Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I thought I would throw in an update. A while ago I installed a second grow bed, seeded it with lettuce and beets, and today also doubled my lighting. I could also take my old 2-bulb fluorescent lamp and mount it vertically, providing additional light to the plants, but I'm not sure how useful it would be.

Anyhoo, here are a couple pics...

So my 2nd GB was flooding too high. Wilted plants, surface fungus, etc. This coupled with the idea that my flood and drain rates are really faster than I'd like led me to add a trap to the bell siphon as per web4dev's thread. I'd really like my in-flow rate to become unrelated to my drain rate.

So added a trap, but the desired effect has not occurred. I thought perhaps this was because of my small air-break hose. I closed off that one, and added a new one on the side. But no luck. I'm thinking I may need a long horizontal section in the trap area. Right now it's about as short as I could make it using 2 1" elbows.

I'll post pics soon.

Long time, no update. That's mainly because I've been ignoring the system in favor of my new one outside.

Whatever the little bugs are, they love decaying organic matter. It's hard to tell if they cause the plants to die, or if they just feed on the dead ones. I'm done fighting them, so I've dumped the entire system.

But I can save it, I have the technology!

The system will be reborn as a proper CHIFT PIST system on a timer with stand pipes.

I'll update when it's done.

Now you are talking

5 hours of work later....

It seems to be set.

I had forgotten that a SLO needs a good bit of vertical fall between FT and GB, so now it's just an overflow with no SL .

Turns out I need a larger pump.

I have a 44" head, and figuring I need 50 gallons to be filled in 15 minutes, I need a 200 gph pump.

I've elevated my FT as much as I can, but the outlet from the FT is only about 8" above the GB surface, and the potential top of the water is 12" above the GB surface.

One concern is that I only have 1/2" pipe draining the FT because that happens to be the size of my last uniseal .

I'd prefer a larger diameter pipe, but hopefully the 1/2" will be able to carry that flow with gravity pressure.

Larger pump works, 1/2" pipe works, it seems everything works!

I'm just fiddling with evening out the flows to my 2 grow beds so they both (at least) fill up during each cycle. Once that's done, it's just a matter of cycling.

I did lose 3 goldfish in all the moving about. The water is now very cloudy with dust from the new gravel. Hopefully that'll settle out in a little while, and I'll be able to look at the survivors.

Seedlings poked through on 5 or so species after 2 days in the beds.

I've planted: rosemary, lettuce, pickling cucumbers (just to see if I can get fruit under these lights), kale, lavender, spinach, nasturtium, and basil.

So I haven't updated this system in a while. Did my first water test ever on this new system, and it's 7.0, 0, 0, 0. So I guess I need to increase my feed a bit.

Cucumbers, nasturtium, basil, kale, and lettuce all came up great. So far only 1 seedling of rosemary has come up, and only a few lavender.

The lettuce is falling over, I guess I'll need a fan if I really want it to work.

I'll start measuring feed and such going forward.

We've been having problems with mold in the apartment, and apparently the closetponics are to blame. So the system is now drained, fish are in the outdoor system.

Note: if you are going to do fairly large AP indoors, make sure you have adequate ventilation and/or a dehumidifier.