Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

The point of the SLO is to lift the solids (fish waste and uneaten food).
It also draws water from the bottom of the tank, which is likely to have less DO than water at the top.
Keeps things circulating nicely.
If you just let the FT overflow at the top, solids will accumulate at the bottom and go all yucky.

This award winning picture may help
The blob at the bottom of the SLO is supposed to be a 20-50 adaptor, of whatever size suits your tank size.

As for food, I feed mine on a mixture of pellets, duckweed and any other fruit/veg they will eat, Koi love banana, I only have Koi left at the moment, gonna get some more Tilapia next week some time.
The problem with algae in AP is that it uses oxygen at night, you really want to be able to take the algae out at night and put it back in again in the daytime for the fish to eat, but afaik no one has come up with a method to do that

TCLynx put a lot of effort into compiling these pics and details.
Well worth a look.
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=5311

To more explicitly answer your questions.


No. It does not have to be, you can run some pipe along the bottom of the tank and then up the tank wall. (I know you said "usually", so you've probably seen this)


No. The water enters mainly through the bottom of the pipe near the bottom of the fish tank. It then flows up the "stand" pipe and out the one in the side of a tank (at the top) using a kind of syphon effect (not really...think "under gravel filter" in aquarium). This lifts stuff from the bottom of your tank and dumps it outside the tank. The reason people have a T or opening at the top of the stand pipe is to: 1) avoid air lock which can create a real syphon and drain your tank. 2) act as an emergency overflow incase water is lifting from the bottom slower than the pump is pushing water in (e.g. the bottom of stand pipe is clogged). In this way it acts as you have described in your question.


No. But I guess you've figured that from our previous posts. The pipe only sits on, or stays close to, the bottom of the tank. It is close so that the particles on the bottoem are close enough to the entry holes to get sucked in. People usually avoid sucking fish in by caping the end of the pipe and drilling a number of small holes in it for water to suck through. Or by resting the pipe on the bottom and cutting little groves in the end of the pipe so there is room for water to get in at the bottom.


Yes, but with a T piece, not a 90 degree elbow.

If you want some ideas, check out Arbe's beauty. http://backyardaquaponics.com/forum/vie ... 45#p266196

cheers,
Luke

Hi Luke,

Thanks for the explanation - it sure helps to understand this stuff. I am new to this type of plumbing. I now finally understand the SLO. Before I didn't have a clue as to what it was or how it worked.

I read some of Arbe's last night and plan to read the Red Baron - I need to build a shade house over my system to slow the sun and the heavy rain. Probably using just the green screen we get here in Thailand. The black cuts out too much sunshine.

Minor update, not much has changed, been spending a lot of time thinking about and planning the expansion.

Spring Onions, the only thing that is outperforming the ones planted in dirt at the same time.
(I know it's early days yet )


Some sad looking Pak Chi and Pak Boong on the left, showing signs of deficiency, and after I foliar sprayed them with Florigen, the leaves burned, need to dilute I think, lol.


This year's runner up in the "Unnecessarily Complicated Plumbing" Award.

Dirt Pak Boong and Pak Chi.


The Bomb Site...

Here's a Sketchup of the expansion plans, probably time to start a 2012 thread, DD style

Your PakChi are really great.
I never success with PakChi.

Strange, we have done nothing but plant them and water them every day.
Same with the Pak Boong, no fertilizer or anything.
I think the mud from the river is probably very fertile though.

Not AP related, but rather nice, nonetheless, 2 Orchids in the garden.

Wow pretty!

Hi There
looking good on the expansion.

I think the temp change could be a problem with your fish. Only time will tell. 10 degrees in a day is not good for them.

Also for John you need to go to the home page and download the free ebook IBC's of Aquaponics. It has lots of information. Also go to the forum index and go looking through for information. Tclinx is the author for some good info and drawings that describe how the systems are designed and operate.

Keep trying and it will work one of these days.

Thanks Don.
I have a lot more water now and the temp variations are much less, perhaps 2 degrees at most.
The Catfish still died though, 80 out of a 100.
I put the remaining ones in an old growbed, no air, no pumping, just dirty water with a covering of duckweed.
Since that none have died and they are thriving, this species just doesn't seem to like something about AP, super clean water or flowing water, I don't know, but something.

I have Koi and Tilapia in the main system now, all seem quite happy.

You may be interested in this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsFye9mwjjA
AP farm in Thailand.

I just looked at the vidio. Shocked me, what they use for a growing medium, broken bricks. I wonder what they have under the bricks, like some type of gravel. Might be worth a trip to visit them sometime.