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SimonB
02-24-2013, 11:05 AM
Hello all,
after reading about aquaponics and different kinds of systembuilds i have now procured a 300L (100 x 60 x 50 cm) aquarium and the current plan will be to have a overflow from this to 6 grow beads and use a common sump to collect the water and pump it back up to the tank.

The grow beds will be made plastic storage containers with a depth of 21cm (slightly less than recommended in the aquaponics 101 but my livingroom isn't too spacious) and the siphons will be of the same type as Wolfracers build (Wolfracer's System Build (http://www.diyaquaponics.com/forum/showthread.php?58-Wolfracer-s-System-Build/page6)).
Since the grow beads are unlikely to be sufficient for achieving enough surface area I'll have a filter in the sump as well.

I'm still purchasing material but I'll upload some pictures as the build goes on, probably going to start building next weekend, looking forward to making my pilot project!

alex281
02-24-2013, 11:28 AM
sounds interesting! welcome to the forum!

JCO
02-24-2013, 07:23 PM
Pictures, Pictures, Pictures .... I don't see any pictures... we love pictures...snap them and keep us posted...OH and Welcome to the show :mrgreen:

SimonB
02-25-2013, 12:33 AM
Thank you for the warm welcome!

I will post some pictures when i get all the stuff procured and start my build :)
Current status is that i have the glass tank but my pump is in the mail from Germany, all piping is only a shopping list that I'll take to the local hardware store tomorrow, the grow beds are still located in the supermarket and the supports for the same is still in the planning :)
attached is my sketch of how it will be built however :)

SimonB
03-01-2013, 01:36 PM
Hi again!
Now i have collected most of the materials and now I'll start building it!
In the pictures below i have placed the aquarium and the growbeads in their relative location, the two 65L barrels are going to be the sump below the grow beds but I'll still have to build some tables or similar support for them.
I also got my delivery of pipes and components so I can start building the pipe system as well (needs some valves still but..)
One challenge still is to disassemble one side of the aquarium and drilling a hole for the overflow pipe, but that should be taken care of during next week as well!
With some luck i might be able to start filling and cycling the system next week, i think I'll go bother one of my friends for the bacteria culture from his aquarium.
Well, I'll be back with some more pics as the build goes on!

JCO
03-01-2013, 03:40 PM
If your aquarium is all glass as it looks and it is tempered, you can't drill it...it will shatter. If it is plexiglass or similar then should be OK. Good luck :mrgreen:

SimonB
03-01-2013, 04:33 PM
hmm, it might actually be tempered glass in the sides, didn't think of that.
Oh well, cutting the side out and taking it to the glass shop next week, if i can't drill it i am certain that they'll come up with some suitable replacement.
the tank is all glass, was planning on building the system differently but the CHIFT PIST system turned out to be what fits into my apartment so i had to do a "slight" adjustment to my original idea.
any good tips on how to best remove and replace sides fastened with silicone?

davidstcldfl
03-01-2013, 04:58 PM
Hi Simon, welcome to the forum... :)

I helped my buddy drill 2 tanks. He bought a nice dimond bit to use. I did it with the glass in place.
We too, were worried about the temper. He did a search and from what we read, most tanks have tempered glass, only in the bottoms.

JCO
03-01-2013, 08:27 PM
Don't take it apart....take it as is that way you don't have to worry about resealing and leaks in that respect. :mrgreen:

SimonB
03-12-2013, 11:22 PM
Learning by doing, the glass is now removed after some minor mishaps..
Note to self: always warm the glass and silicone before cutting it out to (maybe) avoid breakages.
Well, at least the project is progressing!

SimonB
03-17-2013, 11:08 AM
some updates to the project! the grow beds are almost completed now, some glue and hoses still required and then i can begin to attach them to the piping and to the fish tank!
The aquarium is currently dismantled, i'll take it for drilling tomorrow, hopfully there will be no problems with that and re-attaching the side to the aquarium... well, if all goes as planned i should be able to start cycling the tank next weekend or next week, going to inject it with a bacteria culture from my friends fish tank so that should give some head start to the bacteria culture.
Please find the latest photos attached below!

JCO
03-18-2013, 03:10 AM
Looks good...and it looks like you have put a lot of thought and work into it thus far. Keep the photos coming :mrgreen:

davidstcldfl
03-18-2013, 04:31 AM
Looking good.... :)

jackalope
03-18-2013, 11:15 AM
I guess I got to this thread too late ...... having been a Glazier in my younger days, the best way to cut the glass away from the silicone is to use a single-edged razor blade and some dish soap for a lubricant (Spit workis better, but most people don't like the idea of spitting on the glass :lol: :lol: ). Heating silicone shouldn't make any difference, but your experience has been that it is helpful, so I won't dispute that :D

As some have said, drilling the glass while still mounted in the frame is much easier just by building a window-putty dam around the planned hole and filling that dam with either oil or water (linseed or motor oil is best) to keep the drill cool -- BUT it may be tempered. One way to tell if it is tempered is that one edge is usually 'hung' in the tempering furnace, which will leave very small dimples in the edge - that tells you it is tempered! This isn't always a sure-fire way to tell, but if you see the temper-marks, you'll know!

I've always repaired most of my own aquariums, so I can say I've only run up against tempered glass once or twice - the glass on the bottom and front and rear are usually thicker than the ends because of the weight they have to support.

SimonB
03-18-2013, 02:23 PM
Thanks for the tips Jackalope!
Th heating was recommended by a friend that replaces glass panes in doors as it will soften up the silicone and also make the glass less prone to shatter.
Luckily enough the glass was normal 8mm thick glass and not tempered, I'll get it back with a nice hole on Wednesday morning!
Next time I'll try to get another design so I don't have to make holes in glass but I'll chalk this one up on the learning curve :)

SimonB
03-30-2013, 12:12 PM
Some more progress, the tank is now equipped with a penetration for the overflow to the grow beds.
Below also some pics form the grow bed support table build (still needs to adjust the lengths of the legs) and also a pick of the GBs equipped with Uniseals.
Br,
Simon