Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I managed to move by current system from the old place to the new place without killing my fish, or myself. With the old system ticking over, I have paced the available space, and is now planning the new system. For the hell of it, I would like to use repurposed materials as far as possible.

For biofilter media, I have a lot of pipe offcuts and shade netting I can use. Scotty referred me to some articles with formulas showing how to calculate the amount of biofiltermedia required. Does anyone know what the specific surface area for these are, or at least how I can calculate it?

Then, I was promised a heap of LDPE-irrigation piping. Is there any reason why I cannot use this instead of PVC piping?

LDPE pipe.. great stuff, but nothing sticks, so you may need special friction fittings..and I suspect it would be MDPE.

Large PVC pipes as media containers.. plus bird netting, ...
I do just that, and need to rethink, after the emergency cleanout demanded by seriously reduced FT flow..
I have a large wad of bird netting, then Bio-Balls. (From an old aquarium system) and another wad of netting in a 2Mtr tube (200mm dia)
Clearly, my swirl filter does not remove 100% of solids from the over 150 fish..
So the bird netting will catch more than birds.. and as is logical.. the first netting gets clogged first, and this will create a piston like device that WILL then compress the remaining material...
So PLAN ahead for the real expectation for emergency cleaning..
I am thinking a 50mm check valve, which has a pretty strong spring, could act as a safety valve, to bypass the filter as it clogged .. ie.. water gushing from the other pipe = danger Will Robinson

Repurposing.. a noble goal.. I annoy my bride when I turn up with something .. "..and what are you going to do with that..?"
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