Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Love the the fruit trees. I have a dwarf peach under performing in the soil, will be putting it in the AP during the winter.

Been really busy for a while so have spend little time on the forum. Thanks for all good words.

I have also got a dwarf hickson mandarin and dwarf tahitian lime in the same system. For some reason, they are not growing as quickly as the dwarf peach. Or possibly not at all.

I got the dwarf peach and transplanted it some time mid Spring this year. The flowers were kind of budding already when I transplanted the plant. So I have proven that I can grow peach (dwarf plant) in AP from spring to summer. The only unknown at this stage is from summer to next spring. Will it survive the summer heat? Should I continue flood and draining the plant in winter when it is dormant? Will it produce flowers hence fruit again next year?

Oh well couple of unknowns... But I think for the sake of being different and seeing if there will be any difference, I will continue to flood and drain the plant during winter.

Plan to have a dwarf apple and maybe a pear if I have the space... Also a grape vine along the side fence in a blue barrel. All connected to AP.

Time for an update. Growth in my 3rd system has not been good of late. I think it is because of the high pH due to the constant water topup. Hopefully when I add more fishes later, the system would balance itself out.

Anyways, I do not have much luck with timers. They either don't work after a while, or 15mins interval timers that actually only run for 10mins, or have some fault with them at some stage. So I decided to get myself a new toy.

An asymmetrical recycling timer of an industrial grade. Hopefully it will take the outdoor temperatures fine. Wired it as shown in the photo and put the whole lot into an outdoor weather-protected box.

The dials infront allow me to adjust the ON time and the OFF time as required. Currently adjusted to approximately 18mins ON and 12 mins OFF... *Just in case, some are questioning the OFF time, I am using a spider indexing valve*.

Hopefully this timer lasts.

Hi Ivan, pics?
I am thinking of getting seq. valve for my system, see last couple of my posts.
I was thinking that I would not have to have a timer at all and run my pump full time.
Does valve have a timer, aw man Im confused
Do you have posts of your valve running and is it one of Rupes?

Opps... Must have forgotten to attached the pics... See picture of my recycling timer as mentioned in my previous posts.

Yes my sequencing valve is one from Rupes... The valve is a mechanical valve. The way is indexes to the next station/zone is when flow is interrupted. So in short, you do not need a timer if you don't want to, but you need something else (possibly a solenoid) so that you can stop the flow for a few seconds and then re-start it again. The problem with a solenoid solution is when you stop flow with the pump still running, you need to divert the flow elsewhere so that you do not cause damage to a running pump. Gets more complicated then using a timer.

My Venturi Airator should keep pump Ok as diverts from pump to FT. Those solenoid timers, where would one purchase these, any ideas?
Any pics of plants and fish, we all love pics.

Hi ivansng,

How does the IBC GB return the water the FT? Is it pumped back? (I think its the same setup as the BYAP kits but i dont know how they work either )

When you think about it all you need is the solinoid hooked into the main line (before the index valve) and close to the tank.
When the solinoid trips, water goes back to the tank, (the water under pressure from the pump should take the easiest route) hopefully the water in the rest of the pipe to the index valve will let off enough pressure to index when the soliniod resets.....I Think....
Either way it will make a great project....for someone

No, it's gravity drained as my fish tank is lower than the growbed and the growbed only half drains. OBO's idea.

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I see the pipping coming along the ground then up and over the FT, does it have enough pressure to push the water like that?

Also mate how did you get such neat cuts on the barrels

Jigsaw, then file away the rough edges.

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any updates ivan?

I suppose I have been really slack.

Will try to do an update this weekend. Still not finished but there are some changes.

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Here's what happening with my 3rd system...

IBC growbeds and grow barrels... took out most of the dying summer vines last week... planted new seedlings... broccolli, calliflower, chives, lettuces...

Basil still going crazy... anyone want some basil?? Dwarf peach tree has grown (it's the one with the shovel rested against it... dwarfed by the basil (tree)...


IBC fish tank and the new looking IBC next to it is another IBC growbed...


Final expansion... Blue barrel support foundation in place... Just need to get the blue barrels connected to the semi-buried pipes and along with the new IBC growbed, they will become another index zone...


Plan to have grapes in the barrel next to fence that would get the most sun during summer... the others would probably be citrus... not sure yet...

Will provide another update once I get more progress...