Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I have three 1000 gallons tanks, concrete built into the back wall of my Solar Green House. The first one is the one I want sand in, the 2nd is my heavy stock fish tank, the third is my sump. Inside my sump I have both a swirl filter and a bio filter shown above. From the sump, I will send water though media grow beds and back into all 3 tanks but mostly into tank # 1. Still under construction but this is where I'm at so far.

I see what you are saying about the SLO. Either you want to siphon large poop off or you don't. It might be hard to have a biological sand bed and a SLO combined. The critters in the sand will move it around and pile it up here or there. Even if they just stir the sand around, it is bound to get in the holes either way. So if not a SLO, then having the right stocking density and critters will be important.

Maybe I should rethink clams and go with some sort of crayfish.

Mid to Large fish tank owners put together what they call a clean up crew or CUC. I need some new ideas.

Thank you everyone.

Not necessarily, you just have to work out where you can pick up without picking up too much sand, even if you have to have the pick up 200mm off the bottom, it will still pick up solids being stirred around by the fish.



I know nothing about clams/mussels in AP but i do have red claw/yabbies and although i love them they are a pain in the ass with respect to feeding on the bottom and having waste food and them being cannibalistic[/quote]



I know nothing about this side.

Thank you Kitacooch. I'm enjoying reading your system blog. I think crayfish and clams are out of my scope this first year. I'll concentrate on the fish.


I ran into a couple issues today but don't want to go into detail without pictures.

Thanks Again

Ok. here is my system all plumbed up and almost ready to go. Now a list of my issues and concerns. Media doesn't arrive until next week. I'm ordering 4 tons of Haydite which is expanded shale 3/4 to 1/4 in size. My middle grow beds empty into a IBC that will siphon to the fish tank. I plan on putting duck weed in this tank.

1. By by calculations 8 grow beds can only handle about a 100 lbs of fish while my two fish tanks can handle more like 400 lbs. I'm not sure how much my wall garden and floating tomato baskets are going to remove. Any ideas to increase my growing potential? Any plants that can stand deep wet roots to use in a fully flooded IBC?

2. I haven't used Salt yet. since I have about 3500 Gallons I'm thinking 30 lbs to start. Is that correct?

3. I've had gold fish in my system all winter (about 4 months). There is green algae close to the service in each tank and brown algae under that for another couple inches. Is that ok? There is much less in the gold fish tank as I have them all in the middle tank right now.

4. Here are my water test results
pH 8.2
Ammonia 0.25 ppm
NO2 0.25 ppm
NO3 5.0 ppm

Any recommendations on how to cycle this system once I get my media? When to add plants? When to add more fish?

Thank you.
Jason

One additional issue I have is my flow. My overflow from tank to tank is 2". It isn't keeping up with the flow of my water. My supply is all 1.5" to 1" yet the flow is much greater then gravity can handle.

Does anyone know if you can adjust the pump on a rheostat?

Sorry I haven't read the whole thread but if it's a mag drive pump you can just add a ball valve to adjust the water flow. This won't hurt the pump and will save you electricity costs.

Low Carb,

Wow, that is great to hear. It is a mag drive. I assume I would put the ball valve at the end of the main run so I can create a slight static pressure for all my grow bed valves?

That's what I would do, I don't know if it really matters though (I tend to overthink things lol.)

I just now realized that I did not paint my tanks. Is this a must?

I painted mine and it scratched off in places, where it scratched of it grows algae on the walls. I wouldn't consider not painting unless you enjoy scrubbing the walls with a broom. Same goes for the grow beds and and sumps if using IBC's. You could wrap the tanks in something that blocks the light.

As for your overflow, why can't you just add extra overflows?? The more water turn over/flow the better.

Oh and i hope you are tall with long arms lol.

I like your green paint Kitacooch. I'm thinking of going with the same color.

interesting system, do you have a schematic of the piping?

is there a sealant on the blockwork tanks?

what are the chains for above the 4 GB on the back wall?

I used X3 for the tanks. It's a liquid that soaks in and creates a silica barrier.

The chain is just in case my 2x8 cypress beams sag a bit with the weight of water and media. They have just a half inch of slack at the time being, but as the support ladder bows, the chains will distribute some weight.

I don't have a schematic. I'm make it all up as I go. The pump is in the far tank. Each set of beds have their own run as well as the pvc on the back wall. The middle run dumps to the duck weed tank, the run on the wall dump to both fish tanks. Closest fish tank flows into middle, flows into sump. Inside sump I have a 55 gallon swirl and 55 gallon bio filter that catches the overflow first then dumps to sump.