Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Cookie,

Thank you sir. Onward and upward!

to these??

One day my friend, one day. If I keep following the leaders, on this site. I will get there. Hopefully in record time.

Repost from a conversation on Cookies thread since it has to do with this build.

Cookie,

At least 2 of us. LOL By the way since you did not think that there could be too much flow through a DWC. I have decided to experiment a little with my build. Originally I was going to build 2 identical side by side DWCs. Just shy of 4 x 16ft (1.21 x 4.87m) Since I am now going to up the flow, I am going to make it 1 big DWC. With 3 inlets and a weir type outlet.

Repost from a conversation on Cookies thread since it has to do with this build.

Cookie,

At least 2 of us. LOL By the way since you did not think that there could be too much flow through a DWC. I have decided to experiment a little with my build. Originally I was going to build 2 identical side by side DWCs. Just shy of 4 x 16ft (1.21 x 4.87m) Since I am now going to up the flow, I am going to make it 1 big DWC. With 3 inlets and a weir type outlet.


Dasboot replied

Recommended flow rates from Ryan of chattersons farm were from once per hour to once every four hours,inlet design although important is not so much with a DWC as with the air injection into the bed ensures full mixing and turn over of the water.Having a weir rather than a outlet pipe doesnt really matter as the faster velocity through an outlet pipe will help remove any solids in suspension if there is any after that length.If i was going to build mine again i would go for slightly more depth,mine have 10 inches of water and i would push that up to maybe 18 inches,this would help with the roots lying on the bottom in the detritus that does accumulate on the bottom from the nitrification process that happens within the bed.

Repost from a conversation on Cookies thread since it has to do with this build.

Dasboot,

Thanks for the tips. The only reason that I was going to use the weir was to insure no stagnant areas in the DWC. But I guess it is not needed. Cool, less work for me

FF,its the air that will prevent stagnant areas,again from Ryan he recommended 26 lpm and a airstone every 1.2 metres,the air will also maximise nitrification within the dwc,the underside of the rafts themselves,the sides,root systems and the water column itself,the uvi who used no biological filtration apart from the dwc,quoted a figure of 180 gramms of feed per m3 was capable of being processed through there beds.

Dasboot,

Thanks for the info. 26lpm for what sized bed? Do you happen to remember? I will be putting pics of my almost finished DWC tonight. Unfortunately I had already built it before I saw your comment about going 18in deep. So I went with ryans 10in with 2 in freeboard.

Any body reading this thread in the central FL area this maybe of interest for you. http://spacecoast.craigslist.org/grd/4799281799.html

My 10 inches works fine,its just on some plants.Pok Choi for example,mine are only half grown and the root system touches the bottom of the bed,the big root system is a 30inch high Tom,so you can see that extra depth although not essential would help,In practise the roots tend to float add spread out,I think our 10 inches is the minimum,by the way i copied Ryans as well...
As for the air Ryan quoted it as a min air flow but didn’t stipulate for what size of bed,so i took it as a bench mark figure for back yard size dwc,as Ryans mine and yours,i was running a 40 lpm air pump split between the two dwcs Ryan posted that it would help if i pushed that up to 26 lpm rather than the 20 lpm i was using.

Dasboot,

Nice growth. Have you seen any advantage to the spacers you are using on your net pots? And The airgap on the bottom side?

DWC is getting closer to completion. And yes I tend to do some slight overkill when building.

Some more pics

And the pond liner showed up

Dasboot,

The airlift you mentioned in your DWC system. Is it in the DWC perhaps? As I had once thought about putting 2 in. One cross cornered from the other. Creating flow down their respective sides of the DWC. Which would make the water "swirl" for lack of a better term.