Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

The ends were interesting but not that bad. I split the liner on the center of the rail for the two gutters. Then I screwed the center of each gutter up. Then folded each side over to make like a triangular fold and screwed in the corner of the triangle. It got too tight to use three screws on the side where the post was in the way of the edge, so I only used a couple screws there. Later when I ran it that part leaked, because all folds must be below the water line and I hadn't done it that well on the tight one. I refolded it and it seems to be OK now.

I think the ends look pretty good

To put the drains in the liner was drilled with a 1/2" drill bit with a piece of wood on the other side to press against. This is just the right size to push a 3/4" pipe through. Then the liner is held with a hose clamp. I used couplers on each side of the pipe to adjust the water height and to remove the drain pipe if necessary. This came in handy later as I decided to lessen the slope of the rail and was able to get almost all the water out by removing the pipes and couplers and squishing the liner to tilt the water out.

The pumped water goes into a distribution box made from a plastic pitcher, with conduit fittings in the bottom at all the same level. There is an overflow pipe to the left just in case. I screwed the pipes on but this required using silicone because water leaked from the screw holes. Held things secure with nylon zip ties (God I love them so).

I think this looks pretty clean, nothing but some lumber, liner, screws, and net pots!

Upper and lower rails working now. Loaded the bottom with charcoal, have to get more to fill the upper rail. 9 year-old for scale (and a dachshund, in the other picture).

Looking Good Dave!

Thanks Deja! Things ebb and flow from year to year. I'm about a month late this year but I think I finally have a way to add plant capacity easily and cheaply, without using heavy gravel to do it. From what I've noticed it is very easy to add water volume but not as easy to add plant growing volume, for me anyway.

Very interesting! Great job, Dave.

Great stuff, very interesting....

Thanks peeps!

Nice work DD, great to see people thinking outside the box... Haven't seen the old dachshund for scale in a long time.

Good to see things back in the "green" DD...

Could probably make things look really fancy with upholstery tacks along the edge if you find you need more than just the screws you have. Have you filled the upper rail with water yet to see how well it holds up?

Yep it's been running all night and day, no leaks so far. I expect that for July I may want to get some white row cover fabric and cover the black with white to avoid solar gain. Are you saying I could Be Dazzle it TC? LOL

Took two more boxes of Scotch Brite pads and made them into a filter with gaps between the pads. Whilst hanging this from the side of the sump I lifted up the planter net basket covering the drain pipes in the sump and there are some kind of clear gelatinous egg sacs on it! I suppose more minnows are on the way, unless those are snails, which are throughout the system.

Went out looking for Maxicrop, the nursery I like didn't have it, but I got some iron from them. Got home and found the bottle of iron I had from a couple years ago. I want to put some in because the strawberries in the house from the Rendezvous system have pale leaves.

The plan this week is to get seeds started by putting the 5" net pots in the Rendezvous pots, and using the indoor aquarium water to start the seeds then move them outside once they've sprouted. Got some strawberry seeds because no one has plants anymore for sale.