Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Greetings, been a while since i was last on BYAP but im back. we had a few problems with leaks and what not but finaly it seems our system is running and staying full. Now that the Summer crop is seeded down, im working on the second bed that was causing all my problems, however while im working on raising it and replaceing the plumbing, id like to ask about Settlers and Swirl Filters as well as this other thing that i have no clue what its called, but i will try to descibe it.

First Swirl Filters and or Settlers....Should i do one, at the moment there dosent seem to be any issue with any real settament, but keep in mind all thats in the fish tank is a couple dozen gold fish no biger than a inch each and its a whole 275 gallon IBC tote.

Secondly the thing i was going to descibe but didnt know the name of. I saw it in a AP video on you tube, dont ask what one i have no clue iv seen literaly hundreds in the past week. but the basics of it as the guy described was the water came from the grow bed na into this "filter" he built inside a 5 gallon bucket. it was literaly like this (see diagram)

Now i understand the Oyster shell being a buffer agent for PH but according to this guy(and only him as far as i know) the sponges provide a place for the bacteria to colonize and grow sheltered from the water turbulance, is there any real truth to this and should i consider doing it?

It's called a biofilter and he's added a buffering step in there as well - hopefully because he has low pH water and needs it, otherwise over time his pH will climb.

The sponge is one way to increase the nitrate production process - I am a little puzzled why he would put it after the GB but I guess he sees the GB as the solids filter and it is normal to have a solids filter then a biofilter. A problem with the sponge might be choking of the cultures that grow on/in it (depending on what kind of sponge) In a moving bed bio-filter the movement of the media tends to help keep them healthy by knocking of the dead bits and waste products - in the sponge I think those things would just accumulate, so you'd be cleaning the sponge regularly - not sure how often though...

The difference in most systems would be the solids filter would be a separate unit, follwed by a biofilter and then the GB or NFT or other grow system. The idea being to have only nutrient-rich clean water (as in no solids or particles) heading to the grow area.

I think I recall seeing somewhere else that oyster shells can also act as a bio-medium but the surface area to volume isn't particularly good - and these are in a bucket where the ones I recall as bio-media were in a flowing system. Not sure how well they would work for that or even if that is intended. The bucket would suggest he sees them only as buffering.

Ok, well i guss i can skip the buffering, my PH runs on average 7.4-7.8. So I assume the Bio filter will help things, but what should i use instead of the sponges? and given my set up (See Diagram Below. Were can i put the Bio filter that's a decent place.

Looking at that setup, his orcder of things would work if you put the biofilter where you have the junction of the water-back-to-FT & the Future Use line. You would most likely have the poutput from the GB go to the biofilter, the output from that go to your towers and the output from the towers back to the FT.

The idea would be, like the one you first posted, the GB is your solids filter and the biofilter sits before the system that really needs another boost of nitrates - the GB will strip a lot of the nutrients from your flow so the towers will get less - adding the biofilter establishes another nitrate-production area that will help feed your strawberries.

Hope that helps some...

Would it be ok to have Multiple Bio-Filters in a system?

I recommend that you put the bio filter in the grow bed....wait....the grow bed is a bio filter. It will also act as your sponges (you will just have trouble squeezing the grow bed media). Realistically a separate bio filter and sponges will only be required if you are looking at a very high stocking level of fish. Save your money. KIS (note I left the Stupid bit out)

Right now there only a couple dozen Goldfish while it cycles. but even that's done cheaply. If I did put a bio filter it would be from scrap materials and what not. Detest having to buy stuff when i can easily get or make it for free. But if i can get away with out one then by all means i will. too many things have gone wrong and now almost a year later its finally straitened out so KISS it is. ( I like leaving the Stupid part in)