Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi folks,

Well this is my first post, so hello!
I'm hoping to find some recommendations for a suitable pump for my small indoor system - My first system!

First mistake: Brought a cheap ($20) pump!
Result: Impeller shaft has almost ground away after 2 months of operation (probably because it ran half dry a few times while I was still getting the bell siphons to cut off/on correctly and messed up its balance - Correction: Second mistake!).

I'm aiming to turn over 20 gal of water every 15 minutes @ 3.1ft head height, and looking for a good quality pump I can trust my new baby with

It's a quick cycle as I'm trying to avoid adding an air pump, for simplicity, and I figure the faster it ebb's and flows the more O2 it's going to draw into the root zone.
The fast cycle draining into the FT should also provide plenty of direct oxygenation for the fishies.
The high head-height is simply a result of purchasing a tall FT at flee market - I should have paid more attention to how much extra power I'd need to pump to this height, rather than aesthetic appeal!


Looking forward to some expert advise

Thanks!
DD


**edit: the current pump is a jebao pp-399 for reference - flow rate experienced is a bit overkill @ 3.1ft for my siphons to cut off**

Having a pump with some extra flow isn't a bad idea... you can always tee off the pump outlet line (before the grow beds)... and redirect some of the flow back to the fish tank.. via a spray bar.. for extra oxygenation... use a ball valve on the bypass line to control the flow into the tank...

Likwise... you should have a ball valve on the output line into the grow bed.... to allow you to control the flow into the grow bed...

Almost all siphon problems are related to flow....

Thanks RupertofOZ yes I was already thinking about this also - I had originally used flexible clear hose, but this ends up making the flow rate completely dynamic and uncontrollable. If I bump the hose at all and it kinks even slightly, it's back to square one with getting the siphons to start/stop.

Going to rig up some solid PVC conduit with the new pump, with a bleed valve back into the FT and ball valves to adjust the output into the GB's. This should help to fix the flow rate in place.

Any suggestions on good quality pumps?

Can't comment on what pumps are available over your way...

A warning re the clear tubing though.... with UV exposure it will breakdown over time... and it'll also go slimey algael green with the exposure of the nutrients passing through... to sunlight....

Thanks Rupert that's interesting... Yeah the clear is definitly resulting in a little slime buildup, whice I was expecting, but now you the use of the words 'plastic' and 'breakdown' together, this has me worried! Anyways that hose is coming out soon...

Re: pumps. I'm finding it rather difficult to find such a small pump of any quality.
I work in IT, and work a lot with redundancy in computer systems - has anyone had experiance with automatic failover devices and pumps? The idea is to have a couple of cheap-ass pumps connected and as they fail I can connect another, without risking my system.

I'm sure this is possible with some simple electronics and inline flow meters, but don't want to build it from scratch