Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

After I changed the sump liner and replaced with the 800L tank, I put the remaining catfish in an old GB tank that I was using for duckweed.
Originally I planned to put them back in the sump, but as there were only 20 left from the original 100 I fully expected them all to die.
Since being in a 135L GB, no air, no circulation just some duckweed on the surface, NONE of them have died.

I'm just gonna leave them there now and see what happens.

I don't get it, it would seem that these fish like poor conditions.
Another unsolved mystery, but it seems what ever type of catfish these are in TL, don't like AP for some reason.

Hey! last year I asked you about temp fluctuation. How about this year? Your system is too small.
My system, 8 m^3, water temp drop to 26-28, my tillapia reduce eating already.
Chang mai shoud be worse.

When the tilapia were alive, I had a 5000 litre sump in the ground, the temp didn't change much from day to night.
It's about 24 in the morning, 26 in the evening, haven't measured it since they died.
Now the sump is only 800L I expect the fluctuation to be a lot more.
Actually the last 3 nights it has been warm in the night time in CM, 25 degrees now, 20:30
IIRC this time last year it was down to 16-17 at night.

Did you ever start a thread on this forum Ao+, I (and I'm sure many others) would like to see how your system is progressing.

Cheers.

Duinui

Is a sump tank and a FT the same thing? Please explain.

John,
No...
A sump tank is (usually) in the ground, next to the fish tank.
You can see this very clearly in my Surin thread.
Water is pumped from the sump into the fish tank(s) causing them to overflow.
The fish tank is plumbed so that when it overflows it goes to the growbeds.
The GB's then return clean filtered water to the sump.
It is done like this so that the level of water in the fish tank doesn't vary much, and the water in the sump is much cleaner than the fish tank water, it's better for the pump to be pumping clean water.

Just finished reading this thread tonight. Have many thoughts and many more questions. Many of my thoughts are not related to each other so I will just ramble on.

AO, IMO is correct. Forget plastic and go for cement. I use cement for everything, koi pond, bog gardens, grown beds and fish pond. Mix waterproofing into the motor. Fill the blocks as they are laid up. Used no iron except in the floor. Using a waterproof mix and render well. Since August 2011 when I filled the pond in the photo I can not detect a leak - less than 1/8 inch loss per day.

Maybe you should consider leasing land if you plan to stay in Thailand for the rest of your life. Then you don't have to worry about moving and setting up and the million nightmares that come with it. You lease the land so a GF or Wife can be shown the door and you still have your home.

What is the blue pipe for on or in the GB, about 3 or 4 inch dia. How does the water drain from the GB? Do you have a clear flow diagram of a set up like yours? This is all new to me.

Coco coir chunks like you have in the photo need to be soaked over night, then rinsed and then soaked over night and then rinsed a second time. Doing so not only removes most of the brown/red color but it also removes the salt that may possibly be in the coir. Many trees in Asia grown near salt water. The brown water will not hurt the fish but salt can kill them. I mix this rinsed coir 50/50 with rice hulls - that is what is in all ten of my grown beds. For planted pots and dirt gardening I use a mixture of 1, 1, 1 - powered coir, rice hulls and manure (my is goat manure since my neighbor has a few dozen goats). I still water them with pond water. Plants seem to like it.

I know nothing about chemicals as I have been an organic gardener since I was in my early 30's. I know even less about electrical and electronics. I like the simple to do way as long as it works.

Great thread. I really enjoyed it.

The 100mm pipe in the GB is the standpipe guard.
There is a hole in the bottom of the GB and bulkhead fittings for PVC.
In a CF situation, the water comes in to the GB and flows to the height of the standpipe and then flows back to the FT/ST, you can also put an adaptor (20-50 etc) on this, put a cap on the 100mm (or plastic bag) and make an Affnan siphon.
The guard keeps the gravel away from the standpipe and allows a hand down to the PVC fittings, should that prove necessary (it will, roots and stuff)

So if I understand this correctly the FT water drains to ST - is regulated how?
The ST water is then pumped to GB - again regulated how? When the water reaches the top of this stand pipe it flows into this pipe back to the FT. I see a big benefit here in that solids settle in the ST and would be easier to remove than in my gravel system. I assume that the water level of 1 inch or so below the top of the gravel is regulated by how high the top of the stand pipe is. Am I still in never-never land or am I starting to understand this system?

Getting close John
Your understanding of the standpipe is correct, but not the direction of the flow.
In "most" systems the water is pumped from the ST to the FT which then over flows.
The FT is plumbed such that when it overflows the water goes to the GB(s)
The FT overflow pipe is commonly referred to as SLO, Solids Lifting Overflow typically in the centre of the tank and exiting through the side of the tank just below the top.
Another advantage of this is that you can never pump your FT dry in the event of a failure.

When you ask about removing your solids from the GB, I think you are still missing the whole point about AP.
The solids (fish waste, uneaten food etc.) are deposited in the GB where they start to be broken down (mineralised) composting worms are usually added to the GBs to, to assist this process.
As the waste builds up so do the bacteria that breaks it down.
Your GB's will have a maximum amount of waste that they can process, this is largely what determines your potential stocking density in the tank.

Digital art, or art in any form has never been my strong point, but maybe this diagram will help.

Hi Duinui,

I assume from the diagram that the FT water flows by gravity to the GB. Again the water flows by gravity from the GB to the ST. Then it is pumped up to the FT.

Is a stand pipe the same thing as an overflow pipe?? Are both the same as an SLO??

What is the difference between the stand pipe and just a hole in the side, near the tank top to let the water flow out??

How is all of this automated??

1) Yes, Yes and Yes.

2) Um, in what sense? They are both really just pieces of pipe but perform different jobs.

3) Nothing I guess, in fact my super-cheap GB has exactly that.
It is of course easier the vary the flood height with a standpipe, you might want to flood slightly
higher with seedlings, for example.
4) There are lots of ways, with CF no automation is required, you pump 24/7
Timed flood and drain uses a timer to turn the pump on and off, the standpipe has small holes in
the bottom, the GB fills, the pump goes off and the water drains slowly back to the FT.
Siphoning you can pump 24/7 (some people turn off at night and just use air) the tank fills the
siphon activates and empties the bed.

This system in the old house had a micro controlling everything, pump, GB inlets, GB outlets etc. etc.
I'm umming and ahhing about whether to continue using it as I expand the system in the new house, it takes a lot of my time that could be better used elsewhere, like drink Chang Export, for example

John, an overflow standpipe sets the level of the flood... ie... when pumped the water level rises to the point where it then overflows down the standpipe...

Two small holes are drilled at the very bottom of the standpipe... one, so that water can begin to slowly drain immediately... lessening the draw down on the tank... and subsequently when the pump is stopped, usually by a timer... the rest of the water slow drains back to the tank...

A siphon ustilises a continuously running pump... and drains the bed, usually very quickly, by the siphon action... where upon it immediately refills... siphons etc..

A constan flood system... again uses a contunously running pump... but rather than having a siphon... just uses, and overflows the standpipe...

Some people still retain the holes in the bottom.. so that the beds can drain if the pump stops... others don't use holes at all...

An SLO is just basically an overflow system... maintaining a constant height in the fish tank... which is refilled from the sump...

It's called an SLO... a solids lifting overflow... because the design lifts the solids up from the bottom of the tank.. and delivers them to the grow bed by the overflow...

I drew the standpipe badly, it usually exits from the bottom of the GB.

What do you guy's feed your fish? I plan to let mine live on algae after the pond gets to the proper balance - dirty enough water to feed fish and plants yet clean enough that the fish stay healthy.

In the FT you have an SLO usually in the center. As the water reaches the desired level the water overflows into the pipe and into the FT via another pipe.. If the water drains out the side near the top of the tank - how is this plumbing done?? The SLO is fastened to the bottom of the tank but no hole in the bottom of the tank, instead the water is diverted thru a smaller pipe running to the side of the tank near the top - this is the picture I get - is this correct???? The two pipes connect at a 90 degree.
If this is correct it makes no sense to me to have the SLO - simpler just to have a drain pipe connected near to the top of the fish tank to drain off the water to the GB's. Am I confused or what - dah