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  1. #11
    Members bcotton's Avatar
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    Re: bcotton's backyard system

    Phase 2, Dec 11, 2010

    As all of the plants started filling out i realized i had way too many plants for my setup. And some plants like broccoli would never mature in such tight quarters. Even the lettuce was growing tall enough on the bottom shelf to touch the light and get scorched.

    I was also having issues with fish solids accumulating at the bottom of the aquarium. The siphon only skimmed off of the top. Hind sight, i could have just vacuumed that weekly with an aquarium vacuum but i decided to go in a different direction.


    Change log.
    -I ate a lot of lettuce.
    -I added a 110 Gallon rubbermaid stock tank that i bought from Tractor supply for about $60. This became the new fish tank.
    -I added 2 - 2'x4' Botanicare grow trays with a new 4bulb x 4' T5 for each.
    -Replumbed the 5 - 6"x4' grow trays and 3'x3' grow tray to empty into the new tank.
    -Moved the water inputs on the vertical trays from the front near the bell siphon to the back near the window.
    -1- ~512gph magnum style pump to the 2 story system and 1-~260gph pump pumps to both new 2'x4' grown beds
    -The new bell siphons have the same problem of not breaking flow but this works out. I put both pumps on separate 15on15off pump cycles which ensures both trays are never filling up at the same time.
    -Some plants like broccoli, basil, parsley, cilantro and a catnip were transplanted to the new trays.
    -I planted new lettuce, cauliflower and cabbage in the bottom tray
    -The top tray stayed pretty much the same. I thinned out some plants because they were getting too big.

    New Tray #1: Turned one tray into an herb tray. This time i separated the parsley and the cilantro to avoid confusion. Also there's basil, and some red cabbage.



    Bottom tray: Replanted lettuce, cauliflower, cabbage, and brussel sprouts.



    Top Tray: A couple of Jalapeno trees have really taken off, I removed the rest so they wouldnt have to compete for light. Started a squash experiment in the back.

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  2. #12
    Members bcotton's Avatar
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    Re: bcotton's backyard system

    more pics

    A view of the whole setup, you can see how the trays drain to the new fish tank.

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  3. #13
    Moderator davidstcldfl's Avatar
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    Re: bcotton's backyard system

    You are 'hooked' for sure bcotton....

    Keep up the great work..
    "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same." - President Ronald Reagan

  4. #14
    Members samtheman's Avatar
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    Re: bcotton's backyard system

    wow your sistem looks awesome!!!!
    what kind of water pump are you using?

  5. #15
    Members bcotton's Avatar
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    Re: bcotton's backyard system

    One was a Geoglobal partners brand 560 gph pump that i bought at lowes. I actually had two of them.. they both lasted 1-1.5 years and they are both broken now.

    The other was a 256 or 264 gph submersable pump that i got at the local hydroponics store. I dont remember the exact brand there a bunch of them and they all seem to be about the same to me. It recently broke too but i think it lived out it's value a little better than the lowes brand.

    Part of my problem is that I am pumping from the fish tank or sump to the grow bed, and the solids are wearing down the pumps and eventually damage the propellers. When i get a chance to redesign my system for like the 5th time (or 6th time? who's counting?) i will definatly have the fish tank overflow into the grow beds which empty to the sump... and i will pump the grow bed filtered water back to the fish tank which should help my pumps last longer.


    brian

  6. #16
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    Re: bcotton's backyard system

    The ceramic impellers are what usually give out. Replacement impellers last about the same as the new ones. Also for those that haven't checked the impeller magnets get slimed. And need to be cleaned occasionally. That is what normally makes the pump slow down. When the pump and impelled are cleaned performance is like new.

  7. #17
    Moderator urbanfarmer's Avatar
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    Re: bcotton's backyard system

    Woo hoo! Very nice indeed!

    What light fixtures did you get to fit perfectly into the wire racks? I like that concept.

  8. #18
    Members bcotton's Avatar
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    Re: bcotton's backyard system

    Those are sunblaze T5's. The "bread racks' have adjustable shelf heights so I think pretty much anything could be made to fit.

    brian

  9. #19
    Members bcotton's Avatar
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    Re: bcotton's backyard system

    January 8 update

    Since moving to 110 gallon stock tank from 55 gallon and adding a bunch of grow space, I added a dozen more tilapia. The Plants are getting too large for the grow space again and competing for canopy space.

    I lost a couple of fish by jumping out. I built a game fence out of chicken wire. The 3" pipes i had laying around from a previous aeroponics vertical system i experimented with before aquaponics.



    From left to right, cilantro, red cabbage, basil and parsley.



    One broccoli is taking over the whole tray

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  10. #20
    Members bcotton's Avatar
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    Re: bcotton's backyard system

    more

    The whole Room



    The bottom shelf. The plants are more spread out than before.. 4-5 plants per tray, but they are still way too close together.



    Jalapeno peppers are doing very well. I ended up getting 2 very large harvests and they were still going when i moved and had to cut them down. The tomatoes grew long but never filled out or bloomed. I blame the artificial light.

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