It is a back breaking job, but a man got to do what a man got to do.. This redo not only require removing one growbed but has to unload and re-spaced all of them to ensure better light distribution, giving space to plants and provide 30% light to fish tank below.
I will also need to raise the growbed by couple of inches to have better access to fish tank and gives optimum height for siphon return.
As a start, all growbed has to be unload and this older set was not filled with LECA it is pebbles.. few hundred kilos of hard solid pebbles.... :(
A real back breaker, I use this opportunity to replace all siphon to newer 25 mm Vent Cowl Strainer Bell Siphon design.
Once emptied, growbed tubs are washed and shown with the newer siphon parts in place, which only requires slight modification. You can compare to my older design at previous posting.
This design do away with the bell bottom crown for water inlet due to the taper or conical shape of the Vent Cowl Strainer it has gap for water flow into the bell.
Above the Cowl Strainer, and there the bell shown, not that clear but I am testing this design for the 25 mm Siphon which is very much easier to do. I don't want to use the 20 mm Strainer Bell because the growbed holes was made for 25 mm siphon and I just need to replace one component to redo the siphon. Below is the completed 25 mm Vent Cowl Strainer Siphon.
Left return tank due to the disturbed water has been very murky and I stop feeding those Tilapia fingerling until all settled, they probably under stress and it's best to not feed at this time.
Feeder tank with bigger Tilapia waiting for harvest and some stray juvenile to go back into the return tank. Same water pump and making the distribution pipes simpler and eliminate the need of ball valve for water trimming.
Right Return Tank same as the Left, shown here with the siphon in operation. I will need to put netting to ensure no Tilapia jump out and preventing these fall prey to King Fisher or other predator like KIDS.
The Left most growbed (#1) I try this Potted Media base Flood & Drain to try reduce the amount of LECA required. I need to keep a close eye on mosquito larvae monitoring the water daily. I hope any larvae will be flushed down into Return Tank so that it will be fish food.
Replant the Asparagus that was neglected and Turmeric on #3 Growbed, Growbed # 2 and 4 are still empty. I need to stop experimenting with installation setup on this back lanes CRAFTS set. I will concentrate more on planting and trying to get the most from this system.
Aquaponics as I practice, takes a long time to developed since I am doing a lot of experimenting to make better system. This I share and make it easier for first timer to do, most trial and error has been done and I could advise on a better and quick setup for others.
I now will concentrate on planting, and will use supplement and natural base fertilizer to improve yield. Onwards will be a new phase on my Aquaponics Quest.
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