Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Okay, I admit it I'm addicted to the concept of aquaponics. My first system is only up and running and I wand another bigger set-up already.

So the purpose of this thread is to get feedback and/or advice on what I'm planning to do at present.

System is planned as follows:
3 grow beds using second hand bath tubs (flood and drain)
1 sump tank (500 litres) will house some red claws
1 fish tank looking at both of these at the moment (1000 litres) or possibly a 1700 litre one
1 pump output to be determined
3 taps on the grow beds to regulate even flood time
Growing media 2 X river gravel and 1 X expanded clay
Kiddy covers over the tanks



The plan is to put some red claws in the sump tanks and jade perch in the fish tank.

Are there any glaring flaws in my theory? I'd expect the sump to get to maybe 170 litres during the flood cycle this may be a problem.

I'm unsure how the solids from the fish tank would be disposed of though, hopefully someone can enlighten my ignorance.

Feel free to criticise and suggest changes it all helps the learning process.

I have been reading about CHIFT PIST set-ups and am now unsure of what to do, can someone confirm the following please.

1. The grow beds drain to the sump tank.
2. The pump in the sump fills the fish tank to overflowing allowing the grow beds to flood.
3. The fish tank needs to be higher than the grow beds.

If I'm reading other peoples systems correctly I definitely didn't 2 and 3 pictured in my mind correctly.

I may need to rethink my plans

Only the outlet from the fishtank needs to be above the top of the growbeds with a bit of fall for the plumbing - generally the FT is deeper so they do well on the same base level.

Everything else you have right.
John

I think exactly the way you have drawn it should be fine LV. You can set up your GB's with autosyhons or bell syphons just as you have done with your first system so that these will dump into your FT creating aeration. And then just have the overflow from FT to ST as you have drawn, Just make sure that the outlet/overflow from the FT to ST is of a big enough diameter so your pump doesn't suck the ST dry.

Thanks for the replies gents.

One thing I'm not sure about is will a overflow from the fish tank to the sump tank remove all the solids in the fish tank?

I'm worried too much would accumulate in the fish tank.

you can have a pipe that extends down to the bottom of the fish tank rather than getting just surface run off.

Thanks, sometime my brain goes into neutral, I was looking at an image that showed that and it just didn't click.

It does now though.

Just make sure you use a tee piece or an air break on the top bend otherwise you will have a syphon instead of a SLO (solids lifting overflow) and empty the system out quick smart
John

My inner pipe which is connected to the centre drain of my fish tank is 80mm. Outside of this I have a 100mm pipe. The top of this outer pipe is above the level of the water in the fishtank while the inner pipe top is at the level of the water/causes the level of the water . The outer pipe has crenelations cut into the bottom and it is through these that water comes from the bottom of the tank, travels up between the two pipes, over the top of the 80mm pipe and out of the tank via the bottom of the tank before traveling back up through pipework and out to the growbeds (if you can follow).

Thats a great way to do it VB.
I am planning to have a couple of tank dividers rotating around a central pipe so I can segregate the tank. I was playing around with different systems of installing the SLO - I think you have just made the idea come together
Thanks
John

Ideally the top of the fish tank is above grow bed level. Water flows via gravity from the fish tank, through the growbeds, and into the sump tank. This gives your pump the longest possible service life, because it is living in nice clean filtered water.

There is no point in draining the fish tank directly into the sump tank, then pumping it up to growbeds that drain into the fish tank - an extra tank for no reason??

I run as you have drawn [3 years no problem] proper cp is pump in sump pumping to fish tank overflowing to grow beds

I'm finally starting to get how this works thanks everyone for the replies it is helping my learning process to no end.

I will post up a modified drawing when I get home tonight, assuming I'm now on track the pump will go from the sump to the fish tank. The fish tank being higher than the grow bed will overflow into the grow beds via a SLO (solids lifting overflow). The grow beds then drain back to the sump.

The sump will most likely need to be at least partially buried to get the heights right for what I envisage.



Took me a little while to get the picture of this in my head VB, it sounds like a great way to get the overflow working. think I'll do the same type of thing with this system.

Just note LV.... that Veggie Boys example uses an outlet through the bottom of his tank... (he has sloping bottom aquaculture tanks)...

Whereas most "Chift Pist" systems using an SLO... dont use a bottom outlet... just lifting the solids/water flow up and out of the tank to the growbeds...

Ideally for pump life yes... Not necessarilly ideal if you have to dig sumps into ground unless you want to do this. Your redclaw can take care of any solids build up in the ST. Which inturn keeps them out of your GB's.
The point of draining the fish tank directly into the sump tank is to have a CHIFT PIST system.
CONSTANT HIEGHT IN FISH TANK! "??????????extra tank for no reason????????"
No different to:
running FT via SLO to GB syphon to ST pumping to FT .....or
running FT via SLO to ST pumping to GB syphon to FT.

I think both methods have their pro's and con's.