Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Big pumps....how much weater do you need to move?

The tank can hold 8000L but will use maybe 6000L with 4000L of GB. I thought if the pump did 8kL at 2m, that would suit.


Good news I think. The picture is 11/3/10. Today, 14/3, measured 0/0/10. That's after dosing yesterday to about 2ppm. So it appears to have cycled in 30hrs or so. That means she's ready to rock, no?

Is it just me, or do these unused drying racks look a lot like half built green houses? 46m long, 8m wide, times 2 all with ready to go shelving, for something. 3 phase power, 50m away.

Yup, slowly load it up

There are some more efficient pumps around, and do you need the whole 2 metre head height?

I probably should find out if I can actually make any of this work before I look to take over the world.


The GBs are about 1.5m above the pump...... but only a metre above the water!! Still, some margin I thought would be good. Plus I was thinking I could circulate the over volume over a cooling tower of some sort (pics nearly ready), and the tower will have some height to it. It would work like a flow control on the circulating water. If I need more water for the GBs, I just raise the height of the cooling tower.

Do you have a different pump suggestion?

Well, the pumps you were looking at were around 350 watt power consumtion from what I remember.....

however there are pumps that move a similar amount of water for half the power:

http://www.rockaroundtheblock.com.au/product.asp?pID=451&cID=63

BUT!! there are pumps the do the same job for around 125 watts of power, but they are on the other computer So your out of luck for today

The one labelled as '12839L/H Pond & Fountain pump' uses 165W and will do 8200L at 2m. It doesn't have a brand so it looks a bit dodgy, but it has a similar shape as the Jabao.

Did we go through the discussion about power consumption somewhere else? I seem to remember some discussion about wattage on the pump labels compared to actual power used, but can't remember exactly what it was..

The 'Pumps-Good ones and Bad ones' thread got a bit sidetracked in the middle about it, but it was more to do with formulas (and I haven't finished it yet). Are you suggesting Watts aint Watts when it comes to cheep pumps?

I think I need a plan B for this weekend. It's 37 so far today and forecast to be that way till Sunday. I've got some shade up and a biggish sump pump has been borrowed to stir the water around, and wash over my cooling tower, but I think the principles I dreamt up for that are faulty. Cooling tower is more likely a warming tower and agitated water is... well agitated, but not cooler. Some question marks about when my air pump will arrive too.

So... any plan Bs?

What fishes do you have in your tank atm??

Did you end up getting it from Guppys ? If so, I've always found them to take pretty much spot on two weeks delivery. Not sure why it takes so long, but it's been consistently that period for me.

This will be my first batch. If it looks real bad and there doesn't seem a better option, I guess I can not get them for a few weeks. Hopefully I make that decision before Friday so I don't drive 8 hours (there and back) for nothing.


I did get it from Guppy's and kind of took the '5 day' part to be around the mark.

OK, so that's not how you do 2 quotes!!

edit: yes it is

Yeah, wait a couple more weeks?