Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Looking very nice, are you going to have power in the GH?

Hi GF, rise and shine! Planning on getting power in my shed upgraded, there's a dodgy powerpoint in there that needs checking. May just run a line underground in some conduit for a free standing upright fan to get some circulation going. Why do you ask?

Ohh, I asked because that was one of my major mistakes. Run power before finishing. I didn't so have to do some digging again. Thats the only recomendation I have to your GH.
I do like the hoop design.

I won't have supplementary heat and the fishtank will be in the shed, GF. I think my only power requirement will be a fan for air circulation, so i need to run a lead for that. Power for pumps, however many, will be from the shed.
The hoops are a bit different, 20mm square and i like em too. Cheers.

Sanded off all the rust and prior film tape sealant on hoops today. Also sealed gap where hoop slides into footings. Fishtank 3 weeks away, got plumbing and GBs sorted in my mind, add Duratough and booya, we are away. (Small issue of 6 cubic mts gravel/washing, buy fish, reconfigure garage etc notwithstanding!) Should be somewhere near a finished system end of Sept. See how we go. Then just got to cycle stuff and test test test. Not expecting gr8 things until after chrissy but doing the yards now and come late summer/autumn we should be praising the AP gods.

Go TT!....one of the good things about tossing up pics here is the nostalgic trips back and seeing how far u have advanced

...and why did I ever start

It's funny. I feel like i am getting nowhere but have been on this new setup only about a month. I really appreciate pics from others, like ur siphon pics and Aussie's series of photos. For a non tradie like me it is a huge help. This has given me a genuine alternative to growing veges in dirt and makes far more sense in our high water cost future. I have no regrets only good thoughts and look fwd to spreading the AP gospel.

Been a busy boy on the Greenhouse front. Picked up 11 bathtubs for not much and in plumbing phase. Have run 50mm pipe to end of GH on south wall, from garage. Buried all nice and neat. Nice little 90 degree elbow in thru timber base. Running 50mm across west (top end) of GH, which we will tee off for our 3 rows of gbs.

Gunna get 8 bathtubs running down middle first to kick things off. Dug trench for 90mm stormie. Have tossed up b/n loop syphon pipe and stand pipe and will prolly go with the latter. 40mm pipe into bathtub plughole, 90mm t-piece underneath. Drain the lot back to 400lt sump and pump to fishtank.

Can a sump pump have a float switch fitted? My subpond is a continuous pump fitted to a timer. I would like to use this as my sump pump but really need it as a float switch style. Will use my spa pump in line, on the exit from the fishtank, to fill gbs.

Gotta dig a hole for my 400lt sump tank, that's gunna be fun, 1200mm deep by 800mm wide. Fun fun fun.

With bathtubs in place and plumbing underway, can sorta see the end of the road. Still plenty to do, but over the halfway hump i reckon.

Pics to come next day or so, feedback welcome.

TT, don't do what I did with the buried sump tank....make sure that trapped water under/alongside of the buried tank can escape or it will pop the tank.

No reason why a float switch won't work in the sump pump, I think Murray is doing that successfully (maybe others as well)

am jealous lol....oh to own me own home ............

Ell, would really prefer to use the sump pump i have, but bit of mucking around adjusting timers so sump tank doesn't empty, but doesn't overflow. I am no plumber. After several readings of ur siphon thread, i nearly have my head round it. Seems the Holy Grail really, get it right and booya, get it wrong and HSM.

Bundy, Bluestone Mortgages own 70% of my home, American Express owns my water tank and Daimler Chrysler owns my truck. Believe me, debt is a pain in the ar$e. I own my greenhouse and good things will flow from that tho. (Thank u ebay.)

I've got floats in the sump and the main tank, they both work well.

Nightingale has float switches for your existing pump from about 8 bucks

F&F are you getting a commission from these guys?

Not me they have a great range of stuff at realistic prices