Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

What does it look like with water in it?

This is it full.

Well almost.

I told some people that I was going to do an update on my valves last night but I didn't becuase of this....



and then this...



It might not be very clear why these to photographs would illustrate why I was prevented from posting last night so some textual explanation is in order.

The first is a picture of my glasses at the botom of the FT at around 8:30 in the morning. They had fallen off again for the fith time or so as I was working on the overflow for said FT. This time I was unable to catch them and since I am almost as blind as a mole without them I stripped off and climbed into the tank to get them.

Shortly thereafter my glasses fell off again but this time I managed to catch them. However my juggling has never been particularly good and I dropped the socket I was using to tighten up the nuts on the over flow to the FT. Again I stripped off and since it was a lovely day and the sun felt good upon my back I didn't put my shirt back on for the rest of the day.

As you can imagine I got rather burnt and in the evening I went into shock. My wife this morning felt that she should have called an ambulance to have me taken away but apparently I argued most strenously that I was fine. I have no memory of this discussion.

Today I am feeling very sorry for my self and I'll post a full set of the valve construction and hopefully before christmas their operation.

Stuart the Silly.

oooerrrr Stuart, don't be doing that again

An Ambulance for sunburn!!?!??!!? Just how baked did you let yourself get?
You're damned lucky you didn't pass out from heat stroke and drown!!!

Glad to hear you're getting better.

Now theres another one of the side effects of aquaponics I hadn't thought of.

No won't be doing that again. Yes I was really burn't and sun stroked.

Normally I wear long sleeve shirt, arab head dressie thingy and wide brimmed hat when working in the sun. Yesterday I didn't engage my brain or something.

Well I promised a few People I would write up the details for my design controlling the flow of water in my system but I had a few delays.

Anyway here it is. Bear in mind that this is a work in progress. Also some of the details that I'm going to post I've allready found not to work but I'm posting them so that people can see the problems I've had and the things that havn't worked. I think that posting the things that havn't worked is just as valuble as the things that do work so that people know not what to do.

Over view.

Constant height fish tank over flows alternately into one of two GBs. GB 1 fills and then empties into the sump where there is a pump that returns the water to the fish tank. As GB 1 is emptying GB 2 is filling and vice versa. Sump always has water flowing into it and the pump is always pumping water out to the FT. The flow of the system is governed by the flow produced by the pump with surges of flow occuring in the initial stages of GBs emptying.

Basic Design schematic


This would also be a good time to ask how to remove a picture that you don't want to post.

One problem i see is with the water comming of the top of the fish tank how do you propose to remove solids

Absolutely SPC... and thanks for doing so....

To delete a picture, before you post just scroll down to the attachment box... locate and select the delete button.... if you've already posted then.... stiff...

PM the mods is the only way....

Question....



How are you alternating the flow to the growbeds???

Yep I can fix that later by a simple mod of the pipe leading to the over flow. Trunk of T junction leading to overflow, One arm down to bottom of fish tank other up to the air.

Not worried about it yet though.

When I hit the submit buttom for the post containing my diagram I started working on the next one and have been trying to get it posted since. I'd add a post to the vent thread but my problems with telstra wireless next G internet don't really rate compared with the troubles occuring adjacent to armegeddon.



The original plan was that when the bucket connected to the no holes over flow of GB1 gets filled it will open the valve to empty GB1 raising the FT overflow into GB1 (stopping GB1 from filling) and at the same time as the bucket lowers itself into the sump (emptying GB1) it will also pull on the cable connect to the bucket of GB2 raising it. There by closing the valve from GB2 so that it may fill since the counter weight on the FT overflow into GB2 will be lowered (opening the overflow into GB2 because the bucket connected to GB2 has been raised by the bucket connected to GB1 being full of water.

If this isn't clear, and I'm sure it is not, then I'll post a diagram later. However I'm not doing it now because it hasn't been working due to the friction on the pullets and cable preventing the counter weights from doing their job. As you will see I've got other problems to fix first.

Any way onto the post I've been trying to get off for the last few hours. Btw playing company of heroes and trying not to ogle JLH while watching Ghost whisperer.

FT overflows.

Here are the major bits that make up the over flow.

I made the rubber gaskets out of an old tire tube from a truck.

Step 1: rough circles of rubber from tire tube.

Step 2: place btw boards and compress with tech screws or equivilent.



Step 3: Use the toy on the right (80mm holesaw) to cut cut the center of the board and then of the rubber gaskets. Point to note, rubber grips. So you have to be really carefule that you take it easy and have a real tight hold on your drill as you cut through the rubber. If you don't then the best case scenario will be that you won't get a clean cut and you will have to try again. Worst case could easily be a very sore wrist(even broken). There shouldbe no need to ask how I know this. (my wrist is fine was just a sprain).

Next I needed to cut a hole through the wall of the FT.

Metal first


Then the carpet btw the metal of the FT box and the pond liner.



Left the pond liner till later.