Aquaponics in Paradise

[hellbent]

Version 1.2 is the starter/test bed

I was posting in the introduction thread, thought I should start one here.

Setup:
FT: 2 55 gallon drums
GB: 3 1/2 55 gallon drums, and experimenting with 2 rubbermaid containers.
400 gph pond pump
whisper 60 air pump
ac/dc backup pump


pic 1 is how it started a few weeks ago, after i attended a class.
pic 2 is the current setup, with trellis
pic 3 is the modification i did, still needs to be prettied up, but its moving.
pic 4 is some chinese taro i planted yesterday.
pic 5 is a picture of some of the plants. the middle tank uses a float, but is shown without float and with 2 water hyacinths.


fish: currently 20 feeder comets. 12 tilapias just met their maker a few weeks ago.

plants: bun long taro, tomato, manoa lettuce, strawberry, lilikoi, marigold, water hyacinth, sweet basil, and a dying bell pepper plant (droopy leaves, any suggestions?)


i am already planning on building a 300 gallon tank.

[HawaiianSi]

whats up man. I also live in hawaii and was wondering what class you attended? Was it the class in waimanalo at olomanu (spelling) gardens? Looks good, i also have a small system with some tomatoes, bibb lettuce and cilantro.

[hellbent]

yes, i took his class. in a way you can find alot of information here and on the internet, but someone local is good to learn from too.
post some pics of your stuff, wo/man!

were you the one on craigslist looking for AP info?

[hellbent]

so i built a 300 gallon system. its made from 2x4, 5/8 plywood, resin, acryllic.
sadly, after first fill i found 2 leaks. hopefully i fixed it and will fill it again this weekend.

[hellbent]

a few more pics

[GaryD]

Hi Hellbent,

That is looking superb.

I'm sure our members would appreciate more details on the construction and waterproofing. You mentioned resin......does that mean resin in the West System sense or fibreglass resin?

Gary

[hellbent]

there are many plans on monsterfishkeeper.com.
i talked to my local fiberglass shop and they recommened isothalmic resin, which is fda approved for food and is supposed to be fish safe. this can be dyed a variety of colors.
however, this is still a 2 part resin, and still has a strong smell. cure time is about 30 minutes. i did ask for west system, they did not carry it.

its built like a house as you can see, its got framework, which was overkill. it is very heavy but pretty solid.

[GaryD]

Hi Hellbent,



its built like a house as you can see, its got framework, which was overkill. it is very heavy but pretty solid.

When you consider that it has over 1200 litres in it (and therefore weighs 1.2 metric tonnes) it needs to be robust.

What did you use for the viewing window in the front?

Gary

[hellbent]

actually, if you use the GARF plans, it didnt need framing. just a 2x2 connecting each corner, with a top brace for this size.

i was considering using a 2'x4' sheet of 3/4" glass, but that would have cost me over $300 USD. instead i got a scrap piece of 1/2" acryllic that was 13"x28" for $40. now i wish i had a bigger window, but really, its not neccessary for an AP setup.
the lumber costs around $250 for 2x4's and 5/8" plywood. resin costs another $120. found out after that i should have used at least 1 sheet of fiberglass cloth for added strength and waterproofing, that would have cost another $30 usd. the outside sheets are 1/8 mahogany and i bought 3 sheets for $12 each.

i was hoping to make these for resale, but these are wayyy too much work.

i am planning on adding a 10'x4' lettuce run out the side of the tank or some kind of NFT setup. also going to stack a few 3' strawberry towers in the gb.

[hellbent]

GARF:
http://garf.org/tank/buildtank.asp

[hellbent]

Its been a few months of hard work, frustration, and blood but I have finally gotten my 300 gallon plywood fishtank to work properly and stop leaking. Not knowing anything about fiberglassing, I managed to do everything wrong and had to go back and fix things til now, its finally working!
All thats left is for me to put the front panels on, get a few more bags of hydroton, and its a go!
Its only 1/2 full of hydroton so far, and still cycling, but i did use existing water to kickstart the system.

So far I have a few fingerlings in, some cheap koi I needed to rehome, and some blue tilapia's we caught at the resevoir.

[GaryD]

Hi Hellbent,

It's coming along nicely......and the time is not far away when you will begin to reap the benefit of your investment of time and money.

Tell us more about how those growbeds are made. Likes look you've used plywood and timber......but are they waterproofed with fibreglass resin?

Gary

[hellbent]

yes, the growbeds are made from 2x2 and 5/8" plywood, waterproofed with the iso resin i mentioned earlier. this growbed has no fiberglass cloth, and i only used wood putty to round out the interior corners. it took about 4 coats to seal it. i chose a blue pigment, but it could easily have been clear, black, or purple even.
i dont have the exact measurements but it comes out to be about 85 gallons.

i am having problems plumbing this thing. i have a 1" drain in the bottom left, currently connected with a u-bend with a venturi siphon built into it. the ubend extends to the middle, then down the length of the growbed, perforated with holes to facilitate draining. it is supposed to have a media guard over this, but i havent finished designing this yet.

it drains too slow.

when i had a bell siphon on it it was still too slow, so i am considering putting in another 1" drain on the right front, connecting to the other end or chaning to a 2" bulkhead.

[hellbent]

heres some of the details and more pictures on my website.
http://aquaponicsinparadise.com/APforums/index.php?topic=61.0

i would do some things differently. i would figure out a way to make the bottom somewhat conical with a drain in the center. the window was unneccessary but i love walking past the kitchen window and seeing fish swimming around in the window, so a bigger window would be a plus.

i already have a bulkhead in each side of the growbed, so i can expand the system, but i sort of guestimated the spot. we'll see if i guess right when i build a lettuce run off the left side.

as soon as i find some time, im going to attach the laminate outter boards and take some better pictures.

[hellbent]

a more recent update:

[GaryD]

Hi hellbent,

Your system looks good. It's good to see a DIY version of the microFish Farm concept.

Gary

[hellbent]

Hi all,
I'm hosting a meetup at an aquaponics farm. If youre on Oahu on Sunday, April 10th, please check out this event over at Olomana Gardens in Waimanalo.

WHEN - Sunday April 10th
WHERE - noon-6pm OLOMANA GARDENS
Map to Olomana Gardens (waimanalo): http://tinyurl.com/ycr3lhk

POTLUCK - please post what you are bringing to share

This is a free event open to Aquaponics in Paradise members and their friends and family. Visit Glenn's farm where he's got two 1000 gallon tilapia tanks and the latest growbeds and innovations in AP. There will be a free tours of the farm throughout the day (normally priced at $10) see his horses, chickens, goats, and ducks as well as his giant sized carp and meet your fellow APinP members!

Glenn's got some amazing AP setups, every time i go there hes got something new to learn about.
Last time i saw his new DWC raft system, the time before that he added 13 more growbeds, a portable system, swirl filter in the tilapia tanks, and the first time was to attend his class.
This is a great chance to visit an aquaponic farm. You can also learn about vermicomposting, see his flocks of chickens, ducks, goats, and horses.


heres some pics of past events:
http://aquaponicsinparadise.com/APforums/index.php?topic=519.30
http://aquaponicsinparadise.com/APforums/index.php?topic=124.msg1249#msg1249
http://aquaponicsinparadise.com/APforums/index.php?topic=272.msg2762#msg2762
http://aquaponicsinparadise.com/APforums/index.php?topic=295.msg3402#msg3402

*new* Dr Benny Ron will be showing us hands on how to sex tilapia at 3pm. Dr Allen Riggs may be on hand to talk about diseases in fish.

sign up here: http://aquaponicsinparadise.com/APforums/index.php?topic=761.msg6320#msg6320

[Nelson]

How do you rate the 'Bell syphon'..?


Nelson

[hellbent]

Not sure I understand the question. In comparisson to what?
Bell siphons are finicky. You need to find the balance between water coming in, or it wont stop draining. Compared to other kind of siphons its better if youre doing ebb and flow.
Also, putting in drainage pipes if you have a long growbed helps. If your growbed gets rootbound, water transfer could become very slow and then youd get alot of draining starts but itll stop before the water moves over (without a drainage pipe) but this is true of any kind of siphon (u-bend, loop, etc).

Did the forum get moved and the pics get lost or is my work blocking pictures again?

[Nelson]

Bell siphons are finicky.

Would you go on holidayfor 2 weeks and leave your fish and veg crop in the hands of a bell syphon..?

Nelson

[hellbent]

Initially balancing the water input is tricky. Once done it works great until a year later when roots get into it.
If I know im going on a trip, I'd make sure there arent roots clogging the bell siphon and make sure whoever is taking care of the system knows how to clear it, as well as the water pumps.
Just like leaving your pets behind theres some risk involved.

Is there another choice? I suppose for 2 weeks I could convert it to a constant flow but I rarely have problems with my bell siphons. I have 5 systems around my house now and most of the time the only problem is my water pump gets clogged up, really.


Are pictures of my system showing up?