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| New Member from Chicago http://byap.backyardmagazines.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=24168 |
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| Author: | ccgeogeek [ Jan 30th, '15, 05:32 ] |
| Post subject: | New Member from Chicago |
Hi everyone. I just started my foray into aquaponics a few weeks ago. I am located in the southwest burbs of Chicago, so if there are any other fellow Chicagoans (or really anyone even somewhat close) here I love to hear from you! My system is small ~50 gallons in a heavy duty rubbermaid tote. My goal is to use as much recycled materials as I can for the system. I pump the water from the tank up about 5 feet to a rain gutter that runs about 7' long. The water drops about 2 feet to a second gutter and flows back into the tank. The media in the gutters is a mix of lava rock, and clay pellets. I tried messing with a bell siphon, but was getting frustrated with it and gave up. The pump is on a timer 15 on, 30 off. I started cycling about a week ago with 5 goldfish. My Ammonia is between .25 and .50, no NOx yet, and pH is a pretty elevated 8.8. I am worried that the lava rock I bought may not be pH neutral - I measured the water I put into the system at about 7.4. The setup is in a 3 season room that stays about 10 degrees F higher than the outdoor air, so cold. I have a 300 watt tank heater that works very well - until I pump the water through cold aluminum gutters. I cant get the tank over about 62 degrees right now so I think I may get another heater and add a tank to preheat the water returning to the aquarium. Suggestions here would be helpful. I think I may add some pipe insulation to the gutters as well. At this point I am thinking of expanding the tank and stocking it with a few channel catfish because of the low temps. Another issue - gutters are difficult to get a high enough flow rate through the media to keep my pump from overflowing the gutter, and cycle the tank once per hour. I am still experimenting with the best angle to keep them at. I can't add pictures right now, but will soon. |
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| Author: | ccgeogeek [ Jan 30th, '15, 21:38 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: New Member from Chicago |
So I double posted and didn't realize it. How do I delete this post? |
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