Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hiya, just thought id share progress on my first systems

I dug a big goldfish pond, that is now running a bathtub growbed, 1000 lph pump, and just been planted with seeds and seedlings. I also planted half the seedlings in a vegie patch to get a growth comparison.

The second system is for trout/barra, will get trout next week. Turns out the deck out back had been built over an in-ground spa (filled with rubble), so cleaned it out and its now cycling over. Working on the gb's now.

get some more media in that tub! - thats lots of wasted "filtration"

Yes i will, thanks - there is another bag in the second photo, just have to go with my budget constraints. Ill get a whole trailer load for the trout pond GBs next week and top the bath up then.

Found a wave maker on ebay, cheap, thinking the trout will appreciate the exercise, also want to get a big aerator - im guessing theres no such thing as too much air?

link to wave makers

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/aquarium-wav ... 1230046037

Well... If there is so much air that the fish tank doesn't contain water...then I'd says that's too much air

Hi.

I agree with the media, it doesn't look very deep.

I got two tonnes of gravel delivered for $60 (to Elizabeth), and it works a treat. Heavy to shovel though.

Good job finding the spa there, I'd bet you were having horrible amounts of mozzies in there if it was just decked over. It should work out well though.

Just be careful with how much you spend electricity wise with the Wave generator, I think we have the most powerful electricity in the world.

Thanks for the replys and advice.

No mozzies in the spa, it was filled with broken brick and concrete, a washing machine and a couple of tvs!

Regarding electricity - yes ours is the most powerfull in the world! (also the most expensive i guess u meant columnmn) but we have a 6kw solar system installed, so ill set everything on timers to cycle more often in daylight, love having solar!

Sorry, brain fart there.

I meant Expensive.

Can i have some plumbing advice please?

Ive dug myself a sump next to the FT, tough digging thru clay! 600 litres (will either find a plastic tank or pour a concrete box tank) the same level at the top as the FT.

My grow beds will be higher than the FT and sump. I want to use the sump as an SLO. Will have 2 pumps flowing to 4 GBs each, on different flood and drain timer cycles. Also thinking NFT pipes on the way back to the FT. Also using a big air pump for the FT.

So my question - is it viable to have the pump/s in the sump to draw the solids from the FT and deposit on the GBs (yes i want solids there breaking down) and then flow back to the FT, with the SLO able to go thru the sides at the top of the tanks (so not realy siphoning, just drawing from the bottom of the FT.) The SLO pipe will be bigger than the pump can flow from the sump.

Have been trolling thru systems and diagrams, most have the pump in the FT, with GBs then flowing to the sump, but also with a height difference between sump and FT

Little bit confusing. When I think of a SLO it's a passive overflow. So for instance in a system where the Fish Tank is the highest point and the Sump the lowest, you would pump from a sump into a Fish Tank that has a SLO and this would just overflow into the growbeds which then drain back to the sump. Not sure what you're suggesting when you say you want to use your Sump as a SLO?

I don't know which system this is going to be, is the Fish Tank already built? If it isn't and your just planning on having the FT and Sump at the same level, I'd just make a bigger FT and skip the Sump. Simple loop pump up from FT and drain down from GBs.

If it is built then I'd go with two separate systems since you're going to be using two pumps anyway. You can have a small and a large system, or use one for quaranteen.

Anyway, explain what you have so far and what you want and someone will give you a hand.

Cheers

Sorry for confusion, what i want to do is pull solids from the FT into the sump (by drawing from the centre bottom of the FT) to make it easy for the pump to distribute solids to the GBs. Having the sump and FT at the same level, as the pump empty's the sump, water will flow from the FT to equalise the levels (90mm pipe thru the walls of FT and sump, not over) drawing from the bottom and pulling all the solids. I cant really dig the sump any deeper, not at an inch per hour!

I'll try and do a pic of what i want to do. In the meantime, I bought 26 metres of steel today to make my first growbeds, so tomoro will be a day of cutting and welding! also have to call tooperang and see if i can get trout trout trout trout, ooh i want to grow trout sooo bad!

Hi Dan,
My system runs as you have described - clean water gravity flows into FT, SLO takes from FT into ST via 90mm pipe, pump in ST sends water to GB. I run fish in both the FT & ST.

I haven't had any problems with this setup & I have run trout, barra & silver perch. I have kept the SPs in the sump for over 12 mths & am about to move them into the FT. I will also get trout in the next week or so, but this year will keep them in the sump as they are much dirtier than the silvers & their filth can go directly to the GBs.

The only piece of advice I would give is to have an overflow outlet on the sump, just below the SLO inlet height in case of over filling / heavy rain.

The pics show my tanks & the GBs above them.



Cheers

Thanks for the reply team41, peace of mind that the idea is sound! I can see ur 90mm pipe at the top of the tanks, yep, exactly as want to do. I plan on running marron/yabbies in sump, but that can be flexible and accommodate the goldfish or new fingerlings

On a devastating note, i just read an article saying tooperang has closed!! Nooooo, is this true, have they reopened? Anyone? if so where else can i get trout (adelaide)? Team41 where will you get ur trout from? maybe we can do a bulk buy? Im after 50

Hadn't heard about Tooperang closing - that's where I have been the last 2 seasons & I was planning a Sunday drive!
They usually close for the month of May, I think for spawning. Hopefully it's not true because I don't have a plan B at the moment.
I will get back in touch if I find any other growers/hatcheries & I am happy to buy together if we get good prices.