Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Here is some my history.


From 2006 to 2008
viewtopic.php?t=674

2009 & 2010
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=6631


From 2010 till now I haven't been doing much in the AP world. Recently I got that itch to build a new AP system. This time I want to make a living from AP and looking to reconfiger what I have now to go comertial, I learned with AP long ago its best to plan what you are going to do and make most your mistakes on paper.

I do hope all my friends over the years are still interested in lending a hand in the designing of my next system. And I look forward to hearing new ideas and making new friends as well.

Welcome back into it Damian. What kind of scale are you planing?

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What answers I can question for you?

My Patio System

My Indoor System

No single drop of rain believes it is responsible for the flood.

My biggest limiting factor is a weekly profit of $300-$700 cash from sales. I have 8 or more fish tanks 5 feet diameter and would like to use them in the new design. 4 are buried and I would rather leave them there.

My current day job is with acrilic 1/2in sheets and can use this to my advantage. When building the new system.

So you've gone away from the shipping container idea Damian??

Congratulations Damian on your bold decision.
Focus on overall low cost strategy by scruitinizing and reengineering each cost activity is what I would like to suggest you to consider.

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Aquaponics Futurist
BYAP Member system: http://backyardaquaponics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=18755
FB: http://facebook.com/aquaponicsfuturist

What volume are the tanks Damian... 1000-1200L?

Not that I am done with the idea, I have a spear 40 I have to convert when i get the funds to do so, my next purchase is a 1kw off grid solar system well every thing but the batteries. For now it is time to make a living from AP, it has been a hobby of mine for a while and I love it and want to do it every day of the rest of my life, sounds dramitic doesent it. But I really do love AP.

I count my fish tanks at 1500L each. I haven't a lot of money saved so transferring from a joiner to a AP farmer will require carefully planing, I can't just jump into it like I did before.

I think I should go into my current system and take account of what parts, pipes and fittings I have and what I could reuse to save me some money, I have a size able fish opperation jut lieing there, until I find a way to work solar power into the system.

In trying to use one pump and having a milti level system with media beds and dwc components and still trying to keep them isolated enough I am looking at using blue brums as 'spliters' in the irrigation aspect of this AP system, with the distribution network designed to actively remove solids from the water stream. And back wash the system at night when the main pump is off.

Eg. I pump from slump to blue drum that splits the water to media beds and dwc beds. Sence they are 4 levels of media beds it will have to be split again in 4 with another blue drum, because each level of media bed has 4 grow beds each the water will have to be split again using another blue drum bring water to 16 grow beds total. So for water to get from slump to media to will pass through 3 blue drums.

If I could baffel the water some how to keep solids in the blue drums when the main water is flowing and then install a dededcated drain from the bottom of each blue drum to a settling tank or some form of filtration chamber batch process and add back to the system as needed.

Is there a fundimental flaw I am missing or is the doable?

Why not just use an "aquaponics sequencing valve"...

Because its a constant flood system.

Fair enough...

Hi Damian, I use a blue barrel as a solids/swirl filter,it works very well though cleaning means with the system off,stirring the bottom of the barrel opening the drain and letting it flow,a couple of stirs sees the bottom clean. From there i go to the grow beds and nft tubes, the nft tubes have there own filtration again comprising of two 60ltr barrels,the fist one is bottom drain inlet,with a stand pipe for water outlet,this is full of shade cloth. This tank then flows into the second barrel,again with a bottom drain stand pipe to control water level,this tank holding the pump for the tubes.Running timed flood and drain on the grow beds means i can run this as a system within a system the water being changed hourly in the barrels,until the timer shuts off,the small pump running constantly for the tubes.
Again the 60 ltr,is cleaned out by switching off,pulling out the shade cloth and opening the drain on the barrel,since i started this i get no bits in the tubes at all.
The pic shows how i laid out the inlet and outlet. Dont know if this helps Damian,but it does a good job of solids removal in my system.

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dasboot's system
Andreas Garden.
https://www.facebook.com/Andreas-Garden ... 681644511/

dasboot definately it helps, this is very close to what I want to do. You whole system is great! It looks like we have very similar ideas.
I have some questions though. I am glad to see you have done this so I can get a real sence of what is required. first up can you tell me how big your pump is and how much feed you use.

. Now on to my questions. I see you turn the system off first then clean, I would like that it cleans it self or backwash, so would tilting the barrel help the solids settle in the "corner" or will tilting off set the swirling action.

If I had a system that had in 15 of these filters and they were set up in a way I could drain only them ( much like your barell that feeds the bad ass looking nft tubes with a drain directly to the slump) would I get all the gunk out with a gravity powered drain through a 2in pipe network? Or should I aid a air stone to a drain to clean it out like your fish tanks.


So..... the swirl filter in the pic is missing shade clof? Do you remove this for cleaning or just to drain properly, where is the drain located? Do you drain out all the water when your cleaning? My object is to get the barrel to clean it self so far thanks to you I finily get some ideas, really wondering about what you think about using the air lift to clean out the filters as you said the air lift works good to kepp the fish tank clean.

Trying to get a pic of my system upload

Hi Damian,
Ok,my pump is rated at 8500 lph,but with the head it lifts it comes out roughly 5000 lph,the system is now just under 3000 litres and i turn it over the tanks over just under once per hour,the remaining gets pumped back into the sump for that hopefully little extra oxygenation.
I clean during my timed off perod,i run 21/2 hours on 1/2 off,this is how long it takes to drain the beds almost empty,i like to think it takes detritus with it.By night i have three cycles one of one on,this stabilises temps saves money with no detrimental effect. When i clean,opening the drain inter ups the flow anyway because of the standpipe arrangement,plus one stir and its full of poo,this is heading one way,out the drain.
I thought about tilting the barrel but chickened out at the building stage,with the way my swirl filter comes in and out through the bottom with the right cuts and angles on the elbows it should work.
The swirl filter works that well you only need one per feed from your fish tanks,on my tubes now there is an extra barrel full of shade cloth to polish the water of everything,i will post the pics tomorrow,it really works very well,but all credit to Ryan of Chattersons farm for pointing me in the right direction,Oh and Charlie for copying Ryan.The tubes are now a system within the system,having there own pump and filters,these run constant as appose timed flood and drain for the main system.
A 2inch drain really does shift things,i wish i had put that in the side of mine,but with the fittings i have available i was worried it wouldn’t seal.
I like the airlifts in the tanks,with the flow plus the air,it might only be an impression but you can actually see things move to the drain and disappear,in the fry tank i sometimes need to help it along as the cut outs are that much smaller in the guard.
I hope this helps and i have answered some of it,if not just keep asking...

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dasboot's system
Andreas Garden.
https://www.facebook.com/Andreas-Garden ... 681644511/