TCLynx's System

RupertofOZ

5-6lbs??

DecalsbyJT

thats a fat cat....

4 1/2 lbs

TCLynx

I was actually trying to catch one of the smaller ones but that one kept swimming into the net so he got et.

TCLynx

The head on that catfish was huge!!!!! I probably should have weighed it again after we skinned/gutted and cut off the head but I didn't.

TCLynx

I had to do some major root pruning on the basil in the NFT pipes today. The root masses were clogging things up quite a bit. Was a challenge to rip some of the plants out just to get at their roots!

It seems that even with going through two layers of grow beds, I'm still getting the very fine particles in the NFT pipes and some of the plants are having some root problems because of it.

I'm wondering what sort of filtration I can use to catch these fine particles without having too much clogging problems with the filter.

hydrophilia

Are the particles bacteria growing on the roots, bacteria from inside the plumbing washing loose and building up on roots, or material passing through growbeds?

TCLynx

hydrophilia wrote:

Are the particles bacteria growing on the roots, bacteria from inside the plumbing washing loose and building up on roots, or material passing through growbeds?

It seems to be material passing through the grow beds. I notice in the one bed where I have the FLOUT, there is a fair bit of that material that builds up there. It is really light stuff, if you stick you hand into a mass of it, ya can't even really feel it much. It is about the color of fish food or fish poo. It isn't particularly nasty or anything, just builds up around the roots in the NFT. It is capable of clogging spaghetti tubing and drip irrigation fittings like the 1/4" barbs and 1/4" valves. My Hanging pots on the front porch (also being fed by the same feed as the NFT pipes) keep drying out if I don't adjust the drippers and clear the clogs each day.

Chappo

Suspended / fine solids are the hardest to get rid of. Either costly equipment or filters requiring regular cleaning.
I think in REC aquaculture most often drum filters are used , big they aren't cheap.

TCLynx

And ya know, I have a feeling that if my system didn't start off by having to pump the solids (effectively using the pump as a blender) I might not have so much trouble with these fine solids. Now that there are very few fish and very little feed going into the sump, the pump trap needs far less cleaning. Same with the sand filter that currently sends water to the aquarium. I only need to back flush it about every week and a half instead of every week.

So the fine suspended solids are probably what is making it's way through the grow beds from the past year of operation. I wonder if they will slowly disapear with the CHIFT PIST operation?

Chappo

Agreed TC ,, everything I have read on RC aquaculture insists that solids are removed pre-pump. From my point of view that is why I so much desire a slopped bottom conical tank with central drain. 5,000 litre one here in Aus , including stand is $1,500 ,, umm about US$1,200. It's this cost that has been holding my system back , I have the pumps/sensors/solenoids/controllers etc.

Anyway a bit of info here about removal options .....,, http://www.pir.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/ ... circcm.pdf

creative1

TCL, do you have many earth worms in the GBs?( for particulate removal)
Also I was thinking of the heat,
would it be possible to have some hessian sheet touching the water extending upwards.
I was thinking this might help cool the area :?:

as it is drawn up the hessian :flower:

TCLynx

creative1 wrote:

TCL, do you have many earth worms in the GBs?( for particulate removal)
Also I was thinking of the heat,
would it be possible to have some hessian sheet touching the water extending upwards.
I was thinking this might help cool the area :?:

as it is drawn up the hessian :flower:

Got lots of worms in the grow beds. They are good at breaking stuff down and turning it into pretty castings that tend to stay put in the beds where the plants can use them. However these fine solids have managed to make it through the beds by remaining suspended in the water and somehow avoiding sticking to any of the bio-slime.

As to the heat and using hessian to draw up water. Here in Florida, our humidity is already pretty outrageous, trying to use evaporation cooling doesn't really work well. (Swamp coolers don't work in a swamp.) Actually what I probably need to do more is improve air flow around my location. I probably need to open up the top ends of the cover over the central section of my system to get a little more air flow up high. I just don't have a very good way to attach the plastic to the ends of the cattle panels which is why the ends come down to the wood cross brace.

creative1

This might sound strange but you guys do 'bump ins' don't you?
Do you use material tape for taping wires and things to the floor?
Just a thought, I use gaffer tape(100mph/race tape) heaps and it stays around for a while :wink:

TCLynx

Hum, Gaffer tape might work but I've found it tends to dry out and let go over time in the weather here. That is if you can get it to stick to anything but it's self in the first place. Very humid conditions do strange things to many brands of gaff tape I've found. (I can always tell when I'm near one of the open bay doors in the convention center because the tape stops ripping properly and starts sticking to all the wrong things.)

Perhaps I could try using some of the clear repair tape I got with the plastic though?

Chappo

Velcro ???

Backyard Aquaponics
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TCLynx's System

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Backyard Aquaponics A place to discuss aquaponics

TCLynx's System

Who is online

Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics