Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Update, so am planing on framing out the tops of the 55gal. half's see picture. I leveled the floor with rocks were the bricks will lay. I to add it a 3/4" x 2' feet long re-bar to each hole and am planing fill them with concrete. It start-it raining so am waiting to fill them. And add-it the support to the middle.

I have a similar frame for my blue barrels, but just added two loops of stainless wire, rather than boxing them to stop them bulging.

Very easy, takes a few seconds for each barrel.

My first is well over a year old without any problems.

Thus...

Sorry if I missed it, and I have no idea what I'm talking about, but an overflow from the top of the filter (to bypass it and go direct to the grow bed) might be a good idea.

If for some reason you got a lot of crud in the filter, you might be better off sending dirty water through the system rather than having your filter back up and empty your fish tank onto the ground.

Your system looks great. I love your plumbing work in particular. Taps everywhere. You can never have too many taps!

Yes i was thing of that, seen some pictures of that setup on this forum. It would be cheaper and i can save the wood for the floating bed build.



Yes i was thing about that to, i would have to plumb the green pump to the swirl filter stage were the solid waste settle. But that pump it's not for dirty water so i may need a new one if i go that route.


Thanks again Bullwinkle

Am going with SS wire coated in nylon (used for leader wire 60lbs test) to hold the barrels from opening up. I was able to pour concrete and add extra re-bar, need to finish filling them up. I was able to pick up some crates that i will be using as the floating beds for the next build. Will be picking up many more crates, will be needing 20-25 of them they are 23"W x 27"1/2"L x 3"1/2" H.

Update, so i start-it work on the auto siphon using the uniseals (i will update when i get more parts needed to finish it). I went with Bulls idle of using the wire so here's what it looks like. O is MaxiCrop Plus Iron 2% it caused the water to get cloudy, will it clear up? I add-it about a cap full to my indoor FT (about 150gallon total) cause my tomatoes looked yellow. The roots are huge

Thanks again Bullwinkle

Does anyone know about this fish Mayan Cichlid: cichlasoma urophthalmus . I caught so many of them looking for Tilapia. Would they be good eating and do well in my tanks?

Thanks again Eddy

So here is they look like, caught 13.

Have never heard of them, your tank should clear up once the maxicrop is being used by the plants. Nect time mix a cap in a watering can and use it on the growbeds not in the tank. Will end up there but the plants get first go before it i is diluted to much

Thanks Bear, the maxicop did clear up a few hours later. I used it on my indoor FT were the tomato roots were at, so there's no grow media (but i will use your idle and use it on the growbeds thanks again Bear). I was looking around the forums, all i can find is that most add the maxicrop on weekly and some only if need-it. What i would like know too, is how much to add? A cap full looks like 10-15ml to me, so one cap full to 100 gallon sounds good?


I've got some info on fish but cant seem to find grow rates. The wikipedia say Mayan cichlid reaches a maximum standard length of 280 mm/ 9". But on the myfwc it say 12.6 inches and weighed 1.5 pounds, but may reach larger sizes as the IGFA world record is listed at 15 inches and 2.5 pounds; maximum reported age is 7 years.

I guess i will have to wait and see

http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/fish/freshwater/nonnatives/mayan-cichlid/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cichlasoma_urophthalmus

Seaweed extract is excellent for spraying on the leaves of your plants as the nutiants are taken up by the plants very quickly.

Thanks Bear

I went got some Greater Duckweed, Giant Duckweed (Spirodela polyrhiza) to grow too.

Dude! How thick and awesome is your grass! That stuff could grow into a jungle if you left it hey.

Requires large concrete pad to cut down mowing, on top of you build more AP systems

YES, it grows fast from june-nov.. the raining season, i cut ever 10 to 15 days.