Grofish barrel system

[DaveOponic]

Just an update on the barrel system I made for a friend. He's made some neat improvements on the original setup by adding click hose fittings etc. The plants and fish are coming along nicely after about six weeks.

[Murray]

That is a very neat excellent system. Very pleasing to the eye and for that reason it will work well.
We have an expression in the boating industry about boat design which says, "if it looks like a dog of a boat, it almost always is, if it looks good it usually is"
I reckon that expression / rule applies to almost anything in product design. I think you have done an excellent job of that AP system.
It pays off big time to make / build good equipment.
Investing in good infrastructure is a very smart move. If you want to have a permanent reliable food production system, you must have good equipment.

[Glyn_Wil]

G'day,

Your gb system has only two pipes each side supplying water. In Joel Malcolm's large system in Perth, he has a lot of pipes to give (he says) 'an even spread'. How important is it to do this and does gb size/shape have an impact?

[Murray]

On our large grow beds we used to have a grid all around the perimeter and one going across the middle of the bed, now on our kits we just run one right up the middle of the grow bed and it works just fine.
On our DUO kit we only have a single distribution point and that works just fine. There is a bit of a build up around the single exit point which is 40mm in dia, but once a month I just scratch around the area during the normal course of re planting and all is fine.
The distribution grid DaveO has made above is really very good.

[Hamish]

Dave - what is the idea of the barrels with the green covers?

[GaryD]

Your gb system has only two pipes each side supplying water. In Joel Malcolm's large system in Perth, he has a lot of pipes to give (he says) 'an even spread'. How important is it to do this and does gb size/shape have an impact?

Most operators of media-based grow beds speak about having worms in their systems and these worms will distribute solids around a grow bed regardless of the point of entry.

I've used comprehensive watering grids, simple ones and none at all.....and I've observed little or no difference.

Contrary to the advice provided by some commentators, most of the solids in any AP system should be removed......largely because any bio-filter (and a grow bed is a bio-filter) will work more effectively (from a nitrification perspective) with less solids.

Grow bed shape is of little importance. Square or rectangular grow beds are more space-efficient but round ones work just as well.

Gary

[DaveOponic]

Dave - what is the idea of the barrels with the green covers?

The two barrels are the fish tanks. The fish are a mixed lot netted in a dam that supplies most of Brunei's water. Being wild fish they are very lively and kept jumping out of the barrels, and it's also to keep the cats out.

I never thought fish would jump out of the pond/tank until one of my big Koi was found dead on the front path about two metres from the pond. Later when I visited the aquarium shop I saw Koi jumping out of the tank and wallowing on the shop floor. Every 5 minutes a shop assistant would pick up a Koi and put it back in the tank.

My system is a modular design. If you look at the wooden frames you'll see they are one on top of another. I prefer to have high growbeds as part of the attraction of AP is not having to bend down to do the gardening.

The owner of this system though has just bought two more barrels so he can double his grow bed space by using half the height of frames.

He has definitely got the AP bug!!!

[Dufflight]

Most of my GB's have a single entry point. What is the easiest way of removing the solids. I have the inlets to the GB's flow the water over a screen to catch algae. I do have a swirl filter but it is on the end of the run, might have to put it after the pump.

[GaryD]

Hi,


Most of my GB's have a single entry point. What is the easiest way of removing the solids. I have the inlets to the GB's flow the water over a screen to catch algae. I do have a swirl filter but it is on the end of the run, might have to put it after the pump.

You can use a variety of methods....... a sedimentation tank, a swirl filter, dacron pads. I'm currently trialling a leaf catcher arrangement which has a removable fine mesh screen. I'll post photos when I get home.

If you already have a swirl filter, positioning it between your fish tank and the grow beds would be the go. I'd be interested in a photo of that, too.

Gary

[DaveOponic]

My friend has definitely caught the AP bug!!!! Today's update has more than doubled his capacity .... he just needs some bigger fish to fill that 1000 litre tank.

[Dufflight]

This is the swirl filter. It and a bio-ball filled part was used at the local fish farm for 40000 fingerling's. Think it hold's 1000ltr ish.

[GaryD]

Hi Dave,


.... he just needs some bigger fish to fill that 1000 litre tank.
That's a tidy looking tank.....do you know where it's made?

What's the purpose of the white box on the side of the growbed?

Dufflight......I imagined it to be something much smaller.

Gary

[Dufflight]

Dufflight......I imagined it to be something much smaller.

Gary

Don't do small.:D The FT is 55000ltrs and the pump is 10000ltrs per hr that will feed it.

[DaveOponic]

Hi Dave,


That's a tidy looking tank.....do you know where it's made?

What's the purpose of the white box on the side of the growbed?

Dufflight......I imagined it to be something much smaller.

Gary

Gary,

The blue tanks (1000 litres) are made in Malaysia and sell here for $ 180 (Brunei Dollar = Aussie dollar at present!!! Yay!)

They also make a 250 litre tank that sells for $ 80. I have used these as my growbeds in my own system.

The white box in John's system houses an electronic timer for the pump/s and I think AC outlets etc.