would only be a temporary thing because of future expansion, otherwise the pump is too big and your wasting money.

Anyway, I'm finding it hard to get the concept completely of how the system is set up and the float switch is set up do you have a pic?

The system has been cycled with ammonia and I intend to introduce 20 barra fingerlings shortly.
I'll describe the system as best I can as pics won't post.
The system holds approx 1300ltrs , pump 4000lph

When the pump is off:
FT contains 1000ltrs
ST contains 300ltrs

Sump Pump activates at 300ltrs and sends 50% to GB and 50% to FT

When pump is on:
FT will overflow to approx 1050ltrs
GB will fill with approx 150ltrs

Sump pump deactivates at 100 ltrs
GB drains for approx 45 mins
Cycle continues when sump reaches 300ltrs

Marking a "low/high" graduation on the translucent sump tank seems to be an effective method of cycle control, especially with "fail safe" mechanisms implemented.

Hey mate,

Where did you get or going to get you barra from? Your setup sounds pretty technical to me however im only new to all this.

Hi all

Six months since last post.....geez .time soldiers on
Anyway my first ap setup i would consider a partial success
I managed to grow broccoli silverbeet and pak choi veges the only three varieties that really
survived. Egg plant cucumber celery and tomato didnt seem to happen.
I only have 5 barramundi fingerlings left due to starvation/cannibilism. They wouldnt eat the pellets
provided by the fish farm, only live insects on the surface.
Theyre still only about 4 inches( 100mm) long . I was hoping to cast net hardy heads for live feed but they
have been extremely scarce this season.
I recently introduced two mangove jack twice the size of the barras......big mistake. At least one or two per
night disappear. But im more than happy to settle with a family of jacks.
We have hard water here and dunno how much that would have affected the outcome of my system.
Its now summer and might need to pack away the growbeds. The 40C plus temps seem to have an abiotic tendency.
Clar i scored the barra from an aquaculture marine farm locally here in exmouth
It seems contradictory to be trying to grow vegies when the barras are less active. Any sugestions?

Build another system... stock one with Silver Perch... the other system with trout during winter... (Barra during summer if you can get them... at least 100mm, or you'll have to grade them.... weaned on pellets...and have the patience to outlast any refusal to eat the pellets...

Trout....Exmouth....I cannot see a problem with that.

Sorry Rup. Just throwing rotten tomatoes from the cheap seats. Must be the hour.

Fair call JeffL.... consider myself tomatoed.... didn't note the location...