Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Some update photos would be nice colours. Interested in your blue barrel set up, video would also be good. Glad you are winning.

Hubby off to hardware to get a bit we forgot. Meh. Here's some pics so far...

If you have a look at the top edge of the pool that's where I have scrubbed. Couldn't go much deeper cause its so cold but I'm hoping this is what I will achieve with the rest of the pool when it gets warm enough and has the blanket to prohibit further growth.

Standpipe

Nearly finished. What we didn't think about was what to do if the 6mm outlet hole in each barrell gets clogged with solids. Massive short sightedness. Will come up with an improvement thru the week but the system is running happily ATM, ordering scoria tomorrow. just need to pick my plants now...

Later on will add an extra few barrels as we have some room left and a radial filter! Wish it was daylight savings ...

Sweet setup - barrels galore

Can you put a gravel guard around the inlets ?

We're thinking of using a 90mm sleeve and a screw on fitting so we can periodically screw off and clean it. Not exactly sure how yet but that's this weeks plan.

Looks like lots of barrels but there are only 6 there which is max of 1200 L. In retrospect we'd have been better off buying one or maybe 2 IBC and cutting them in half with all the extra plumbing we had to do for the same volume. The connections all add up in cost. However I like the idea of a stand alone tree in each barrel. Was going to leave a few empty for aquatic plants but the inlet creates a whirl and I think the plants may get tangled.

Colours, i have followed your progress,so glad its working for you,its looking good...

A couple of updates. The airstones were installed, the blanket is on (not yet cut to size, you need to let it sit for a bit first in case of shrinkage), half barrels in action.

I'm wondering if I could jig up a polystyrene flotation ring with a small hole if that would float a fruit tree. Might try it as an experiment with one before I add the scoria.

We are going to scrounge around a stainless fabricators workshop to see if we can find some scrap mesh to use to isolate the input pipe from the media do it can be cleaned out easily.

Fish do have an area that they can come to the surface but so far haven't seen them there. The blanket wasn't supposed to heat up the water much but it felt pretty hot and steamy to me. Will stick a thermometer in it thru the week.

Love the barrels

Thanks Charlie, thanks dasboot

water looks good too Colours. love your work.

Yep smells great. Hubby even tasted it (by accident) said it was fine! I'm wondering how big of a problem high nitrates will be for infants swimming. Read a bit about blue baby syndrome. Happens when nitrates are high in drinking water. I presume water won't be drunk in enough volume to cause any probs but it is something I need to read more about as water will inevitably go in the mouth when swimming.

I haven't done any water quality testing lately. Will leave the blanket on for a week and then check it all out.

The perch are growing at the same rate as the koi which I found interesting.

If the tree will be supported externally, I suppose the polystyrene ring could work. But I like my trees in scoria.