Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

It was me... what info are you after?

Not me .. but I know someone who makes lovely terracotta "caves" for cichlids to breed in.

TimC, Dave Donley was asking about terracotta stuff, I'm sure he'll be back later

Travis helped me with autosiphons ...

made a big difference to the way I was handling it ..

my systems are micro compared to his systems!

However I am still using his version in one of my growbeds .. 100 % reliable!

(But I still think my tube inside a tube idea .. works 100 % also .... for shallow growbeds..)

IMHO ... if flow rate in and flow rate out are and adjusted when bio film kicks in!

Then autosiphon for flood and drain .. works 100 %.

Dimensions do matter, air bleed tubes and crennulatiions help .. but .. adjusting the flow in and out is the key!

(Maybe I should have posted this on the auto siphon thread?")

Feel free to copy , and paste ..

I guess by posting was just saying thanks to Travis for his help!

Hello L3nny,
Mel landers is a friend of mine who is an agronomist in Nicaragua. As far as aquaponics without electricity I will be delving into that subject as soon as I get my workshop finished where I can get some fabrication done. The wind will be picking up here soon as spring arrives and I hope to use it to drive my system when the wind is available. On Lake Victoria the wind blows a lot so I hope to utilize this vast resource over there. Just got back from a month long trip a couple days before christmas where my son and I installed a barrel-ponics system in Karatina, Kenya to help teach bible school students some ways to possibly support themselves in the bush. I added one pic here but there are more at the barrelponics yahoo group if anyone wants to join and check out the photo's section. It uses a new version of the flood valve that eliminates the toilet valve but keeps the controlability of the original design where the toilet valve is not available. It is built using pvc pipe parts as a simple needle valve assembly.

Johnny7au,
Thanks for the kudo's.

Travis

AP70,

Do you have a schematic of that design? The one that can be used instead of the toilet valve?

Thanks,

Christopher