Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Water Test 3 - compared with two days ago

Air Temp: 18C (stormy, windy, rain)
Water Temp: 15.8C
pH: 7.0 (up from 6.8)
Ammonia: 1.0 (down from 2.0)
Nitrate: 20.0 (down from 30.0)
Nitrite: 1.0 (steady)
EC: Stopped monitoring...

(I still cannot get the white balance just-right on this camera, so the pics are slightly different to reality.)

Fish haven't been fed for four days now. We've had lots of rain but very little of this makes into the covered fish tank. The water is still turbid but clearing up, less green too. Aerator is still continuously running and the pump is still 15/60 cycle by daylight.

Will feed fish a small amount tomorrow (they must be STARVING by now?), keep the pond mostly covered and test again in two days.


Scott

P.S. Still deciding on what shooting method best shows the water tests.

I expect your nitrite might actually be way above 1 but that is just a guess from the picture. I don't remember if you said you salted. Nitrite can be really hard on fish so when cycling a system up with fish in it, I like to have at least 1 ppt of salt to help counter nitrite hurting the fish. Make sure any salt added is pure. As in no iodine (which could inhibit the bacteria) or anti-caking agents that are usually added to table salt. I believe most people use solar pool salt. It is best to dissolve the proper amount of salt in a bucket of water before actually adding to the fish tank since undissolved salt crystals can sit on the bottom of the tank where fish might rest and burn the fish if they touch them.

Another note/reminder to people reading about this system. It has less than 100 liters of media filled flood and drain grow bed.

It could be (I don't have the best eye-sight in the world) and the camera cannot find white!

So 500g for 500L ?? That seems like a lot!

I shall visit the local pool shop and see what they have there. Thanks for the info.


Scott

Well not really... I have got about 2-3kg of salt in my 1000L tank.



Try your local Bunnings... I am using this salt below for my trouts. $6.72 per 25kg.

Well I spent some time tinkering this weekend -- between rain, showers and drizzle!

On Saturday I went to the local pool shop and asked if they had any split bags of salt. They had many bags that couldn't be sold in the shop and the on-site maintenance guys don't like to take split bags in their vans, so they we more than happy to give a kilo of salt, gratis. And, they said I could come back any time for more. To avoid shocking anything (fish/plants), on Saturday afternoon, I added 100g of the salt, then a similar amount on Sunday morning and Sunday afternoon for a total added so far of 300g. Tomorrow morning before work I will add some more, then the final instalment will be added when I get home from work; 500g of salt added into the 500L fish tank; 1ppt.

On Saturday afternoon, we spend the day pottering about, shifting the "NFT pipes" about 1 foot to the left to give me some more room to add another "grow bed". When I was standing there looking at the existing grow bed, I convinced myself the tub was too small to be 100L so I measured it and sure enough it's only 75L. On Sunday I added another 75L grow bed, making a total now of 150L.

I also added a filter-cum-distribution manifold, which allows me to divert water where I need to. The filter-cum-manifold also has an added benefit. (Photos will follow if I can get some tomorrow before dark?) The unit is sufficiently high enough and has enough volume that when the pump is switched off, the head rushes back through the pump and the strainer, blowing away any large debris near the strainer in the pond.

We removed some struggling plants and planted out some fresh seedlings (some home grown, some bought). We still have some room left; the new grow bed is empty of plants, the original grow bed is only half-filled with plants. We'll find some more to plant during the week.


Tonight's readings were a little later in the day day than previous readings: (no photos of tests today):

Water Test 4: (compared with two days ago)
Air Temp: 14 (been raining and drizzle most of the day)
Water Temp: 14.8
pH: 6.7 (down from 7.0)
Ammonia: 0.5 (down from 1.0)
Nitrate: 20.0 (steady)
Nitrite: 1.0 (steady)

(Two of us agreed on these measured values; avoids wonky-eyes syndrome)

Still haven't fed the fish. Pond remains covered. Aerator is running continuously. Pump is still 15/60 by daylight hours.



Scott

P.S. As already mentioned, photos to follow soon.

Started my new contract today -- it's not the most interesting job (I guess it's why they are paying a pittance) so I have plenty of time to sit around and over-think things. (Seeing the amount of over-engineering performed by some here, I guess I am not alone? ) By the end of the year, SWMBO and I have "agreed" to reconfigure our dirt garden beds into a better pattern and fence the area from the all-devouring chooks! I have just about convinced Her, the modified yard layout will suit an expansion in the AP system. I am still toying with ideas and layouts etc, but I envisage installing a 2000L fish tank and four 500L grow beds, whilst utilising the existing 500L in-ground pond as a sump tank. There is of course, a substantial $$$ to make this happen.

I am interested in learning what others have done to obtain/build their systems in an economical manner. A complete BYAP grow bed (frame, balls and piping) is over $1K and the tanks have a substantial dollar value also. I have looked at buying some steel and welding my own frames but the cost saving is not that significant; I was just rough-pricing during a visit to a large hardware store who are far from the cheapest. Their timber is just as expensive; there are also the problems that I really don't like treated pine (chemicals), aussie hardwoods ($$$ and I prefer the trees to be upright instead of sawed). With the weight of water and media, the frames have to be solid, but how to achieve this on a very limited budget? What other materials are there? Has anyone build a GB/FT frame/plinth from hebel, for example? If you build your own frames, what liners are best (scored on durability, UV stabilisation, $ etc)? Are all these materials readily sourced in Perth? What discount suppliers are worth a visit?

Anyway, Below is a photo of last weekend's modifications. I guess the only real changes to notice, as previously mentioned are the new bed and the filter/distribution/pump flushing "device". Hopefully this weekend, we will have some more plants for the remaining area to take the system to near full capacity of plantings. We have just about exhausted our supplies of seedlings, so will have to plant some more (some in raising trays and some direct sow into the system).



Those keen of eye will also notice the drains from each of the "NFT tubes" have been modified, this reduces the resistance from the old poly-pipes and therefore the system has improved flow. The manifold device also has air-inlets which dramatically increases the air drawn through the pipes (you can watch the through the clear tubing at the top pipe when the pump is running).



Scott

If you have any clear or translucent pipes there, you might want to put a cover over them to keep algae from gumming them up. Tinfoil works well or a bit of black fabric tied on with string. That way you can still check function but avoid the ugly algae growing in the clear tubing.

Thanks for the tip.

Ya might also want to wrap something around your translucent plastic bins since algae would love to grow in there and steel nutrients from the plants you are trying to grow. It will also protect the plastic some from UV degradation which can cause them to become very brittle and likely to break/crack in time.

I've been doing more browsing of others' systems, looking for some inspiration; along the way a couple of questions have popped up:

In a flood and drain grow bed, how drained is drained? Does the water have to completely empty from the grow-bed, or is it OK to leave 2-3cm of water in 30cm of balls?

When people have earthworms in their grow beds: how many worms? A small handful? A massive colony? Where do the worms spend most of their time, deep in the balls, just under the surface or in between? When the system is flooding, can worms swim or do they just hold their breath for a long time? (i.e. do you have to use shorter flood times or slow the flooding rate in these grow beds containing worms to avoid drowning them?)

In bio-filters, what method offers the "best" filtration, forcing the water up through the filter media from the bottom, or allowing the water to drain through the filter media from the top?



That'll do for now...

Thanks in advance.


Scott

a little bit of water left in the bottom of a flood and drain grow bed is actually quite normal.

Worms in grow beds live where ever they get enough air and food. Worms breath through their skin and if there is plenty of dissolved oxygen in the water, worms can happily live completely submerged all the time.
How many worms, well most my beds started off with only a small hand full each. A small hand full of composting worms would probably be appropriate for your little bin beds. They will multiply as the space and food supply permits.

Bio-filter. Definitely make the water upwell through a bio filter. If you dump water in at the top it will the top filter material will tend to clog and not let much water down to the bottom and the filter will tend to overflow out the top thus letting most of the water bypass the filter. If the water is pumped into the bottom of the filter and has to go up through the material to reach the exit, then it is forced through the filter even as solids build up. Eventually if overloaded the filter material may need cleaning anyway.

Sorry I have missed out on posting some of the results, but I am sure most people aren't interested in seeing every reading -- just the important ones?

Water Test 8.
Air Temp: 17.0
Water Temp: 15.0
pH: 7.0 (steady)
Ammonia: 0.25 (falling)
Nitrate: 5.0 (falling, but the new plants are looking good)
Nitrite: 0.25 (falling)

The water turbidity has cleaned up dramatically. In the test tubes the water looks "sparkly clean" although I cannot yet clearly see the bottom of the FT. I am slowly increasing the fish feeding (they got fed 10g yesterday morning, 10g this morning and 20g tonight) I have to weigh the fish again and figure out the proper quantities but will start off slowly, keeping an eye on the chemical levels and turbidity. Needless to say though, there is nearly a riot when I feed the fish; an awesome spectacle to witness! I will keep the pond mostly covered for the mean time; it keeps the light out and the water in, especially when the water is "boiling" during feeding. I have been playing with a few models for biofilters and hopefully have sourced some interesting materials for the media (will keep y'all in suspense until I actually build and evaluate a prototype).

On another note: although "adept" at using a computer, much 3D design work is beyond my artistic capability; my forte is programming. I might be attending a Google Sketchup course in mid-September to learn the ins and outs of this very powerful tool, but until then I would like to ask if anyone has an array of customisable AP models? Searching the Google 3D Warehouse for "aquaponics" or "growbeds" doesn't produce too many usable components for me; there are a few nice models -- I like some of the transparent water models. How does one model the pipe work? Any tips for a Sketchup-newbie (other than practice, practice and practice)?

Whilst we were digging in the garden over the weekend, SWMBO agreed I can add to the AP system but only after the changes to the dirt vege-garden are complete. She also set a very limited budget -- it's going to be tight but I think I will be able to get it done (fingers crossed). I will post more about the proposal later, right now I have to source some sleepers, galvanised right-angle brackets and galvanised bolts for the raised vege beds. Any suggestions for the galv items?



Scott

Bunson,

I use 3D on a daily basis in my profession and it was a long learning curve. I have been creating architectural models on computer for some years now using AutoCad; but I have a friend who has taught himself to use Sketch-Up in a couple of months!. I can see the obvious benefit in this sort of package if you are not a professional in the draughting business.
Anyway, it is just a matter of trial and error for a while until you get your head around the basics and can move on from there. Here are a couple of 3D creations for my system and a photo of the as built unit for comparison.



Cheers IanK

I like the look of that tank - that is the sort of tank you would want in a school to help keep the children interested - nice job