Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi ya'all .

i'm in thailand now, so happens to move to a landed property and after renovation, i have tons of material left over.

so decided to build a pond and started to look for FILTRATION ideas and stumbled upon Aquaponics. ( i am not new to aquarium - have many tanks before and also did set up salt water - so i understand ammonia nitrates and so on )

BUT NEW TO AQUAPONICS.

what i know so far : requires these things ...

- fish tank - water goes to solid waste remover , then to Grow Bed ( many types of water flow systems ) , then need Bell Siphon and the water goes back to the fish tank.

my grow bed will have normal gravel at the bottom and Clay balls on the top ( to save cost )

so, basically a few quick questions ;i see samples on youtube and read working paper so I NEED HELP

1. some says no need solid waste remover, some says need it

2.i see many bell siphon water go to another tank before going back into the fish tank, is it just to show the flow or need this type of flow ?

3. fish food, what impact will soy bean waste have on this system ? as i intend to grow some soy,use the stalk and leaf as food for Quail birds and then use the beans to grind into soy milk and the use the waste as fish food.

4. what impact will the dropping of Quail birds on the soil ( ground level ( the qty is not many ,say something like 10 to 20 birds ) and the soil is not linked to the fish pond. i will have other plants on the soil too.maybe passion fruit ,bitter gourd and some others.

this will be it for the moment...

Please provide some answers..

thanks !!!

Tmaker,

1. This is an ongoing and never ending debate. Basically it depends on total volume of GB media, to Fish stocking densities. If you are going to stock lightly 1 fish to 27lt of wet media or under you could get away with only using the MBs. When you decide to stock fish at a higher rate solids removal becomes important. I must note here that a lot of people that remove solids use them in their earth gardens, or send the waste to a offline MT to be able to extract the nutrients before they reintroduce it into their system.

2. Personally I like CF because it gives me larger water retention and less parts to possibly fail. Plus setup is a breeze. The other tank that you see is called a sump tank. It is there to help control the water fluxuations, while keeping a constant amount of water in the FT. It also helps your system hold more water volume which helps keep the water temp and other parameters more stable.

3. Not sure on this one so I will let someone with more experience answer.

4. As none of the water in your system ever touches the ground in it's normal operation, it has no effect what so ever.

thanks mate.

i need to learn all the acronyms used here...lol...

and also many parameters for the water and pest control.

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=1275

555.. thks mate

Start small!

Probably the best tip everyone can give you.
Not sure about the rocks in thailand but make sure you get the right rock. Lot's of problems will never sees if you start using limestone for example.


2, regarding bell siphons. They can drain directly into the fishtank if wanted to do so. As floridafishin says the sump style system is mostly used to account for water fluctation. Depends on the size of your ponds and your personal preferences.

Hi and welcome.

To add on to laruko.89, start small but not too small if you are planing to have it outdoors, i have a 120L Ft system, water temp fluctuates too much and place unwanted stress on the fishes. you would want enough water to keep the fluctuation to a minimum. If you like you can go take a look at some of my mistakes and advices that might be informative on my system thread linked at my signature.

About how you want to drain your GB please read viewtopic.php?f=51&t=8621&hilit=trial* it is very informative, and will help you decide.

Regards

now struggling to set up my system.

only have time after work...lol...but still have to carry on...

hopefully can run by end of the month....

Take your time and do it right. Fixing mistakes is costly.

Hi welcome to Thailand.

1 I never use solids removal and my system work well.
But I think you should have solids waste removal system, so the grow bed will not clock with waste in a few years and water will be clearer.
My next system will have solid removal things

2 You don't have to have Flood & Drain grow bed. constant flow is working also.
In F&D you have to move water up and down.
In constant flow can have water at the same level to all container in the system (FT GB) this is good for energy consumption, smaller pump, and no sump tank.
But be careful dead spot, water not moving, in GB.
So it depend on your design.

3 Soy bean is main component in fish food. So I thing no different.

thks at lot guys.

i have already fixed up all my GB with Siphon..

now i am waiting for the tank to clear ( clean ). already changed the water 2 times...now is the 3rd lot,maybe after i placed in all my PVC piping, then only i will change the water as some residue of PVC glue is still running around...

I can change to CF, no big issue, it's very easy. just remove the bell.

i need to know the optimum water level in CF, 1" below the maximum clay/gravel ?

Yes between 1 and 2 inches below the media.

so, mine will be a combo system.

about 2,600 ltrs of GB. and NFT - 29 pcs of 4 " pvc pipe . ( with approximately 450 3" grow pots in them )

FT is about 2,800 ltrs... but will not be fully maxed. ( ratio calculation - i can put about 140 full size fish )

am thinking of only about 50 to 60 fishes or so...

2 sacrificial fishes are my ADVANCE SCOUTS.... lol...

still surviving after 24 hrs...