1st Post - Set up Ideas so far

[strag]

Hi Guys - Firstly this site is amazing and informative but I still have a couple of queries....

I am in Canberra and in the process of setting up a AP system as follows - I have bred and raised pet fish for about five years or so but cant eat em.

A 450 litre fish tank in shed with the pump pumping up and out-side to a grow bed that will be 1100 x 600 x 300 filled with lava rock and clay balls - flood and drain type

I initially thought to ensure that the 30 or so trout I'll have in the tank have enough biological filtration that after the bed is flooded the water will trickle through a bio ball set up then into the tank of fish.

My question is should I have a pre-filter for the larger particles of **** at the top of the bed prior to the bed being flooded. Is this set up OK to build and be successful??

Cheers Luke

[Crusty]

Hi Guys - Firstly this site is amazing and informative but I still have a couple of queries....

I am in Canberra and in the process of setting up a AP system as follows - I have bred and raised pet fish for about five years or so but cant eat em.

A 450 litre fish tank in shed with the pump pumping up and out-side to a grow bed that will be 1100 x 600 x 300 filled with lava rock and clay balls - flood and drain type

I initially thought to ensure that the 30 or so trout I'll have in the tank have enough biological filtration that after the bed is flooded the water will trickle through a bio ball set up then into the tank of fish.

My question is should I have a pre-filter for the larger particles of **** at the top of the bed prior to the bed being flooded. Is this set up OK to build and be successful??

Cheers Luke

Cool and welcome!

Looks like you have it sorted.

It is a great idea to capture those particles of **** (solids lol) before it gets into the grow bed. The trickle filter will work well.
Before we go out too far on a limb. What is the surface area of the bioballs you have?

You will want some form or aeration and you may want to consider going halves on the trout numbers. You are pushing up into the 15kg per 1000liter mark, which in my opinion may be a little difficult to achieve from the outset. If you do well with 15 trout, next season you can look at up scaling.

[strag]

Thanks Crusty

I have no idea on the surface area of the bio balls - they are the larger bio balls used for aquariums - have around 80+ litres of them. I also have lots of air pumps for oxygen.

As for stocking I'm hoping the minister will allow me a 1000L tank in 2-3 months time to transfer the fish to - but as I'm a first timer I might head for the 15. As the weather in Canberra warms up I'll be stocking silver perch

[strag]

OK I have another question after doing a lot of reading I'm not getting it, so hear goes

I'm planning a test set-up first prior to larger stuff, mainly to convince my lovely wife that it is workable, I'll use an existing fish tank which has a sump matched to it (4'x1.5x1.5 tank).

Do i pump the water through my grow bed after it has been through the sump (mechanical and biological filtration) or through the sump after the bed???

There is most likely an obvious answer but i'm keen to set it running with fish and plants on Thursday

Cheers Luke

[GaryD]

Hi Luke,

I'm planning a test set-up first prior to larger stuff, mainly to convince my lovely wife that it is workable....

Proof of concept system are commonly employed to convince partners that the idea is viable.

I'll use an existing fish tank which has a sump matched to it (4'x1.5x1.5 tank).

Do i pump the water through my grow bed after it has been through the sump (mechanical and biological filtration) or through the sump after the bed???

In making the following comments, I'm assuming that you're talking about a glass fish tank.

You could mount a simply grow bed arrangement over the top of the fish tank......something like this. The pump would lift water out of the fish tank and it would flow through the grow bed and back into the tank.

That's as simple as it gets. It will cost you little and you won't have to drill holes in a glass tank (not easy if you don't have the tools and experience).

If my assumption about the tank is incorrect, let me know and we'll explore some more options.

Gary

[GaryD]

Hi Luke,

I'm planning a test set-up first prior to larger stuff, mainly to convince my lovely wife that it is workable....

Proof of concept system are commonly employed to convince partners that the idea is viable.

I'll use an existing fish tank which has a sump matched to it (4'x1.5x1.5 tank).

Do i pump the water through my grow bed after it has been through the sump (mechanical and biological filtration) or through the sump after the bed???

In making the following comments, I'm assuming that you're talking about a glass fish tank.

You could mount a simply grow bed arrangement over the top of the fish tank......something like this. The pump would lift water out of the fish tank and it would flow through the grow bed and back into the tank.

That's as simple as it gets. It will cost you little and you won't have to drill holes in a glass tank (not easy if you don't have the tools and experience).

If my assumption about the tank is incorrect, let me know and we'll explore some more options.

Gary

[strag]

Thanks Gary

So my filtration will be the grow bed in this instance with out the need for sump filtration. Can I still use the sump and pump the water from the sump through the bed? I have an old top up system that i can use to ensure water level consistency. Yes it is all glass.

I plan to pump the water up through my shed window (under house garage) to the outside for the grow-bed. As it gets to cold for my tropicals at night I'll run the system during the day or add heaters (more electricity)

Thanks for you help!

Cheers Luke

[strag]

All right after more searching I now have a CHOP system set up

Removed some media (matrix and purigen) from my sump, left in the gauze stuff and bio-balls - set up a smallish grow bed (1 meter x 400 x 2-300mm deep) out of an old baby bath.

Now the water pumps up out through the garage 2 meters or so head, into the baby bath (through some filter wool temporarily) into the baby bath with a curly siphon set up back to the tank.

I have about 10 or so tropical fish and a couple a big plecs - how soon before I can add plants? In aquatics terms it would be considered establish with a **** load more media now added.

I am having trouble with the water draining back to the tank as well - I'm using plastic tube about 20mm and that flows into 25mm pvc piping - I have driiled a couple of holes in it so the air can get and added a air pump on one elbow, but some water still trickles back out the intake. Is there anything else I can do besides increase the size of the pvc pipe.

I appreciate you help.

Cheers Luke

[GaryD]

Hi Luke,

I'm not sure that I understand the question.

Are you able to post any photos?

Gary