Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Not seen a response, I am going ahead with this trial today. Hope it wicks well.

Put your outlet pipe a bit above the weed mat line but still under it

Thanks for the tip, Jay. We have done the plumping but let me see if it could be changed. Is it to kick-start the wick effect? If not possible, I would then need to lower the gravel media a bit, right?

So this is more of a subsurface irrigation.. with possible wicking effect....

Your climate would seem to suggest that such a system would require a large degree of flow... to overcome soil/media heating and evaporative/transpiration losses...

No expert but certainly appears to be that way to me too. If you're going to use it as an aquaponics grow bed with wicking bed design (ie soil over gravel/ media with geotextile fabric seperating the two), its going to be quite challenging to clean media when its eventually required, with all that dirt on it. If you dont intend to clean the media, you're certainly going to drop efficiency as the media gets clogged with fish poop.

Or am i misinterpreting the design?

You may be right Myst. Cleaning a grow bed is hard, strenuous work and we don't want to clean the media as far as possible. We have added African wrigglers to do that cleaning job. Hope it wiould take care of it.

Can honestly say i've never heard of an African Wriggler.... sounds like some kind of exotic dancer! Hope it works for you, going to be frustrating and slightly counterproductive if it doesnt!

Myst, pl have a look at here to see some of those worms - viewtopic.php?f=11&t=12752&start=15#p417752

Update: the two grow beds where we implemented the discussed design is perfectly working. It is wicking so nicely. Bed is moist almost up to the top. I think that is perfectly fine.

Thanks to the tips guys - Stuart, Jay, and then the Myst and the others who asked questions. What a teamwork in resolving an issue!

I love the hexagonal design! Very mandala-ish Is there a reason the overflow pipe from the wicker bed goes to the fish tank instead of say a sump tank? Or is the water relatively still clean? Sorry if it's a newbie question.

Edit: You have no sump tank. oops missed that! But if one's AP system had sumps incorporated, would it make sense for the overflow to go to the FT regardless?

Hi PM,

Hexagonal - the seven sides represent Saptarishi, a lucky number to have in the system - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saptarishi They bring down to the earth the required Knowledge and Energies to strengthen the processes of Transition. We need that in plenty in an AP system.

Yes, ours is not an RAS system model. We try to closely follow Dr. Mark McMurthy's and hence no sumps or degassing columns. They call it an IAVS. Please google for Dr. Mark McMurthy's ideas.

There is slight water de-coloration, so we are not draining the new grow bed water to the fish tank. Coir pith is the culprit, we guess. Hope it clears in a day or two.

The requirement for a sump, or otherwise... is purely a function of system design based on relative heights of fish tank/pond... and plant production area...

Degassing columns etc... are not a requirement in backyard aquaponics systems.. typically those employing media beds...

Such things as swirl filter, or other solids removal filtration... degassing columns etc...

Are principles employed in RAS design....

Your system is much more RAS in style than a normal media bed AP system Nanniode... and there's nothing wrong in that...

But your stocking density is most certainly at RAS levels... not common backyard AP levels...

And as such dictates the use of external filtration....

And the incorporation of external filtration isn't a bad thing even in backyard systems... especially those wishing to run higher than normal "safe" densities...


Oh, and by the way.. that's Dr. Mark McMurtry.... not McMurthy...

good that there are no questions this time... I am tired of replying for now my dear Rupert.

Let us discuss these system design stuff after a few more months. Please don't not worry... I will have plenty to share by then. Keep a close watch at my member system for updates.

Sorry for the typo. It should have been Dr. Mark McMurtry and not Murthy (one of my old friends)

Did you like our hexagonal grow bed design?