Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Thats fine, my barrels cycle in 5 minutes

I'm now working on setting up an even smaller system of a 5 gal. / 19 ltr bucket for a GB and a 10 gal. / 38 ltr aquarium. This time I plan to put the drain in the bottom of the bucket, which is flat. After having so much trouble with my loop siphon, I'm probably crazy to try another one, but that is the plan so far. I found a cheaper smaller bulkhead type fitting at the hydroponics store that has a cage that slips into the top to keep out gravel, so the whole thing would be down under the gravel. I would use a couple of elbows on the outlet to bring the tubing out to the side of the bucket, then attach a loop siphon to that. The GB will be directly over the aquarium so any leakage would go into the aquarium, but the vertical drop won't be any more than in my other GB/FT system.

Question- does there need to be a large standpipe coming up through the gravel in case of problems or is a drain way down under the gravel a problem, and is this sufficient for overflow protection or does it need more? I suppose I could put a notch in the top edge of the bucket so the water would be sure to run out over the aquarium as an overflow.

My loop siphon that is not behaving consistently has a hose that comes out straight from the bulkhead in the side of the GB and then goes up, so there is a flat part of the hose at the beginning. Could this be causing my problems, and would putting an elbow in next to the hose fitting coming out of the bulkhead, to make the hose go up vertically, help?

HB
Pound for pound, an amoeba is the fiercest predator in the universe.

Sorry - I dont know about loop siphons

For small growbeds a bottom drain works fine - just dont overplant, and make sure some sort of overflow is present incase of root blockage.

For the bucket grow bed, I would probably use a pvc fitting and find a drill bit that is just barley smaller than the threads on the fitting. You can drill a hole up near the top of the bucket and screw the fitting into the plastic (if not a tight seal, you might use some aquarium silicone or plumbing thread seal to help avoid leaks. If the hole in the bucket isn't quite high enough, you can adjust the height of the overflow using some other bits of pvc.

As for needing a stand pipe or not, some people don't have standpipe access in their beds. The benefits of having them are being able to access/see what is going on but they do take up space and a 5 gallon bucket doesn't have much space to begin with.

My pole beans are growing great, nearly up to the lights and vining, I'm making them some netting to grow on and will cut the extensions for the next level of the pvc trellis to get it up above the top of the sliding glass door. I hope growing pole beans works. I also have cucumber seedlings to plant and the 5 gal. bucket system to get started. The poor tomato seedlings were maybe damaged too much and are just sitting there. I want to start some greens today.

I'm still having siphon wars, the previous setup worked a couple of times then wouldn't both start and stop siphoning. I put on the shorter hose again and it was performing for a while but now has a kink and also won't both start and stop.

I guess if I have to I may put a timer on the pump. I may put the longer hose back on and I'm putting a cross piece on my pvc framework that will intersect the hose to tie it on and keep it from flopping, to see if that will work. Putting an elbow on the outlet didn't work at all, but that is what I will need to use the siphon on the bucket with a hole in the bottom, so I'm wondering if that siphon is doomed....

HB

I got my aquarium set up and the 5 gal. / 18 ltr bucket. Now I see the bad thing about setting up the bucket with a screen over the outlet, down under the gravel. I can't tell if the bed is full or empty or if the siphon is working or not.

The siphon on the bigger system is still giving me trouble. But once tonight it started and stopped by itself, as though to torture me with false hope.

Meanwhile my pole beans have made it to the 3rd level on my crocheted trellis, 24" / 60 cm. I added the top of the pvc structure to hold the light and trellises. I also got 3 Shubunkin today to start some fish cycling.



HB
My reality check just bounced.

heh, tricky siphon

I thought somehow the loop siphon would work better coming out of the bottom of the GB... what do most people use to get the downward fitting coming out of the hole to turn at a 90* angle and come out from under the GB for the loop siphon tubing? I'm having the usual problem, if the siphon tubing is in a good position for the flood cycle it is in a bad position for the drain cycle, and vice versa. If I were to try to change my tubing diameter to smaller, what would I use for fittings? I don't know that I've seen a fitting to take it from 3/4" / 19mm to 1/2" / 13mm.

I bought pellets for the goldfish but saw a lot on the bottom of the FT. Does it take a while for new fish to adjust or do they feed flake food in pet stores? I was appalled to see FOOD COLORS in the fish food. What, will fish not eat their flakes unless they are colored? I guess fish have the mentality of 3 year olds... I also didn't like that they have soy in them.

Well at least when I manipulate the siphons I get them to flood and drain. By the time I need to be gone for a while I will have to get the siphons to work alone or buy a timer.

I'll go back over the siphon suggestions and see if I can do something differently.

HB
If a parsley farmer is sued, can they garnish his wages?

12, 19, 25mm poly fitting threaded with a right angle. Most hardware shops in the garden section.

I keep saying it - position the siphon so it starts every time - then add a breather tube.

100% reliability, 100% of the time.

Thanks for the suggestions, OBO. I may try it before I go crazy with the other siphon.

But I do have good news on the bigger siphon, I tried the L configuration from Gimmell's post,

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=685&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=breather+tube&start=30

since I wanted to try easy things first that didn't require a lot of work, just rotating the elbow... and it is working tonight, both initiating and breaking off the siphon!

Here is a photo, it's kind of dark since everything is black.



I had so much fun building a structure with pvc pipe and joints. I added some pipes in critical places to attach parts of the siphon loop to, it helps keeping it from moving.

My 3 shubunkins are adapting a little, they are trying the pellets a little but I saw one spitting it out like it was too big. I hope they will eat them, they are piling up in a corner of the FT.

HB
Clam every mountain

Grind them up a little. I have a pepper grinder I use to grind up the pellets for the small Goldies.

Same, for small fingerlings.

Don't allow too much food to build up in the fish tank as it can rot, cause little anaerobic areas and generally stink the place up if too much builds up.

I agree that crushing the pellets may make them easier for the fish. Then again, some fish are kinda picky eaters and it could take them a bit to adjust to the new food. As to the colors in the food, some types of aquarium fish need certain things in their food to help them achieve pretty colors. Other times the colors in the food are for the people who think it's cool. And it is difficult to find fish feed without soy or corn since those are usually cheap things to use in making feed though not always as good for the human health of the people eating the fish.

TCL- I've been sucking up food off the bottom with a turkey baster. Is it OK to put it on the GB? I got some Aqueon pellets just because they say they have natural colors, but they do have soy. The fish eat them better after I break them slightly with a mortar and pestle. My pole beans are growing really fast, I hope they will do well making beans.

I got some smaller tubing and a reducing fitting so will put it on tonight and hope for some good results.

HB
You walrus hurt the ones you love...