Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

TT:

Do you have any fish in the tank? If not then cycling won't start until you put the fish in.

System looks great!

whats the drain time?

Mine floods in around 2 - 3 minutes and drains in around 30 - 40 seconds. Granted my pump is running continuous.

If your pump is going to be switched anyway, then why not flood for 15 minutes on a HPM timer (don't worry about a bypass, just let it spill over the inner stand pipe) , do away with the autosiphon in favour of a "EB" system stand pipe rigged to drain over 45 minutes?

Then you set the HPM to fire the pump once every hour for 15 minutes 6am to 6pm (put a 10W bubbler in the system to provide air over night)

Thats the way i'd do it for your setup.

with those figures the power will cost you 19.2 cents per day (assuming 16 cents per KW hour which is around the going rate for the second block usage)

Oh, and i think there have been enough systems now to show that the F&D time doesn't really matter, between about 2min/30sec through 5min/1hr

Wadda ya think?

Nice setup, you might think about extending the pipes down into the gravel, this will reduce splashing over the gravel and hence stop encouragement of algae growth

yep, also reduce water loss though evaporation.

Axl, you must be artistically inclined, hadn't noticed the silhouette myself.
The system is beside the lounge wall, tv behind those bricks, so won't here much whilst we are up. Bedrooms at tuther end of the house.
I already have the siphon pipes connected Steve. Drains over about 5mins. Thought I would use some ammonia to get the system cycling as going away over easter for a few days. Would that work, think I read it in another thread.
I can add more rocks to raise the level closer to the outlet tap and reduce splashing, algal growth and evaporation.
Still need to get my head around timer setup. What is HPM?

cool. yep, ammonia will work, just its gotta be straight clear ammonia.

not cloudy ammonia.

fair enough that you have it all connected up. BUT, if you're even thinking "maybe that sounds like a better way, then do it before you fire the system up, becasue then you'll leave it the way it is.

Pit falls i see with the system (don't take it the wrong way, just trying to take out the learn it the hard way for people ) are;

complete cycle takes 12 minutes. In the heat of summer i wouldn't want to leave the bed drained for more than another say 3 minutes (might last longer, but why risk it). So that means you got 4 pumping cycles of 7 minutes each per hour. On say 6am to 6pm again, costs you 21 cents per hour, roughly the same (i'm working this out as i go, so it might bust my own theory )

Ok, so the way you have it set up runs roughly the same power cost, but with the pump being switched 4 times per hour versus 1 time per hour.

I do know that number of starts per hour is what ages motors and run capacitors, whether 4 times per hur over 1 time per hour is going to make much of a difference i don't know.

Actually, you might as well keep it your way for the trouble of re-designing.

Sorry dude, what a ramble to tell you that you were right

One thing though, DONT throttle the the pump via a bypass, yes it will lengthen your fill times, and provide extra airation, but IMHO the return from the siphon provides more than enough if fitten with a nice "spray bar return (see my thread), and the extra running time might well double oyur running costs for no real gain.

Looking forward to seeing it running, TT.

Oh HPM is just the brand if timer i use, i think B has them, it has 15 minute intervals, 4 per hour.

Steve

make sure the ammonia doesn't have any detergents in it.

HPM is a brand of electrical timer, not to be confused with HSM (holy s**t mode or an extreme state of AP panic )

though if your timer s**ts it self then be prepared for HSM LOL

Thanks Steve, will bypass the bypass. Will check out your spray bar thingy and make sure I get clear ammonia. I fully expect HSM at some stage Jaymie, just a matter of when i spose. If HPM is a reasonably reliable brand I will pick one up 2moro. It hurts my fingers when i type, i hate washing rocks.

yeh, who needs a nailfile when u got gravel

Adjusted the taps, now takes 5 minutes to fill. Varies b/n 3min 45sec and 4min 45 sec to drain. Play with it a little more 2moro and integrate that pump timer.
pH around 7.7-7.8.
Looks like i need to add some ammonia, cycle it and add fish unless anyone has a few further suggestions.

Piss in it - I'm serious.

He is too! Definately not taking the...........

So long as your not on any mediacations.... Yep pee in it... It's cheaper... well, unless you use the excuse that you have to drink a few beers to encourage the urine...

Easy, one less thing to buy.

Ammo at 1.0, pH at around 7.5. Think i read it is slightly different in the morning to the evening. Will test for nitrite tonight. My test kit doesn't have a nitrate test. Why? It's the Canadian kit that i presume is reasonably common here.
I have a spare 250-300lt wheelie bin. Is there a way i can put this in-line as a sump tank, so my pond level remains closer to full during pumping? I don't want to buy another pump to do this.
As my GB to tank ratio is only .4:1 I will obviously need to add GB's in time. I don't understand the way you can cycle diff GB's at diff times on one pump as per Aussieponics proposed system. I need to do some reading to work this out.