Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Still learning Sketchup, but hope to show details such as the above mentioned grading around the system. It is actually raised a bit from the surrounding ground just because of the subject raised by BW.
The AP system won't be at the top of the gentle slope, but will be close to the top. I believe all the time spent grading and leveling with the tractor will be worth the effort. And the wait. But good things come to those that do the job correctly the first time around. Paraphrased by Mr Bill, lol.

Nice tank Bill...

so far, so good.

Sketchup insomnia. Up at 0230 making the poles and roof. Hey, gotta cover the fish tank water to protect from algea blooms, right? LOL

Wow, that's a lot of blue barrels.
Looks like one of those marathon domino competitions, if one goes down they all will.
I'm jesting slightly, but from the picture it looks like they may be vulnerable to falling over.

It's only 8 barrels - 16 half barrels (so far) and you are right, it does look as it the domino effect may be an issue.

However, the growbeds are surrounded by a 2X6 frame and each growbed is screwed into the frame on each side. So if one goes down, they all go down at the same time. Ooohh what a mess that would be!!!

I'll edit the plans to have some of the blocks sideways for more support. This will be towards the "drop off" on the south side (the side you can currently see in the rendering)

As an aside, this will assist in blocking the sunlight... Warm, humid, dark... may give a good hiding place to grow mushrooms under the shade cast by the barrel growbeds.

List:
Put a compass rose on the Sketchup Plan
Build retaining wall behind tanks and along the South wall
Pump station
Electrical/water feed
Pressure pipes
Drain pipes
Mr Bill sitting in his wheelchair drinking a cold one

This is sooo addicting.

That's some nice Sketchupping Mr. Bill, it's a good skill to learn.

Do you have a ripper to loosen up the clay a bit ?

I wish I had something like that I could use. The bucket tractor is the only thing I have to work with. No worries, it'll get done.

sure there would be some old thing from yesteryear from a farm lying around somewhere.... The amount of old farm implements that my old man threw out when they sold the farm.....

Alright DuiNui, no more nightmares about the domino effect. And I get to have mushroom logs under the growbeds.




Good thing I don't have gravel in those growbeds. I'm tired out as it is just moving all those blocks around

And MANY thanks to the people who made their Sketchup models public.

Shiitake? Oyster ?

Perfect place for some Shiitakes I would think.
I have a load of DIY bags full of the stuff waiting for the mycelium to colonise.
Oddly I can't stand the texture, but love the flavour they give food, especially meat dishes.
Apparently they are very very good anti-cancer food too.

Yeah they are, I believe the Japanese actually use some Shiitake extract to treat cancer patients. In Australia they just kill you with radiation and drugs

Still messing around with Sketchup. I now see its usefullness since hitting a snag in the design. Maybe I'm just tired and haven't thought everything out yet, but here is what I have so far.
IBC tanks in the lower part, framed over with a roof. Got that part Sketchuped out alright.

Need to build a retaining wall down the side of the raised area. This retaining wall will serve three purposes. Holding up the raised area using 4X4's in concrete. At the tops of those posts is where the growbed frames will attach. This is also part of the (distant future) greenhouse, hence the height.

The drain pipe is what I'm currently having issues with. If the pipe is on the upper part, I can't access the mushroom space underneath. If the pipe is attached to the retaining wall, there may be issues with accessablility. Then there is the asthetics. Who wants to see a PVC drain pipe just stuck out there?

DOH. HEADSMACK!!! It hits me that I could use the drain pipe as an NFT. Is this a viable idea? Growbeds drain into the 4" or 6" PVC pipe. Holes could be drilled and filled with netcups with lightweight media and strawberries or something else that won't mind the blast of full sun.

Anyone see any issues with this idea? Ha! That would be four uses for one retaining wall. That's gotta be a record.

I'll go to bed and let the subconscious do it's thing...

And I still have yet to figure out how to tilt a pipe in Sketchup. No luck so far.