Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi

Today I started build my Chop Mark 2 Based system. I've cut the hole in the top of the IBC that will be my fish tank and have water blasted the cage, base and and plastic now out in the sun drying before painting the rusty bits of the Cage and the Base before putting back together.

Welcome skippy_oz, it is always nice to skee new people bitten by the bug.

Can anyone tell what the connect is as I wish to get a convertor for it as it is the one on the fish tank as I wish to add a hose for doing water changes if needed. It is just a little bigger that a 50mm bulkhead fitting.

Not sure why you are set on chop Mk2. Churning up fish solids and pumping them back into the fish tank is a flawed idea. Its one mans idea but the rest of us think very differently, and some are going further and removing some solids before the growbeds.
Just my 2c

Agree with mantis, always believed the idea of aquaponics was to take dirty fish water and filter it then return CLEAN water to the fish tank. Why do you want to put dirty water into your fish tank. One mans bad idea in my opion.

Welcome anyway and will help where we can. Cheers

Sorry, I forgot to welcome you Skippy.

Welcome Skippy.

Hi all

I said based on a Chop mark 2 system i.e.
1x Fish Tank
1x Sump
3x Grow Beds

As I live on a side of the hill my Fish Tank will be a the lowest then the Sump then the Grow beds. I was going to grow jade perch in the fish tank and redclaw in the Sump.

i.e. Fish Tank is Lowest then Sump is Higher that Fish Tank but is lower than the output of the fish tank (i.e. gravity feed) the the Grow Beds which are higher than the sump and the fish tank

As with my system I have two options

Option 1
I can use the classic Classic Mark 2

Fish Tank -> Sump -> Grow Beds and Fish Tank

Option 2
Fish Tank -> Sump -> Grow Beds -> Fish Tank


So the big Question now which is better for my system?

If your growbeds are higher than both your fishtank and sump, then connect both sump and fish tank with a large pipe, and have a pump in either pumping to the growbeds, and growbeds draining back to the fish tank that hasn't got the pump

I would put the sump lowest. Use a solids lifting outlet in the fishtank. Drain into the growbeds, growbeds drain into the sump. It is reliable, and it keeps the fishtank and sump clean.

As Ron said , SLO in fish tank into garden bed into sump pump back up to fish tank.

My understanding of the mark 2 is that you are returning half your water to the fish tank before it has been filtered.

Hit the wrong button.

If you are not returning dirty water to your fish tank then what you are proposing is that you will be pumping to a holding tank (sump) then flowing to your GB for filtration and then clean water into the fish tank.

So what is your reason for not having the fish tank up high and the sump down low. What you propose is acceptable but do not return unfiltered water to your fish tank.

Hi all

Sorry for long delay in responding.

Have being working on a better solution but as I'm building on a side of a hill about 1:3 ratio.

I have be able to get the sump then the fish tank then the grow bed.

To let you know the fish tank is in a entertainment area next to the BBQ under cover.
The sump is lower than the fish tank and is in area that don't get much sun (trees of next door neighbor).
the grow beds are higher than the Sump and get more sun but to low to gravity feed with the bell siphon to work back to the fish tank.

That's what I have to live with today maybe down the track going with two sumps and two pumps but that takes more money and more energy.


Regards

Paul

Hi all a Progress update.


Here are some photos on the layout a couple of weeks ago








another update will follow soon as I can only attach the photo at a time

I think the the system is progressing along






also been working on arduino project to monitor the aquaponics system





see if you can spot the mistake


Regards

Paul