Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Getting close to being able to build my first system, been looking at various biofilter media, thought about using orchard netting but the stuff is pricey, been helping a friend with his livestock and the net wrapping on his hay bails caught my eye, similar SSA to more fancy netting I am sure and the stuff is CHEAP $150 would buy me like 30,000 sq ft of the stuff which is way more then I project needing. Yes I know like most netting it is kind of fine for raw treatment and I would likely need a solids separator of some sort to prevent clogging but other then that can anyone think of any reason not to use it? Don't imagine it contains any harsh chemicals since it is intended for use on animal feed.
My concept thus far is using all cheap or recycled components 4 ICB cascading system with a 55gal drum biofliter between each, drawn off solid waste would feed a semi attached (aka drains into sump but not a part of continuous loop) raised bed for fruiting plants. No conventional gravel beds, nothing wrong with them except they raise head height considerably and this system is designed for radical energy efficiency, a 200sq ft DWC bed would be the main producer. Each ICB should house no more then about 30lbs of fish at a time at peak so I imagine a 55 gal drum full of netting should be more then enough surface area to remove ammonia/nitrite between tanks.
What do you think crazy or does it make sense to you too?

I can't talk about how much you can handle with the netting as the surface area for nitrification. I haven't done the math.

As long as it doesn't leech anything, it'll be fine to use.

But...

It sounds very painful to clean.

Something like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-ROLL-PINKY-A ... 5d333c7875

You can layer it in, then when you need to clean it out, you pull it out, hose it down, dunk it back in. Plus it's cheap.

Yeah I thought about the cleanup thing too, but I live in a climate warm enough to keep gammarus year round, I have seen them eat a net tank on a commercial system so clean that they literally never once cleaned the netting, so if I can develop a healthy population of them I would think a full cleanout would be a rare event especially with a rather high ratio of net to fish. Of course if I cannot get a colony of scuds to thrive then yes I am looking at one really big sticky mess every couple months.

I use discarded fishing nets.. the clear plastic kinds. Works excellent especially when u compress them into a ball.

I am intending to use bird netting and hay netting as the media in my grow towers. I used orange net bags in a small biofilter for a fish pond years ago which worked really well. Good to see others thinking that way and having experience with old fishing net.

Please post updates on how it works out...