semi is up and running

[semi]

Thanks to the help of Oliver, Apollo and many others here, I have an ibc based AP cycling with 20 feeder goldfish. pH at 8.2 in 150 gal FT & 75 ga GB which floods & drains every 14 minutes. The fish have been here 24 hrs, no measuable amm, nitrite or nitrate yet. Water temp 74 due to 2 350 watt heaters (still some snow on the ground).

Tanks are double layer bubble wrapped inside the cages and 1" exterior foam boarded outside the cages. Cramped space in front of car in an unheated garage forced a mylar floor to ceiling curtain. To make it possible to get to the back of the system, I put the whole thing on sandwiched osb to 1" with 12 270 pound rated non-rotating casters under it. This big skateboard was a 'perfect' design that rolled fine until the water went in. :oops: Maybe when the family shows for Easter dinner, we can get it used to moving again.

Once I learn how to post pics, I will :geek:

[dead_sled]

Very nice semi. I can't wait to see the pictures. You may need to create a photobucket login to link to the pictures. I find that do that works well.

You might have to grow some spinach before you are able to get the skateboard rolling! http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120816195753/popeye/images/7/70/The-Nutritional-Value-of-Spinach.gif

[semi]

dead_sled, I forgot to consider my lack of mass trying to move it. When brothers were here, it moved with ease. So, I will rig 2 tow points for my car to tug on. I have pics in photobucket, but don't know the address to insert between and. Dropped some hydroponically rooted watercress in to see if it takes. Less than. 25 ppg ammonia and no nitrite or nitrate showing yet. Goldfish diet just got a lot heavier. Temp at 72, pH at 7.6

[dead_sled]

To share a picture from photobucket:
1) View the pic to be shared in your photobucket account.
2) Click the text box labeled 'IMG' in the 'Links to Share This Photo' box, located to the right of your image. This copies the link information for you.
3) Paste the link into the 'Post a reply' box.
4) Rinse and repeat as necessary ;)

[semi]

Thanks dead_sled...lemme see if I get the same options on my primitive tablet. I am a techtard but still teachable:-)

[semi]

http://i1356.photobucket.com/albums/q737/magaclarahan/AP%20progress/20140418_192114_zpsi9bnm8mw.jpgthe overall pic of the setup.

[semi]

the underbelly. Foam boards obscure the casters and platform in the previous post.http://i1356.photobucket.com/albums/q737/magaclarahan/AP%20progress/20140421_142157_zpsvr0n7tgc.jpg

[semi]

I fiddled with the siphon so much that it ceased to be reliable. I have a CHOP system for now. I think the problem is that s-trap. It never did let the GB fill enough. I substituted a glass vase and discovered it was holding a lot of air at the top and preventing the siphon from firing before the GB reached overflow...a good 2" above the stand pipe height. I think the s-trap prevented enough air through to equalize the pressure inside the bell. My arms are too short to reach the downspout before the trap to cut it all off and replace with a straight exit pipe (big mistake cementing the exit plumbing together). In any case, my tow straps are in place for when I need to tug it all away from the the wall to reach the back. No plants there yet, seedlings are popping up every day. Dropped some hydroponically raised watercress with root ball in to see what would happen...it's alive after nearly a week with new growth. Split another into 3 and they also seem okay.

[Apollo]

"I fiddled with the siphon so much that it ceased to be reliable. I have a CHOP system for now. I think the problem is that s-trap".

So what is a CHOP system? Not sure where you came up with the design on your drain pipe...sometime less is more. Have you ever read the beginning of "Pipe Siphon by Apollo"? If I were you I'd give the Pipe Siphon a try! I spent 3 weeks trying to get the Bell Siphon to work...it won't fire and overflowed my GB's, then it won't reset and left my plants without water. What a waste of time and money, so unreliable even if I got it to work, it would make me sick just worrying about it.

My Pipe Siphon has worked PREFECT, since day 1...best part of my whole system.

[semi]

chop=constant height one pump. I had read about your siphon early on in my studies. I was a little unsure that I understood how to make one. I will definitely revisit. There are so many bell siphon versions and videos, I thought that was the way to go. They are definitely a crap shoot. Thanks for responding with a solution Apollo :-)

[Apollo]

"I had read about your siphon early on in my studies. I was a little unsure that I understood how to make one".

I should have posted a disassembled picture of the Pipe Siphon...this next picture should help.

Please, contact me with any questions.

[semi]

Thanks Apollo, I went back to review your setup and understand, this last pic is helpful, too. Now, I have to lift the GB off the FT to cut off that s-trap debacle of a drain system. Brother coming to assist w/in a day. In the meantime, off to the hardware store for some more elbows and a tee. Thanks again!

[Apollo]

Build and install the pipe siphon first before you change the drain system, it might work with your S. DRAIN.

[semi]

Yeah, tackling that s-trap is going to be a problem and a half. My brother talked me into drilling a 40/1000s hole at the top of the bell cap....it worked! No more manual firing or overflow. Automatic Flood/Drain cycle every 11-15 minutes for nearly 2 hours now as i tweak flow rates. Thanks for your help and time Apollo. I will build it your way,too. For now, I'm enjoying what seems to be a reliable bell siphon. With bigger fish coming this weekend, the time pressure is off for siphon solving.

[Apollo]

You may have given me the answer to my failed attempts with the Bell Siphon...I had a long Pee Trap that went under the side wall of my GB's. Air in the bell is suppose to build up to the point where it fires the siphon. With your S. Trap and my P. Trap, it provided too much resistance / nerved fired / then would overflowed the GB's.

My P. Trap drainage pipe was buried under 2 inches of cement and cinder blocks. If only you could learn everything from the mistakes of others...live and learn.

[Apollo]

"My brother talked me into drilling a 40/1000s hole at the top of the bell cap....it worked!"

What made your brother come up with that as a fix...it seems like it goes against the whole principle of having pressure build up in the bell to get it to fire. Hey if it works for now, that's good...what happens if it gets a small bug stuck in it when your at work?

[semi]

He's familiar with air & fluid flow & vacuums, retired Roush Racing Engineer. I subbed a tall, narrow glass vase for the bell to see what was happeninginside. It revealed a large bubble of air at the top that kept the water from rising fast or high enough to allow the siphon to fire (the water level inside lagged behind the outside by more than 2" regardless of the height of the bell). That seemed to guarantee an overfill. Shortening the stand pipe didn't help either. My thought was the water in the s-trap resisted the pressure from incoming (into the bell) water. So we started hatching a hoisting op so I could get at and cut off the s-trap. He had some tiny bits and suggested we try someting simple first. What a relief that it worked! So maybe it is the absence of pressure in the bell that makes it work.

True, the hole is vulnerable. I have assembled a 3/4" bulkhead and emergency spill pipe above the full line so any overfill will be redirected back into the FT. In times of my absence, I will revert back to constant height so I can sleep easier, for one:-) I am around here most of the time anyway as I have retired twice.

[semi]

I still want to give your siphon a try and have the materials on hand now. I will have to empty a lot of hydroton into something before I can install it. With bigger fish coming this wknd, I was pressed for time to settle this contraption down to be a service to fish and fauna:-) It is working like clockwork for now.

[semi]

By the way, you have a beautiful set-up! I envy it and the climate that makes it possible. But, family is here and living in the woods forces me into the garage. If this goes well, I will add-on a south facing 10x16 AP greenhouse to our home.

[Roger L.]

The "snorkel tube" on the top of the bell is nothing new. My bell would always "fire" but would not release at the end. I added a 1/4" piece of tubing to mine and ran it down to the grow bed. Works like a charm every time. I guess we each have our own experiences and have found a way to overcome problems as they arise. Just goes to prove the old adage, there's more than one way to skin a cat. No actual harm befell any cats during this posting. Just added that disclaimer for the PETA folks.

[semi]

apologies to peta, bless their hearts, i have a ton of skinned cats now. Fish must be constipated as ammonia levels are not rising nor are nitrates aor nitrates. Started cycling 2 weeks ago with sponges from a friends AP tank. They are feasting, too. (running skinner over whetstone)

[Roger L.]

May take a while to cycle, patience is the key.

[Apollo]

"By the way, you have a beautiful set-up! I envy it and the climate that makes it possible". Thanks semi...being out side even here has it's disadvantages. The wind has been really hard on everything except for my strawberry plants in my Veritgrow Towers, they must be wind resistant.

The wind even push my young Apple tree over, stake and all.

To see my before pictures go to :arrow: "Fire Pit ... AP" then "Pipe Siphon by Apollo". Thanks

_______________________________
I HAVE NOT FAILED. I'VE JUST FOUND 10,000 WAYS THAT WON'T WORK. Thomas A Edison