Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Keep us posted Jim.....

hey jim do you think that iron would leach into water as well?

Iron will rust for sure but that might not be a bad thing - lots of posts which suggest that we need to add some iron to get better growth in the plants. Some posts have even suggested that a few nails in the grow beds in poor flow areas produce iron compounds in an anaerobic environment which are beneficial.

Hi Jim
I guess just pure ammonia would be one way to go. With a known concentration you should be able to calculate how much to add to get the needed ppm in 60L of water.

quick update- just tested the copper concentration- now up to 1ppm . pH still 7.2. No other change to test setup.

Another update with pictures.
The system is now up and pumping.
I chose not to wash the gravel which might have been a mistake as the water is quite muddy. With a bit of luck the filter box I have on the return water will eventually take out most of the dirt.
Flood cycle is moving about 1500 litres of water in 6 minutes to the grow beds which then drain for just over an hour back into the tank.
This afternoon I introduced the washings from a big sponge filter from one of my other fish tanks into the big tank to initiate the cycling of the system.
Next job- chuck in some prawns to get the ammonia levels up.
I am under pressure from better half to "get some peas in" and will probably do so long before it is safe for fish. So Seasol to the rescue I reckon.
The pics show the modified shed, the fish tank with muddy water and filter and overall views of grow bed setup.
At this stage I have put the plans for a heat exchanger on hold

You have been a busy boy Jim......

Looking very nice and tidy too mate..... good job

Yeh I recon, going off mate!
Good to see.
You could pre-crack the seeds now! ready for planting.

A non gravel washer

Take a couple of days for the water to clear then there will be no holding you

You are a tru APer Jim (despite the non washing of gravel). This is demonstrated by your willingness to remove the slab from your shed to enable you to dig in the fish tank

nice stuff

im realy gettin upset with myself, all these people getting their systems up and running am me still procrastinating

Gravel washing is for dummies, the one exception to me would be if the gravel may have bad substances on it.

How long has the water been circulating? I would expect the sand to settle out in a day or so.

Love your shed Jim!

sorry to disappoint VB but the shed didn't have a slab just scalpings for a floor. Digging the hole was bad enough without having to go through concrete first- took me a good 12 hours of digging.
Dave the water has only been circulating for 2 days so far- I reckon it will be a month before I am ready for fish- got to get ammonia cycling, make a cover for the fish tank, put polycarbonate sheeting into the roof, run proper power points, setup workbench and sink, etc etc.
I am sure it will all be worth it but the amount of work involved is really huge- still keeps me off the street! Going to need an awful lot of vegies to pay for itself!

Great looking system Jim.... love that poly look.

Well you can start cycling the system at least while you do the rest Jim.

Where are you sourcing you initial water from and have you tested it at all?