BioFilter designs?

boss

Some people are pretty good guessers, just sayin'

Ryan

Oh Lord I was just trying to give the guy a late night compliment. Everyone can stop getting their feelings hurt.

Ryan

boss wrote:

Quote:

If you end up building a k1 mbbr ( or other media), post your maximum feed input into the system (daily) and I'll run some numbers for you

http://www.ncrac.org/NR/rdonlyres/574B353A-B11F-4DD7-8A87-23E708DE95A0/0/ncrac114.pdf
Okay, I guess I know more than I did a half hour ago :thumbright:

One of the many things I am naive about is the species I want to grow. Trout was my choice. I hope my inexperience growing fish doesn't make this a poor first attempt. Without any media beds in the system yet, something that I hope to rectify today, the water temperature in the 10k lt FT has always measured 68F whatever time of day I read it with an infrared thermometer.

One more note of importance, this isn't a RAS, however I do wish to increase my fish stocking density beyond what the initial four 1'X2'X6.5' media GBs can support. My goal for this system is fifty to 100 trout year round. Now of course I don't know my rear from a hole in the wall, but I was thinking of not harvesting all the fish at the same time or all of the fish all the time.
Wait, that isn't clear.
Here, how about I tell you what my goal with this system is.
I will be 62 in January. I have a strenuous job at which I work four days per week installing wireless Internet in rural and mountain locations. I don't know how long I can keep this up even though I love it and want to keep going , I have to look to the future and retirement. Like many Americans I never planned for retirement, heck I didn't think I'd live this long. Anyway, my retirement depends a lot on subsidizing social security income with food production for myself and my wife.

The feed rate therefor will be for an initial stocking of trout fry which I still have not figured out how to get from neighboring Colorado. I'll call the hatchery soon and see when they come this way next, and plan that to coincide with our system finally cycling. I'll wait until I learn a lot more about the chemistry of aquaponics to decide about the 50 or 100 fish. The bottom line is this system will feed one household with the possibility of a few fish and veggies to give away to family friends and visitors.
It sounds like my intention to keep many variations of age fish, makes figuring the feed rate much more difficult doesn't it? Well at least I decided to drop the idea of catching fry and small trout locally. Can I make a more informed decision by looking at the feed rates of 50 trout, then 75, then 100?

Thanks for all your input and advice.
Brian Rodgers

My advise would be this:
-2500gal tank can certainly grow out 100 trout to plate size (let's say 1kilo or 2.2lbs in a year if fed correctly and given proper filtration and aeration.
-Size aeration, mechanical filtration and biological filtration for the maximum fish load in the system (~220lbs)
-Stock a few hundred trout if they are cheap to get your nutrient load going, then cull the smaller fish as they grow
-As your feed rate increases, you will have the ability to add on grow beds. If you're not ready to add them on, discharge a percentage of your system water to keep parameters in check
-With a single tank you will have to grade the larger fish and add fingerlings when you begin harvesting (can be tricky and difficult on fish)
-You can make a divider to keep seperate cohorts in the same tank if need be

That's what I've got for now!

boss

Ryan wrote: "-Stock a few hundred trout if they are cheap to get your nutrient load going, then cull the smaller fish as they grow"
Thanks Ryan. Sounds like it might be workable. I'll contact nearby hatcheries and see when they make deliveries in this area and price Brook Trout.
"-As your feed rate increases, you will have the ability to add on grow beds. If you're not ready to add them on, discharge a percentage of your system water to keep parameters in check." Total newbie here. By "Parameters" do you mean for example something like this from that essay I posted? "Typical Spring-Summer-Autumn Feeding Schedule For Channel Catfish in Ponds Based on Stocking Rates of 5 000- 7 500/ha and a 36% Crude Protein Diet 1/ ..." Uncertain how reducing system water changes this ratio, sorry I'm asking dumb questions to an expert.
I was thinking of adding a second FT, I've got a 110 gallon tank sitting in the greenhouse now. I thought it would take up too much space, but I love having the Koi to watch, so perhaps I'll buy the largest tank they have locally. If I remember correctly it is a 225 gallon oval Recycled HDPE. Also been considering how I can easily insulate it for Winter, or perhaps a large aquarium heater.

scotty435

He's talking about your water quality parameters. If you don't have enough filtration you'll have to discharge water to keep ammonia and all the other water quality parameters in bounds for the fish. If you don't, they build up until it kills the fish.

boss

sorry for my ignorance here; how does discharging water help with ammonia levels? Is there a subsequent top-off of fresh water?

coachchris

Your overthinking it Brian. Removing old, high ammonia/nitrite water, and replacing it with good, clean water. Thereby reducing the ammonia and nitrites. A very common occurrence in RAS...not so much in AP.

scotty435

My fault Brian, I didn't think to mention that you do top up after the removal as was just mentioned by Chris so it wasn't clear.

boss

I doubt I'm over-thinking it CoachChris, I thought it a rudimentary question. Once I get a basic understanding of what's happening with RAS and AP I may (if the Wife approves) start saving for Ryan's course. Obviously I need the basics first.

coachchris

Hey, this from a guy who just was going to add ammonia to my RAS and maybe kill my fish.
Sorry, didn't mean to come off a condescending. I just know you're a bright guy, and figured you would factor in the new water needed to replace the old water.

boss

no worries. I'm only bright when it comes to mechanicals and that light is dimming.

coachchris

I loved Farley. A shame.

At that rate, he'll be done with the entire alphabet inside a month. lol

BuiDoi

boss wrote:

I doubt I'm over-thinking it CoachChris, I thought it a rudimentary question. Once I get a basic understanding of what's happening with RAS and AP I may (if the Wife approves) start saving for Ryan's course. Obviously I need the basics first.

The problem is also the definition of RAS, which can be found as "Recirculating AquaPonics System"

I fell for that silly question when folk were talking about RAS and I had seen the other definition.. :oops:

I think it is a case that in these circles, within the industry as it were, RAS is accepted as being Aquaculture, whereas in the more general public arena, it means more the AquaPonics side..
( I'm likely wrong, as usual )
..
.

boss

"I'm likely wrong, as usual" I doubt that

Hezzy89

I'm thinking if adding a biofilter into my system to help keep it clean,
So my plan is to make a simple filter using three or four layers of sponge with water spraying onto it then bio balls underneath before it flows back to fish tank.
My question is should I add ceramic noodles as well as bio balls in the bottom ??

Any hints or tips

Backyard Aquaponics A place to discuss aquaponics

BioFilter designs?

Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics