Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

So far, I've played around a bit with some small tanks, testing water flow, a pump and my wife's garden pond (15 Gold fish) and a single GB.
So now to get serious, I cleared the test system, and started preparing the ground for a 3000lt FT, 2 x 500lt Grow beds and a bunch of blue barrels for sump & fruit trees.

Last week I purchased a stack of blocks (54) & sleepers (8) to raise the grow beds. I paid 50cents each for the blocks (seconds quality cream/limestone effect) and estimate that i'll need 9 at each end to support 3-4 sleepers. (Got to remember to leave a gap for the drain/return pipe at one end. The sleepers are treated pine 2.4m x 200mm x 75mm. based on the info here they should support the weight fine.

No photo's to show yet as the stuff is just sitting on my lawn (sigh !)
I've ordered 2 GB's in cream from BYAP and a blue fish tank from a tank supplier, (can I mention names here ?).
I've ordered the plumbing bits from a wholesaler eg. 25mm x 45 degree elbows are 75c ea.
and I'll put in a single 80mm return/drain as my calculations are that this will more than handle 4 x 40mm pipes, are reading and chatting to plumber mates I think this will work better than 4 x 40mm returns. (so far my only deviation from all your recommendations - if I'm wrong I'll stick my hand up, just being a rebel :-)

pipe size (mm) litres per 100ft
13mm --------------- 7.3
19mm -------------- 12.7
25mm -------------- 20.5
32mm -------------- 35.5
40mm -------------- 47.7
50mm -------------- 77.3
80mm -------------- 172.8
100mm ------------- 300.0

I've done a huge spreadsheets with calc's on build costs and cost of vege's/fish for small medium and large, I'll publish it soon for people to review and comment.

I want to pickup my FT and GB's this weekend but I might have to put it off cause it's our wedding anniversary, kids are going away.... although the dog is due to drop her pups... (it's complicated)

I've arranged for all the plumbing bits and my plumbers lined up for a freebie to speed up the assembly. He's also arranged a whole pile (20 so far) blue barrels for me and a couple of people on the site. I'll probably put something like lemon trees, maybe a honey gold mango tree and something else TBD,

I'm going to use water from the gold fish pond & fountain to kick start my system, hmm maybe even move the goldfish across for a while.

As far as cover goes I'm got 4 posts which I'll concrete into provide a canopy for shadecloth/greenhouse material, the detail is a little sketchy here, I need to read a bit more around shading the system.

I'll need to cover the fishtank also to keep heat and animals out. I'm also thinking of bricking in or even just using foam around the Fish tank to insulate it, has anyone tried this already ?

Photo's will follow, but for the first system post please use the sketch system known as nocky sketch, ie use you own mind to visualise.

I've also found a source for seed trays, and am looking at using them in a blue barrel grow bed with vermeculite (sp?) & perlite etc.

Thanks to everyone that's advised so far and will advise in the future.

Also to enable me to make my calculations spreadsheet more accurate can people mail me with any retail costs they know for both veges and fish filets. and importanly how much they use of each per month. So far my calc's show the ROI is simply amazing (Return on Investment).

TTFN

I think you got it all worked out, except that I think there is more to just flow to consider about just running 1 return 80mm pipe... Sure it can handle the flow, but it is a single point of failure...

If for some reason the fitting comes loose, you lose all your water...
and if you need to work on a growbed you might need to shut the whole system down...

And a 80mm pipe although a single pipe, IMO looks more ugly and is more clumsy than 4x 40mm pipes...

And if you think you are saving money, I think after you factor in all the fittings for the 80mm sizes and also I think you cannot adapt from 80mm to 40mm without a 50mm fitting, you might not be saving money...

Not sure putting "all the eggs in one basket" is really actually worth any money or time saved.

Hi Ivan

I'm probably going to eat my words, but having ordered the bits, sounds like I might find out the hard way, money iasn't the driving factor, it was creating a simple design, and having 4 returns just didn't make sense to me, nor my plumbing mates. It was more so down to the 80mm handling a larger qty of return flow than the 40mm. Spock from star trek found out many times how logic wasn't always better, (i've already got the pipe so will give it a try, and then maybe replace it down the track). You are right about the 80mm to 40mm... i'm using T pieces80-50mm then an adaptor from 50 to 40mm, so I agree not much cheaper.
I've also got valves on each return as it comes out of the GB's

Hi Phred

I wouldnt mind a look at that spreadsheet.

Good luck getting the tank out.

Hey Phred, I always go for individual drain lines on beds, made the mistake of putting two beds into the one 40mm return line on Fayes system when we first built it and we found that the beds weren't draining as freely as they should, there was some backing up of the drain flow in both of the beds.

Anyway, after that, and one other similar episode, I always go for the separate drain line. There are other reasons too that you don't necessarily think about in the design phase. It's very handy to look at the individual return lines and see whether all of them are flowing. A very quick method of knowing that there are no blockages anywhere.. With a combined return line you don't know if one bed is having flow problems... There may be a restricted flow into a bed that you won't notice till the plants start drooping.

Sometimes it may not be about the obvious things.

Finally got things moving this weekend, after a bit of a false start - had to dig a big hole to fix a burst water main which involved lifting about 30 pavers, mains are made from HDPE black plastic pipe, it looks like it's been leaking for months, the neighbours just chopped down a big tree that was going beserk - no wonder it's been getting all my water. Solution made a sleeve frrom thick rubber and pipe clips, it'll hold til I can find a real plumber. My mate (ex plumber) helped me dig the hole and fix it - his bloods worth bottling.

Anyway enough of the water squirty out broken pipe thingy, more aquaponics.

On Saturday afternoon, I concreted in 4 posts (only made an error with one pole, have to move it 30cm down next weekend, not too bad. Twas easy dug a hole, poured water in and then put dry concrete on top, using a trowel and rod I rodded the mix til the water soaked through, just like a bought one !
you can see from the photo's the pole on the left hand side is keeping the GB away from the fence, so I'll move it down this weekend before I load up the beds (bluemetal or 20mm pebble type o mix) oh and install the pipes, mustn't forget THAT bit.

Then we moved the big 3000lt fish tank into the backyard. well what an effort, the only way was to unbolt 2 separate security fence panels and go via the swimming pool, I came so close to going for a swim.
Then we negotiated our way up a 4 foot high ramp and then negotiated into the pre-prepared corner.

Then my mate left and I had to lug all these blocks into place (did I tell you I got them for 50c each ?) then the installed the 75cm thick sleepers, they'll need cutting to suit the drain., not sure if I put this close to the FT or the other end, before I go any further I need to think about 1 pump or 2 ?

Feeling good, a hard weekends yakka, and starting to take shape !
I know how y'all feel getting your systems built woo hoo

Another photo of my outdoor electricity supply, right next to the ol fish pond, containing about 15 reasonable sized goldfish, (great starter for the new tank).

I'll get this plumbed across into my shed, for a covered powerpoint closer to the tanks.

Mike,
A lot of people not aware of this. You can claim a once off bill reduction for an underground leak. Watercorp has to approve it and assuming there is a noticeable difference in bill.

"If you experience a leak in your internal plumbing, contact a licensed plumber to locate and repair the leak. In certain circumstances we may consider a special leak allowance to offset the wastage.
We will:
Consider granting an allowance if:
• The repair work was undertaken by a licensed plumber.
• We have received a leak allowance form completed by the licensed plumber who undertook the repairs."

Privatteer, thanks I'll contact them, my repair was a temporary patch using pipe clamps, so I have to call a licenced plumber anyway, might save me a few months of water bills. !

Just re-looked at my photos below and everything seems wonky...

It isn't ! the vertical posts are set using a spirit level (the fences are leaning - it's an optical illusion honest !)

..and the FT looks out of whack, I used a long spirit level on the side of a piece of timber, it's level... though looking at this I will check prior to filling it!
(doggy brothers inc. rules !!!)

Perhaps you need a level on the camera

errr ummm maybe it was the bottle of beer in the other hand

Tonight I checked the new seedlings, (i've used plastic crates until I can get a blue barrel seed propogator built.)

some are already looking amazing, others are just breaking through the surface.

Talk about making the job easier for the plumber, I've dug his hole, highlighted the leak and got everything ready, form downloaded to get the waterboard leak reduction (thanks Privatteer)

Ah.... it's been a good weekend, moved my post, bought a 500litre sump, dug a big hole for it and lugged 1 ton of rock up a 2m high back garden, ooh the knees & hands are going to pay for it tomorrow.

Started washing the rock too, Very glad the former owner put electricity, bore water and the main drain all within 3m of my setup. I'm close to the coast so no brown colour from the bore anywhere to be seen

got one grow bed filled, need another load of large pea gravel (20mm) for $80, only downside is carrying it up in large buckets, I'm now 2 inches shorter than I was this morning.

and THANKS to my mate Paul, (the bloke in the red shirt), stirling job, he even passed a comment to another mate on the phone "i'm having such fun doing this, it's as much fun as I had when I ran over my own dog".... ah well, I'm sure he means he enjoyed it ... hmmm must think that through....

Oh and if any of you have ornamental fish and need coloured sand for your indoor tanks, Paul new business is providing coloured sand.

anyway enough typing, more pictures....
Oh and if I'm in any photo's that's me with the big gut and dirty t-shirt, I suffered a hand mouth co-ordination problem with a cup of coffee sigh...