Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Sounds easy enough - thanks Fordy, I'll go shopping on the weekend and let you know how it goes.

Given that the system is chift, I am going to need to get the pipe through the side of the barrel.

Options so far:

- Uniseal: not sure whether this will work, as the sides of the wine barrel are around 2cm thick;
- Drill&Fill: just fill the gap around the pipe with filler. Might look ok if I clad the outside pipe with bamboo or some other wrapping;
- PVC coupling: use threaded piping and washer, similar to the drain in the growbed. Possibly the most leakproof option, but visually might look crap.

What do you guys think?

i used electrical couplings, they aren't tapered like regular pvc couplings..and a little aquarium silicone

you could just use gap filler/silicone and then use some putty or glue/woodshavings to disguise it a bit. or paint the silicone black...

Or use black silicone. Teak decks use black polysulfide as a sealer between the planks, I bet that would make for one pretty barrel!

Thanks guys! I bought the hole cutters, pvc coupling and sealer today. I like Ron's black silicone suggestion, but couldn't find any fish-safe silicone, so went with a clear one that I'll probably paint around. That'll be next weekend's job.

Finished off the storage barrel this week, minus the fountain ornament. The original winery embossing is still visible, despite my vigorous sanding. The shelving is made out of an old kitchen cupboard door. After looking at the pics, I think I'll paint them black to make them blend in.

The half barrels have been reinforced, as per Fordy's advice. The guys at B had no idea what I was talking about when I asked for "hoop iron", but they did have coils of flat aluminium. It was as easy as Fordy said, although in hindsight i probably should have made the bands a little looser, as the staves shifted a bit when I was hammering them down into place.

Next week: the fish tank barrel!

really sweet system components.
Looking forward to seeing them all put together and working!

Looking great!

hoop iron is probably the old name for it, B usually carries it as galvanized bracing strap or something like that, but the ali will be easier to bend. Looking great by the way!

Great job Fuzzy. Very neat job. Bunnings need to get up to speed with the lingo though.

The only other thing I would do is put some little feet on the base of your sump to lift the bottom edge off the ground. Even if its only a few ml it will prevent the timber from rotting over time.

That looks really great!
I can't wait to see it finished

Very nice. My wife would like a pretty system like this. Will look forward to the complettion and photos.

Thanks guys! I really appreciate the feedback and advice.

The plumbing design has changed a little. Instead of all the water returning via the fountain, I'm going to add an inlet directly to the fish tank, because:

- I don't want the fountain to be on all the time. Partly because of the noise, but also because with the nutrient-laden water splashing around it'll probably make for a lot of algae patches outside of the system.

- An inlet with an elbow will allows for a swirl in the tank, keeping the dirt in the centre of the tank where the SLO will be sitting. I'm also considering connecting a venturi for more oxygen, if I can work out how to keep it reasonably quiet.

The control will be via two ball valves. The inlet will be 20mm PVC, connected to the valve via flexi-tubing running up the side of the barrel. The SLO and outlet will be 40mm PVC.

Thoughts/comments?

I will not show this to the wife, I will not