Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hello,
My name is Scott and here is my system>
This is a CHIFT PIST floating raft system the two raft beds are 12 inches deep
Ft = 760gal, 2700l
Bed1 675gal 2500l
Bed2 480gal 1800l
Sump 90gal 340l
Swirl filter 20 gal
Bio filter 20 gal with a small air pump


The system has been running since the fisrt part of October. I have around 70 small feeder gold fish. There 10 Chard plants in the GB

I look forward to all comments and thoughts

Welcome Scott,

It's not clear what you're using for filtration (as in where it is and what media)? 20 gallons for biofilter seems small but I'm not doing DWC so maybe someone else will chime in. System size looks pretty good. Definitely have a crick in my neck now

cheers

Scott,
I have a 20 gal swirl filter that comes out of the FT from there it goes to a Bio-filter that is also 20 gal.
I am currently using some old pieces of a window screen and pvc parts as the media. I am also using an old air pump that i have used for years to make my compost tea, after the first of the and I will locate a bigger air pump.
(sorry about the crooked neck, dont know why the pics are rotating even tried to outsmart the system and roatate them with no luck. more pics when I get it figured out!!)

Thanks Scott. Since I don't see any other comments from people that know this type of system, I'd take a look at the Univ. of the Virgin Islands systems and material relating to them. I'd also look to Ryan's system thread. My guess is your filtration is OK for now but if you get other fish or as the ones you have grow it might no be enough. As I said I am not an expert on running this type of system so take this advice with a grain of salt.

Cheers.

First of all thanks to who ever fixed the pics.

Thanks for the input, I will look at Ryans thread.

Scott, is it the size of the filtration system or the media I am using that concerns you?

WOW!!! I Just strated to look at Ryans System all I can say is WOW!!!

I am so excited about what Scott's Backporch Sytem will produce.

Back to Ryans thread!!

Mostly the size of the filtration. Ryan has a video on Youtube where he walks through a system he had at his former job, it might be worth a look although he's running high fish loads compared to most. What he currently uses is a mystery - He's trying to keep the information secret for someone else (until they are ready to share it).

Here's the Aquatic Eco-Systems video with Ryan - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIs_-6MkJWE

Just keep in mind that you stock based on your filtration capacity

Alright I am back.

Scotty
I took a look at Ryan’s system, and I made a few changes.
I installed a floor drain, (I had been using a snorkel design) I redesigned the filtration system trying to mimic what I saw on Ryan’s system though I am still using the 20 gallon cans, I room to add two more filters

Question: I am using an air filter material in the bio filter media, my plan is to add one more bio filter with same design then will this help, hurt or no change?


I also add the new sump tank and purchased a 1" id hose for the 640 gph pump. I believe that the system cycles through the filtration system 11-12 times in a 24 hour period.
(My scientific test: I added Maxicrop to the GB the filter discharges into it took just over 2 hours to show in the bio filter.)

Question: 11-12 cycles through the filter,

And finally for today my last question I used a product called Pond Coat from a company called Permi Dry as my liner for the system same thing good, bad or indifferent? I talked to their tech services before I purchased the product and one statement that was mentioned was the product had a high PH.

Anyways this is the system that I have put together for the next growing season
looking forward to your comments

Having more biofilter material is a good thing anyway I can't see any downside except maybe having to clean it. I'm not sure about the material you're using for the filters so I can't speak to that.

11-12 cycles in 24 hours may be enough. In media based systems we try for 1 cycle per hour but some systems operate with less. How many fish you wind up with will also affect the need for flow through the filters.

Haven't used pond coat product myself but probably others here have. My main concerns are with food safety when using any coating or other product in the system. The high pH of the coating may affect the system initially but I suspect this will go away over time. Hopefully your pH will be below 8 (closer to 7 would be better) but even slightly above is still workable. The pH in most systems goes down over time.

Anyone doing DWC want to take a crack at this?

Thanks Scotty for your input.

I'm no fish whisper by any means but all of my goldies were at the top waiting for food this morning, all I can is they looked happy.

With time I will gain knowledge

Good morning all,

I thought I would take a few minutes and give an update on my DWC System. And post up a few more pics. First off no dead fish since I made the changes a couple of weeks ago!! In my book that’s a milestone. I have around 75 small goldies that seem to be happy.
I check the water on a daily basis using the recommended fresh water test kit. The ammonia is 0 .25 everything else is showing 0. Ph level at 8.2 (this has me worried; I will address this after the system cycles.) Water temp 48 f.

Now if you all don’t mind, a little about me. I live in Henderson NV USA it is a suburb of Las Vegas. Henderson is in Zone 9. I have been growing veggies in 6 raised beds in my backyard for years. Last spring I added three more raised beds in the front yard for a total 250 s/f, and over the summer I added the DWC AP system which added another 160 s/f of grow beds.

You know I don’t live on a farm or a large plot of land; I live in a modest house on 6000 s/f lot in the middle of the city. For years I have had a desire to try and produce a majority of my food for my family on my little city lot. A few years ago I had a conversation in a bar with a guy who works for the Nevada State agriculture department; he emphatically stated that I didn’t have enough room to grow what I would need to feed my family. He then went on to tell me that most of the leafy greens grown in So. California showed traces of rocket fuel from industrial plants here in Southern Nevada. So tell me what choice do I have, but to figure out how sustain myself on a city lot.

So at 50 years old I was able to go back school and while sitting in anthropology class I heard about an AP system on ¼ acre of land feeding a village in Africa. I am telling you all it hit me like a ton of bricks; this is all I have thought about for the last 10 months. Could this be the solution that I have been looking for? Only time will tell.

Now that It’s up and running, and since I didn’t ask for any advice on the design of my system, I figure Its time I start asking.
How big of an air pump will I need, my assumptions are that I will need it more during the heat of summer months. And with that being said that is one if the question I get asked most “what about the heat of the summer what’s that going to do to the fish” and I answer I will let you know in September.

But really what can I expect during the summer?

So what would you do, our temps have been way above normal for the last 30 days or so, highs in the 60’s f and lows in the 40's f. Being that I live in a gambling town do I roll the dice and plant early and hope for no freeze of wait a month.

Anyway that’s enough for now thanks for taking the time read this. I look forward to your comments.

Scott

Shade cloth will help with the temperature fluctuations. The fact that you're using DWC will prevent some heat buildup that you would have gotten with a grow bed. If the temp cools a lot at night, there may be some ways that you can use this to cool the system.

Other then what Scotty had said, I never did here if the Air Filter pads would work as the media for the BIo Filter. As I was discussing this with one of the local suppliers it was generally believed that it would be coated some sort of oil based product, Makes sense to me.
Now I’m look at a product from Dura-Cool evaporative pads (swamp Cooler)I have placed a call into their tech services. I looked over the MSDS the following is what was stated.

SECTION II – HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
No toxic chemical(s) subject to the reporting requirements of SARA Title III, Section 313 of Title and of 40 CFR
372 are present.
The product components are polyester fibers and an acrylic colored binder.

Once again any input would be appreciated

That looks like it should work to me. Here are some other types of media people have used for biofilters

K1 media, Bio Balls, matala, floor buffing pads, plastic bottle caps (these float and need more space), plastic shavings, and bird netting. I'm sure there are more.

Tech says No as I would expect they only test for what it is designed for. Says they have had calls over the years about fish deaths.