TCLynx on another Forum

[TCLynx]

Sorry this might not be appreciated much but I'm gonna link to a thread I started elsewhere that has diagrams in it showing things like the SLO drain (what used to be called a venturi drain.) Which is how I get the solids off the bottom of my fish tanks even though it's really set up more like an overflow.

TCLynx's System

I do not recommend the no holes overflows really since they do have such an issue with getting air locks and stopping. They do work but they also need regular attention and I've had aquariums overflow do to them stopping when I wasn't checking on them often enough.

And mention of air pumps on separate circuits. Yes, good idea to have air in every tank! Also good idea to have it on a separate circuit. Even better, I've got my air on a battery backup if the mains power goes out, the relay trips and runs the air pump off of the inverter and battery power. I've got a good deep cycle battery and appropriate charger for it so I can run air for at least 20 hours before the battery is half depleted.

[davidstcldfl]

Thanks TC for the link to the thread on drains.
Thanks Badflash for your input.


things that make you go....Hmmmmmm.

[badflash]

Sorry this might not be appreciated much but I'm gonna link to a thread I started elsewhere

Great information is great information. Your other site is an excellent one, of which I am a member. No worries here. There is no rule against linking to great info in another forum, just against spamming.

[TCLynx]

FYI

Tilapia don't like the cold. We had quite the cold spell here for Florida. A long cold spell with chilly days and many nights down near or below freezing. Even in my greenhouse the systems got down to 40 degrees F here in central Florida. None of the tilapia that remained out in the systems survived. I still have lots of catfish.
And so far even the really tiny new catfish I got that are out in the quarantine system which got down to 32 F are still surviving for the most part (though I'm a little worried that they don't have the fat reserves to survive too long without eating.)

Anyway, just an update.

[badflash]

Sorry for your losses. Looks like tropical fish and tilapia were hit hard.

[davidstcldfl]

Hi TC, sorry to hear about the tilapia.....glad the cats are well.
I bet you were cold....even though your only a little further north and up on the 'ridge'...you're usually a good bit colder then we are.

Take care...

[TCLynx]

I'll say sorry I'm not as active over here as elsewhere, only able to keep up with so many web sites I guess.

Anyway, I've been busy with aquaponics as well as other things. The big system is doing well and we just pulled out the last of the original wood beds and are in the process of replacing it with two 100 gallon rubbermaid stock tanks. One is in the other just needs to be filled with stone.

I've built a new 300 gallon system that has a 300 gallon rubbermaid stock tank sunk in the ground as fish tank and then I'm pumping up to three 100 gallon tanks as grow beds, using an aquaponics indexing valve to sequence through those beds (I can sell those valves if anyone is interested in them) And also being tested on that system are some towers. Zipgrow towers. That system was only partially cycled up fishless and now I've added a heavy load of catfish fingerlings that are suffering through a bit of a nitrite spike. But I think that is about to come down as I see the pH is starting to fall naturally too (this system is NOT full of shells the way my other one is.)

I'm now onto trying to figure out how I should do a duckaponics system. I've got some muscovy ducks and I would love not to waste so much water keeping them in bathing pools.

[dufflight]

duckaponics sounds interesting. Warm blooded animals may be a problem. Have you thought of using them to grow worms and generate castings. Make the ponds so they act like large swirl filters. A couple of 5000lpr circulation impellers don't use a lot of power and can be set up to run on solar. Any solids collected can be dumped into a worm farm. Or just pump to a gravel bed with some greens growing for the ducks.

I have a couple of the indexing valves and they are fun toys.

[TCLynx]

The Duckaponics won't be growing greens or root veggies for us.

I figure on growing trees (banana and papaya and perhaps citrus and others) as well as fodder crops for the ducks and chickens.

This should help insulate us from the possible pathogens of the warm blooded birds.

[TCLynx]

And yes the indexing valves are great fun. I've got some new ideas to test them on too.