Ian's System

[bunya boy]

Welcome to my Thread on the development of my own Household scale system.
To start with, this Forum contains enough information to become a virtual Bible on Aquaponics, Integrated Back Yard Food Production and associated LifeStyle options, including Grey Water disposal and re-use, PV and Solar and all sorts of information on the care of both fish and plants.
Sometimes it is hard to know where to begin.

I have devised a small 10 stage table to use in the decision making processes for the type, style and size of AP unit you may wish to adopt. The knowledge for all of the stages has come from reading this forum and being invloved for the past 18 months. I am up to Stage 7 at the moment but will start with Stage 1/2 to begin this thread so you can follow my process as it progresses.

Thanks to Murray and Gary for their insight, Martin and Daryl/s for their encouragement and input and to all of you who continue to be positive contributors: FF, OBO, Hamish etc. etc.
Cheers IanK:D

[Castaway]

Let the Show Begin.

We are watching your progress.

You must have been a Project Manager in your earlier life Ian judging by your flow-chart design skills.

I am wondering if Stage 11 is missing from your chart: Fish all Dead. Missus Left Me. Plants all Wilted. Garage Sale on Saturday.

:D
Just kidding
But you gotta cover all bases!

[Shane]

I'm always up for a good read & will follow with interest.

[bunya boy]

OK All, here we go.
I intend not to do lengthy diatribes in the posting part of the forum. Takes too long to type and with my 'hunt and peck' keyboarding skills, the Site logs me out!
To try and overcome this perceived problem (in my head at least!) I am going to produce PDF files and attach them so you can download them, print them, read at your leisure or the like. Lets see how it goes with this, the first installment for Stage 1 of the journey.

Hope you enjoy, Cheers IanK. :D

[duggeeeea]

Ian,
I received error messages when trying to open yr PDF files???? anyone else have problems or otherwise???

[Tsaphah]

No error my side, opened just fine.

Nice pictures Ian! Is that Pops looking for the fish poo in a glass of water?? :D

Looking forward to the next instalment!

[bunya boy]

Ian,
I received error messages when trying to open yr PDF files???? anyone else have problems or otherwise???

Some ISPs won't allow direct Opening of PDF files and your ISP may be one of them.
Try : <Right Click> on the PDF attachment and select <Save Target As..> and then select a directory on your Hard Drive to put it. If you still have problems, PM me your e-mail and I will send as an attachment.


Cheers IanK

[Castaway]

Very impressive read and fine design too. The future blend of sustainable smart design and AP. I can see a coffee table book on this in the future.

[bunya boy]

Back again.
Its nice to see a 100% positive response and thanks for your comments so far.
Here are my Stage 2 meanderings with the promised repeat of the PDF reffered to in it.
I will be preparing Stage 3 paper over the weekend, so I will post on Sunday night, hopefully.
Did you all see the size of Murray's Paw Paw? Kick it to me. . . please!!!

Cheers Ian K :D

[bunya boy]

Bugger it! Couldn't help myself. Stage 3 was 80% completed anyway and it gives me a bit more time to finish the Stage 4 paper.
And I just noticed I've reached my 100th post!!

So, after a glass(or 2) of fine Banrock Station Cab Merlot, here is Stage 3.
I hope people on the Forum don't mind me reffering to them or thier systems, I find them inspirational!



Cheers IanK :D

[bunya boy]

Update without PDF.

Have temporarily installed fish tank in position. Leveled area, compacted soil on top of rock underneath. Very stable and don't expect any settlement or movement. But just in case, have filled tank with water to allow settlement before anything else. Put small pump in to circulate etc. and see if I get any algael action in the coming weeks.
Got hold of my 75mm thick Steel faced EPS insulation panels (left overs from a patio roofing job at the local Bowls Club, getting as bad as FF for scrounging!!) Will box in the fish tank with it when I finally put a concrete slab to the Cellar area.

Will post Step 4 when I finish my working drawings to match the design changes brought about by available materials and the like.
Pic 1: Composite EPS panel sheets 75mm thick colorbond steel faced both sides
Pic 2 & 3: Fish tank in position. 1160x1160 x 850 deep Megabin.
Cheers IanK

[bunya boy]

Hi all,
Please find Stage 4 meanderings (attached PDF file) as part of the development of my system, As indicated before, I'm actually up to Stage 7 : fabrication and Assembly, but have been doing these small papers after the fact to try and document the jouney of this particular system.
I do hope that some of you are interested in the Chronicles of Bunya Street AP and I hope to be able to hold a day towards the end of Winter for any AP'ers in Brisbane (or elsewhere for that matter) to Officially view the introduction fish to the cycling system!

Cheers IanK :D

[bunya boy]

Hi again, Enjoying the long weekend here in Brisbane and the beautiful days of Autumn weather.
Stage 5 paper attached for Design Development and decision time.
Hope you get something out of it.

Cheers IanK :D

[GaryD]

Hi Ian,

I regard your advice for positive displacement pumps (not to throttle on either of the suction or discharge sides of the pump) as the preferred way to go. I always deal with surplus pump capacity by installing a bypass line back into the tank. It keep the water (and the solids) moving and by moving the water at the surface, helps to aerate the water, too.

I'd like your drawing skills.

Gary

[Finn]

Hi Ian,

Your system is looking good, by the time you are done you are going to have enough info in PDF format to make your own book.

Finn

[bunya boy]

Thanks Finn, it's an ongoing chronicle of progress that keeps me motivated. I think Castaway reckoned a Coffee Table Book in the future? Who knows?
Gary, I wish I had your Aquaponics skills!! I suppose if I've been draughting for 40 years, I had better be reasonable at it!
I'm sure I mentioned that an external By-Pass loop to provide extra aeration by spray agitation to the surface of the Fish Tank water was an alternative to an internal by-pass for Positive Displacement pumps? If I didn't, I should have, because that is exactly what I have done to my system, illustrated in this paper!

Here is the Stage 6 paper along with a separate PDF for more detailed drawings of the illustrations in the paper, if you wish to look more closely.

If anyone out there in AP land uses AutoCAD or any other package that can make use the DWG or DXF file format for their own system drawings, I will gladly supply any drawn details I have of valves, fittings and the like to you upon request. These drawings have been developed by me from measuring the actual fittings that I have used and are accurate enough for planning.

Cheers; IanK :D

[GaryD]

Hi,



I'm sure I mentioned that an external By-Pass loop to provide extra aeration by spray agitation to the surface of the Fish Tank water was an alternative to an internal by-pass for Positive Displacement pumps? If I didn't, I should have, because that is exactly what I have done to my system.....

I believe that you did. I sought to reinforce the desirability of bypassing water as preferred practice for any type of pump......as distinct from restricting the flow through either of the suction or discharge sides of the pump.


Gary

[bunya boy]

Hi All, Posting Stage 7, Part A.

Because this is the Stage I am actively involved in, more information that can fit on a 'postable' PDF is being produced, so I have to split this Stage into 2 parts. Having fun fitting everything together. I put the big Submersible in to the fish Tank the other night and turned it on!

I will post a photo of the 'water spout' I got out of the tank when I'm game enough to turn it back on!! It washed the underside of the floor above. . . I don't think I will be using it in the system at all . . . it draws 800W and running 24/7 would be a complete waste of energy; it would use almost all of our 1kW PV cell generated power during the day, let alone at night when drawing from the Grid!

I don't think so Tim! I will have to buy the small submersible pump I selected earlier in the piece for more economical operation.

Cheers All and enjoy, IanK :D

[organicusrex]

I get an error with every pdf whether I use mozilla or IE. I can't even save them and open them and I get an error. I wish I could see this one.

Best wishes Ian.

[Castaway]

I get an error with every pdf whether I use mozilla or IE. I can't even save them and open them and I get an error. I wish I could see this one.

Download and reinstall Adobe Reader.

http://get.adobe.com/reader/

Your current version is corrupted. Reinstall it and all should work okay.

[organicusrex]

Thanks Castaway.
I didn't think it would be something so simple. :o

Ian, you've done an outstanding job so far. Can't wait to see the rest.

Cheers mate!

[bunya boy]

Smee agenn!

Have been happily building and fabricating, reading and absorbing and I finally had to give vent to a growing anger and concern in me about what would happen if Aquaponics were to be handled by the same sort of beaurocracy that allowed the sub-prime mortgage disaster to happen.
I'm afraid that I launched into a bit of a rant and rave in this latest installment about my system. It doesn't have anything about it's construction, no photos or diagrams; just 5 pages of vitriol. I thought that if I could commit it to paper I would feel better.:(
Read it at your peril!!

While out getting some fittings at the "B" warehouse, I purchased a small -40 to +50 centigrade plant propogation thermometer and it had this temperature planting guide on the back. It is a British made "Rainbow" product and the plant information must be British as well, but it is seasonally independent advice!
Maybe this is why some plants do well in Exposed grow beds and some don't. Plants may be just as sensitive to temperature fluctuations as Fish?


Cheers IanK. :D

[Castaway]

Thanks Bunya Boy! I enjoyed reading your diatribe. I thought Aquaponics was merely an illness - but you've proven it to be a Religion! :D

[Shane]

I'm afraid that I launched into a bit of a rant and rave in this latest installment about my system. It doesn't have anything about it's construction, no photos or diagrams; just 5 pages of vitriol. I thought that if I could commit it to paper I would feel better.:(
Read it at your peril!!


Your a born storyteller....& a damn good one too!

[bunya boy]

Hayho from Mt. Crosby, bit wet, should be called Swamp Crosby at the moment.
SEQ got it's wetest day since 1974 yesterday with more to come. I couldn't get home yesterday until about midnight because of flooded roads. Our main access road (Moggill Road) has just had about $15million spent on a completed upgrade, guess where the water stopped traffic? About $7.5million down the track! So I'm staying home to-day in the knowledge that we are going to get heavier rain this afternoon and evening and I'm not going anywhere!
Anyway, glued the liners into the Grow beds, fitted the Mini hot house on top one and started to finally assemble the pipework.
Other pics:
Our normally bone dry gully next to the house.
and I really should do something about the drainage in the cellar!


Cheers until Stage 7 c. Sorry about the Stage 7 b ramble, couldn't help myself. . . :D