Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Sounds like a great deal for my peeps in PA near Lancaster:
http://frederick.craigslist.org/grd/3694056569.html

Kinda curious as to why this one would hold more water compaired to the same one of the same size made by that company.
http://www.southernstates.com/catalog/p ... 35gal.aspx

Text description of my plans for the Spring too busy to make some graphics right now and I am swearing off graphics for photos, kind of. I am almost done making a radial flow filter from the Brute trash can, sometime later this year I plan to finish the shed indoor "core" with a barrel biofilter and barrel sump. I want to have this core for late Summer when I plan to put trout in the FT.

After the solids separator the next thing is a gravel pile, will be re-using the 90 gallon 3'x5' mortar tub as a base for that. Three wood frames will make the gravel pile into a step pyramid shape about 2' tall. The tub will drain to the paired troughs from the driveway (narrow DWC thing) last year and then a sump dug into the ground. There are two large stumps that I'm working around that limit what I am doing next to the shed.

The innovation I am going to try this year is to separate solids using the RFF filter, and at feeding time (morning and evening) flush the solids out of the separator into the top of the gravel pile. This will be just enough water volume to flush out the solids that have collected for the half-day, maybe as low as 5 or 10 gallons.

My theory is that the solids will make a sort of cone pattern as they spread down in the pile, getting broken down by worms and such. The center of the pile will be wet working outward to moist. The plants can work their way into the center of the pile for the good nutrients. In a way I think of it like a kind of worm tower thing. I am hoping that with the occasional watering that the solids will not wash down to the bottom "too" quickly, giving them time to break down while in the upper parts of the pile, and I also hope that air exchange will be good enough for the pile to stay aerobic. Condensation and evaporation should make the whole pile moist enough for the plants, from the center outward. The bottom of the pile will be constant flood so that should help. The plan is to route the continuous (clean) overflow from the solids separator to the bottom of the pile, so it will always be getting a flow of water through it. Then the troughs and a sump. The pump will pump back up into the FT. Another pump will be added to the sump later to let me use more troughs.

To start with I plan to use the 45 gallon round planters only as conventional wicking beds. Someday I may try to hook them into the AP system.

I think it would be neat to see a cone-shaped pile using metal or otherwise more flexible edging, I have my eye on the area between the shed doors for something like that but once through 180 gallons of gravel I will likely not need more media but it would be neat. The solids-laden water would only have to be dumped at a single point if the pile were a cone - for the first try I will have a "spray" bar since the pile will be a truncated rectangular pyramid shape with a line at the top.

So technically CHIFT PIST, FT then RFF then both outlets to gravel pile stepped pyramid (solids on valve to top of pile at feeding time, continuous clean overflow to constant flood bottom of pile), then troughs, pump in sump back to FT.

I'm so far behind, but _finally_ got some AP stuff going on today.

First water!

Filled up the FT and finished the radial flow filter. The 3/4" Uniseal was leaking too much but I know from TC's and JT's Uniseal posts that putting a backing of some kind behind the plastic can help. I had some white plastic from the FT and used that, and it helped a lot. There is still a very slow seep but nothing to worry about.

The pump I used to move the water for now is a 700 GPH and it seems to be too much but that will change when it is in the sump down the hill a ways. I am using a 2" SLO pipe down to a 1 1/2" into the solids filter, then 1" out of that.

Closeup of the 3/4" with backing, this will be on a valve. Going to make some kind of manifold to get the solids from the bottom through this.

Nice work DD

Looking good. How's your weather over there

Today was awesome, in the 60s I think. Tomorrow high 70s!! Wish I didn't have to work, would be a nice day to do stuff outdoors.

Yeah I am there with you I was off this weekend and it was pretty nice lucky for me it's going to rain this week so I don't long to be outside as much :-)

Spring has been mercifully slow in coming, otherwise I'd be way behind on things.

Oh I hear ya. I need to build my raised bed gardens and have about two weeks till its good planting season. Ok AP talk time so you filter can you drain off solids? And how and where?

NOTICE:

Our Petco is selling aquariums at $1 per gallon this week, not sure if all US stores are like that. 40 gallon aquarium for $40 is a heck of a deal.

Dave you are always on to of the deals. Thanks.

Nice looking swirl filter Dave. I like how you used the short pieces of tubing to suspend the bucket. Can't wait to see how your "pile" is going to work out. Sure would save the expense of making containers for the gravel.

lax4ivan: Yeah I've been keeping an eye out for when that comes around, but I actually don't need anymore tanks right now, I'm not yet using the ones I already have!

Thanks BobH, I want to post a diagram today maybe. I bought the cedar boards and spar varnish to put that together, but measured the mortar tub and it is narrower than I thought.