Aquaponics As a Food Source

[Irving]

Looking good. Interested to see how well it works for you. I just recently tore my setup down and got rid of my fish. The pump got dirty and restricted the flow enough that the water would dribble back down the pipe and onto my floor. Put about 20-30 gallons of water into my carpet over night. Try to have you water outlet mounted at a steep enough angle to prevent this.

[rbeau30]

Looking good. Interested to see how well it works for you. I just recently tore my setup down and got rid of my fish. The pump got dirty and restricted the flow enough that the water would dribble back down the pipe and onto my floor. Put about 20-30 gallons of water into my carpet over night. Try to have you water outlet mounted at a steep enough angle to prevent this.

I am constantly afraid of this. The water fill tube is put on a slip over fitting which is then screwed through the wall of the tub from both ends with o-rings to hopefully prevent leaking like that. If the pump fails the tune will just act like a siphon and drain the water back into the fish tank. The pump sticks to the glass on the aquarium, so I put it way up top so if anything does happen I'll probably only (LOL) get 5 - 10 gallons of water on the floor. That still is less than ideal.

I got it set up last night. The right tub (what will be the raft system) fills up faster than it can drain into the left tub (media grow bed) so I think I need a larger drain on the sides of the tubs.

I also put a new bell siphon in the Left tub, and it does not seem to work as designed. That could be because the water is not draining into the left tub from the right tub fast enough.

Next course of action is to replace the PVC pipe tie between the tubs to a larger diameter fitting and pipe. I'll post pics of what I got so far when I get home from work.

[Irving]

If you have it secured through the side of the tub like a bulk head, you'll probably be okay. I had mine just pulled over the side and held in place by a zip tie. When the flow slowed down, it would run under the bottom of the pipe and drip off at the lowest point, which was not over the tank. A bulkhead fitting should still drip into the tank.

You may be having flow issues from tank to tank. If you fill too slowly in the siphon tank, you'll dribble out, but not be able to create the siphon to start draining. If you fill too quickly, the siphon will have problems breaking the seal to turn it self off. Filling too slow will leave you with a full container that drains as quick as it fills. Filling too fast will leave you with an empty container that drains as fast as it fills. I could have my siphon work consistently for about two weeks at a time. Finally, it would stay full and I would just jiggle the siphon every time I walked by (at least once in the morning, and several times at night) to trigger the siphon. I was still able to grow my jalapeno like that.

[rbeau30]

Bulkhead fitting yeah that was the word I was looking for. I used two electrical PVC fittings in a way that they were like bulkhead fittings. The fill tube is affixed to a fitting that is acting like a bukhead fitting through the wall of the tub, so it won't come out and all that and leak.

I can still turn up the water on the pump so I have plenty of play in that variable. I just think not enough water is getting to the tub with the siphon in it to activate the siphon. because the raft tub seems to be filling up faster than can go through the tube between the two tubs. I have a known good siphon that I was using in the first setup. With that one I had to shorten the stand pipe and bell siphon a little at a time to dial it in and get it to work, but It worked for 2 months like clockwork. Maybe I'll put that one in.

[Irving]

I'd look into creating more flow between the tanks. Did you say you have a PVC runner between them? I might say...triple that amount of runners, and put valves on two of them so you can control the flow that way if you went way over board.

[rbeau30]

I'd look into creating more flow between the tanks. Did you say you have a PVC runner between them? I might say...triple that amount of runners, and put valves on two of them so you can control the flow that way if you went way over board.

Damn great idea thanks!

[GilpinGuy]

This thread has been inactive for quite a while. I'm building a system and have a few questions, in case technology and techniques have changed.

My system will be in an insulated outbuilding with my birds so I'll need LED grow lights and a tank heater. What are good brands or types to consider? I'm growing veggies here, not the now-legal herb. For the 6 weeks or so of summer up here, I'll probably take the system outside into the sun. I'm planning on making it fairly easy to break down and move.

Also, how do you introduce bacteria into your system if you don't know anyone with a system to get a few gallons of their water from? My system is being built from scratch and will be filled with well water. I've read everything from doing nothing and letting the bacteria grow naturally, which takes weeks to months, to pissing in the tank a few times to bring in some urea.

Thanks for any insight!

[Irving]

Are you asking about getting the fish started?

[GilpinGuy]

Are you asking about getting the fish started?

Yes. It's a multi-part question I guess.

If there's no bacteria to break down the fish waste, the fish will go belly up eventually by poisoning themselves. If there's no bacteria to break down the fish waste into something the plants can use, they don't grow.

I'm a total newb here at this, so maybe I'm over thinking it. But I keep reading to make sure that there's bacteria in there or the system will fail entirely - fish and plants.

[Irving]

I think you're over thinking it, but it's been a while since I've had my set-up. I'm sure some of the fish tank guys will come in with some insight on tank starter products you can get at the local fish store (probably not so local for you, heh). I'd think that well water would be better than city tap water, but I might be concerned with the amount of minerals for where you live. I think when I set-up my fish tank, I just poured a few ounces of whatever tank starter into the tank so I could use tap water. Years later when I added the aquaponic set-up, I didn't do anything at all. The fish waste is already in a state that the plants can use, which is the whole idea of the system. I'm interested in seeing how you address your system as far as using a bell siphon or timed system or whatever, so I'll be checking in to see what you come up with.