Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hey folks, Im curious whether people out there have things in place to provide safety for there fishies from there pumps. I have a standard pump setup as supplied from Backyard Aquaponics, it appears that the drawinto the pump is from underneath and the pump uses suction cups to stick to the bottom, us there a system that you can incorporate or that others have incorporated to protect there small fingerlings from getting sucked in and mashed up

Thanks

Coarse Shadecloth wrapped around the pump.

Hi simso
The pic below is what I did to my pumps. The extention of PVC pipe provides a bigger margin of remaining water in the tank in case of a pump malfuncion and the mesh wrapped around the inlet holes is gutter guard.

Definitely adding some sort of protection to keep small fishes further away from the pump intake is a good idea. I rather like MDP's method, very nice. There are also pump bags you can get if you don't like the DIY of wraping netting or shade cloth around it or making a bag of those materials.

I took some chicken wire that was laying around and made a few wraps around the inlet pipe. Since its like 1 inch wire I don't ever have to clean it.

However, chicken wire is likely to rust away. That small amount of chicken wire in a system is probably not going to cause the zinc levels in the water to get too high but please remember that water contact with zinc coated metals is generally not a very good idea in Aquaponics.

simso,
a cheaper way would be to use a onion bag to cover your pump. the nylon will not rust and the holes are just small enough to stop the baby fish and big enough to suck up the crap. hope this help.

Thanks folks, lots of fantastic ideas, that onion bag is a brilliant one.

I got my fishies today, and there bigger than the inlet screen on the pump that was supplied from BYAP, So all is good. If I end up getting a bigger pump at some stage " like all obsessions getting out of control" then I might go down that poly pipe extension, which is screened ""very smart idea"" thanks for the post

Currently got them suspended in the tank within another plastic tank with an air bubbler to equal out the temperatures and then I will start water changing between the two as the day progresses

You've only got to acclimatise them for 15 mins - 1/2 an hour.

Thanks, there now swimming with lots of verocity around the tank, little buggers however like to accumulate around the pump when its running. Dropped on some plastic lattice screening until I make something nice and neat to cover the top of the tank from predators

Pictures simso pictures