Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hey, that's great advice. I never knew of such things... Thank you!


Another small update with some progress pics are attached....

I have started to put together a list of plumbing supplies and shopping for a deal. I guess it will be another few weeks before I take delivery and can start the plumbing.

Feels like I am starting to approach the pointy end of this project. It has gone on a long time, I really can't wait to add water and get this baby switched on.

Another small update....

Sun cover for tank has been installed and painted. Also starting to set up a media grow bed (2m x 1.3m). At this early stage I only have plans for a single media grow bed (my design has fairly heavy emphasis on filtration with mineralisation handled by a reasonable sized moving bed bio).

I also have a second fibreglass grow bed (not shown) which I plan to set-up as a floating raft system.

Plumbing is going to cost more than anticipated so have had to put this off for a month or so until I can save some more bucks. In the meantime I still have lots to keep me going.

You seem pretty handy with the woodworking, how about metal working? You could weld yourself up some support frames for less than the cost of those besser bricks, and give yourself a lot more space under the grow beds.
I started with besser blocks, but then changed to these:
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=16345&start=150#p401525

Actually, my woodworking is pretty poor. This is the first time I have done anything like this and it has been a real learning curve. But I am going to take your comment as a compliment with the knowledge that there is nothing that paint can't cover up.

Those metal stands in the link you provided look great. I have zero metal experience and really wouldn't know where to start making my own. There is a metal fabrication shop very close to where I live and even when I was setting up the grow bed, I was still considering have them manufacture something for me.

While I still haven't completely dismissed this idea, there may be an issue still preventing this. I have learned that my cement slab is not as uniform/flat as I had thought. The center blocks hit a high spot and created a see-saw out of the wood supports. I can/have solved this problem by shimming the top of the existing blocks with plywood but expect that if such a problem arose with a metal stand I would be in strife (unless it came with adjustable legs). We are probably only talking 5mm, but enough to be a problem.

I won't give up on the metal stand idea just yet, but with the added cost, and problems with my slightly uneven floor - it would probably become more of an issue than being able to reclaim the space underneath.

Concrete blocks don't flex, but there is easily enough flex in my metal stands to take 10+mm of floor height variation, which I have- it's dirt. They are lightweight, easily picked up with one hand, yet will take well over a ton of weight- my GBs are mostly filled with river rocks.

Thanks mate. All food for thought especially as I hadn't considered that metal would flex. I will give it some more brain time before adding media.

Gordon,


Those are some neat looking growbed stands. What size square tubes did you use? 50mm x 50mm x 1.8mm for the larger tubes?

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Sam

Nothing that big, 35mm X 1.6mm SHS is the large size, and the small tube is 20mm X 1.2mm.

My shopping list came in early so I was able to start the plumbing this weekend. I thought it would be more fun but overall I found it to be quite tedious and slow going. I am glad I spent considerable time working it all out on paper as I really wouldn't have liked to try it on "the fly"...

Despite not being half the fun I thought, I am happy with this weekends progress.

Very neat and tidy, just like everything else you've done thus far!

Excellent job there!

You should be proud.

Another small update.....

Have made more progress on the plumbing and constructed the first of the radial flow filters. Have also had a change in plan. Originally I had planned for two radial flow filters (and one trickle), but have decided to increase to a third RFF and remove the inline trickle filter. This will give a settlement time of almost 30 minutes (based on one tank exchange per hour). Once operating I will do some experimenting and if there seems to be no added benefit I still have some ideas on how to utilise the extra barrel.

Have also done some more digging and preparing to hook into the sump tank.

That is some stunning work, Bones!

All that plumbing and not a drop of water yet, right?

--
Sam

Thanks! I did put about an inch of water in the tank to check all pipes below the tank outlet for leaks. When doing this I found a few of the barrel unions were not done up tight enough - but otherwise it tested good.

I am excited to get water circulating but I just have to keep pushing forward until all this plumbing is done. It's pretty slow going. Realistically it is still going to be weeks before water is flowing (maybe even a month or two).