Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

You will need to run the pump longer than 3mins. to do this the top of the stand pipe needs to be lower than the rocks so water can flow out of the beds without the water rising higher then the surface of the rocks you don't want the surface of the rocks to be wet. A media gard will let you do this and save you lots of problems later on. Sorry if im not explaining properly. Just trying to help

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Yep what he said, Also easy to clean roots from the holes when plants get big and block them

Are you going to put some other media on the top of the lava rocks? like pebbles? seems like wasted growing space

makes sense but why?

To filter the water better for the fish

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There's A Forum Acronym thread and a couple of others on system and hardware terms over in the FAQ Forum - worth a read through.

ok i got my timer, and re-added some drain holes, now im 1" below the media in 3 minutes and remain RIGHT THERE for the next 12 minutes. perfect!!!!

NOW its definitely beer 30! what a P.I.T.A. !!!

apparently this didnt work so ill repost

Didn't even get pics the second time but have them now Rob

You need to add a media guard and more media, the plants will not like having water around them like you are going to have.

Stand pipe, no media guard


Stand pipe with media guard


Note the height of the stand pipe guards in the 2 beds, also they allow for you to use most of the area of the grow bed, these 2 grow bed have the correct height of water in them but no flooding over the media.

--timer turns on pump
--in 2-3 minutes i have water 1" below the media surface, as i have been told on here to do by everyone.
--the water continues to run for 12 more minutes and stays 1" below the surface the whole time.

so why is that bad? everyone and the FAQ say water should be about 1" below the media surface. i have changed this design several times due to changing information. this seems perfect ???? your media guards are pretty, but surely not required to work. i have level, volume, and drainage all timed properly i see no need for them.

In your photo's the water is above the media?

Right so....
You have a standpipe with holes in the bottom?
You've timed the pump to fill only 1" below the media but .... How does it run for 12 mins and not get higher?
Your standpipe is too high in those pictures for it to be an overflow?

I don't understand.

sorry i should have stated the pic was before i modified the standpipes. they have holes drilled *NOW* to keep the water 1" below. the pic was prior to the new modifications

Ok, so just so I understand correctly Rob, whilst pumping does the excess water flow into the top of the standpipe or are you using the 'drilled holes' to control the level in the beds?

The media guard serves a few purposes, firstly it gives you an area to access the standpipe for maintenance, secondly it keeps the media away from blocking the standpipe, thirdly prevents rocks entering the standpipe and blocking your plumbing. When you are planted out you will see that the roots tangle in the area of the standpipe quite evasively and the guard helps you control this.

This is what a sideways view of the GB should look like when full.
The standpipe sets the water height below the media, the excess can flow freely down the pipe and when the pump switches off the water drains slowly out of the drilled holes at the bottom.

ahhhh jeez now i get it, and why. time to go to home depot, for the 100th time