Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Does system 3 fill up the grow bed completely, draining over the top of the stand pipe prior to reaching the 15 minute on time or does does it reach the top at about the same time?

I'm trying to replicate this system on a very small scale to try integrating Arduino into a timing system that also collects data and performs other functions as well.

I would be looking at a system with the following specs:

10 gallon aquarium
5 gallon grow bed (5" tall)
Submersible pump 120L/hour

Any suggestions for timing?

If that's the timer based flood and drain,the safe way to do it would be to have a standpipe set an inch below the media so it cant overflow, then drill a small hole at the bottom of the standpipe so the growbed can drain.

Coming back to this again, did the CF system require additional air to maintain high enough oxygen levels for the fish?

I'm pretty sure the answer to that is no. The water is always moving and this keeps it aerated. I've been running CF for many years without adding any additional aeration. If you want to put a ton of fish in the system then you should consider adding more aeration and more filtration though. I'd also consider aeration if you're growing Trout and you're getting close to their temperature limit but you probably should do this no matter what type of setup you're running.

Yep... We did use air pumps in all the systems but this was only because they were AC/DC battery backup pumps in case of power failures.

Good to know, thanks as always!