Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

To add to the list of safety measures, Make sure any air pumps are installed above the highest water level that air lines go to so that a power out to the air pump can't siphon the water out of the tank and through the air pump (can cause electronics problems as well as a mess of water on the floor.)

+1 good one TC

I see so many installs with the air pumps sitting on the ground next to a fish tank and no check valves and wonder that there are not more horror stories about disasters from such things.

It is also a good idea to make sure any Ts in the Air lines are above the high water mark because it could be possible to have a fish tank siphon down into a raft bed through the air lines too if the planets align wrong.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. We have had many of the problems Dave mentioned, but for the most part things have gone pretty smoothly. Trout did not work, but catfish, bluegill, and goldfish have worked. Our biggest problem has been the loop siphons. They work well, but we had them uncapped, and a child put rocks down the pipe. I had a little bit of an overflow this morning. They are just very temperamental, and I don't recommend them. I may switch over to bell siphons over the holiday break.

I have had problems with lettuce bolting, and it took me a while to get my lights. Then they really installed them too high, so I'm not sure if my greens are getting enough "sun". Still, the tomato plants are doing well as are squash and peppers. We are trying dwarf okra, a couple of types of lettuce, purple spinach, kale, and bok choy. Broccoli doesn't seem to like the deep water culture, but the cabbage is doing fine. We originally had the goldfish in the deep water culture, but they were eating the plant roots, so we moved them.

My 5th grade is designing a system right now and just gave their presentations. We are going to go with a CHIFT PIST system with lava rock or expanded clay and tilapia. I had honestly never heard of CHIFT PIST before their presentations, but it looks pretty straight forward to build. We will drill through a table place the grow bed on the table the sump below, and they fish tank besides. They are going to turn in a budget and parts list. I've bought a lot of PVC and fittings. The kids get to try out different setups, and it has been a lot of fun. I was also able to get 16 IBCs for a fantastic price. I bought 8 and he donated 8, so we can try out a lot of other setups.

I completely drained the koi pond, mucked it out and scrubbed it down. It is now crystal clear. I will add some pics. Thanks for your help and interest. The kids are following this thread. They think it is great, and they love the suggestions and advice.

A few more pictures.

Fantastic setup. It kind of reminds me of how my elementary school would hatch and raise salmon. My school was adjacent to a salmon bearing creek, and would catch a male and female spawning salmon. Then we fertilized the eggs, took the eggs back to the school where we had a tank with massive filtration set up and incubated them. When the fry was ready to release, we took them back to the creek. We also had to memorize 20 types of salmon. I am pretty sure it was silver salmon that we used...

Thanks for the update GG and students, the system looks really great!

I agree that the lettuce lights are too high.

You might also consider just going to constant flood, it's debatable whether you'll notice any difference between flood and drain and constant flood. (I haven't used flood and drain in a long while)

To maximize what you get out the lights you could get some mylar camping blankets really cheap (tip from TCLynx I used and it worked great) and put those on the wall and maybe around the beds as curtains.

http://www.amazon.com/Emergency-Mylar-T ... g+blankets

Yep the lights need to be on chains with hooks or pulleys so you can raise and lower them For most plants to get much from a florescent light you need to have the light within a few inches of the leaves.

Perhaps you can borrow a light meter and have the kids do some research into PAR (plant available radiation) and they could work out some different options for adjusting the lighting to get better results.

Ron, I am sure that was an awesome experience. We are trying to give our kids the same. I am now partnering with a local carpet factory. They are looking at a setup to add more lights and a method to raise and lower the lights. They have also talked about putting in a control unit that they use. It would allow us to track temp, water level, and put all of the lights on a timer. The best part is that it is wifi enabled. I am still working with my 5th grade to complete their system. They really want a clear 200 gallon tank, and the cost is just astronomical. Any suggestions?

We have also applied for a grant that would allow us to install a hatchery. The hatchery would be a great addition because it would better allow us to study life cycles. I will definitely check on a light meter. I am always trying to find ways to tie the system to our standards and 4th grade studies light.

Biofilm and clear fishtanks are not the best combo. Perhaps just installing view ports, as they are smaller and be cleaned off in an as needed basis, would be better. Bioslime is important, so you want as much of it as possible.

They mylar blankets were the ticket. They have really made a difference. I have also added to SLOs to the system as redundancy.

I just received grape cuttings (hybrid). We are going to see if they work for us. There is a vineyard in our district, and they are interested in seeing the results. My plan for the summer is to build a large outdoor system. Hopefully, I can get it completed before summer is over. It is really tough for me to get things like that done during the year. The biggest change with our program is the addition of a full time teacher. This year, I taught most of the lessons until teachers began using the lab. He will be a great asset, and it will really allow us to reach the potential of aquaponics in the classroom. Thanks for all of your help throughout this process.

I also wanted to show off what the kids built. They decided on a hybrid aquaponics/living wall. I am not sure it will work long term, but they did a great job building it.

Cool!

I'm with Dave, very cool.