Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I'm Back!!
First thing I did was take a look at the AP system that I left running unattended for 4 months while I was away. It only had a few yabbies left and the girls that stayed in the house said they would drop a few flakes of gold fish food once a week. By the looks it wasn't looked after at all. Only a dead yabbie in the bottom an the top had some broccoli which had seeded, some spinach & a couple of beetroot still alive. Only 5 inches in the FT (Just enough to keep the system cycling) Done a water test which was surprisingly good with trace ammonia, Nitrate & Nitrate. The PH was around 7.4
Cleared all the dead stuff in it up and filled it up with water again, bell syphon still working. added some hummonia to build up the bacteria again and left the plants that are alive in till i get some seedlings going. Hopefully in the next month this system will become my fingerling system while I build my second system.

Welcome back Matt. Do you know what fish you are going to run?

g'day BB.
Yeah I'm not quite sure what I'm going to run in it yet, Most likely trout over the winter months and I may even get some silver in too
Probably a bit too late to get either at the moment Will have to ring around and see whats on offer... How is your knee going??

Matt

Welcome back Matt! I bet you can't wait to get into the gardening after your travels.

Hi Mattyry. I too run (4) bell siphons. Occassionally one (random) will not break its siphon and continue to drain at the same rate as the inflow. Has that ever happened to you? Solution? I have drilled extra holes and added airline tube to help break the siphon. All running good for now but from experience I know some of them will play up again ...Candyman

C'man,
I too have sometimes found that my siphon has issues where is fails to make or break the siphon, I think its got to do with that amount of water that is put into the GB compared to the size of the bell siphon, (when my water level drops too much i think this effect the flow rate on my pump, the reduction of water seems to stop the valve from operating) I read this link in regards to building my http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=685&hilit=bell+syphon

See how you go??
Also I'm planning on stealing your idea in regards to equalizing the water between your tanks. have you had any issues with the u-tubes???

Regards
Matt

I can brag I have had no problems with the giant "U" inter-pond tubes which self-levels the water across the 4 x ponds. Except for one which intially kept sucking air somewhere - silicon fixed that. Keep in mind they are a bit slow in their transfer rate but have always prevented any overflow. I use a PVC "stink" pipe (look up on your roof) strainer on both ends of each pipe and once an uneaten lettuce leaf (tried as fish food) sunk and suctioned to one end - reducing its flow capacity. So need to keep them clear (a quick rub with a broom does it without getting hands wet!).



I will have a look at that thread when I have more time - maybe our problem is discussed in there somewhere. I agree it seems to be related to the flow rates. But I have had all 4 x siphons working wonderfully for weeks on end - then just one will spit the dummy and refuse to break. Sometimes I have simply swapped bells and stand pipes and problem is fixed - temperamental or what!

Great job matty, those are amazing plants you grew and in just four months! the grow rates on those pictures are staggering! think you could post it with all the weeks in thumbnails?

And best of luck with your second system, I've been following that thred and its an exciting one, great to see that your pursuing it with such enthusiasm [:

Hi Matt
just read thru this thread and found out a lot of good stuff. You have just asked all the questions I will be asking very soon, thanks for that.

Where did you go for your 4 months away?

Dale

Across to the west coast, visited the holy grail of AP (BYAP) in Perth, up the west coast till Broome, thru Kimberly's, across to Darwin, Down the center to Adelaide then back to freezing Melbourne.
I still can't believe that my system was still running. Actually did some water tests today and the system is cycle again. time for some fish.

regards

Matt

I read in some one elses post that putting the grow bed on top of the IBC was a nuisance, did you find it so?
Have you seen Ians system uses castors to slide the grow bed back?
Dale

I don't find it an issue as my GB is off-centered so there is about 300mm to gain access to the tank. I don't think I've read Ian's system, you might have to be a little more specific in regards to his post (Maybe his system thread name) Anyhow it sound expensive, but grand. The IBC system is really there for people who can't afford the professionally built system that cost $$$$
I can only recommend that you start small see if you really like AP. It will not take you long to catch the bug. The growth of the veggies are awesome with none of the back breaking work of a dig garden. You do not have to water every night in the summer or at all! all you do is feed the fish and do a water test.

Regards
Matt

Sorry Ian's threads is called 'IBC Do It Yourself'.

I have already got the bug, have a small system I am playing with at the moment. "Dale's system".

I noticed you were discussing shell grit earlier in your thread, if you need to buy it you can pick it up froma stock feed outlet. I buy it for my chooks.

I am looking forward to this 'awesome growth' of vegies. I have grown my own ground vegies for years and it is rewarding but the keeping up of the watering during Summer is arduous and if your tank gets low rather stressful too.
So I thought this would be a great alternative to the water reliance and I would love to grow my own fish too.

Plus I want to grow more vegies than my garden can hold so moving onto the hard paved area is ideal

cheers
Dale

Thanks for the tip in regards to the shell grit.
the growth is amazing, compared two broccoli,one it the dig garden and the other in the AP system. the one in the garden still didn't have a head on it by the time and I harvested the one in the AP system twice. one weighed 700grams and the other 600g. I wasted around 350l of water a week where as the AP system averaged 100l evey second week.
My next challenge is to actually raise eatable fish. gunna head up to buxton this weekend and get some trout fingerlings.

Regards
Matt

I'm a little excited that I've got some trout today, all look like they have settled in well,
The trout should be able to stay in this system till I can get my larger system up and running.
Replanted my GB out with seedlings, but kept some of the old broccoli to help with filtration. All water tests are good with just a trace of ammonia & nitrates = 10, PH = 7.0

Matt