Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

None taken before eating... will come back to it.

However, I've finally done something I've meant to do for the longest time - changed the system to timed pumping (15 min per hour). There was so little headroom between the top of the sumps and the pump's float valve on point that a tiny drop in water level would keep the pump from, well, pumping, and then there'd be no water flow for a day or two until I noticed.

However, the pump pumps so well it empties the sumps in a handful of minutes and then just sits there trying to pump air - so, pump bypass plumbing has been installed.

Just a T off the pump pressure line with a valve to regulate the amount bypassed; a little fiddling and now it pumps for the full 15 minutes, getting the sumps down to just before the pump cavitates.

The plants look happier, and I have no doubt the fishies are too.

Good to see you guys back and yeah timed flood and drain is good

Thanks - never really went anywhere; I just have a problem with people who bang on when they've nothing to say, and didn't want to become one...

We are about to replace the first two growbeds' worth of growing media - reclaimed crushed building rubble, as I believe it to be the root cause of our determinedly-high pH.

Is there any advantage to changing the water at the same time - will the water have anything in it from the media, that I would want to get rid of?

The first two growbeds have, of course, the best bacteria growth and nicest green goo - are there any strategies to retaining as much as possible when dumping the media?

Just dump the media... keep the rest...

Thanks, Rupert.

I'm thinking about some more fish, too - are you up our way anytime?

Email me Michael... was up ay Mittagong on the weekend... and probably heading back there this weekend..

Any updates?

Finally First Fish.

250g and 350g gutted; not the largest in there, but obviously the stupidest. We caught the 250g one three times before giving up and deciding he wanted to be eaten.

Sophie (7) saw Kathy knock them over the head with a hammer and cried and cried...

So, how did they taste Michael... and did Sophie eat some???

Time for some trout???

They tasted good... and Sophie did eat some. Brave girl.

Trout will have to wait for second system to be finally finished, I'm afraid. I have all the bits, but no time...

You've got all weekend... and then there's Easter.... what's the problem...

After the longest time... finally, the second system is underway.

Note the sump plumbing size - 90mm:


New system; fishtank in place; sumps roughly placed; growbeds to come. First system in the background:


Tomorrow; plumb the sumps and install the growbeds.

Sumps in and plumbed.

Construction nearly finished.

Plumbing started...

Good to see System #2 Michael...