Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hey everyone, its Lizzy again!

I recently asked if anyone had any suggestions for me about my aquaponics science fair and got some really great advice! I have decided not to compare aquaponics to soil growth because of the time limit I have for this project, but i still would like to do something with aquaponics.

I have built an aquaponics microsystem in two ten gallon fish tanks. The design I am using requires an auto sypon to suck the water from the fish tank with the goldfish to the fish tank with the growbed when the water level in the growbed goes down. I have everything else in my sytem working except for this syphon. Im not sure exactly what i'm doing wrong. Any advice?

Thank you everyone for being so helpful!!

Have any pictures of your set up?

So are you pumping from the fish tank up to the grow bed aquarium? Then the siphon draining the grow bed aquarium back to the fish tank? This method will still require a hole in the grow bed aquarium. You can't do the flood and drain auto siphon up over the side of the fish tank since it requires flooding to over the top of the siphon to get it to auto siphon.

Yep, a photo or a diagram would help us assist you Lizzy

Lizzy,
photos would help immensely, but from your description I give the following advice:

You say the auto siphon is to drain from the fishtank to the grow bed.
This is unadvisable.

ideally:

If you have a sump, then the fish tank should be above the grow bed,
and the grow bed above the sump.

If you don't have a sump, then the fish tank should be below the grow bed.


The grow bed is the only place you want an autosiphon, and it is designed to enable the GB to fill fully and then drain quickly.

If you let me know if you have a sump or not, I will attempt to show you a diagram of how to set up the siphon.

hey guys here is a picture of my system minus my fish tank and what i thought was a syphon. Now ive learned that the actual name for it is a Miles Jam Jar Overflow:



this is where i borrowed my design from:

http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=2645&p=125119&hilit=demo+system#p125119


im not actually sure how this Miles Jam Jar overflow works and i believe i still need a few extra pieces for it. Can anyone possibly explain it?? and i do not have a sump


thank you!

What you are attempting to do is a no-holes overflow.

Read this Page:

http://www.bio-elite.com/waterbridge.htm

didn't TXLynx do the same ???

Yup