Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

This is my first system so I'm trying to start off small, just 2 55-gal plastic drums. I was originally going to shoot for a CHIST PIST system but decided to skip the ST and, if possible, the pump and go with a siphon-only system. I got some old bricks for my grow bed media. They're soaking in a strong vinegar/water solution to help kill off the algae (they'd been sitting in someone's yard for a few years), and once that's done I'll rinse them and crush them to pea-gravel sized chunks. I want to ensure the plumbing is working first, then add in the grow media, then the fish, then the plants shortly after (or plants then fish? I'm still debating). Once more of the setup is complete I'll build a small greenhouse to keep the leaves and bugs out. I just hope the temperature doesn't climb out of acceptable bounds (95F/35C is normal for the summer).

We're pretty limited with both yard space and time with which to work on this, and the mosquitoes are pretty fierce after dark. I expect slow progress. However, I'm hopeful that, once I get some of the practices down, I'll be able to more quickly (and competently ) put together something a bit larger.

@JayMen - Hi and welcome, you can start planting as soon as you have media in your system, while it is cycling. You might want to keep an eye out for your water temp fluctuations when it comes to small water volume in the FT. If it is too drastic it will stress your fishes out. You can take a look at my system thread linked at my signature to learn from my mistakes.

Regards

Thanks, Curious. When you mention temperature fluctuations, what counts as drastic? Where I live (Louisiana, U.S.A.) the temperature rarely fluctuates more than 20 degrees F (11 degrees C) in one day due to the regional environment.

This is a picture of my system just after raising the rack on cement blocks (I changed my plan partway through and had to compensate). I completely missed the error message telling me the picture was too large when I first tried to post it.

These are the drains on the GBs, shown just above the FT. They're composed of 2 45 degree joints stuck together underneath the standpipe. I haven't tested them yet but I'll probably put a reducer on them to help with the siphon process, possibly at the end of the horizontal section. Nothing is glued yet so I still have plenty of reconfiguration options.

This is the standpipe. It comes up to about an inch under the edges of the GB. As you can probably tell, I'm using two different types of PVC. I don't know whether this will cause an issue down the road but if it does I suspect it will mainly become apparent when the temperature goes through any major changes.

Again, I'm going to test this and see how well the siphon process works. If necessary I'll tweak it by adding a wider mouth on top and/or a reducer at the bottom.

@JayMen - Sorry, i do not have hard data on the range for temperature fluctuation. You can read the links attached below on what aquarium FAQ and guides are offering.

As for myself, i was experiencing as much as 5'C in water temperature changes form afternoon to night and keeping Tilapias, they did not survive. It was 35'C in the afternoon and 30'C at night.

I am thinking that it comes down to what type of fish you are keeping and how hardy they are. I am currently running my system with 2 marbled goby and they are doing ok for about a year already. Only recently did i put up a shade cloth and the water temp dropped and is more constant. But by the look of my plants they might be suffering slightly from not enough sunlight.



http://www.liveaquaria.com/PIC/article.cfm?aid=88
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=657
http://pets.thenest.com/keep-aquarium-t ... 12116.html

@Curious, catfish grow wild here so they're already acclimated to this environment. That's probably what I'll end up using simply because they'll be the easiest to acquire. Or I may get some crappie (I think these are also called white perch) because they are also local and are omnivorous (catfish are primarily carnivorous).

I'd prefer tilapia but they're classified as an invasive species where I live and the costs and regulations to raise them are formidable.

One of the ideas I had was to arrange the tanks so that the FT is always in the shade of the GB. Catfish in particular seem to prefer shade, and this arrangement should also help reduce the temperature fluctuations of the water. I'll see how this works out.

I'm going to use crushed bricks for my media. The bricks I got were covered in dirt, webs, and algae (they've been sitting unused in someone's yard for a few years now), so I let them soak in a strong water/vinegar solution for a few days. Last night I took them out and now have them sitting out on the grass now to air out and get hit with a few of our afternoon thunderstorms. This may initially mean a lower-than-optimal pH level but it will help reduce the contaminants without resorting to chemicals. Later on I'll crush them and let them air out/rain out another day or so.

The way you are supporting your half barrels when they are full of media and water be aware they will want to bow out as you have nothing supporting the top edge.

Thanks, dasboot, I'll keep an eye on this and start coming up with a better support system.

@JayMen - The water temp fluctuation is primarily from the sun hitting the GBs, GBs are where the transfer of temperature happens the most. Most members here have higher volume of water to mitigate this effect, but you might be fine, you do have more water volume compared to me.

Regards

Jaymen,

Just put a top frame of 2x4's around the outside on the top edge. Screw through the barrel into the wood. No more bowing issues. Also if temp fluctuations prove to be a problem go to the local craft store and buy some poly-fill (pillow stuffing). Spread it over your GB media so that the sun can not transfer heat through the rocks. Just leave a small clear circle around anything that you have planted.

Good news! The first test of the bell siphon went better than expected. The suction held until the water was about 3 inches below the top of the standpipe. I'm going to caulk a plastic flap over the top of it and test it again. I'd rather have a PVC cap that I could just remove if I ever need to work with the standpipe, but I'll learn to live with it.

The picture shows the test arrangement. The bricks on the left and the rainwater-filled bucket to the right are only there to take up space and reduce the amount of water I needed to test. The siphon is in the middle being weighed down with a clump of wood and concrete (part of an old fence post).

Another result: Even when filled with water up to the edge, the barrel showed no signs of bowing outward. I'm not sure why but I'm hoping this is what I can expect in the future as well

These are some of the crushed bricks that will be used as the grow media.