Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

As of 23:30 it has been up and running. Let it run through the night and hope for no leaks.. Big thing is making sure of it keeps bubbles out of the water bridge like before.

It works OK it gets the big crap chunks out of the water but lets some of the very fine crap chunks into the sump. I have learned a lot working on this. Here are a few pictures and sometime this week I will upload my rant/ build video.

I had just dumped the crap out before pictures.

Can you put a small cap (like a plastic pot) on the inflow and force the solids toward the bottom (Like a Radial Flow Filter would). Might get some additional solids that way?

It might be a little hard to see but there is a small section of 1" PVC around a 1/2" tube. The bottom is notched to push water out the sides. I guess you can say I was going off what I thought these filters do and not what they actually do and just started experimenting. I will mess around some more and try what you said.

I had some aquarium silicone and attached a short length of 2" pipe to the "lid" it looks like it might be doing ok. Blue cup makes water level higher than output pipe so it does not sound like someone taking a huge pee every time the GB drains into fish tank. Holes provide bubbles.

Uploaded pictures from iPhone.

Do you think it's working better now?

I will have to wait. Glued the pipe and about 22:00 I put the lid on. Pictures where taken this morning at 8:00 before feeding.

It looks to be doing better. I mostly need to just leave it alone and when I do add water I should add it to the sump and not the fish tank. The bigger rush of water through the filter looks like it is kicking up what has settled. I am still getting " crap" in the sump, but not as much as it was before.

I have left this filter alone for over a week now. It has a good amount in it. Using 1/2" (12mm) PVC so should be able to judge amount of sludge in the small container.

The bottom line is if you're happy with it. Is the sump staying reasonably clean now?

It is working better than I thought it would. I might try a different container that is wider. fine stuff still make it through and most of that gets captured in a regular HOB filter in the blue cup you see in the above pictures. What does get through that almost gets all washed out when I add water to the sump.

The crap has become sentient and trying to escape!!

This is the phase you don't want right?

Yeah that could be bad, don't let it escape

I have my new computer set up now and have most of the programs reinstalled. No longer taking 3 hours to render 5-8min videos.

Here is a video of getting it cleaned. Not that exciting, but posting it anyway.




There are tomatoes starting in it and I added back the feeder gold fish just because. They where going to go to the turtle, but now live with the fantails. A few have gotten eaten by the fantails for just being in the wrong place when the fantails are going for food.

I changed a lot last night, got home around 19:00 and worked to about 23:00 making sure things worked ok. Rearranged the fish tanks, changed out a 250 LPH pump with a 350 LPH pump. Split the pump line from the sump to GB and FT. Went from CHOP to CHOP 2. This has helped a lot over having the GB drain into FT all at once and knocking some settled solids loose in the "filter". I need a better pretzel tub. The one I'm using is not really round or flat on bottom and wants to lean when you think the water is level with the top.

Still planing on going full scale just not sure where to do it. Down by the old garden would work but there is no power. I would have to run 75ft of cable from house. Behind house would work but may be shaded by trees most of the l time. Also the local kids tend to pass through my yard and a little worried about possible vandalism.