Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Flooded to 1 inch from the surface?
Then you have a DWCGB ?
I thought CF normally run with a 2 inch level of water from the bottom! at least that is what I've seen around.
that now explain.... all that clogging and anaerobic zones as I hear about!

I run CF and have no anaerobic zones (that i know about or showing on water tests) and no blocking
System been going for 1 year nearly to the day, 5x IBC beds (4 are CF and 1 is FD, the 6th will be floating raft)

My CF beds have been running over 2 years without issues. It's a common newbie mistake to think the beds are anaerobic because it doesn't drain to introduce oxygen. With a well oxygenated water body the plants and bacteria have all the oxygen they require, which is proven with all the CF systems shown on this forum including my own.

Charlie you run CF because it's the easiest way to set up as a newbie!

And to be precise Anaerobic condition do not only developed because the water do not drain! (understandable under your newbie point of view) it's purely due to solid build up..... there is something called DEAD SPOTs in your GB that are the four corners, an area where solids are more likely to settle (any CF GB will have this issue) and mainly because unlike F&D there is no water flushing in and dragging out those solids (you'r now going to say....the worms do tunnels for you!!)

When you say proven what do you exactly mean... can you quantify scientifically your statement of YOUR proven bioanalysis theory?

Charlie you run CF because it's the easiest way to set up as a newbie!

And to be precise Anaerobic condition do not only developed because the water do not drain! (understandable under your newbie point of view) it's purely due to solid build up..... there is something called DEAD SPOTs in your GB that are the four corners, an area where solids are more likely to settle (any CF GB will have this issue) and mainly because unlike F&D there is no water flushing in and dragging out those solids (you'r now going to say....the worms do tunnels for you!!)



Yes, it just works.

sure......It Workls like chrlie's POO HEAVEN! it must smell of rotten egg with all the hydrogen sulphide released from those anaerobic bacteria,

Here a sample of DEAD spot or should we call it a dead GB!
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=15032&hilit=Charlie%27s

lol bioaquafarm you have no idea. What do you think is in the bottom of your growbeds?
Flood and drain or not, the crap has to go somewhere.

Mine's been cruising 12 months no issues
BYAP trials cruised along,
Charlies system is working fine.

I'm sure your or anyone else system is working somehow, and yeas I have no idea of how much crap is in your GB so as you about mine, on the other hand I do know exactly what is in the bottom of my GB.....and it's nothing like what I've seen on photos of some CF beds.

It's all with the design mate!

when u will walk a mile in my shoes we can talk about it.

So what have you seen in your grow beds Bioaqua (if anything)... and do you use F&D or constant flood... and/or do you use a solids filter...

My system are on timed F&D and I can reassure you (come to see by yourself) ...even after one year GB's do not have the solid accumulation the I've seen on some CF system, mostly because I stay strictly within the boundary of correct ratio of feeding and harvesting to solid bio-digestibility capacity of my design system, and yes I do remove some solids regularly to cast on the orchard.
Solid filtration.....up to 50micron particle size! and that is pretty small!

Unfortunately your short time doing aqauponics limits your understanding of many things, bioaqua. Something we have highlighted here numerous times, yet you still insist in making uneducated statements that further confuses other new starters like yourself.... Which is a shame. I do hope you catch up soon.



The link you have posted of my empty bed is actually a good example of what happens if you don't wash your media, the inch of crud on the bottom was mostly sand. That bed had been run flood and drain for most of its life anyways so I'm not sure what point your trying to make.



I know what an anaerobic condition is but thank you for your interpretation but can you tell me how you think more solids will build up in a CF bed compared to flood and drain? Where do the solids go in flood and drain? Suspended in the water column forever? You must know because you have used both methods right? No thats right you haven't... but I have so ill help you understand, water flooding into a CF bed is distributed around the perimeter of the bed and rushes through the media to the media guard and then out through the standpipe. This is exactly what happens in flood and drain on the drain cycle. Solids catch and settle in both situations where mineralisation and worms continue to beak them down.

If you want me to get more scientific for you I can explain the process of mineralisation so you can understand how it works, or feel free to check out any of the CF systems within the forum and see how successful they are. I choose CF because it works with my system design but I have tried every other method available and feel this is best for me.

Its people that set up businesses and self proclaim themselves as experts that really annoy me.
http://bioaquafarm.co.uk/ ha.

Maybe the whole forum needs to do your courses so we have a clue?

Well it's not really a fair comparison to compare the solids build up in a grow bed that has 50 micron external solids removal... with a typical backyard grow bed that has no external filtration and relies on the grow bed itself for solids capture....

I'm certainly not suggesting that using external filtration is either a bad, or unnecessary thing...

Just that it's apples and oranges...

As far as the comparison between F&D and constant flood.. and solids build up....

On this one I'm actually going to have to tend towards agreeing.. not so much because of your observations Bioaqua... (due to the solids filtering)...

But based on my own observation of my own systems and a few other clients running constant flood...

And I posted that only yesterday, or the day before... and my reasons as to why...

Do the solids get suspended in the water column with flood & drain more than constant flood...

Well given the much more rapid build up of solids I've experienced in constant flood....

I'd have to say.. yes... especially so with the fast drain action of siphons....

Of course a lot depends on the feed rate... but I'm about to remake my trout system.. to timed F&D...

Either before I pull the trout out, or shortly after... as the solids build up in the constant flood beds is obvious

(I'll try and remember to take the camera down)

Now granted... I have been feeding the trout quite hard.... (I was supposed to put a radial flow on )

Hey, Charlie got called noob...

Wonder what that makes most of the rest of us?

I'm not against solids removal either Ill add... but that's not what this thread is about.

I know your views on CF rupe and I have no problem with that, but I'm yet to be convinced a CF bed will accumulate more solids than a flood and drain methodology and really only a side by side trail would be best to show results.