Dave's ground breaking news.

[davidstcldfl]

Hi. :) Well, i've decided to go with a CHIFT PIST system. I'll use Slo drains to feed the grow bed(s).

I just started to work on the FT today, It'll be 3' x 3' x9'. I'm making it using cattle fence and some rubber liner, with some insulation in between. I'm holding it up, by putting posts into the ground every 20 ". I'll be burying them at 3' deep.

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/DEC109groundBreaking.jpg

Here's the O-fficial ground breaking..... :lol:

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/dec1st09firstpost-1.jpg
One post in....11 more to go.

Well, it's not a big start....but I did start. :D

[stucco]

:mrgreen:It’s a bought time :!: :P :P

[jackalope]

Any start is a good start ;)

[davidstcldfl]

OK, I got all the posts up. They are 'almost' three feet deep. I did add two to each end, instead of one.

When you look at the picture, you'll see some horizontal boards. They are just temperory. I used them to hold the post (some what ) plumb, untill I filled in the post holes.

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/polesup.jpg

I'll cut the post at 3'. Then I'll notch the top/inside of the post...so that I can put a 2X4 along the top. Hope this will be enough to hold it all together.
I have lots of coro-plast, I think I'll put that against the fence, then the insulation and then ,of course, the rubber liner.
I was thinking about using a pressure treated 2X6 ,laying flat on top of the post. It wont hang 'over' the tank, but it'll be 'flush'. Is the 'new' PT wood, as bad as the old stuff ? Do you think I can take the chance ? :?:

I dont think I'll use the lill hard plastic kiddie pools that I got for GB's. They are old and kinda beat up. I was going to use concrete blocks and a pice of ply to hold them up.

I know I'll need lots more GB area. The tank I'm building will hold about 500 gals. I am going to use the grow bed Stucco gave me, but I need 'way' more.

I dont know....? I do live 'in' town. I need to do something that looks 'ok'....but doesn't cost too much..hmmm? (Dream on Dave )
I'll have to re-read Stucco's build (?) I really liked his tanks... :)

[davidstcldfl]

The rain has been slowing me down...which now is a good thing :shock:

I was trying to get some work done, yesterday between the rain. My friend ended up calling. He found a heavy duty plastic tank, brand new. They've had it sitting there for a long while and they just want to move it.

My FT, that I was working on, is aprox 500 gals. The new tank is 1100 gals. So, now the(old) FT will be my new 'sump'.... :?

In the mean time, I'm going to work with, what Jon was so nice to give to me. I want to get something going ! :lol: I want to hear some water flowing....lol

I must be the only one that has changed plans in the middle of a project... :roll: :D :lol:

[jackalope]

The rain has been slowing me down...which now is a good thing :shock:

I'm wondering if you would consider trading that rain for the below zero (-21F) weather we've had for the past couple of nights and all day yesterday. We had a heat wave today, it warmed up to -12F :!: but it's going back down now that the sun is set :( :(


I must be the only one that has changed plans in the middle of a project... :roll: :D :lol: Somehow, I seriously doubt that ;) :lol: :lol: :lol:

[mpugh5@aol.com]

good start, glad to see someone making forward progress, i'll be lurking and watching 8-) :roll:

[TCLynx]

The trick to changing in the middle of the project is to seem to make it look like you meant to do that (or is that when you walk into the sliding door?)

I changed gears many time in progress! As for cheapest way to get lots of filtration. At the moment, I think the 100 and 300 gallon stock tanks are the best deals. Tractor Supply. Currently the 100 gallon is just under $70 and the 300 gallon is about $210. So gallon for gallon the 300 is the best price but might be a bit wide depending on how you like to deal with planting. For those to drain easily, the sump needs to be dug into the ground though as I wouldn't want to be putting something that deep up on much of a stand. I have my 100 gallon stock tanks up on single layers of blocks (5-7 blocks work fine under the 100 gallon tanks) Would probably need more under the 300 gallon tank.

[davidstcldfl]

Hi TC, I was looking at the rubbermaid's yesterday at Tractor Supply....very nice.

I'm trying an experiment ( besides this whole Aquaponic thing) :lol: trying to see how enexpensive of a GB I can make with common materials.I bought 3- mortar tubs at Home depot, for $11.38 each. Of course they aren't as thick as the rubbermaid's.

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/mixingtub.jpg
sorry, the picture quality isn't too good. They are 3'L x 2'w x 8" deep.

I'm going to tie the 3 together...the one in the middle will be the one with a bell siphon. The stand pipe will be 1 "......the other 2 will have a 1-1/2 drain (through the side) going into the side of the middle one. I'm trying this, to save on the material, of having a bell in each one.

I'm also trying pvc 'conduit' fittings for the tank penetrations instead of uni-seals. A 1-1/2" female adapter is only 75 cents and the lock nut is only 35 cents. I bought some flat rubber gasket material...will have to cut my own. (A 1-1/2 " uni-seal is $3.30 each.) I am using a uni-seal for the 'bell' set up ( just because I bought an extra one)

For a stand, I may be able to get some used angle iron, then 'if 'my buddy lets me use his welder(?) Plan 'b', will be some concrete blocks with some pressure treated 4x4's across them.

So far, I've spent aprox $48 ..tubs,pvc conduit fittings, rubber gasket and 1 uni -seal. Of course I still need pipe ( drain and bell set up) and some kind of stand and rocks, but all grow beds need (some of) that stuff.

If the conduit fittings don't make a seal, I can always cut a larger whole and use uni-seals. I dont know how long the tub(s) will last, but it seems better then linner inside wooden troughs....? :?
Like I said....this is just an experiment...

[TCLynx]

you might find that the mortar tubs are a little shallow but they will still probably work for something anyway.
Beware, it isn't so easy to cut a larger nice round hole after you have already cut a smaller one in the same spot (no place to put the center bit on the whole saw to keep the whole saw from moving around as you cut, you have to get a bit creative to manage to do it.

However, take a tip from the barrel ponics manual, if you cut the hole just a tiny bit too small and then warm up the plastic to thread the fitting through the plastic, you may manage a leak free seal with just a little bit of aquarium silicone. I would probably use the regular drinking water pipe pvc fittings for this instead of the electrical conduit fittings just because I don't know if the conduit is food safe or if the pipe sizes are interchangeable between the two.

And for when you go to get gravel. 1 ton of the 1/2" brown river rock might fill aprox 160 gallons of grow bed. 6 tons might be around 950 gallons of gravel. (This is based on the pebble junction estimation that it takes 1.25 tons to make a cubic yard of gravel.) I have gotten 2 separate 6 ton loads of gravel delivered here. 6 tons is the weight limit on the delivery trucks that pebble junction uses for residential deliveries.

[davidstcldfl]

Thanks for the tips TC :)
Your right anout the depth. I was thinking of lettuce,spiniach,ect. in the winter months....hadn't thought about summer months yet.(?) Tomato roots do go pretty deep and wide...

The 'conduit' fittings will work with pvc 'water' pipe. I'm using the pvc 'conduit' fittings because, the threads are 'straight' on them. So, I can either screw a lock nut or a female adapter 'all the way' to the shoulder of the male adapter.

The threads on 'plumbing/water' fittings have a slight taper. If you try to put a 'plumbing/water' male and female adapters together, I doubt they would go all the way together.

I too, wonder about the safety of the gray pvc 'conduit'....I'm just using the 'fittings.' The pipe runs will be plumbing pvc.

The gray pvc (conduit) has a UV rating, the white pvc doesnt...go figure.

[wolfracer]

I too, wonder about the safety of the gray pvc 'conduit'....I'm just using the 'fittings.' The pipe runs will be plumbing pvc.

The gray pvc (conduit) has a UV rating, the white pvc doesnt...go figure.

I use the gray fitting with a homemade gasket on mine and they work great!

[davidstcldfl]

Thanks Wolfracer, I'm glad to hear that ! :)

[davidstcldfl]

Change # 243.... :lol:

Hi, The large tank I was hoping to get, wasn't that great of a price. So, now I'm going with IBC's. I'll put them inside my work shop. 3 of them ,to start with..... planning/dreaming of 10 :shock:

The shop is well insulated. It has AC and elect heat. The AC will be needed ,to fight the humidity, more then just the heat. I do have an exhaust fan, vented to the outside. The humidity in central FL is high enough, that the vent may not help that much. I may end up needing a de-humidifier too.
I should be able to maintain the water temp better. Plus being inside , the tanks won't be exposed to the UV's. I wont have to worry about all the fish eating critters either.

The FT, that I was building, above ground, will now be the 'sump'. I'll end up burying it 'most' of the way into the ground. Want to stay up some, to keep 'run-off' from getting in.

I'm going to try GB's with rocks w/ bell siphons. I am going to try some 'raft' systems too. That way , I'll have hands on with both. I will cut the tops off the IBC's ,to use as Gb's.
Bio-filter boxes and wheels are definitely in the plans. As I wont have enough GB's to start with.

I did get a 55gal aquarium, plus 4 smaller ones. Plan on having the large one in my living room, so I can keep an eye on the females. Plus it'll entertain my cat :lol: She's too old to be jumping up there and doing the cat thing.
The smaller ones, will be in the FL room.

The 2 FT's that Stucco gave me, are now in the ground. I did build up the area where they are located, to keep run-off out of them too.
http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/koi.jpg
Plan on adding some rock on top of the (black) weed block. Add a few plants here and there...I think it'll look nice.
I may end up putting Koi in the larger ones. I was offered some for free...hate to turn his offer down. Thinking of growing duck weed in the smaller one. I'd like a small 'cat' or 2 in each one, to keep the bottom cleaner. I'll need some type of Bio- wheel/box, as this will be, separate from the other system.

[stucco]

Lookin good! :mrgreen:

[davidstcldfl]

Thanks Jon ! :)

[jackalope]

Looks like you guys are having fun in the winter ..... but where's the snow? You can't have a dog sled without snow can you? :lol: :lol:

[davidstcldfl]

LOL.....Jackalope, I sent this picture to my girlfriend who moved back to IL. I took this a week or so ago, the temp was in the 70's. I had my winter clothes on....jeans ,not shorts. :D
When I sent an email with this in it....the temp in IL was below freezing. I wanted her to remember she left more then just me behind.... :lol:

The lake front in Kissimmee FL......


http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/Youcouldbe.jpg

[davidstcldfl]

OK, back to the topic.....

I've decided to go with a constant water flow in my grow beds. I'm using an idea I saw in SMALL SCALE AQUACULTURE, by Van Gorder. (page 103) The "IDEA" belongs to.......Kyle Datta.
The GB's will only have 3 inches of water flowing through them. The plants are grown in modules. Which are 4 inch pvc pipe , cut to 6 inch lengths. The bottom half has 1/2 inch holes drilled in it for water flow. The upper 1/2 has 1/4 inch holes for air flow. They say to use (window) screen and make it into a cone shape, place it into the pvc. Fold the screen over the side of the pvc and place a rubber band around the top to hold it in place.
They fill the 'screen cone' with a mix of vermiculite, peat moss, sphagnum moss....bone meal,wood ash, and sea kelp. I'm thinking of trying azomite instead of the wood ash and kelp.
http://www.wheatgrasskits.com/azomite.htm

The benefits' are....the individual module can be removed, if needed, easily from the GB. I won't have to build/adjust bell siphons Or mess with timers. I don't need to buy/clean rock. However, I'm thinking about putting a thin layer of rock in the bottom of the GB, just to have (more) surface area for bacteria to grow.
I am planning on covering the GB's with shade cloth....actually laying it right on top of the GB. I'll cut an "X" to access the module's. This should cut down on algee growing and the shade cloth will still let air in. I was planning on using air stones anyway....now I may need a few more. :roll:

I've built 2 solids separator's. I'll place them just before the water flows into the GB's. Here's a couple pictures.
http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/solidseperator.jpg

The box is 12 gals....the inlet is 1 " pvc...the outlet is 1 1/2 " pvc...they are straight across from each other, towards the top of the box.
Here is a picture with what I hope will slow the flow and let the heavier solids settle....
I cut it out of some coro-plast.
http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/pic122709_7.jpg


I won't have enough plants/grow bed area to start with.....so, I've also made a small bio-filter. I think it's 17 gals. Here's what I'm putting in (first) to hold the bio material off the bottom. As you can see, the water will be pumped to the bottom, flow through the bio material, then back to the FT.( sorry,the picts are fuzzy, I only have my phone to take them with... :oops: )
http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/bottomofbiofilter.jpg

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/biofilter.jpg

My bio-material.....shade cloth.....I'll "bunch it up" and gently stuff it in the box.
http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/biomaterial.jpg

It was 'free'...except I did have to tear down a shade house to get it. The rest of the shade cloth is much denser/higher percentage cloth. I also got weed block cloth. The 4x4's and some of the pipe that formed the roof.. :D

Hopefully I will get the GB's finished and piped. More pictures then................ ;)

[jackalope]

Looks good david, it must be nice to be able to work outside this time of year :lol: :lol:

[stucco]

Hey David, those tilapia fry are still here when you are ready. I’ve been keeping them in the boy’s fish tank. A couple of the hogs of the bunch have almost doubled in size.

[davidstcldfl]

:D ...WOW....'Thanks Stucco'. I just set up a 50 gal aquarium in the house. I had it in the FL room to make sure it wasn't leaking. I kept the filter running to keep it from freezing... :? ....hope I never have to say that again !

I need to get a heater and an air pump. Then I can hook up with you.... :D
Been pricing and looking, should be soon.....Thanks so much , again.

[badflash]

Don't ya just LOVE Global Warming! 14F here in the Hudson Valley. They have Ice Breakers working the Hudson!

[davidstcldfl]

Don't ya just LOVE Global Warming! :lol: ....I wonder what Al Gore's HEATING bill will be this month???... :D I wish I could remeber...someone took his average 'monthly' electric bill and figured out how many AV size houses could be powered for a 'year'.
Do as I say, not as I do..... :roll:

Badflash, If we had ice breakers comming down the Saint John's river....now that would be something ! ... :shock:

[JCO]

Ever see the movie "The Day After Tomorrow". In the movie it all started with global warming :shock: :mrgreen:

[davidstcldfl]

Ever see the movie "The Day After Tomorrow". In the movie it all started with global warming :shock: :mrgreen:
That was a good movie....:lol:

[badflash]

As long as you suspend your beliefs in the laws of thermodynamics and physics. :mrgreen:

[wolfracer]

As long as you suspend your beliefs in the laws of thermodynamics and physics. :mrgreen:

:lol: I agree

[jackalope]

Hey! we've had 40 and 50 degree weather for the past 3 days ..... don't you guys go jinxing it now with talk about 14F temps :!: :!: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[davidstcldfl]

WOW, I need to get this thread back on track....it's drifting south like one of the poor polar bears stuck on a melting ice berg..... :roll:

Ok, I have pretty much, set up a breeder tank inside the house. I did a spin-off of Evanj' s idea. THANKS EVAN... :D
Its a 50 gal tank. I recieved an undersized filter with a bio-wheel , when I bought the tank. So I've added a bio-box.
I used an 1 1/2 pipe inside the box. You can see I added an airfilter stone.
http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/pic011310_2.jpg

I placed a sheet of perferated plastic over this, then added some shade cloth for bio material. This time I droped in a small fountain pump on top of the shade cloth. The bio box is also acting as a sump.
I added the same kind of box on top, but cut down to the hieght of 7 inches, This is my 'mini' constant flood GB. It has a 1 inch drain in the bottom....which slides 'inside' of the 1 1/2 pipe, inside the lower box. (I made a hole in the lid of the lower box)
I planted a couple patio tomatoes in the plastic baskets used for pond plants. The water in the GB is only 3 inches deep. The idea is...the root's bottom will be down in the water, the upper half of them will be abouve the water (for air).
http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/indoortomsjanfourteenth.jpg

I'm using an air lift syphon, in the FT. My thinking was.....if something 'happens'....the water will only drain part way and then stop. I drilled a hole in the side of a coupling and inserted the air tube in about a 1/4 inch.
http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/pic011410_6.jpg

So the drain doesn't create a vacume, I added an opening, on the 'tee'. Return is on the left, drain is the on the right.
http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/pic011410_4.jpg

The way I keep the FT from over flowing, is by using a float switch. I simply attached it to the lid of the tank.
http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/pic011410_5.jpg

The switch shuts off the 24 volts, that pulls in the contactor, which is feeding power to the pump. I'm using a 120 to 24 volt transformer. Since I do A/C (and heating :roll: ) work....I had this stuff...so I used it ... :)
http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/pic011410_8.jpg

To keep the bio box/sump from overflowing. I came out the side of the box with 1 1/2 pvc. I reduced it to 1 inch pipe , just before it went through the floor. My house is raised off the ground, also my floors are wood. I'd rather have a hole in the floor, then water pouring onto it. :?
http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/pic011410_10.jpg

Besides, I asked my wife. She said it would be fine. :D Some day I'll actually meet 'her' and fall in love and marry 'her'... :lol: No, I'm not married. OK, a quick shameless plug for myself....Christian male, early 50's, looking for a lady that loves the Lord, aquaponics and likes to live were it's 'usually' warm ! BONUS: I can cook...used to be a chef. :D ..... :lol: :lol: 'PM' me !

[davidstcldfl]

'Hi' to my fellow aqua-nuts.... :lol: :lol:

Well, I broke out the new test kit and of course I had to play er.. a ..a ..well...I mean test my water. :D

The outside water: which is kinda green now... :roll: PH... 8.6 nitrites... 0.05
I dont have the FT finished. I'm circulating the water through the GB (no plants) and the 2 tanks in the ground...for maybe a month now, for a few hours a day. I do have a bio-box, which the air pump is running 24/7.
Volume is aprox 300 gals. A 1/3 of it was rain water.....the rest city. I've been treating it with 5-6 oz's of humonia once a week. Not too worried about this water....yet.

Water in my breeder tank:Chlorine... 0 PH... 8. nitrites... 0 (all city water....2 days old now)
50 gal aquarium w/ a mini grow bed( 2 tomatoes) and a bio-box ....aprox 60 gals total.
Added 3 oz's of ( un-aged) humonia 2 days ago.

This water I am concerned about. I'm to get a few tilpia fry from Stucco, in a few weeks. This will be thier new home for awhile.

[badflash]

pH is a bit high for good plant growth, but OK for fish. As the fish grow the pH will come down. Keep your fingers crossed.

[davidstcldfl]

pH is a bit high for good plant growth, but OK for fish. As the fish grow the pH will come down. Keep your fingers crossed.

The outside water (8.6) is maxing out the PH test kit.... :o

I don't have any fish 'yet'.....is there anything I can do to help ? :?:



The 2 tomatoes look really happy. They don't show any ill effects of the transplant. It was getting late/dark when I was trying to rinse off some of the dirt, from their roots. I was getting cold too, so I was being semi-gentle... :roll:

I used lots of vermiculite in the mix for the 'modules'. ( NOTE TO SELF: hey dumb-dumb, use perilite instead !) The vermiculite made it's way through the slots in the baskets. It was floating everywhere, when I turned on the pumps.... :roll: :shock: :oops: I ended up replacing most of the aged water, by trying to siphon the stuff out.

I was able to easily match the flow from the 'air lift siphon' to the return pump. There is a range of flow by, simply adjusting the air valve, to the siphon. :D

[davidstcldfl]

I just added about 3 dozen 'feeder' gold fish to my (indoor) FT.

I was just reading, where Wolfracer uses muratic acid to bring down the PH. Guess I'll try some in the outdoor set up. No fish out there anyway....can't hurt.

[evanj]

Figured I'd stop lurking :) nice looking setup.

[davidstcldfl]

Thanks Evan.... :)

I like how you have lights 'just for the plants'......Right now, I'm just letting the light for the tank, hang over the end, so it shines on my 2 tomatoes.... :roll: ....they like it, the bulbs are for coral.

:D ...When I was in HD last week, looking for some tomatoe plants....... I was thinking about guys like yourself, where you live 'in the cold'. I had to dig around.... to find some plants that hadn't got froze..... :lol:...Never had to consider 'that' before !

[davidstcldfl]

I've made a little progress on the outside FT. I got most of the wooden sides up.

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/pic012110_2.jpg

[JCO]

Did you sink any part of it in the ground? :mrgreen:

[davidstcldfl]

:) ....Only the posts are in the ground. My buddy loaned me his gas powered auger....they're about 3 ' deep... :D
Hope the rain stops, I'd like to finish the sides and start adding the insulation.

[davidstcldfl]

I finished the sides and started the insulation. In the picture, you'll see where I cut away some of the insulation, this is where the wood is a double layer. This is where, my bulkhead for my 'swirl' filter will be located.

The 2X6's are just sitting on top....to give an idea of how it will look when it's finished.

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/pic012310_3.jpg

More updates and pictures to come.......I hope...... :roll:

[badflash]

After you put the liner in, pait it white. That is the one thing I'd wished I'd done before I filled the system. A good epoxy paint should work. The dark background of the liner make it really hard to see the fish or judge water quality.

[JCO]

Wouldn't it have to be a rubber base paint to stay flexible enough to keep from cracking and pealing and wouldn't it need an undercoat of some kind to ensure that it will adhere to the plastic? I'm not a paint expert, just a thought :mrgreen:

[davidstcldfl]

. A good epoxy paint should work

Wouldn't it have to be a rubber base paint to stay flexible enough to keep from cracking and pealing

I wish it were white. It sure would be easier to see the fish, especially, if I put cats in there.
Here's something interesting I found, when I was trying to find 'if' I could paint rubber liner......

liquid EPDM.... :o
http://www.buyliquidroof.com/whyepdm.html

Looks like it will waterproof concrete. Also it can be applied to sealed plywood. Hmmmm......plywood fish tanks ???
20 mil dry coat thickness when applied at 42 sq ft per gallon

Comes in white too..... :D

[wolfracer]

After you put the liner in, pait it white. That is the one thing I'd wished I'd done before I filled the system. A good epoxy paint should work. The dark background of the liner make it really hard to see the fish or judge water quality.

That is the nice part of using IBC's the light shows in and the tanks are white makes seeing what is going on easier.

[badflash]

Wow! Wonder how much that stuff is?

[jackalope]

I wish it were white. It sure would be easier to see the fish, especially, if I put cats in there.
Here's something interesting I found, when I was trying to find 'if' I could paint rubber liner......

liquid EPDM.... :o
http://www.buyliquidroof.com/whyepdm.html

Looks like it will waterproof concrete. Also it can be applied to sealed plywood. Hmmmm......plywood fish tanks ???
20 mil dry coat thickness when applied at 42 sq ft per gallon

Comes in white too..... :D

Look into it very carefully, it may not work for a pond liner ....i.e. can it be used in a tank for water human consumption ;) I looked into one of those and it wasn't !
Wouldn't a sheet of white FRP be much cheaper?

[davidstcldfl]

I probably won't use the product, just thought it was cool. I'm sure there would be a time and place to use it .


Wow! Wonder how much that stuff is?
$63 a gallon....59 a gallon when buying 5 gallon buckets.....don't know about shipping.

it may not work for a pond liner ....i.e. can it be used in a tank for water human consumption
If you check out the site, one of the applications, is for fish tanks....they are referring to sealing new and re-sealing old concrete tanks. They do talk about applying it to rubber liners also. As far as human consumption/potable water, I don't know. (?)


Wouldn't a sheet of white FRP be much cheaper?

:D ...I'm right there with you on that idea Jackalope ! That would be an easy fix...just cut to fit and lay it on the bottom. I hate to spend any more cash at 'this point' on anything.... :roll:
I have several sheets of white coroplast, that I got for free. I was thinking of using some on the bottom. Problem with it is....I'm worried about the fish 'pooh' getting into the corrugations. If I seal the ends...then it will try to float... :roll: I even thought about sealing one side, then maybe use sand and try to fill the corrugations and then seal the second side. (?)

[davidstcldfl]

More work....More pictures.....

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/bulkheadsinjustforpicture.jpg
I only put the bulkheads in for the picture.

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/lotsofclampshelp.jpg
I sure could of used TC's help and experience with the liner... :? ...at least I remembered her tip on using clamps, lots and lots of clamps.... :) Thanks TC !
I should of invited her and Cook down for some BBQ...we could of made an instructional video on "how to fold the corners".... :lol: ....Mine aren't the greatest folds... :roll: ....some where for the fish to hide.

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/Justaddwater.jpg

"Just add water "..... :D ....and stir in some sodium ascorbate.... :lol:

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/bulkheadsinforreal.jpg

Now, the bulkheads are in where they belong.... :D

[stucco]

Nice Jacuzzi! All you need are seats, or is that what the folding arm chair in the background is for? :)

[jackalope]

Nice Jacuzzi! All you need are seats, or is that what the folding arm chair in the background is for? :)

I thought that was the white bucket in pic #3 :lol: :lol: :lol:

[davidstcldfl]

RAIN DELAY....... :(


Nice Jacuzzi! All you need are seats, or is that what the folding arm chair in the background is for? :)
:lol: :lol: :lol: .....As I was standing there,watching the water flow in.......I was thinking about the commercial, for the really big jacuzzi, where the guy is swimming against a stream of water. " I wonder how big of a pump that would take ? " 8-)


I thought that was the white bucket in pic #3
The bucket was for me to get my big.. :roll: ..in and out...... :lol:

If it were summer....I'd be out there floating in it right now !..... :lol:

[jackalope]

Is that liner EPDM or PVC? I went with PVC because of the costs ...... AND, it's warranted for 15 years ...... only 25 bucks!

[davidstcldfl]

Hi Jackalope, My liner is EPDM. It's like your tagline about beer...it was 'free'
I know what you mean about 'costs'....other wise, mine may have been PVC.

Your liner has a 15 year warranty ? Wow, that's great ! If you don't mind me asking......how big of a liner did you get for $25 ?
How thick is it Jackalope ?


Jackalope
Kinda 'off topic'...been meaning to ask.....your tag line mentions free beer....So do you have really great friends that buy it for you, or perhaps, you make your own ?

[jackalope]

Hi Jackalope, My liner is EPDM. It's like your tagline about beer...it was 'free'
I know what you mean about 'costs'....other wise, mine may have been PVC. I heard that ;) :lol: !


Your liner has a 15 year warranty ? Wow, that's great ! If you don't mind me asking......how big of a liner did you get for $25 ?
How thick is it Jackalope ? It's a 10x12 Sunterra brand 20Mil on ebay, free shipping! I think the seller was PriceBully. It's just right for a 6'x8' pool that's 2 foot deep (which would have been 719.16 gallons), but due to pressure from the better half, mine is only 4'x8'x 2' - about 479.44 gallons if filled all the way to the top, but about 431.49 gallons if kept 90% full.



Jackalope
Kinda 'off topic'...been meaning to ask.....your tag line mentions free beer....So do you have really great friends that buy it for you, or perhaps, you make your own ?
I don't have any friends except those whom I meet on the Internet, (Actually, I have a few friends that I meet up with every fall at a Church get-together, but in this town you have to be born to the right family to have any friends in town ...... kinda like Neosho, MO), and the internet friends only provide virtual beers :lol: :lol: I've made my own, it's true .... with a tad more alcohol content than the commercial beers ;)

..... no, actually, the signature line is talking about the Linux OS ... free as in free beer ..... you can download it free off the Internet, you can test it/try it out/use it as a 'live disk' or install it on your computer in place of the WinBlows OS that everyone seems to use You can modify it to suit yourself, there are some distros that even include a way to make a distro of your own, using theirs as a base ..... very few virus and malware writers bother with writing virus' and trojans for it because the code is open source so it can be corrected within hours or days rather that M$'s OS which sometimes takes YEARS ...... in other words, it's safe to use on the internet without AV applications, although for ex-Winders users, there are a couple of free AV apps available, Guard Dog and ClamAV, but I've never used them.

I'm nowhere near a computer geek, but I learned how to use Linux at one of my favorite forums about 7 years back and I wouldn't use anything else AFAIAC :!: I only use the wife's WinDoze XP when I want to watch a movie on NetFlix ;)

BTW, you're allowed to go off topic a little bit, it's your thread ;) but no one else is supposed to hijack your thread, they have to start their own if they want to inject another thought or idea ;)

Just my 2 centavos ......

[davidstcldfl]

and the internet friends only provide virtual beers
http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/beer-mug-1.jpg
Have one on me.... :D


actually, the signature line is talking about the Linux OS
A buddy of mine picks up used/broken computers....takes em a part, puts one together... with parts and loads in Linuxs.

I worked on the plumbing yesterday. Ended up running out of day light, before I thought about taking a picture... :? When it warms up some....I'll try to get out there and finish up,'hopefully'. I will try to post a picture of the mess I got going on..... :roll:

[JCO]

http://diyaquaponics.com/images/irish%20beer.jpg

Jackalope, have a brown Irish beer on me......OK...OK....What's the deal??? That was full when I put it on here..! (hickup..oh my head) :lol: :mrgreen:

[davidstcldfl]

OK...OK....What's the deal??? That was full when I put it on here..! (hickup..oh my head)
:o ..... :lol: :lol: :lol:



Ok, I did get some done today........... :)

This first shot shows some of the mess I've got going.... :roll: ....some of the underground pipe.

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/undergroundpipe.jpg

Here's a closer shot of the piping....Going left to right....1st pipe,from pump #1...2nd and 3rd pipes, high point drains going to both sumps...4th pipe, going to the bio-filter which drains into one of the sumps....5 th pipe from pump #2.

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/morepipe.jpg

Here you can see the top rail is on. The tank is pretty full. The pipe in the fore ground is the 'main' drain, going to the 'swirll' filter. "IF' I dont get enough volume of water, to the growbeds.....I'll add another drain and feed it into the 'swirll' filter also.

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/Toprailinplace.jpg

Pretty much the same shot, but the pumps are on.

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/Tankfullpumpson.jpg

When I ran the pipe for the pumps, I did oversize it. Also, I only used 45's (1/8th bends for you plumbers.. :P ) instead of using 90's. I was trying to keep the volume of water up....wasn't too concerned about velocity.
The FT is 'just' over 500 gals....my pumps 'may be ' moving 675 gals/hr. ...... :roll: ....I really don't want to ($) buy another pump, right away.
I'll just have to keep my fish load, on the low end ,for now.

Tomorrow....I hope to make/hook up the swirl filter and the plumb the grow beds.

[jackalope]

Have one on me.... :D Slurp ..... Thanks ....... where's the rest of them?



have a brown Irish beer on me......OK...OK....What's the deal??? That was full when I put it on here..! AS IF :roll: :roll: :!:
(hickup..oh my head) I figured so ...... :x :x j/k

[davidstcldfl]

Well........ my blue barrel is not.........



http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/pic012810_1.jpg


Blue any more..... :D
I might even paint some stripes around it tomorrow..... :lol:
I just thought it would look a little better a different color. I painted the bio-filter box too, but that was more to protect it from the sun light.

I also got the trenches filled back in.....and I sat for awhile, watching the robins drink out of my sumps.

I did remember I was given some old used pumps. They are small, more for like a fountain. I'm thinking of adding one to the FT and let it pump water up from the bottom. I may add a section of gutter for it to flow into...then have holes drilled in it, to help the water, get rid of some ammonia and pick up a little oxygen.
"OH BOY"....more stuff to do..... :roll:

[davidstcldfl]

:D ....Yes, I'm now the proud owner of a school of tilapia.....49 by Stucco's count.

Thanks Stucco...Thanks TC.... :D

I didn't think they would want to eat, seeing as how they just went into a new tank.... :lol: :lol: :lol: Wow, I thought the gold fish could eat !
I'll have to get them some real food tommarrow. They did seem to like the tettra-min and the tettra-veggie. I didn't know they were going to be this big already... :o

[badflash]

Go cheap. They will eat you out of house & home. Purina floating pellets will work fine. I like the 3 mm size. It goes for about 35 cents a pound in 50# sacks.

[stucco]

Good to hear they made it. There was a hider so it should be 48. Told you they could plow thru some food… they really tear up the duck weed.

[davidstcldfl]

Moving along............... :roll:
I have gotten some more done....taking longer then I thought.

The first picture, is an overview of my system.

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/pic020610_1.jpg

In the fore ground is a 30 gal biofilter....just out of the picture, to the left is another smaller biofilter. In the background (right), is my swirl filter/solids separator. It's being fed by a slow drain....the swirl filter drains to the grow beds...and you can see the main drain from them, coming into the biofilter in the fore ground.
The drain pipe over the smaller GB's, has 1/2 inch holes drilled in it. One hole for each bed....the flow is 70 gals an hour per hole. I'm curious what the flow will be , once I add more GB"s (?)

Here's a picture of a module, for the plants. It's 6 inches tall, the pipe is 4 inch. I have to make a cone shaped screen to drop into each one. The idea is for the lower part of the roots to be in the water, while the upper parts are getting oxygen.

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/pic020610_2.jpg


Most of you get to wash rocks...:P...I get to drill lot's of holes.... :shock:....My little drill press is getting a work out... :lol:

[wolfracer]

Wow that is really coming a long. Thanks for the pics

[jackalope]

Dave, keep all those PVC shavings for your biofilter! Lots of surface area there ;) This isn't my original idea, Ernie posted it months ago ;)

[davidstcldfl]

Dave, keep all those PVC shavings for your biofilter! Lots of surface area there
I'm with you on that one Jackalope....
:D ....As soon as I started to run that 1/2 inch drill bit in for the first time... :idea: ....the light bulb went on... :lol:

[davidstcldfl]

I've got a few veggies planted.. :D ...used a mixture of peat, spagnum moss, vermiculite, perilite, cow manure, wood ashes and some azomite.

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/pic020810_1.jpg

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/pic020810_4.jpg



The ones I planted inside are getting bigger, they never seemed to go into transplant shock either. They don't have as nice of a soil mix as the ones outside.

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/feb810.jpg

[badflash]

Me thinks you should not keep the roots wet alll the time. Tomatoes don't like it. Time will tell.

[dufflight]

Hook a hose the the tray and have it slowly drain into a bottle. Once a day pour the water back into the tray. Its like a manual flood & drain. I use it for seedlings.

[stucco]

You may want to put some shade cloth over the trays to keep the sunshine out. ;)

[davidstcldfl]

Me thinks you should not keep the roots wet alll the time. Tomatoes don't like it. Time will tell.
So far the indoor ones have been in 25 days....it will be interesting to see what happens.


You may want to put some shade cloth over the trays to keep the sunshine out.
It's on my TO-DO list... :D . I should have already covered everything , I have some nice green water going on.... :roll:

I don'tcare what Phil, the groundhog says about PA's winter. My necturine tree says springs on it's way for FL.

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/pic020810_7.jpg

That, plus the leaves are falling off the trees early this year....normally they dont fall off till the new ones try to grow.

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/pic020810_8.jpg

Of course the freeze probably had alot to do with that.

These are pure orange sugar now...

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/pic020810_9.jpg


Oh, and the robins....my yard has been full of them for weeks now. They think my aquaponic system is a great place to try and get a drink.... :roll:

[jackalope]

Ya know Dave, that's not very nice ..... showing off your spring pics while we've still got snow on the ground and 2 below zero temps :evil: :evil: :lol:

[stucco]

Those pics must be from last year :P it’s too cold for me to leave the house today. the groundhog knows his stuff ,defiantly still winter here@ 40. 8-)

[davidstcldfl]

that's not very nice ..... showing off your spring pics while we've still got snow on the ground and 2 below zero temps
Jackalope, I was trying to give you something to look forward to.... :) I already had my fuzzy slippers on....but when I read that it was 2 below Jackalope, I had to get up and stick my coffee in the microwave to warm it up some more.... :P

Those pics must be from last year it’s too cold for me to leave the house today. the groundhog knows his stuff ,defiantly still winter here@ 40.
I 'jinxed' us Stucco.... :? . The pictures were from a few days ago, when it was in the 70's. The weather lady, just said with the winds...it feels like it's in the low 20's. I'm in no hurry to go out either Stucco.... :( It's colder here in central FL...then where you are.

I moved my veggie plants from the GB's , into the shop last night. That's one advantage to the modules. Just one, I wish I didn't have to take advantage of..... :roll:

[davidstcldfl]

HI, My city is turning off our free wi-fi service. It may take me awhile to find a provider....and the cash to pay for it.... :roll:
Just wanted to let you know. Didn't want you to think I drown in my FT !

Take care....David

[stucco]

There’s the public library’s computer ;) or give a call if you ever want to chat.

[davidstcldfl]

Thanks Stucco. I'm using my neigbors for now. :D

[davidstcldfl]

Hi....I added another air pump. I wanted to drop an air stone down each supply riser, that feeds the GB's. You can see it in this picture, it's the pipe in the center of the picture. If you look close, you can see the airline hanging out of it. The air stone is almost at the bottom ,next to the tee.

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/pic021910_1.jpg

I ended up getting more flow out of the 1/2 inch hole, for each bed. I was getting 70 gals per hour....now, I'm getting just over 80 gals an hour, due to the 'airlift' action of the bubbles in the riser. Now I have lots of splashing going on , as the water comes in.

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/804galsperhour.jpg

I almost have the covers for the FT done. I did use PT wood for them. I put 3 coats of exterior urethane on them. Hopefully that will seal the 'nasties' in the wood.
I thought the shade cloth was a higher percentage of shade.... :? ...but it's not. You can see the cover in the middle , has one section on it. I'll probably double it on the covers.

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/coversforthefishtank.jpg

[dufflight]

Airlift pumps are handy. I run a blower(300ltr per min) to a central line and can drop an air stone anywhere in the system.

[davidstcldfl]

Wow Dufflight, that's sounds lik alot of air....he says with envey in his voice.....lol When I build up some funds, I hope to buy a nice outdoor airpump. I'm using a couple good size aquarium pumps now.

[badflash]

You can get a nice blower for around $150. One your system is big enough, it is the way to go. Blowers last for over 20 years and only need to have their inlet filters changed in the mean time. After that a $20 rebuild kit takes care of it. Once you need a bunch of air, forget anything else.

[dufflight]

Handy thing extra air. I drop an air stone in a tank of water to gas off the chlorine. I also have a 150ltr compost tea brewing 24/7. With the added o2 it keeps fresh and can be added to at any time. 300ltr per min runs about 60 air stones ish.

I'm currently looking for an air pump to run about 20 air stones @1m depth for the new systems airlift bio filter.

[badflash]

Here in the US few of us can gas off chlorine from town water any more. Most larger cities and towns have converted to chloramine. You can't gas it off. It has to be reacted away.

[davidstcldfl]

Hi....I was surprised when I saw roots sticking out of my tomatoes' modules already. I believe I transplanted them into the modules about 2 weeks ago.

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/rootsstartingtoshow.jpg

I'm experimenting with a raft. I did throw a couple air stones, underneath the raft. The romaine and butter crunch are transplants that I bought at our local home improvement center. I did plant some spinach and some asst leaf lettuces on the far side of the raft.

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/1sttryatraft.jpg

I finally hung some romaine and some spinach leaves into the indoor tank with the tilapia. It took them about an hour, to figure out what to do with it. Then it was a feeding frenzy.... :shock:

[davidstcldfl]

Good old Murphy....
It's a cold, rainy day with some wind blowing. I walk into the kitchen to get another nice hot cup of coffee. I'm standing there, sipping on it.... thinking I'm glad I don't have to go out today. As I'm thinking this.....I look out the window, at my system. I can see part of the smaller sump, where the 2 pumps are...... :o ....I don't see any water !
So there I go, out into the cold rain. Both pumps were running....they are still in water. I look around real quick, for any good size leaks. Then I notice the primary sump ( the large one with the goldies in it) is completely full and over running... :? ....?... So, I go over and pull the slo-drain out of the bulkhead fitting. As I lift it up, I see the slots, that I had cut into it, was full of leaves.... :roll: . I had cut the bottom of the pvc at an angle....some water was still able to flow up the drain...but the leaves had stopped at least 1/2 of it. With all the wind we've had the last day or two...I had a lot of leaves in the sumps... :oops:
I took the slo-drain, and drilled some 1/2 inch (13mm) holes into the top of the tee. My thoughts are...if the water ever gets that high again, it can flow into the holes. The top of the tee is open, but, it's above the rim of the sump.
Oh yeah, the rain stopped...after I was done.
Hope your day is going better.... :D

My 'Cad' system was made in 1958.... :lol:
http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/sumpsetup.jpg

[davidstcldfl]

I'm laughing at myself... :lol: ....I made a bell syphon, and it works.... :D Now I understand, when people say they stand there and watch it.....lol.
The little tub holds apro 18 gal/ 68 ltr. I made the stand pipe, 1/2 pvc / 13 mm. The bell is 2 inch/ 50mm.
Now I just have to buy some rocks or hydrotron and give it a try.


http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/firstbellsyphon.jpg

[stucco]

With a half inch stand pipe you might have better luck with a smaller diameter bell, but hey... if it aint broke don’t fix it.

[dufflight]

I've got a few with 40mm stand pipe. They are really fast to drain a gb. :shock:

[davidstcldfl]

With a half inch stand pipe you might have better luck with a smaller diameter bell

Well,actually I started out with a 1 inch stand pipe. The flow comming in to the GB, wasn't fast enough, for that much drainage....with the garden hose helping , it worked.... :lol:. So, I added a bushing and dropped to a 1/2 inch stand pipe. Do you think a 1 1/2 inch bell would be better :?:

I'll have to look, I may already have a 1 1/2 inch slip cap....I know I have a little pipe that size.

[davidstcldfl]

I've got a few with 40mm stand pipe. They are really fast to drain a gb. :shock:

Wow Duff... :o ...Of course, you do have some nice size GB's.

[stucco]

I think the 1 1/2 bell is worth a try. It may kick in sooner or with less flow. Traps have worked for me on some but not others. Funny things dem bell siphons. :ugeek:

[stucco]

How is the siphon coming?

[davidstcldfl]

Found a section of 1 1/4 inch, but no cap.
When the siphon kicks in, it's overwhelming the 1 1/2 drain. The drain was installed in that row of GB's for 'constant flow'.
I'm thinking about.... running a seperate drain for it.

:?: Should the drain be the same size as the stand pipe ? The GB only holds 16 gals of water ( it'll be less, once I add rocks) The stand pipe is 1/2 inch....I can run a 1, 3/4 or 1/2 drain. I'm concerned about the 1/2 getting dirty/plugged. If I go bigger, will it effect the siphon ?
Doesn't the flow through the drain, help start/maintain the 'siphon' ?
I already have 1/2 inch pipe and fittings on hand. I'm 'leaning' towards 3/4....?

[davidstcldfl]

:lol: ...my post from earlier today was "B. C." ....Before Coffee. I have to stick with the 2 inch bell. I used a 1 inch- conduit, male/female adapters, through the bottom of the GB. Even an 1 1/2 inch bell won't fit over it.

I just gave my first tour to a group....It was a friend of mine and his wife. Plus, his parents. His brother and his wife are to come later.
They have 5 acres, outside of town. They want to do aquaponics 'at least' for themselves. They are seriously considering going commercial.

The one brother, has been involved with having shade houses and raising
plants commercially, for years.

The mother and father had toured a commercial aquaponics set up in the carolinas while they were on vacation.

I may be busy pretty soon....... :D

[wolfracer]

Very cool ! The more of us doing this the better off we will all be.

[stucco]

Check out how wolfracer drains into a barrel. ;) Maybe you could incorporate something similar into your drain. There is no overwhelming that un.

[davidstcldfl]

Cool....I looked at Wolfracers' set up. Page 4, I believe, had his pics of his beds draining into the barrel...then draining to his sump barrel. Lots of flow there.

My drain being overwhelmed by one bell siphon, has been bugging me. I thought my drain was more then enough for the 6 beds with 'constant flow'. Making one into a bell...shouldn't be that big of a deal. Plus....right now,the bell bed and only 3 constant beds have water flowing...not a total of 6....?

Outside I went, with my flashlight. I'm laying on the ground looking.....
I cut all 6 tees in, even though ,at the time I only had 3 beds. The main drain where the tees were, with no beds , has bowed down. Almost enough to create a trap. .. :o .... :oops:. I had a strap on both ends.....don't know why I didn't add one in the middle... :? ..? I'll do it later.... :roll:

When I bought a 4th bed, to set up the bell. I just slipped the 1 inch drain from the bell bed, into the 1 1/2 inch tee on the main drain. If I would of got down, to use cement, I would of noticed it sooner.

I'll fix it tomorrow when I have some light. I doubt I'll have to run a separate drain for the 'bell bed'..... :D

[wolfracer]

I was going for simplicity.

[davidstcldfl]

Hi...I moved the bigger tilapias outside yesterday. I went out this morning, to check on them. I threw in some tetramin, which they love. But , I didn't see any come up.

I do remember when, I moved the goldfish outside. I didn't see them for days either.

I'll be honest...I still haven't shaded the sump and GB's..... :roll: I really need to...to help cut down on the algee growth. I need to add 'more' to the FT. That should help clear up the water.

It should be easier to maintain my indoor aquarium now. Not as much eating and 'poohing' going on.... :lol:

[davidstcldfl]

Trying to get some more cover over the FT....running out between the rain showers.

I'm adding ground cover to the lids. I'm covering each lid aprox 2/3's. Hopefully, it will reduce the algee. Maybe it will help to calm the fish too.

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/shadeforfish3910.jpg

[dufflight]

I really need to cover my ft. The aglae takes a lot of the nutrients and plays with the ph of the system. The silvers and goldies do like to eat it tho.

[davidstcldfl]

The tilapia like it too. The first time I saw them, on their sides swimming, with their faces along the bottom of the aquarium. I thought they had some kind of a disease... :shock: . I finally realized they were trying to eat algae.. It's really funny when they get inside the clay flower pot and do it. It looks like I trained them to do loops or something... :lol:

Didnt' I read somewhere, that the algae plays a part in using up the waters' oxegen at night ? In the summer, when the water is warmer....it would be more important to watch the algae growth.

I did get some more tomatoes and bell peppers trans-planted yesterday.

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/pic021710_3.jpg

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/bellpepperstransplant3910.jpg

One thing I've noticed, the plants never go into 'trans-plant shock' when I add them to the aquaponic system.

[jackalope]

The tilapia like it too. The first time I saw them, on their sides swimming, with their faces along the bottom of the aquarium. Mine won't eat the algae off the sides .... the only time they eat algae is if I brush some of the filamentous stuff off the filters

One thing I've noticed, the plants never go into 'trans-plant shock' when I add them to the aquaponic system. Mine almost always went into shock for a day or two .... many didn't make it ..... that's why I just started throwing in the seeds and let 'er rip! Of course mine was indoors, so that might have made a difference ;)

[badflash]

I think the difference is system maturity. If you have rich nutrients, the plants don't notice a disturbance.

[davidstcldfl]

Well, I finally finished the cover on the FT... :roll: I also covered the long GB with the ground cover. Now I'm wondering, "will it get too hot being black ?"
I was planning on covering the tomatoes with some shade cloth , maybe that will help..(?)

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/STOPthatalgee.jpg

[stucco]

Maybe you could raise the modules and the water level. more water would be cooler and harder for the cloth to heat up. I see spaghetti sauce in your future.

:mrgreen:

[davidstcldfl]

Maybe you could raise the modules and the water level

Hmmmmm....? That's an interesting idea.

[davidstcldfl]

:D Today I noticed how clear the water in my FT was... :D So I added some shade cloth to the grow beds too.

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/addedshadecloth.jpg

I wonder if it' s 'just the shade cloth or how much is the duck weed helping...?

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/duckweedpool.jpg

[davidstcldfl]

The tomatoes have been in for a little over a month. They weren't doing a lot...a few were trying to bloom. The green peppers were just sitting there...they too were blooming....but just not growing. Broccoli and cauliflower just sitting there, growing ever soooo sloooow...... :roll: The lettuce in the raft has just been sitting there too.

These are from today.....
http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/42110.jpg

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/42110C.jpg

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/42110B.jpg

The PH of the water has been at or just above '8.' I finally bought some muriatic acid. I've been slowly adding it for about a week now. I finally have gotten into the mid to high '6' readings.
I noticed the maters started to look nicer first....plus it's obvious they are growing more. The broccoli and cauliflower is showing more color. Today, I noticed they seem to be just starting to grow.
Since it is now getting warm.....I may not get any lettuce, to speak of.....but I'll leave it grow and bolt, just to have some plants soaking up the nitrites. Don't expect much from the broccoli and cauliflower....but I'll leave them in too.
I've been adding maxi-crop with iron, to the water. When I first got it...I added a good shot (without measuring)......it sure stained the water.... :shock: 'Of course,'... :roll: .... I had just gotten the water cleared up by adding shade cloth to most of the system. I'm sure the peat in my modules would be/are staining the water a little bit too.

Man, the tilapia are really growing. I can only see them when they are near the top.....I'd love to be able to get a good look at them. When they come up to 'attack' the pellets, a few of the bigger ones, almost look like they have a little red color to their tails.
They may be big enough now, to tell the sexes apart. I'd have to drain the FT down almost all the way to be able to catch them. I could try adding some clove oil, even then I think I'd still have to drain the FT some.
I'd like to get a male and about 5 females, to put in the aquarium inside, for breeders.

I need to get over to FL Fish Farms and get some cat fish. After listening to TCLynx, I think I'll give it a try. I could harvest the tilapia, if this coming winter gets too cold, and still have the cats during the winter.

[stucco]

If you ever want to make a trip down to the ditches for tilapias let me know. I’ve seen quite a few in the last week or so.

[davidstcldfl]

OK, thanks Stucco..... :)

I'm surprised you've had time, to even be looking in the ditches. Sounds like you've been pretty busy. You must of sneaked off, when the 'boss' was else where.... :P

What size have you seen ? I'm guessing, you must be seeing fingerlings in the shallows (?)

[stucco]

I have a couple of ditches on the way home from work I check regularly and one right by the house which has a big one over a pound that dashes for the culvert when he sees me coming . I am thinking of trying for him at night. The average size I’ve been seeing is about the size of my palm. Let me know when.

[jackalope]

That would be nice .... just walk down to the nearest ditch for live stock ;) ...... just as long as there's no aggilaters in that ditch :o :o :lol:

[davidstcldfl]

:lol: ....if there is a ditch with water in it......and especially if there are fish in it....then there is a gator(s) somewhere !
It's the water mocasins, that I worry about... :roll:
The gators normally aren't a problem, unless some dumb +++ has been feeding them.....or if it's spring and 'love is in the air'. Then the 'guy' gators are out walking around , looking for a few girlfriends..... :D
As a lady found out yesterday...she's probably getting ready to move back to New York today... :lol:. A 9 footer, was trying to ring her front door bell.
http://www.wesh.com/news/23224502/detail.html

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/movetotheside.jpg

[davidstcldfl]

I managed to catch a few of my tilapia, for breeding stock.
I grabbed the bigger fish....6 females and 1 male. The male's tail has a little red/pink on it. So he is easy to spot in the tank.
It didn't take long...he was trying to get some 'attention' from the ladies. No luck that I saw. Hopefully, he works on his 'pick up lines'.... :lol:

[davidstcldfl]

It's only been about 9 days since I moved some breeders inside......

Mr. Red Tail has worked on his pick up lines and moves...... :lol: . I just finished setting up a nursery tank and moving a 'mom' into it.
It's pretty easy to figure out.... when the rest of the fish are attacking the pellets, and one is staying off by her self. She must be holding.
She spit out some of the eggs, into the plastic bag I moved her with. I dumped them into the nursery tank with her. I hope she picks them up.

Now I'm wondering how many females are holding eggs in the big tank outside ? I would think most eggs would be lost or eaten out there. If they were to hatch....same thing, I would think (?)

[badflash]

Some will always survive. You'll be overrun with little guys and willhave to deal with them eventually.

[stucco]

8-) Maybe I should look a little closer next time I’m feeding. 8-)

[badflash]

I have a breeder colony of T. hornorum. Yesterday I spotted a bunch of 1" fingerlings. I check these guys every day for holding females and never saw a thing. I'm motivated as the males are $150 each. Somehow I missed them. Very cool to find $1000 in your tank.

[stucco]

Nice! The other day I was happy to find 10 bucks in my pocket.

[jackalope]

From the looks of that pic above, I'm not sure that looking in ditches for my Tilapia is too good an idea :lol: :lol:

[davidstcldfl]

have a breeder colony of T. hornorum. Yesterday I spotted a bunch of 1" fingerlings. I check these guys every day for holding females and never saw a thing.

How old are they before you can tell the sexes apart ? Of course you've been doing this for sometime. I was 'guessing' when I checked mine....seeing as how it was the first time.

[davidstcldfl]

From the looks of that pic above, I'm not sure that looking in ditches for my Tilapia is too good an idea

I love that picture :!:

Did you click on the link and watch the video ? Thats even better...lol

http://www.wesh.com/news/23224502/detail.html

[davidstcldfl]

:cry: ....bummer. Went to clean the tank......no 'mom' fish. She must of jumped durring the night.
I did have a cover. It has an opening for the filter.The filter was to one side of the opening...she must of hit the opening just right , to get out.

[jackalope]

:cry: ....bummer. Went to clean the tank......no 'mom' fish. She must of jumped durring the night.
I did have a cover. It has an opening for the filter.The filter was to one side of the opening...she must of hit the opening just right , to get out.

Yup!, I watched the video .... good reason NOT to move too far south! Can't you just shoot it and say it was self-defense? :lol: :lol:

Sorry to hear that you lost your mama, the good thing is that you can run down to the ditch and get another ...... IF you don't meet up with a hungry aggilater ;) :lol: :lol: :lol:

[davidstcldfl]

This morning, I thought instead of just letting a gallon or so out of my swirl filter....I'd go ahead and shut off the incoming flow and do a good clean up.

I put the water on my blueberry bushes, citrus, nectarines and a few 'maters' that I have in 5 gal pots.
I took the garden hose and was trying to flush out the last of the 'pooh'. I was having a heck of a time getting those last 2 pieces out...it was like they were swimming against the flow.... :shock: . They were !....tilapia fry are strong swimmers... :lol:

I wonder how many I dumped out on my plants ?.... :roll: . Of the 2 I saved....one was about 1/2 an inch the other was 3/4".

[davidstcldfl]

I have a breeder colony of T. hornorum. Yesterday I spotted a bunch of 1" fingerlings. I check these guys every day for holding females and never saw a thing. I'm motivated as the males are $150 each.
Are you selling the hornorum males for breeding w/ other species like mossambicas?

Are they 'super' males?

Hi ernie... :) I don't mind you making the post here.... :)
I think you may have better results by going to the 'members' list and 'PM' Badflash dirrectly.

I 'wish' I had some super males to sell you..... :mrgreen:

[davidstcldfl]

I went out to do the mid-day feeding. I decided to take off all the covers, so I could see what was going on.
Of course, they all start coming up, when I take a cover off. They think they are going to get fed.
I noticed one staying in a corner.....I kept an eye on her. I was thinking she might be carrying eggs. So I was trying to net her. Just as I was about ready to scoop her up...I saw about 100 fry swim out of her mouth. They liked swimming right through my net..... :shock:

I took a section of window screen and lined my net with it. I ended up catching at least 100. I threw them in the 10 gal with the two I found this morning.
I tossed in some pvc fittings .....hope this helps the little guys hide from the other 2.

Guys that have been doing this for awhile, are probably getting a chuckle out of this.... :D To all the newb's like myself....We really got to learn to be observant.

[badflash]

I'd get rid of the 2 big ones, or put them back in the big tank. At that age they will suck up all the babies.

I also saw that I never answered your question on sexing. I sex them at about 4". It takes a bit of experience to do it reliably.

[davidstcldfl]

OK...thanks Badflash.

Maybe I'll throw the 2 lill' guys in with the goldfish.

[stucco]

Were you able to pick up the rock in chuliota??? :ugeek:

[davidstcldfl]

Sure did.... :D ...as much as my little trailer could haul. I hope to get back, for another load....been too busy to get off, all of the 1st load... :roll:
I also bought his 150g rubbermaid. He gave me a 100g, that has a crack near the drain. I think I can fiberglass it.
Plus he gave me 4 - 55 gal barrels, that he had as grow out tanks. I have 200 + fry in a 10 gal aquarium, looking for room to roam..... :D
He also gave me a 'start' of lemon grass, that he had growing in his aquaponics system. It was nice to get over and meet Mark. That and seeing other's set ups is fun.

[davidstcldfl]

Well, I used a little of the rock to dress up the sump and goldfish tank (which was supposed to be a sump too, had to put the goldies somewhere)

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/rockandplants.jpg

This is where the golfish are. The sump is just out of the picture, to the lower right.

[davidstcldfl]

Stucco mentioned that he hasn't tried potatoes yet. It just happened, that I just added sweet potatoes to my first gravel GB.
I had bought a bunch of taters, when they were on sale. The last few, started to sprout. So, I just cut off a chunk and put them in.
I noticed yesterday, that the sprouts are changing colors and showing signs of life. "How" they grow...I'll know in a few months. I may not get much in the way of taters, but, I'll be happy if the 'plant' grows, and help use up some of the "N" in my system.

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/sweettatersinrock.jpg

The tomatoes, behind the sweet taters were given to me. The guy 'thought' they were the heat tolerent type (?)
You can see part of my first little raft. I just cleaned it out. I had leaf lettuce growing. I think the fish got more then I did.
I just picked up some small net pots and mineral wool blocks. I know, it's now too hot for lettuce here....but I planted a few, just to try it. I hope it works well....my plans are to 'gear up' for lots of rafts. The 'cool' weather is comming 'soon'... :P ....I swear it is......right around halloween !.... :roll:

[dufflight]

I can't get my Nitrates above zero at the moment. Need a lot more fish. I do like the look of the PVC pots. I'll have to give that a go.

[davidstcldfl]

I don't know whats going on...? Not any fry, from the breeders inside ,anyway.
I had one female carrying eggs about 2 months ago. But she jumped out of the tank, I had her isolated in.

I have 5 female and one male in a 50/55 gallon tank. 3 of the females are slightly larger then the male....one is the same size...and one is smaller.
The one that did have eggs, was smaller then the male....is the size of male to female important ? Should I have all the females smaller then the male?

I do see the females, ocassionally, going into the clay pot with the male. The smaller one goes in more often....maybe he's able to bully her more (?)

Are there any other important factors...?.....time of the year ?.....water tempt ?....too many fish in that size tank ?...not enough females ?.....maybe the females think the male is ugly and his mom dresses him funny ?

Any suggestions....?


That's an 8 inch clay pot in the picture.....
http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/adulttilapia.jpg

[badflash]

Niles need a lot more room to breed for some reason. Mine bred fine when they were just 4" but after that they stopped. You might try a lot of large water changes, like 50% every day for a week. There is a hormone that builds up when the fish are over crowded and it supresses breeding. At least that was what Mike Sipe told me.

Niles breed a lot better in ponds than in tanks. Mossies will breed in a tea cup.

[davidstcldfl]

I added 20(ish) channel catfish, in the big tank with the tilapia. TC Lynx had a few too many, so I addopted them... :) They are about 6 inches long. They seem to be doing fine together.

My goal is to set up various size tanks in my garage/workshop and move the tilapia in there. The system I have now, will become strictly catfish. Due to their ability to handel the differant water temps.

The new set-up, will be a seperate system from the one I now have. I'm planning on doing dwc/rafts.
In the winter, I'll grow differant lettuces and herbs. If it does get cold again this winter....I hope the styrofoam rafts help hold in some heat. I plan on putting 'hoops' over the GB's with shade cloth...I can add plastic too, if it gets really cold. The building will be heated in the winter.
I'll give some of the heat tolerent lettuces a try in the summer....When it's really hot, I may just have duckweed covering the GB's....plus the shade cloth.

That's the 'PLAN' ,anyway.... :D

[badflash]

The cats will eat the tilapia recruits and keep them under control.

[davidstcldfl]

The cats will eat the tilapia recruits and keep them under control
That's good for now....I have a few hundred fry in the house. Till I get everything switched around, I really don't want more to deal with..... :)

[badflash]

The biggest problem with keeping the 2 fish together is their feeding needs. Catfish feed is higher in fat and not good for tilapia.

[davidstcldfl]

For now, I'm throwing in a little 'sinking' fry feed for the cats. (It has a higher fat content and protien)....plus I'm tossing in a little extra 'regular floating tilapia pellets', figuring some might sink.....'if' the tilapia pigs don't eat it all.
Once I have them seperate, it shouldn't be a problem... :)

[badflash]

Tilapia will eat catfish poo, but I don't think catfish are interested in tilapia poo.

The cage system is a good way to go so you can feed them separately. Floating feed in a feed ring for the tilapia, singling feed for the cats.

[davidstcldfl]

Well, I finally decided to harvest a few....here they were Jan 31 2010....

For a size reference....I made the airlift out of 3/4" cpvc.

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/firsttilapiajanthirtyfirst.jpg


9 months later........



http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/pic021110_1.jpg


Tilapia, it's what's for dinner.....wish I had a bumper sticker that said that... :D

[stucco]

Nice! How did they taste?

[davidstcldfl]

I filleted both, and ended up with more then I needed for one meal. So, I ended up freezing some.

I didn't do anything fancy....just cooked them slowly in an old black iron skillet with a little butter, with a pinch of salt and pepper. They tasted pretty good.... :D
I didn't purge them for a few days, like I've read some people do. This was more of a, 'spur of the moment' decision.

[JCO]

Let's face it David, if you had caught them out of the wild, they would not have been purged either. Heaven helps for not eating purged fish. :mrgreen:

[davidstcldfl]

Good point JCO :D
Today I broiled the other 2 fillets, with a little olive oil, salt and perpper. I did leave the skin on.
I might take the skin off next time...just to see if they are more mild (?)

[davidstcldfl]

Here's a few photos ...sorry about the quality. I promise to get something , other then my cell phone to use .......once I stop spending on AP stuff .. :P

The 1st is the main,outdoor tank. I wanted to make sure I had enough oxygen... :roll:
I have 3 pumps returning water to the tank...in the lower right corner, it has a venturi, which goes all the way to the bottom . Center right, is one just pouring into the tank. The third is on the left, going to the spray bar.
I also have a few small air stones along the right side.

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/enoughoxygen.jpg

An over view...
the barrel in the fore ground is a solids seperator. It flows to the media beds ( on the left of the pict).
Lower right, There's a cage in the main tank with some large tilapia fingerlings.
The 2 blue barrels on their sides , have water flowing into them. One has small tilapia fry, the other has small catfish fry.
Back left,is 2 of the troughs, with just duckweed in them for now.
Back center, the 2 sumps.

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/overview3.jpg

In the fore ground is a bio-filter, which has a good amount of air being pumped in.
And, of course the rest is just more troughs.

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/overview2.jpg


Stucco was nice enough to supply me with lots of 'FL skeeter' fish for all the troughs. With that dense of a covering of duck weed, skeeters aren't that much of a concern, for now.


My water is pretty clear...it's 3 feet deep in this picture.....


http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/fishtoo.jpg

[stucco]

Very nice David!

[davidstcldfl]

Thanks...lots of little things to do yet.

[Big Al]

hi dave, very nice system. lot's of duckweed, best wishes Big Al

[davidstcldfl]

Thanks Big Al !
Actually have too much duckweed, at least it's using up the nutes. Still trying to find the styrofoam I want, at a price I want to pay.... :roll:

[Big Al]

hi dave, good luck with that, the price for stuff is outrage's. i need to get another roll
of 12-2 wire. there goe's another $120 buck's. best wishes Big Al

[samtheman]

Awesome setup David!!!! 8-)

[davidstcldfl]

Thanks Sam... :)

[gchowtee]

Dave, I know you were going to do something with all those pipie under the tarp, turned out great with lots of work, Iam looking and learning.

[davidstcldfl]

Thanks gchowtee. :)

Most of what was/is under the tarp , is for another system. The 2nd system's fish tanks, will be in my garage...aka 'the tilapia house'... I'm hoping it will be easier to keep the tilapia warm indoors. The catfish will stay outside.

I've been moving a lot out of the 'tilapia house'. Plus, I'm doing some re-wiring
I'm hoping the pvc will be delivered today or tomorrow. I've got to hurry....it's getting cold 'early' this year.

[davidstcldfl]

Santa sent an early gift.

Santa's helper (me) went to the big box store and splurged.
I picked up one of those spa/pool remote T-stats. 2 parts...one part floats in the pool...the other is an indoor remote display.
Now I can check out the water tempt, by just looking at the indoor display. It looks like it even records the highs and lows for a few days. An alarm can be turned on....it signals, when the water hits 40. I wish that was adjustable.

I don't want to go out tommarow morning....it's to be in the upper 20's....5-10 with the wind chill... :shock: :? :roll:

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/remotepoolthermometer.jpg

[badflash]

What kinda range does that gizmo have?

[davidstcldfl]

The brand is acu-rite. It operates @ 433 mhz...with a switch that offers 3 channels (in case your using more then one)
The range is up to 100 ft, according to the package.
There is even a bar graph on the indoor display, showing the strength of the signal.

[davidstcldfl]

Thought I'd post this picture, just so jackalope and the other 'snow dwealers' could get a chuckle... Good Lord, there was frost on my truck this morning.... :shock: This was taken sometime after 9 am....you can see where the sun melted some....

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/frost122810-1.jpg

It was 26 F. at 7 am.
A little bit of the sweet potatoes in the media bed is still alive...so is the lemon grass and a little lettuce. I had 1 or 2 tomatoes still alive from last weeks freeze...think I lost those now.

Still have duck weed and a few rafts of lettuce in the DWC.

[Big Al]

hi dave, sorry to here about your lose the weather has been crazy this winter. best wishes Big Al

[davidstcldfl]

Thanks Big Al.
The hard part is the 'tempt swing'....with in a day (or so), the difference can be 60 degrees.
My poor nectarine tree has 'already' put out a few blossoms, at least twice....after the cold goes away and it gets warm again.
Thank goodness, I have a high volume of water....that slows it's tempt swing, some.

[davidstcldfl]

The honey bees flying around looked confused too.....

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/decnecturineblossoms.jpg

[Big Al]

hi dave, i dont think ive ever seen a necterine tree before let alone a blossom there very pretty.
blue sky it's beautiful all weve had is grey since november. i miss that lucky you best wishes Big Al

[davidstcldfl]

Thanks Big Al.

I'm surprised you haven't seen a nectarine tree.
When I was a kid, we used to go to the Erie, PA area, to pick peaches, nectarines and cherries. I thought along that area...NW PA...NE OH had lots of orchards (?)

Hope you see blue skys soon.... :D

[stucco]

THAMK YOU Dave!!!! ;)

[davidstcldfl]

Your welcome.....I'm expecting to see a picture of 'flying' wing beans soon.... :D

[davidstcldfl]

OK, you can pick one of two scenarios....One, me looking like Arnold saying "I'M BACK !"....or....Jack Nicolson in the Shinning, as he's sticking his face in the hole in the door, which he just chopped with an ax. Anyway, me and my 'now working' computer is back !

[samlauncher]

hey frnd I want daily updated news plz suggest me a site or anything else…

[davidstcldfl]

hey frnd I want daily updated news plz suggest me a site or anything else…
Sorry Sam....some how I missed your posting... :oops: ...till just now (?)
Hope all is well with you.

[davidstcldfl]

Well, I finally get the hoops bent and secured to the troughs. Decided to add the tomatoes, before I put up the shade cloth.
I'm trying some tomatoes in the rafts. They are some of the plants that I didn't sell....wanted to do something with them. Hope you can see the strings in the pictures...I'm trying to give them a little support.
I hope to 'at least' keep the mater plants alive during the 'heat' of the summer. I know they are nutrient hogs. Last summer, I just had duck weed.
http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/addingmorematers.jpg

[davidstcldfl]

Summer is really here....July 1st, When I was a 'Yank', we used to say 'knee high by the Forth of July'...in regards to the corn growing. Corn season in central FL is long gone .. :D Not a lot does well in the heat here in central FL... :roll:
Here are a few items growing in my little media beds....
http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad157/davidstcldfl/summerjuly1st11.jpg
Hanging off to the left is an egg plant...may be too late for him (?) You can see the okra and sweet taters are taking off. The beds are really too small and shallow for either, but they are using up some nitrates... :D Just out of the picture, is a plum tomatoe.

I still have a few tomatoes growing ...the plum and homesteads seem to being doing best. But even they are starting to slow down, at least they are still alive.
I'll have to dig out my seeds, it's time to start the bell peppers for our 'cool' season gardens... :D

I hope everyone has a safe and a blessed 4th Of July weekend !

[rfeiller]

does fl have a problem with the tobacco virus in the summer on tomatoes

[davidstcldfl]

I haven't had a problem with it my self. I believe it is here in FL...we have every other mold-disease-virus problem.... thanks to the heat and especially the humidity.
Maybe Urbanfarmer can chime in on that question

I heard if you smoke, you can increase the chances of getting it. I don't smoke, and I don't let anyone in my garden that does, until they wash their hands.

[samtheman]

The growbeds look good 8-) , I have to review the "Florida Gardening month by month" book to see what I can grow now with this heat.

[davidstcldfl]

Thanks Sam :)

Good luck with the 'heat'.... :roll:

[kneedeepinwater]

Really nice fish tank! Do you have any more pics of the build? What are the dimensions? Did you use just one layer of 2x6 for the walls?

[davidstcldfl]

Thanks kneedeepinwater... :)
The only picts I have of the build, are on pages, 1, 4 and 5.

It's aprox 9 ft long, 3 ft wide and 3 ft high.
The sides are 6 inch wide boards....but they are 'fence pickets' and are only 5/8 inch thick.... :shock: ...and there is only one layer. There is one 2x4 at the top of the fence pickets. That may be why you thought they were 2x6's.
The posts add most of the strength...they are just over a foot apart, and 3 feet in the ground.
The top rail also adds some strength. I just wish I'd used something wider. If you stand at an end, and look down the side...you can see it bowing by an inch or so.

[keith_r]

i use a threaded cast iron fitting i heat up to "thread" the smaller hole

[davidstcldfl]

i use a threaded cast iron fitting i heat up to "thread" the smaller hole
Sorry Keith...?....did you mean to post this in a differant thread ?

[keith_r]

HA! must have been reading more than one topic when i posted that! it was meant for another thread

[davidstcldfl]

HA! must have been reading more than one topic when i posted that! it was meant for another thread
:lol: ...I even read back a page or two here, trying to figure, 'where' you were using your threaded cast iron fitting.... :? :lol: :lol:

[keith_r]

i think there was a thread about putting holes in plastic.. could be a hole in my head

[JCO]

Now you said that....not me... :shock: :o :lol: :lol: :mrgreen: