Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

the leaves on system 1 look a little darker than the other 2 systems.

Is that just a camera thing or does it look like that in reality?

I think darker leaves mean the plants are seeking to do more photosynthesis.

Might be the cheap crappy camera... I found the better camera today, it had been missing for weeks but turned up today randomly in my fishing bag...

Smells a bit fishy....

Love the trials and have been avidly watching them.
Keep up the great work (and photos - but to be honest seeing them in the flesh, so to speak, is well worth it - a picture may speak a thousand words but real life says it all!)
One question; what time of day is the temp taken? (I assume it is of the water)
Cheers
Marc

yeah it's the water, and generally in the morning about 9-10.. The other day temp readings seemed a little out so we put in a second thermometer into each system to be sure they weren't faulty.

so a few months on, how is it looking? Is Siphon coming close to a timed system?

Earthbound,
Bed 3 clearly was out in the lead for a while but it seem that all have evened out at this point. At what week, or month, do you think the 3 appeared equal? Which bed has produced the most?

Pretty much of a muchness really, I think system three may be ahead by a nose still with the plants, but there's not much in it really.

Its been a bit of a swinging pendulum really though bed 3 would have produced most over all... Here's the harvest pics of the spring onions from back in June, I'm still amazed by the size of them..

System 1


System 2


System 3

And here's things from an angle that you don't normally see, and larger pics than normal... These are taken today, system 2's cabbages are doing very well..

System 1


System 2


System 3

And from side on..
System 1


System 2


System 3

Do you have what pumps are in each system? Im interested in the CF one as from a wattage and volume perspective

The pumps are a little oversized for the CF and siphon system really, but we wanted to keep them all the same, they are a 3000L pump, I think about 60W for memory..

ty

if im correct, and please correct me, for a CF on a 1000 ltr FT, I would need it to pump 1000 litres or more at the head height per hr and split it to 8 x GBS, that's all that's needed? Im still thinking timed with a good switch is better, for circulation and draining and that would be about the same - >1000 litres per hr (where as a siphon system will need more to start/stop the siphon)?

I also note, Murray is possibly relooking at this option (timed) from a sense of power saving and "off the grid"

8 x GBS?

I think you can really do it sooo many different ways and there advantages and disadvantages to each method.. I've heard people talk about timers being unreliable, we've found that they generally don't work when you buy them, or they will keep going and going, and that's just the reasonably cheap ones.. I think Faye said hers may have just stopped the other day, that's after 4 years..

Others have said that a pump stopping and starting will reduce the lifespan because of the added stresses. I spoke to an electrical tech the other day and he seemed to think that it would make little to no difference to the pond pumps life span..

Personally I'm starting to like the idea of CF though....

I don't know if Murray has set up a solar system yet, I know he says that his systems are "solar ready" but in reality and system can be called that.. It's not as easy as one might think, we've had one running off and on for quite a while at the shop and it has required some extremely low pumping cycles to keep it going. lately it's been plugged into the power point instead...

yes - 8 x cut IBC's, so 2400 litres of GB. I got a few IBC's for nothing At the moment, I run 4 GBs (1200 litres) and 1000 litres FT (40 R Trout), siphon and 500 litre ST. Im measuring KWHrs over 5 days as it is and then remove the siphons, smaller pump then CF and check KWHrs again.

My only thing is size of pump needed for the 2400 litre GB system doing CF?

Murray has a big bank of batteries now and wants to go off grid, nothing wrong with that. He has also started to drop the wattage of his pumps "he" is using, see what he can get down to before sacrificing water quality, and that's what its all about