Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

looks great, but you might be in for quite a bit of walking with the ends "capped" like that..

Thanks Keith, yes bit of walking there.


Update - Will be ordering the pump at end of the mouth, going with Rio 26HF - 100watt, Output ID 1in./25.4mm - 1,590gal./6,040L Hr. at 1ft. - Max head 13ft./4m. Here are some picture of what i have done. I receive the K1 media, looks good i like it. I add it a lip to the reservoir and am working on the lid.

Hey Eddy,

Can you share more info on those plastic thingies next to your finger?

Quantities, pricing, sources?

Yes, it's called Kaldnes K1 Media i think it's patten in the UK. I bought some on ebay to test it out over bio-balls. I like the K1 so far, in only a week i can all ready see them turning brown. Your going to have to shop around to get a good price for the amount you need. I seen then in 25 liter and 50 liter box's, it seems the more you get the cheaper the liter is.

Kaldnes K1/K3 Media - Moving Bed Process

Thanks Eddy.

Man at $45 a gallon, choke,choke, choke, I don't know.

Just for curiosity, I emailed them for pricing on large quantities. Don't think they will go down that much but what the hey.

I think the cheapest I have seen is here but that's in the UK. The cheapest I have found in Oz was a brief ad for a guy selling 50L for $100 plus delivery ($26) but he has since disappeared, but fortunately a company with better reputation has a "sale" on : http://www.earthangroup.com.au/k1-bio-filter-media-sale/ The price varies wildly, so you have to do some shopping around, here's an example for the same product: http://www.macsaquariums.com.au/index.php/filter-media/k1-kaldnes-50-litres.html

There is a cheaper knock-off made in China which works OK for a while, but it breaks down quite quickly (allegedly, according to some local koi keepers). A quick search for the "cheap" stuff:
http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/60525 ... beads.html
http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/61453 ... _bead.html
although these have to be purchased in bulk.

If you've got kick-ass pre-filtering, you can create a cheap bio-filter using LDPE beads (the stuff which is extruded into HDPE)

Some people have made ingenious filters where the solids are auto-magically knocked out of the beads without knocking all the beneficial bacteria off the surface of the beads.

I tripped over this post when I was looking up some stuff on siphons, this guy makes a very nice filter system for his aquaria : http://www.aquariumlife.com.au/showthread.php/33227-Aquaholic-s-fishroom?p=309695#post309695 (It's quite a long thread, but worth the read if you've a little time to spare. It's also where I grabbed the photo of the LDPE beads from too ).


Scott

Update, i want with the HF 26 series water pump. I made a lid and add-it the filter sock too. I finished the plumbing to the FT & duckweed GB. Here are pictures have fun





Here's the manifold (some outlets are cap off for future expansion) and the filter sock.









Here's the lid i made for the reservoir









Duckweed GB are full of duckweed

Wow your duck weed is going gang busters....
Nice going

Thanks Ocelott



Update, made the down pipe for FT used SS screws to hold it together for easy cleaning later.





Here is the down pipe for water pump with screen & check valve with the SS screws too.


I want to move fan's to the bottom of the weather box, blowing in & out the top sides to help keep things cooler.


Here you can see the check valve, filter sock too. I used the heat gun to bend the pvc pipe. The 2" pipe is the drain back, 1" pipe is form the green pump in the weather box, will be on a timer to fill the gravel filled GB's and the 3/4" pipe is for consistent flow for the floating bed GB's.










Need to finish digging

I a few question, 1st How high should i have the bed's for a good flow back? 2nd How long will duckweed stay good if it's in the freezer? 3rd If i caught a pair of spawning Tilapia form the canal in front of my house. Will i be able to get fry's soon like 2-3 mouth or will have to wait after winter for spawning? Were in the 90*F+ atm do they spawn multi-times? From what can find is that tilpia start spawning at 70*F water temp.

Thanks again Eddy

thats some serious PVC art !

Don't know the answer to that, but it got me to thinking about a possible income stream. Have you given a thought to drying the stuff and selling it to pet shops or people that keep animals? During the winter it would be a great source of protein for critters. Or freeze it in bags with a bit of water and sell it that way. Or make suet bags for feeding the birds.
You sure have enough of the stuff to do something with!

Thanks for the idle iammr, i have been selling it on ebay. http://www.ebay.com/itm/170911258371?va ... 1562.l2649



I went fishing at the canal by my house and caught some Tilapia so i think? Here are some pictures, i caught 17 so far.

I guess I get to break the news - the fish in the picture is a sunfish (like a bluegill, redear or green sunfish for example) - not sure which type of sunfish exactly but definitely not a Tilapia. You'll be waiting awhile for those to get large since they have been slow growers for most people - they are good eating and very tough to kill though.

Thanks scotty, i did some research your right. It's the green Sunfish so i had one die so far, may hooked it in a bad way now down to 16. So today i want out fishing, caught many Sunfish, Mayan Cichlid and one Tilapia a Spotted Tilapia i hope it is what do you think?





The dead Sunfish



Here a Large M Bass i caught today too.



Update, i add the mesh screen to the FT and to the lid.