1000 litre MamaPonics

abdul

Hey everyone.

Those of you who have seen my systems thread will know that my mom took over my system a couple of years ago when I went off into the desert to work. I have now ordered a spiffy new fiberglass system for my mom and will be setting it up over this week with water being flowing on the evening of the 13th God willing.

The system will be as per the below specs:

FT: 1000 litres (Cubic)
GB: 672 litres (Media based)
ST 672 litres (Doubling as DWC bed)
RFF: 256 litres
CHOP 2
Single pump in ST with split flow going to GB and FT, 35 W submersible pump Lifetech AP 3500
Air blower, 35 W, 10 air points spilt to 15, 4 in FT including one at bottom of SLO, 3 in RFF in moved bed filters and 8 in ST
Everything with emergency overflows and fixed siphon drains
Affnanized bell siphon with extra aerator on outflow

The tanks are due to arrive on the 13th, the media is set up for delivery on the same day along with a couple of guys to help for unloading. The nursery I'm buying the rocks from even agreed to lay the rocks on a plastic sheet and wash them before packing them into sacks! The power of speaking politely and asking :bigsmurf:

helps of course to have money in one's pocket. Have got all the plumbing parts, I figure, air pipe stones and controls, so should just need to get styrofoam for the ST cover and rafts, take the pipes to the fibreglass factory and have them embedded and a hole put in the table, get another guy to make a pipe frame to fit through the space in the wall and serve as a frame to hold shadecloth covered sections which will be removable and used as hangers for plant growing strings and get the pipes for the pump flow to the GB and FT.

Won't have long to tweak it as I'm leaving on the 17th so things have to happen on time. My mama should be able to handle it though, she has really gotten her chops taking care of the system on her own over the past two years. I have also made her a user on the forum and will be pointing her to this thread so we will all be able to get updates on the system, but we will all have to work together to push her to put them up :brilsmurf:

I'll attach some pictures of the Sketchup model. Input and feedback is most welcome.

abdul

More views to give an idea of the layout.

Charlie

Awesome sketch up abdul, looking forward to the build!

abdul

What a day!

Started out getting my hands on a plumber to move a tap that was conflicting with the GB. Wound up getting him to do a bunch of stuff, including making my SLO grating, SLO bell, siphon downtube and cut all the other drain/overflow pipes.

While he continued work and took lunch I ran off to a hardware store, bought a hole saw set to make a hole in the marine ply of the table for the siphon downtube, then went paid advance for the river rock plus coordinated for them to have it washed (At no charge, though I am not taking the 5% discount they offered as they would work for it)ready by 11 am ready for pickup, then went to the fibreglass factory and at great risk to my currently congested lungs stayed there fore about an 40 minutes looking at the tubs and marking out all the holes I needed.

Then back home, finished up the plumbing work with the guy, and started dismantling the GB. Rinsed all the media and got all the gunk into a barrel, stored all the rock in a crate for use tomorrow on the big GB. Also dismantled the tires underneath it and move them. After this I set up my 10 line air blower and dumped it in the gunk barrel to aerate the hell out of it by tomorrow morning.Am very impressed with the air blower, looked like there were a couple of pumps active in the barrel!

At this point the fibreglass guys called and said he needed to send the table right now, so I called my pickup guy who was coming tomorrow to bring the rocks to come right now, rearranged all of mamas pots and had the table put in.

Whew!

At this point the table is in, most of the plumbing is ready but I have told the plumber to come tomorrow so I can do the plumbing quickly and neatly, just need some pipe and fittings for the pump outflow I think I have enough bits and pieces for the inside plumbing of all the drains and overflows. The tubs were all ready today, just needed finishing and to clean up the seam on the GB and ST. THey only had a 15cm deep mold so they had to make a 15 cm extension to give me the 30 cm GB I wanted.

All this should arrive sometime in the morning tomorrow, hopefully, will arrange for the plumber and the rocks to get here in parrallel so that setup can be swift and the fish spend a minimum amount of time in transit. Spooked them a bit today when I messed with the pump and what not, strange they didn't eat the earthworm i threw in though.

Speaking of which, I found 3 HUGE earthworms at the bottom of the bed! least eight inches long and FAT. Once went into the FT where the fish didn't seem interested. Other two just went into a planter then. Very happy to see worms surviving and THRIVING in the rock based GB.

Might sit tonight and setup the moving bed filters I am planning for the filter/sedimentation tank. Let's see if I have the energy, antibiotics are slowing me down :[

Anyhow, I have pictures of most of what I've talked about here, will get them out my phone and on the forum sometime later tonight.

Tomorrow's the big day, keep watching this space for gratuitous AP system building pictures

BullwinkleII

Very cool.

You might be the first person to get a plumber in to do the work in setting up a new system.

Aquaponics goes totality mainstream

I cant wait for the day that my mom can ring a plumber and say "My aquaponics system is leaking, I need a plumber", and have someone there the next day to fix it.

Jebbas

Hey good luck man! Looking good...keep us posted especially with pics

abdul

Yea it's the first time I used anyone elses plumbing on a system. I basically had him over only to move the tap, and then I found out I would have to pay him for the day whether he works 1 hour or 8, so when he arrived I said c'mere buddy do I got a job for you, got him to cut up all my overflow and drain pipe, make the bell, cut the slots, create the SLO, the gravel guard and then some more as well. Was fun just asking and seeing it created post haste :evil:

After AP frankly I started telling people that if they needed any plumbing done in PVC they could give me a call, you learn enough to be a decent plumber. The extra pair of hands is supremely helpful though, makes things faster and frees you up to think on what needs be done. Lazy man's solution :oops:

Have him coming over again tomorrow to help, will start fidding with the siphon and dealing with the fish transfer while he does all the miscellaneous piping. Not glueing anything but the drain taps, the siphon downtube and the pump piping so shouldn't take long.

Still got my fingers crossed on starting things between 1 and 2 when the tubs arrive and 5 pm by when I want to have the GB loaded, water flowing through the GB and filter with the FT isolated so as to slowly topup their water and mitigate transit shock.

Was talking with mum earlier today by the table and realizing there will still be a whole bunch of things left to do, primarily solidifying the electrics, making a space for the air blower, getting styrofoam for the ST rafts/cover, hook up the FT cover pulley, create a table in the FT from PVC for viewing and breeding, create a cover for the GB against rain.

Decal

You may still have a bit to do, but if anyone can do it It's you Abdul. :headbang:

Look forward to seeing the photos and the 1st post from your Mom! :wave1:

abdul

Note to Forum Mods: My assumption is that there is a filter in place which will edit out the obscenities, therefore I am taking this opportunity to vent.

*frack* BASTARDS. Man this is why my country is still the rectum of the world. Went over to the factory this morning, all the pipes were in the wrong way. They missed their 1 to 2 delivery time, then told me before 5, now I'm supposed to get it before 6. Such Bullshit. Had to cancel the transport for the rock had to have the plumber on standby for no good use all day and now will probably have to set it all up in the dark.

And the guy still has the nerve to speak with me in a tone of voice! Well wait till I get all the stuff into my house, then we shall see where his tone of voice goes.

*frack* Bastards.

Inshallah I shall return to the forum in a couple of hours and report success, either that or I'll post a picture or two of a big fibreglass fire. :evil:

Dave Donley

Good luck Abdul!

abdul

It's 730 and still no tubs. They are "supposedly" en route now as per the driver that called me.

Going to just pile it all up and go out now. Will work on it in the morning. Feel angry, frustrated and welcomed back to Pakistan.

abdul

So at about 830 a driver came, with only the FT and the filter tank. There was no groove cut in the filter tank. There was no one to unload it other than the driver and me. Dad wanted to tell him to *frack* off but I intervened and got the FT into my house.

The rest is due to come tomorrow morning at 11 am. Which will give me one hour before prayer time with the plumber to get it all done. Then rocks after prayer time at 3 pm.

Let's see what happens. :upset:

abdul

So I was promised the tanks at 11, they arrived about 1145. The finishing on everything was horrible, standpipe for the siphon was crooked as were almost all the other drains, connections looked weak, the GB and ST height addition bits looked shoddy. Also, the ST didn't fit under the table. Turned out they hadn't the flange as per the marked line which you could still see on it. had the guy grind it off till it fit. THen had to run buy a new hole saw as they didn't send mine back. Plus the GB and ST and filter still smell of paint/fiberglass. The FT is ok as it's been here since yesterday.

So, plan is, plumb everything today, shift the fish to the FT, must run some water to test all the connections and the siphon I guess, maybe leave it running overnight maybe not let's see, rocks have been rescheduled to tomorrow morning. GB, ST and filter have been placed, FT still not in place. Drains almost all plumbed just the ST left and the SLO needs a standpipe. Then just the pump out line and standpipe extension for siphon. once that is done I'll have the plumber make holes in big plastic jars I got for the moving bed filters. Then maybe even get him to help with the air pipe.

Feeling very down and demotivated at the state of everything, worst case scenario plan is to just use the GB as a DWC GB instead of media based to put less stress on the thing. :upset:

Just thought, might try to push the siphon downpipe against the hole in the table to try and get it vertical, might work.

BullwinkleII

It will work and your mum will love it.

Everything seems to work with this aquaponics caper.

I still buy some aquaponics herbs like coriander from the supermarket because the go to seed too early when I grow them. But I keep them alive for weeks (until they are all used) in a cup of wet gravel on my kitchen window sill watered with water from my aquaponics system.

What I'm trying to say is that everything will be fine.

:flower:

abdul

Cheers BullwinkleII :]

I braved it out. Everything was in and flowing at 830 pm. Affnan siphon worked a charm, put a standpipe on top of it that was cut at an angle so I think I'm getting good flow into it even though the down tube is crooked. Cuts off like a boss when I half the flow between the GB and the filter. Fish are isolated in the FT, got some aeration in there and added a bunch more water, gonna add more tomorrow slowly to keep from stressing them.

Gonna work tomorrow morning bright and early, Inshallah, to start the finishing touches, like adding all the air stones, the fluidized bed filters, the pulley for the FT cover, grooves for the pipes, the whirlpool attachment on the pump out in the FT. Bunch of stuff to do. If tomorrow is a productive day then the system should be a sexy beast when the sun goes down.

Got pictures on my phone, which sadly went full on storage just as the fish were being transferred, got some footage on mums phone, doubt if the fish transfer is any good as I moved very quickly to try and minimize stress.

All bubbling away, had a victory moment when I just threw up my hands and felt great the first time I got the siphon to work, which was the first time I tried!

Gonna try get the pictures up soon as I can, but am focusing on finishing up the system first.

Can someone please remind me how much of the top of the GB it's recommended to can dry, 10 cm yea?

:cheers:

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