Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

If hydroponic nutrients (or I suppose any nutrients) are allowed to get way out of balance, certain things might conceivably build up to a toxic or more likely just problematic level requiring extensive soaking/rinsing/washing/rinsing of the media to try to dilute the elevated substance to a more workable level.
It isn't like there is a hidden toxin in the clay and the clay is only picking up what it is exposed to.

If I recall vermiculite can go through an issue where it sequesters ammonia, but the releases it when it gets saturated. I bet said claimie transposed that to LECA too, thinking that because it is pourous, that it must do the same thing.

I, use a soil-less mix, so that I can grow root crops such as carrots, yams, and fingerling potatoes.

But I don't use a flood and drain system to water, I use a wick system.

Soil-less media is cheaper and easier to work with.

Great for a wicking system but that doesn't give you any filtration so you need enough filtration to support your fish since a wicking system is only sucking up water and nutrients.

Guys and Ladies, Can u please give me some con's for scoria? im being told it's no good and will only support a number of fish in a IBC tank, all i'm find on the forum is people recommending scoria

I was planning on using the scoria because its very cheap, u get a lot for your money ie: will fill filters easily, and its available at bunnings

Looking to put the scoria in a external but submerged canister filter

Pro: decent surface area, cheap, heavy/large plants can secure their roots well in it (though that doesn't matter for a filter)

Con: heavy, not as much surface area as some other materials.

...That last one is probably the main problem with using it in a filter; like other media normally used in growbeds, it can only provide bacterial colony surface for around one fish per 20-25 cubic liters, and although it would trap large solids well it won't filter fine solids out very much. You'll see it recommended on the forum because it's an excellent material to use in growbeds where weight isn't much of an issue.

For a canister filter I'd look at using something like pot scrubbers, shadecloth scraps, or bundled-up netting. More surface area per cubic liter and better at trapping fine solids.

Now your talking shade cloth is relatively cheap i just found a roll on ebay 1.8m wide by 10m long 30% UV so its probably not the highest density in thickness

Should the shade cloth be jammed packed into the filter or light and fatherly placed in side the filter? will i still need wool or a foam pad at one end of the filter?

Stuff it in fairly tight - not so much that the water can't get through it, there should still be some give when you push down. Give it a wash in hot water (without soap!) first to get off any treatment that might harm your fish. As for whether you'll need a finer pad at the end, I'd put something in there at first and see what it catches - if you're getting a lot of fine grot in it then keep using it and replace or wash it when it starts to clog up, if you're getting nothing you won't need to bother.

I've seen filters discussed on here where people have put a big mass of something in the bottom (shadecloth or onion bags etc), and put layers of filter foam on top so the water has to pass through a coarse layer, then a medium one, then a fine one; they just pull them out and wash them off with a hose once a week or so. The shadecloth or whatever does the bulk of the filtering and bacterial processing, and the filter foam layers 'polish' the water.

Awesome thanks heaps for that, do i wash the shade cloth like a aquarium sponge filter where i wash the shade cloth in FT water or do i just wash or replace the wool only?

That's where you'll need to see how things go - especially at the start, when you have few/small fish and not that much in the way of waste, I'd just rinse out the wool (or foam layer, or whatever you end up using as the final polish). Some people using this type of filter never touch it, and it goes fine; others (usually with bigger systems or heavy stocking numbers) find it gets clogged up and obstructs the water flow, and have to wash it out. You're right that if you do need to wash the shadecloth you should use FT water and be fairly gentle about it!

Basically keep testing your water and as long as all the numbers are good (no ammonia or nitrite spikes) and your flow rate through the filter is good, you should be fine without washing it.

Solid advice thanks once again

I would recommend that you not use the canister filter.

Or if you do you use a radial flow filter before it to get rid of most of the solids first and then use the canister to trap the rest.

That is if you are trying to run a system without media beds. Which is possible of course but media beds are simple, reliable and easy. Other means of dealing with solids are trickier.

Canister filters work great for aquariums but aquarium fish don't produce much waste.

i'm choosing NFT mate so i don't have a GB with all the media to move later on

Then you really need to check out a radial flow filter as a precursor to the canister filter. Plus you will need a biofilter and the canister filter may not be big enough for that job.

Stu i was thinking of using a 60L barrel for the filter and now i'm considering a 60L barrel for the swirl filter, can u take a look at my drawing and let me know if this will work

Sorry i couldn't edit everything to name it all, the far right is the swirl filter and left of that is the bio filter