Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I suppose it depends on how dependent you want the ducks to be on you for everything. My birds get large sections of my yard and I move the paddock around so they get different parts of the yard through the year. But a 40 by 60 space could probably handle a few ducks, depending on if you also want to use the space for other things or not. Biggest challenge I've noticed with the muscovy ducks is that you need at least a few females or the male duck will wear out one getting all the attention. See if you only have one or two females then when they are sitting on a nest the male tends to attack them for mating whenever they try to get off the nest for necessary functions and the ladies are none too keen for mating when they are sitting a nest or when they have very small ducklings.

I have 4 adult females now and they seem to keep the big guy relatively happy with only the occasional commotion.

Ok the brain for my automatic low pressure valve (that was controlling the flow to the indexing valve) fried a couple weeks ago. A bug crawled in and got toasted. I did manage to get it working again for about a day but then it quit again. So, I switched the system over to constant flood for the week I was gone. (everything seems to have done fine, or perhaps better than fine since it was hot.)

Now I'm home and the fun continues. I've been testing a FLOUT and I guess it's time for me to try and figure out how to get the FLOUT to take over the position of controlling flow to my gravity modified aquaponics indexing valve. To make this happen I have to give up the plants in one of the grow beds. So I transplanted the plants and that grow bed will still get to be a filter but the flout tank will be sitting on top of it so it won't be much of a grow bed anymore.

If I can get this all balanced right, the indexing valve and the control for the indexing valve will be purely aquamechanical. But as with everything in aquaponics, balance and flows are key. This would be so much easier to do designing from the beginning rather than trying to fit it into an existing set up where the heights are already set.

So I guess it's time to go out and continue the tinkering.

Fish all seem to have survived the week away fine. Still have about 35 fish in the big tank. 230 blue gill fingerlings on the front porch and the big system is running with only about 5 ppm nitrates but the plants all seem quite happy. Front porch isolation has more nutrients because of the high protein feed for the babies.

aquamechanical!

Aquamechanical does have a ring to it . How about some pictures, this is a tough one to visualize (I guess I'm thinking there must be a way to keep most of the growbed but I know you've had much more experience with these than I have).

I fear I'm trying to squeeze too much into too little fall. I think I need about six more inches to make it work. The transition between zone 6 and zone 1 seems to stick with only the 12 inches of head. How I had it set up before with the automated valve probably gave me 18 inches above the valve.

I'm not wanting to post pictures yet as I don't have it quite working right.

Good luck with the futzing . Can you increase the pressure on the indexing valve by enlarging the pipe heading into it until just before the valve or make the water come in at a steeper angle (don't know if either of these would work, just a thought).

I'm feeding from a 3" flout and I switch down to 1 1/2" pipe right before the indexing valve. How I have the plumbing though might be creating more turbulence that could be interfering a little. It's hard to work these sorts of things out in a pre-existing set up where space is already filled with heavy grow beds.

Yep, that's really true.

Pictures of systems not working can be just as helpful as pictures of systems working. Sometimes even more so.

Also true

pumperflouternating say that ten times fast. I gave up and added a pump to drive that indexing valve for the time being since I need to get something balanced and running to make sure it is going to work for a week before I have to go off on another job and leave it in the care of mom and the neighbor. (I can't expect either of them to do much more than fill feeders, collect eggs and check to make sure pumps are running.)

Will have to get pictures tomorrow.

Hey TC

where does your job take you to as far as in the US?

jT

Mostly up to Washington DC and Las Vegas this year it seems. (doing AV for corporate shows and meetings.) I did just get back from Bermuda, wish I had time to enjoy the Island instead of just the hotel ballrooms. Bermuda seems like a perfect place for aquaponics though!!!!!!!! They have a climate that is more like upland tropical I think. They actually get cool weather in winter but never any hard freezes like we get here in Florida so they would probably have a great long cool season for growing all the greens and lettuce!!!!

Anyway, most of my travel is to the big cities that lots of big companies do their conferences in. Seattle, Boston, DC, Orlando, Vegas, stuff like that. Would come to visit if any got close to you JT but I expect I'll have to make that an Aquaponic trip all it's own.

Ok sorry to all those who have been waiting to see more PLART. Anyway, I've finally posted the blog post with pictures about pumberflouternating.

http://www.aquaponiclynx.com/pumperflouternating

Here are a few of the pictures but if you want the full story go to the blog post, I'm not up to re-typing tonight.