Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

My fubar i am sure Jaymie.
Monya, does the slightly lower internal standpipe create that siphon effect automatically as the water reaches the height of the standpipe? I have not quite understood this yet. If i put in a stand pipe, my siphon tube needs to be placed inside it right? Do i also drill holes in the standpipe or simply let water flow in over its top, given it is lower than the drain pipe?
Will have ANOTHER read of the various siphon threads.

Some lessons are best learned first hand? Least no fish are depending on you to keep em wet yet, you'll get it worked out. Need the BIG (P) when playing with syphons.

Ta GF, that one would be PATIENCE i am guessing.

LOL, yeps. I set up a mini guppie tank fed from my main pump and slow gravity drain back into my main tank. Funny thing is I was in such a hurry I did not want to take the time and provide overflow protection. I had the flow carefully balanced, then it overflowed 20 guppies onto the green house floor (oops). I think I saved them all and now have installed my overflow protection.
So have fun, tweek your system and let it run add what you need to. Its good you are doing all this with no fish really takes the HSM out of it.
...Grin...

Well, reduced loop height on the 2 that weren't kicking in perfectly each time. Also shortened and joined hoses in pairs. They now hang down just in front of GB's. Both problem siphons kick in now, but only at the last minute b4 overflow. Thinking if i lower the loops of siphon a bit further, they may kick in a bit earlier and we may be ok. Got 4-1mtr 13mm lenghts now that i may be able to use somehow as overflow pipes!

lowering the loops sound like the go, then use a bulk head fitting and screw it through the side of your GB, above the gravel at the very top. This can form your overflow safety, which you can pipe back to your fish tank.

Gottit Steve. on reading i reckon my inflow to those 2 beds may have been a bit restrictive to create that initial pressure build-up required. Will open up the taps a little and see if that helps.

So, opened up the taps a bit, lowered the loops a bit, shortened the siphon pipes to tidy things up AND

pH 7.8, ammo 5 (think there's something in the water,) nitrite1.0, nitrate b/n 0-5ppm. Breathing a little easier. Now just wait for the daily pump cycles to kick in and make sure things are sweet.

Can i also take this opportunity to say thanx for prompt help and advice. I didn't really grow up with computers and am still amazed and thrilled that i can communicate with people in various parts of the world, instantly. It's quite a buzz knowing people out there take an interest.

we're all sticky beaks you know tragic everything you are willing to post about AP, we all want to know

Thats the truth J! Part of my 12 step program.

Siphons look good to me TT. Mine are about the same - the trailing end goes below the grow bed bottom a little more than the height the loop goes upward (the height below the bed is a bit more than half the total height of the siphon).

I have the siphon ends going into some larger PVC pipe so that the siphons can be short enough to stop reliably (because air is readily available because they're short) but still direct the water where I want it to go. A side effect of the PVC is that the water attaches to the side of the PVC and comes out in a sheet that makes a lot of bubbles in the fish tank. It makes more bubbles that if it came out of the hose in a regular stream.

Are the jets so strong as to bang the fish around when they're on?

Probably a bit strong DD. There are 5 jets, in a perfect world i would be able to close 4 of them off. Will phone a spa business and ask them can i wind the jets back and if so how.
Im happy with the aeration created by the 4 hoses flowing into the tank atm. If i need to get more in, i have some spare pvc or 90mm stormie pipes i can use, thanx.

bored bored bored bored bored. Things are humming along fine. I am determined not to do any more chemical tests for at least 15 minutes!
I feel as tho i could put fish in now and manage things ok, but got that easter going away thing in 2 weeks.
Looked at Jay's vert system and could put a heap on my north facing wall. Stage 2 of project 1. Should get a heap of strawbs out of it eventually.
Got a 6m by 4m garage. Thinking of splitting off a 4m by 4m section, insulating it, clear sheets for roof etc. Could use my 13600lt tank as a header tank for 2 by 2000lt fish tanks. Got enough room in the backyard to support 2- 7m by 1.25m by .5m GB's inside an 8m by 4m greenhouse, (quote coming.) Got a query in with Muzz for a price on the lot. His 2000lt approx tanks will fit side by side in the garage and each one will feed a single GB. Drain from header tank to fish tank, pump to GB then pump to header tank. Room in the shed for a 500lt tank to salt treat fish on arrival, and to purge them prior to harvest. Reckon my spa pump and sump pump could nearly handle it.
Should give me 100kg per tank fish per production cycle, and around 10 boxes of lettuce per week. Should be a reasonable to control micro commercial setup. As i am in the trade, markets won't be hard to find for these small volumes.
IF my home trial system works and THEN my home micro commercial system works, lock up your daughters. I will offload the wine wholesale business and become the king of AP in this small part of the world. There's a lot to like about lettuce at $23 per 3kg box wholesale, that effectively costs zero to produce!

LOL and I thought I had it bad, seek therapy before its to late and you are crowned. Good luck.