Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

It is indeed a bit of rush to finally see progress after all the work it takes to set up a system. Then I had set backs from poor design choices (weak GB frame, tank height, leaks). Then I thought I ruined everything by forgetting to turn off the tap and over-filling and flooding my system with chlorinated water for a half day. So it was a relief to see evidence that there is bacteria growing.

We might need to get them together for mutual support. LOL

During construction my wife called it "your" aquaponic system. Now that is is built it is "our" aquaponic system. It is all good though, I built it for my family. Plus she helps out by feeding the fish and such.

Ron- "yours" to "ours", that is exactly how I hope and expect reference to my system to be here soon.

I think part of the stress lately has been from me in that I have been frustrated with not being to determine where my system was losing water. I began to fear that one of the tanks was cracked and leaking water. I was dreading the thought of fixing it.

Then I FINALLY figured it out. Whew!

It was just the pipe in between the tanks. The unglued coupler joint had separated somehow. Easy fix.

What a relief!

All the talk about not gluing stuff drowns out the info on where it is important to glue. There are couplers out here that are made for pressure without gluing. I use them at strategic points in my system.

Yeah thanks. I am familiar some of the pressure and threaded options, but in this case it really was an easy fix. I just replaced the pipe into the coupler with a longer segment and made sure it was fuily seated. Done.

Update: 2nd set of GBs are now full of washed river rock. Man I'm considering cutting down the third set so they're not so deep because I'm sick of washing gravel.

Meanwhile the system is still cycling.

PH: 7.4
NH3/NH4: 0.50ppm
NO2: .25ppm
NO3: 10ppm

I probably will hold off adding any more pee until I see the ammonia zero out.

Water level is holding steady which means no leaks - yay for small victories.

Three weeks until my second marathon. Nice and slow 21 mile run this morning, followed by a Santa visit with the kids and closing out the day with an hour of gravel washing.

Not sure if I'll be able to stay awake for Santa. Have to find the energy to stay awake to nibble on some cookies and sip the milk. Merry christmas!

More gravel = more filtration = more food = bigger fish.

Just sayin...

Fantastic little system mate. I dont know why the mrs isnt more appreciative of all the hard work.

Thanks for the encouragement resevs3!
Of course you're right - bigger is better when it comes to many things, filtration and fish included. Just wish a bigger back ache didn't come with washing gravel. I just need to keep in mind the long term payoff. Still my back is sore from bending over and carrying the screen full of rock from the wash area to the GB.

Its all training for the marathon

You will have forgotten about the back ache when it is all done and you sucking back a icy amber ale and feeding the fish. Thats a guarantee.

That is right. You forget the pain felt, it just becomes a memory of the fact you worked hard to accomplish something. Of course it feels wierd saying that to a marathon runner.

Ha! I feel like I created the "perfect storm" of a fitness routine.

I do think of my washing gravel workouts as exercise for my core muscles. Thanks guys for the laugh!

Progress update:

I finally got a solid day worth of work invested into my system today. To do this, I gave up an afternoon of playing in one of Orlando's theme parks with my wife and kids. So even though I have a bit of parental guilt for not spending time with my kids, I feel good that I am nearly complete with the build of the third set of GBs.

I was dreading the work today because it involved what is my second least-favorite task in AP -that is leveling the GBs. Only slightly less tedious to washing gravel, was the two and a half hours it took me to stamp and compress the builders gravel and set the concrete blocks that support the wooden frame on which the GBs sit.



Part of me questioned myself for taking so long and being so particular that each block was plumb and level - then I reminded myself of reading here how some people have had to tear apart their set-ups in order to re-level sinking GBs. Since I don't have access to heavy machinery to easily lift thousands of pounds of loaded GBs, I want to do it, as right as I can, the first time.



But the temptation to "just get it done" was very powerful - glad it is almost done... Of course, I still have to...

wash...the...gravel.

I feel like Charlie Brown after Lucy pulled the football out from under him for the umpteenth time. Arrragh! I hate hate hate washing this stuff.

At least I'm almost done. Almost.

Here's a shot of my gravel washing stations. I used one of my GBs as a catch basin.


Besides washing out dirt and silt, I'm also screening out smaller pebbles.



Have lots of these pebbles to use for my future wicking beds.

Besides that - the system is still cycling, I added a couple fish last night. My daughter and I went fishing last night and we caught a red belly sunfish and a blue gill out of the nearby lake. I decided since the system was near zero'd in nitrites it was time to add some fish.

I'm slightly concerned about the possibility of adding parasites along with these fish, but I decided that you can run that risk from any external source of fish. Hence why you should if you can quarantine new fish - at least that is what I did with my aquarium when I could.

The fish are hiding in the bottom corner of the tank near the clay pot where the pump rests. It appears that they scared and I don't blame them. I'm sure it was pretty traumatic to be swimming in a big deep lake one moment, you take a bite of some pepperoni that was floating by and next thing you know you're sloshing around in a small container then dumped into a wide open tank. Okay I'm feeling like a rep from PETA might be targeting me soon. All kidding aside - I'm thankful for these creatures and will take good care of them.

And I'm hoping since one of them is the first fish that my daughter caught by herself, she will be more interested in AP. It might be a stretch, but I can dream, can't I?



Cheers!



- John

Wide shot: current state



Gravel to be washed


Hope springs eternal - one of my new lettuce or spinach sprouts!




- John

Spin your (their) logic. Memories come with time. Helping you gain more years is your AP system giving you really good food so you in turn, can live longer and make more memories. One day ain't gonna hurt em.