Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi all, the students at our school are going to start making a pretty good sized AP system.

Currently the kids have designed this plan:
using:
180 gal pond
180 gal gravel bed
300 gallon DWC raft bed

It will be a CHIFT PIST (sp) without a sump. The large DWC bed will serve as the sump. The pump will live in the DWC raft bed and pump water into the pond and the pond will overflow into the gravel bed which then drains to the DWC bed.

So DWC->Pond->Gravel bed->DWC bed.

Can you guys think of any drawbacks to the design? I figure the water level in the DWC won't really matter because its so damn big.

What do you guys think?

are you missing a plan there??

Here's a simple plan...

Winner. Assuming from the bed to the sump is not an overflow but a siphon or something then it'll work OK.

If you've got aerators in the DWC bed then they'll output more/less as the water goes up and down but I don't foresee any problems with that....

Oh. One potential problem might be kids falling in the DWC tank.

gravel will be F&D. Pump on a timer. DWC will be aerated.

Kids are older, 16-18. if they fall in and drown, they deserved it.

Love it, there is not enough promotion of "natural selection" in the human race these days, instead we seem hell bent on dumbing down the gene pool.

Burnsy - when I travelled around Europe I realised how much hand holding us aussies get so that we don't hurt themselves.

In Amsterdam, they reverse parallel park their cars next to canals. In australia, we'd have coppers logs there to stop idiots from parking their car in the canal, but over there they don't. There's no rules about bicicyle helments or anything like that. Essentially you look after yourself, and if you're an idiot, you're an idiot. Here, we baby everyone.

Was interesting.

Progress! Student designed and built!

Washing gravel goes a lot faster when you have 10 kids doing it.

180g fish pond, 270g gravel bed, and a 300 gallon DWC raft bed. Idea is that the gravel will filter water before the raft bed. DWC also serves as a sump.

interesting convo on the babying. Here in the US everyone is so worried about liability we hand hold too. I teach at a private school so liability dictates almost everything that happens on campus. Its crazy. Evolution doesn't apply to the human race.

If you have time however see

http://www.darwinawards.com/

I guess natural selection does still play a role in the human race...

Thats neat HN! Who makes the blue one and the 300 gallon one?

I don't know who makes it. A local feed supply store brings them in from the mainland. They are nice sizes and shapes but expensive!!

The owner has had so much demand on growbeds he now has contracted a plastic company and had his own mold make. A very nice 8'x1'x1' growbed.

Updated pic of system. we have 2 very similar to each other.

Whar fish do you have and what are you feeding them

whoa haven't posted in a while, I'll get some pics up later.

I wanted to share with you guys water analysis tests we did through the local university. Pretty cool stuff, we obviously have some problems that we're working on.

If you are able to have the tests done I highly recommend it, it will provide some valuable insight to your systems.