Radial Flow Settler for Aquaponics Systems | How RFS work - How to Size Your RFS
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 15. 05. 2020
- G'Day Folks. This clip explains how a Radial Flow Settlers work, where to place one in your aquaponics system & how to size the vessel for your needs.
Radial Flow Settlers are a fantastic way to remove solids from your aquaponics system so they can be processed the reused in your system or on your soil veggie & fruit beds.
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Cheers all & happy growing. đ đ±đ
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Cheers all & happy growing. đ đ đ±
as to your flat bottom barrel, try this, using a barrel that is shot in the side for practice, set the flat on some blocks about 3 ft high, place a 5 gal bucket of sand in the barrel, then from the underside, use a heat gun or some other heat source to make the plastic pliable, the weighted bucket will apply an even pressure and should help the bottom to sag forming a more conical bottom.
Anyone else (us yanks) started using the noun "jobby" to describe things after watching this guy, My new favorite word lol
đ€Ł In some places in the UK, Scotland in particular, it also means đ©. Just thought I should let you know. đ
Cheers Brad & have a top one mate.
I just love the way you prepare and present your videos, Bob. Each one is a gem !!
Thanks Sunny. I hope they've given you some useful ideas. đ
Cheers & all the best.
Rob's video has always been practical and useful. Thanks a lot Rob!
No problem mate. đđ
Happy growing.
it looks like a baffle/ weir like you see in a passive septic system, but then i see an additional weir can be added for increased efficiency. thank you for explaining. your animations are succinct for my learning style. "now back to the fish muck"
Great Channel Rob ! Thanks so much for all the detailed info on different systems. Very easy to follow and is inspiring to say the least.
Am glad you've found it helpful Paul.
Cheers mate & happy growing.
Great job, well directed, acted and produced film. And as always the info was thorough and super useful by yours truly. Glad to see the system is doing well and humming along.
Thanks mate & glad you enjoyed it.
Cheers & all the best twafoster. đ
Love you Rob
What a awesome build! Love your videos! I'll have to upload my build based off all that I've learned from you! I still have a lot to build but I wanna say thank you for all your knowledge! Your rock rob!! Happy gardening from New Mexico!
Am glad the clips have helped you out with a few ideas Michael. đđ
Cheers mate & all the best.
thanks for another informative video Rob
đ No problem.
Cheers mate.
This is what ive been looking for thank you
Glad you found it helpful Nick.
Cheers.
Thanks for this really helpful video!!
Glad it was helpful Jonathan.
Cheers mate. đ
Great video again, Rob. It is just great to see The Robs networking ;)
I was very grateful he agreed to share some footage Eco Geek. đ Rob is one top bloke & folks could learn a few things from sussing out his work I think.
Cheers mate & have a top one.
@@RobsAquaponics Yep he is another one who knows a thing or two.
Always love your work mate đș
Thank you & back at you. đ»đ»
Super !!! Merci pour les vidéo ,
J'espÚre que cela vous donnera quelques idées utiles.
Cheers Steeve.
(Google translate)
Hope it gives you a few useful ideas.
Cheers Steeve.
GRATITUDE đ„đđ„
Thanks Rob for all your information I live in Mackay and wanted to visit you sometime.
Thanks a lot for this ....needed it thanks a ton
Glad it helped some.
Cheers.
I'm learning about this subject, thank you for sharing your knowledge. These containers seem analogous to a capacitor in a circuit, if you put them in parallel it may be a cost-effective way to cycle out more solids with several smaller containers instead of a large one.
Adding another would definitely help to lengthen the retention time & collect more solids.
Cheers Aaron & have a top one mate.
Thanks for share the links! It's a great information
My pleasure & have a top one. đ
Can it possibly be?! The fabled radial flow settler video so long promised! Awesome as always buddy đ
đ€Ł Feel free to come & answer some emails & I'll get then next one out even sooner mate. đđ
Cheers Sumpop & have a top one mate. đ
@@RobsAquaponics Ah man if there wasnt 4300 miles between Oxford and N.Ipswich I'd be there! Sadly, as much as I like you Rob, I love my garden here more - esp with all the you inspired improvements I have made đđ
Enjoyed the video trying to learn how to do aquaponics. Way before I start actually doing it đ very interested in doing it though. Thanks for information about it. I'll keep on watching. Have a great day
Hope the clips continue to give you some useful ideas OWG. đ
Cheers.
Just fond your channel, got to say its awesome, got some really interesting stuff going on
Welcome aboard & thanks Dan.đ
Cheers & happy growing.
LOVE IT
Cheers. đ
Thanks for your info, good luck..
Thank you too Muhamad.
Happy growing mate.
Great vid as always, Iâm learning a lot. Think Iâll go with simple Dutch bucket hydroponic system this year and maybe upgrade to aquaponic system next year.
Nice one Michael.
Cheers & have fun with the build.
Hi Bob, I'm Roberto from Brazil and I 've planing to create fish as well. Thanks very much for your program. It's will help so much. God bless you. Bye.
Thanks Paulo. I hope your build goes smoothly mate. đđ
great info!
Glad it was helpful!
I'm a beginner in this Aquaponics here in Thailand. I've viewed dozens of CZcams video's trying to get a grasp of how to do things correctly. Many video's have been okay, however your channel and information you provide is excellent and really appreciated, thank you.
Glad the videos have helped some Richard. đ
All the best with the build mate.
Sempre um Ăłtimo conteĂșdo, obrigado.
Obrigado mais uma vez Ramone. đđ
great article in the links below, thank you, by the way to make a conical bottom on a blue bin like that, try using any round weight, with a few bricks on it, in center of bin , with bin off the ground and only supported at edges, then simply heat using a heat gun (in an area with plenty of ventilation) soften it up and it slowly stretches out, do not do it too much or the base will get too thin , heat evenly and take your time is the key here, few goes and you get it pretty good each time, will not be a $500 tank but enough to get solids to settle closer to outflow to have most sucked up each time
Have sen folks dish out the base In the smaller drums but never thought about having a crack at a larger 55gal jobbie. Have you got one set up on your system Jennifer?
Cheers.
Thanks YOU
You the Master and Ingenieurs of Aquaponics Thanks
Thanks Manfred
Not sure about the master but like to help if I can. đ
Cheers Manfred.
Hi Rob
I learned it from watching you
You the best
God Pleasing you and your Family and Friends
Great video appreciate you sharing
Hope it helps some Javinkay.
Cheers & have a top one.
Rob Bob's Aquaponics & Backyard Farm I got a ibc fish tank and fish for my upcoming build
Sempre acompanho seus vĂdeos , Taquarituba , SĂŁo Paulo ,Brasil ..abraços đ
Obrigado Carlos. đđđ
It's useful..... Thanks
Glad I could help in some way.
Cheers & happy growing.
@@RobsAquaponics thanks Bob
... thanxz heaps for the lesson in retention time
No problem mate. đ
have a top one.
Thanks rob gives me some ideas đĄ
Glad I could help mate. Still haven't set up the new garden beds so I can move the mulch from our driveway mate.
đ€Ł Maybe next week looking at how busy this weeks going to be.
Cheers Steven & have a top one mate.
Rob Bob's Aquaponics & Backyard Farm yell out if you want a bad to move it mate
Thank you teacher.
You are welcome Savat. đđ
@@RobsAquaponics Hello teacher, do you have chemical solution to make Nitrosominas and nitrobacter bacterias? My filter hasn't has enough bacteria .
@@savatnut192 I just supply a ammonia source then they will colonise by themselves as they are in the air & on surfaces all around us.
Cheers.
@@RobsAquaponics I use NH4Cl for running my system.
Thanks!
No Problem Ryan. đ
I just shared your video to my FB group. I hope that will increase your exposure, Mate, from a different place. :D
Thank you very much mate. đ Hope they get the idea.
Cheers & all the best.
every time rob says "job-e", take a drink. you wont grow any plants but you will have fun anyway.
In Scotland, Jobby means poo... I'm not sure if it means the same in Australia...
@@NotoriousPyro Same here, which is why I found it funny when he said it straight after showing footage of a sewer treatment plant.
I'm up for that game. đđđ„
â@@NotoriousPyro đ€Ł I actually got it from reading Wee Free Men by Pratchett & yes, you're spot on. đ€Łđ€Łđ
@@vk4vsp That wasn't intended to tell you the truth Steve. đ€Łđ
Thank you
You're welcome đ
Excelente explicación, me ha gustado su sistema, por ahora tengo mi propio sistema pequeño, espero tener muy pronto uno mås grande
Saludos desde CDMX
ÂżQuĂ© pescado estĂĄs usando?đđ
Salud
(Google Trans)
@@RobsAquaponics Hola que alegrĂa ver quĂ© se toma el tiempo de leer y contestar, actualmente uso cĂclidos africanos (aulonacaras y mbunas), es un sistema pequeño de 250lt aprox 70 galones, pero estĂĄ dando resultado
Saludos
@@acuaponiahome Enquanto estiver cultivando seus vegetais e os peixes sĂŁo saudĂĄveis.
Saludos đđ
Thanks Rob, great video, always so helpfull!
a suggestion for the outlet of the pipe that comes close to a professional RadialFlowSettler: you could cut the slit on the outlet pipes, which you make double (in a fork shape), zig zag instead of one elongated slit on each side.
water is wetting. when water runs over a horizontal barrier, it usually creates a wider jet of water in the middle, rather than a flat jet of water that spreads across the entire width of the barrier. I would therefore zigzag the slit so that the overflowing water splits into many small jets of water. That might slow down the water flow a bit more.
Thanks for that Paul. I have contemplated that but never got around to installing the extra pipes. It was putting too much weight on the drain pipe leaving the filter. Might have another crack at it though as the exit drain arrangement has changed now the biofilter has been installed.
Cheers.
me gusta su video el cual lo pondre en marcha para mi estanque de ferrocemento, le mandare un video una vez construido, muchas gracias
Me alegro de que el video te haya ayudado.
Espero que tu construcciĂłn salga bien.đ
(google translate)
Dude you've got more views than CNN ! đ LOVE YA BROTHER ! đ
đ€Ł Cheers FLM.
A real gentleman.... Just saying!!
Cheers mate. đ
Nice haircut mate đ
Cheers. All grown out now đ
Thanks for sharing. New to your channel Iâm going to convert my in ground pool to this system . Watching and learning. I want to use CatFish in my pool itâs 20âx30 feet 8 feet deep. Iâm in Louisiana USA
Sounds like quite a system. đ Just remember that you need a large enough bio filtration system to convert the ammonia that the fish produce.
I've seen folks add a load of fish in pools & they end up dying as they produce far too much ammonia for a small amount of grow beds to handle.
The other issue can be that adding too few fish means the ammonia is very dilute & the plants don't grow very well. Not a real issue if you're in it just for the fish.
Hope that helps some mate.
Anoter great video
Cheers Gafrers. đ
Don't forget to click the subscribe button if you found the video helpful, bit.ly/Subscribe2Rob
and share the clip around with family & friends if you think it will help them too. đ đ±đ
Cheers all & have a top one. đ
Rob
8:17 RAT?!?! :O
@@timleeder3929 looks to be a grey house mouse. We get a few in our yard cause our neighbors have chickens.
@@timleeder3929 Was a mouse & have a pic of what happened to it late that night as well. Not sure if I should post the pic to the community wall though.
@@soarer282 It "was" a mouse AS. đ
Reading the paper and comparing results of Swirl and Radial Flow, cannot see a statistical difference. If there is then it's so small that cannot believe all the extra cost of Rapid Flow design (they used the very best -- not typical DIYer unit) is worth the cost/extra effort. Thanks for including the paper and I'm glad you trying new stuff!
Good job sir. Iam arif. I also using RAS system for my tilapia farm.
ParabĂ©ns đđđđđđđ
Obrigado đđ
Great video, as always Rob!
Have you thought about putting in a bio filter after your RFS?
I use a 200l RFS into a 200l bio filter before going into my media bed
There is one of sorts in the sump that's filled with shade cloth but nothing like the old setup I had.
I'm going to remove it though & turn it into a static pack trickle bio/solids filter though as the shade cloth is a real pain in the rear to clean.
Cheers Indica Dogo & have a top one.
Go ahead
đ€ ?
Great stuff as always Rob! One idea, could you not do a T-split from the SLO and into 2 X 200L settlers for a cheap 12min retention time? :) (as an alternative to a really expensive 500L version). Also love the idea of the âforkâ water outtake for the settler to slow it down. Might need to play around with that idea myself :D
A few folks have suggested that & it would increase the RT dramatically.đ Helps if you have the space to be able to set it up & would work out a lot cheaper than a larger single tank.
Hope the build goes well. đ
Rob Bob's Aquaponics & Backyard Farm also worth keeping in mind that if your plants are already happy, maybe the double maintenance and space is not worth it, even if it is a cheap solution :)
Hi Rob, if your still look for bracing ideas, you could run the two lengths of pipe through the back of the tank with the same seals you use elsewhere and then cap it.
Cheers Gavin. đ
Hi Rob, with my fish pond i used to put cone at bottom of drum with circular pipe laying at edges connected to outlet valve. It created sucking at outer were waste collected. Basie
I have a similar arrangement in my parents system if I understand what you saying. đ
Cheers & have a top one Basie.
Brother I cannot thank you for all that you do to guide us! Youâre a wonderful human! Could you give me any pointers on a system where a fish tank (100 gallon) would be located in my home but the rest of my system about 40 feet away? Thanks!
Hi SelfBuilt & sorry for taking a while to get back to you. Sounds like you would need some decent plumbing underground to achieve this. if the grow beds were out in the yard. Would work better if the beds were located next to the house so you could run the overflow from the FT directly into the beds at level, say if the beds were along the wall of the house. Once you send pipe underground you will have solids build up in there that will need cleaning from time to time.
I deal with settling velocity a lot with my gold mining, it's interesting seeing the same principles applied to other applications. Another filter method is called a lamella clarifier or inclined plate settler.
I've seen a some similar in design used in aquaponics systems but more the larger commercial systems đ
Do you earn an income from mining or is it just a hobby if you done't mind me asking.
@@RobsAquaponics I've been a professional gold miner since 2006. I have an ownership stake in 19,000 acres of mining rights in Alaska. I am finishing a capital raise to complete the largest gold mining operation of its type in North America.
@@TagiukGold Nice one mate. đđ Hope you can get the funding you need mate.
Not sure how you could live up there though. I'm sitting here in 3 layers at the moment as it got down to below 0°C/32°F here last night.đ€Ł The subtropics has made me soft I think. đ
Cheers.
Maybe you can cut a piece of plastic to fit in like a cone at the bottom of the tank. With the discharge Port the middle of the bottom of the cone. If you want 45° sides, then multiply the radius of your tank by 1.414 . cut a circle of flexible plastic with Vishnu radius, then cut a pie slice out of it and a small circle in the middle where your outflow will fit. Then you can notch the edges where the pie slice came out and the outflow pipe goes through. If you want it to clean automatically, then put the pump on a timer and make a loop to above the height of the radial flow filter and install an air gap. This way the pump does not have to seal and you can put it on one of those timers that you plug into the well. Yes they had a bit of complexity, but you wouldn't have to manually flush your filter and your water quality would be more consistent. Keep up the good work Rob Bob. I truly value people like you who share their skills and try to encourage others to be involved in worthwhile hobbies
I like the idea of having the pump on a timer Glen.đđ
Have seen folks add a cone into the base of their 55gal drums & they do work. Would have a propper crack if I had a plastic welder.
Many will also pack the internal walls of the filter with cement to form a cone then seal it with a food-safe sealant. They can then plumb the outlet into the centre of the flat base of the drum which makes life easier.
I'm fairly happy with the set up as it stands but would like to get propper cone base tanks for the settler & bio in the next large system we'll be setting up here.
Cheers mate & have a top one.
Great video Rob, i like the up grade you are going to do to the discharge from the settler. I really like the way Bigalow farms did the over the top to a flat plate into the stalling chamber from the fish tank, what are your thoughts on it?Thanks again Rob. Cheers Mike.
Hey Mike. I like Rob's idea & will be playing around wit that design in the future as it requires less pipe & holes that need to be drilled. đđ
Cheers mate & have a top one.
New Sub
Welcome aboard CC & hope you find the back catalogue videos helpful as well. đ
Cheers & happy growing mate.
@@RobsAquaponics thank you I'm trying to construct one in my basement with my fishtanks any help I'm watching all your videos
Watching through this video I had a thought, maybe a elbow up on the drain side would increase the waste captured?
Some folks have something similar on theirs Michael. I just haven't found the need myself in these smaller systems.
Thanks for jumping onboard the members page as well mate. đ
Cheers & happy growing đ±đ
If you need more Retention time use a IBC as your radial flow filter...
That's helpful if you have the space. đ
Another option is to run due drains. đ
Cheers.
Hey Rob! love your videos they are really insightful! Wondering if it possible for you to upload a list of materials that you have used in this particular build and their individual sizes (pipes etc). i know what a pain, but would really appreciate!
Will look at adding something to the website Jamie.
Shall notify folks in a clip or Facepalm once it's uploaded.
Probably best to not hold your breath though as it might take a week or 2. đ
@@RobsAquaponics awesome thanks so much for the reply Rob!
Your explanations are very clear.Thanks for posting.We plan to use swirl filter in our unit.
Could you share mineralization and oxygenation of fish waste?
Would that make it easier on maintenence should the above step is used?
Happy aquaponics
Hi Neeta. Will be posting a clip ion the solids mineralisation system once I have one up & running. đ
Hope your system is running well.
hello, i just found out your channel and its really a God send, im in the process of watching all of your videos in order to put order and have a little bit more of influence on how I would design my own system. In this video, i still don't understand the meaning of the retention time, why would one want a longer vs shorter time? thank you!
Retention time is the time the water spends in the container. The longer the water stays in their, the longer the solids have to fall out of the water column so they can be collected from the vase of the settler.
Hope that helps some. đ
Thanks for the vids as always, do you have a vid to explain how the poop gets in the swirl? Ta
The solids lifting outlet (SLO) in the fish tank looks after the solids removal David. đ
This is an older clip on the SLO if that helps at all mate.
czcams.com/video/bmzgANTGJ0k/video.html
Hey Rob it is possible to have the cone inside the settler too you may loose a little volume inside but it is possible to have 4 smaller pieces of plastic that would be angled in a fashion that will force the solids to congregate at a single point..
There's no reason you can't Lincoln. Have seen many settlers with cone bases.
Only reason I use the flat based drums is due to price & that the drain system I sues cleans them out just as well.
Cheers.
Love you videos. Just bought a house with 2 acres in Canada Hoping to start setting this up for next growing season. Any tips for cold northern climates? How are the solids picked up? I didn't see a pump or anything connected to that plumbing.
Hey Marty. Setting the fish & filters up inside (basement or warm garage) or well sealed greenhouse will help keep them warm through winter. You can then run the water outside to the hydroponic side, or do that inside as well depending on space.
This video will help explain how the solids move from the fish tank to the filters,
czcams.com/video/2FTlha0c2aA/video.html
Cheers & have fun with the build when the time comes.
I have a silly question, but how does the water flow from the fish tank to the radial flow settler? I don't see a pump or anything and it doesn't seem like gravity could go from the bottom of the fish tank up and then again from the middle of the radial flow filter to the top. Thank you for all your cool videos!
Hey Lemon Song.
The water coming into the fish tank causes water & solids at the base of the tank up the Solids Lifting Outlet (SLO) pipe & out the side wall of the tank. đ
This link will take you straight to a section in another video that will give you a visual explanation.
czcams.com/video/0QQA5BpWKec/video.html
Hope that helps some.
Hey Rob thanks for a great video! In your opinion what will be the most low maintenance filter or settler for IBC tote fish tank and grow media systems?
Thanks & sorry it took a while to get back to you Cosirius.
I would think that the radial flow settlers would have to be the best DIY solids solution.
For a commercial unit (hobby or commercial system size) , I like the AST bead filters.
astfilters.com/aquatic-systems/project/bubble-bead-filter-for-aquaponics/
They also add extra biological filtration so would be a great addition (if you have the coin) to a NFT or DWC based grow system I think.
Hope that helps some.
đ·đ·đ·
đđđ
Thanks for your video. If I wanted to have a longer retention time and can't find a larger tank, can I achieve the same results (increase RT) by putting 2 tanks in series?
Parallel would be better Amanda as you would be splitting the flow rate into 2, effectively halving it. That should double your overall retention time.
If they were in series the water would still be flowing at the same rate but I dare say some extra would be collected in the second filter, not as much as if the filers were in parallel though.
Hope that helps some.
Have you considered putting sump tank underground for temperture control? This way u dont have to lift growbed up and they can stay safe and steady on the ground
Unfortunately that's a but hard in this location due to the sewer drain pipes under ground here.
I did have the last sump partially buried but not too deep due to some very large tree roots from out mango tree.
Definitely worth doing if you can though. I'd still keep the beds up this high though for ease of use. Would help to have some lower beds for tall growing veg like tomatoes though.
Cheers Yan He. đ
Thanks for your excellent videos. What is the problem with just depositing the fish waste directly into your grow beds? I assume they'll end up fouling your system. I am certain the plants would like the fish poop. Thanks for any answer.
Hi Rob, between a radial flow settler and a canister mat filter, is there a reason to choose one over the other?
Have you looked into using a Ram Pump to circulate the water ?
It wouldn't create enough flow for the amount of water exchange I like in my fish tank.
Land to House has a great explanation if it helps any.
czcams.com/video/T2idony585A/video.html
Hope that helps.
Would you slow down the water flow if you added bristles that hang into the water? An old broom head glued to the lid for example.
That would work + it would help to collect some of the fine solids as well. Might add that to the "to try" list.
Thanks Hannes. đ
I get those 200lt drums free. Could I put 2 radial flow filters in line to achieve a greater retention time?
My guess is that you would see more benefit from putting the filters in parallel. Retention time is basically a measure of upwelling speed, which you want as slow as possible in order to allow the finer particles, which have lower settling velocity, time to fall out.
Splitting the flow to reduce the velocity as TG mentioned above would be the way to go I think mate. đ
Cheers.
Does the solids lifting outlet have to be at the waterline like you have in the video or could you have it below the waterline? I feel like you would have better flow if the pipe was underwater and your siphon prevention pipe was still out of the water
There is generally no issues with flow rate as long as you have the pipe sized correctly for the flow rate.
If the outlet was lower the water would naturally drain to that level đ
I was looking to build a gravity fed swirl filter for a 300 gallon stock tank duck pond. I'm now thinking that one of these would be better at keeping the "solids" solid, vs emulsified at faster swirl/vortex speeds? That's the theory at least.
Would like to know how you get on if you give it a crack N4G. đ
Rob, instead of one large drum for the solid filter, would it be possible to chain several radio flow systems consecutively with the cheaper buckets 200 L buckets? That way you increase the overall retention time while keeping costs down? Of course this would still require more space though.
K JC my thought too but parallel to slow the water even more.
That's essentially what I'm doing. I've got 2 x 200L tanks in series; effectively that gives me about a 10 min time for water to move from the fish tank before it hits my MBBR. You'll notice a significant difference in the deposition load between the two tanks. About 7/10 of the material is in the first tank, and the remainder is in the second tank. I've got a set of filter brushes in the second tank for mechanical filtration of the micro-fines before they get into the MBBR.
will have to be in parallel not in series or you could use another IBC
I think it would be better to run them in parallel than series K JC.
That way you're dropping the flow rate into both settlers which would be doubling your retention time.đ
Cheers.
Got my IBC chop and flip aquaponics based on your instructions and supplies from www.aquagardening.com.au . Easier than thought. Many thanks mate, you are amazing.
Nice one mate. Hope the system is doing well. đ
I am new to this and mostly helping a neighbor setup his. You mentioned the settler tank should be bigger. My question is if I'm using ibc containers can I use a second for my settler tank? Would that give me the 15 minutes needed?
You can if you have the room Michael. Might be a bit tricky trying to collect the solids from the base regularly though.
Have fun with the build mate.
Question 2: botton drain is hard to service in case of a clog, what about using an airlift pump to remove solids that you could easily take out and clean periodically
With a Martinez design airlift you could raise water several feet to add head
The solids in the system aren't large enough or tough enough to clog a 1"/25mm pipe. I have had bits of plant debris clog the intake on the sludge pump.
I believe this on a larger scale would work for dropping out solids form a creek water source for irrigation. We have a gravity feed water system getting water from a reliable creek source but in the spring with runoff, the water gets a ton of solids in it as it comes for kilometres before we access it. Do you think this is possible?
It would depend on your flow rate I would think. For finer solids I'd be looking at 15 min + of retention time.
Could you use a gravel cleaning type tube to suck all the crud out as well?
I have seen folks use those to clean out the base. đ I was using a jiggle siphon to start out with. but found using the waste valve a lot faster.
Cheers & have a great one.
What do you think of building an aquaponics system in a closed in carport that is connected to your house
I'm building an earthbag building to put my system in. I'd say go for it!
Would be a great idea as long as the plants got enough sun. đ
Will be building a structure in the backyard for the larger system I'm looking at setting up.
Cheers.
is it possible to have multiple retentions? does that work out at all is it just a matter of having "too much" flow?
i agree being space limited is a huge problem, i just got a 110gallon stock tank, i'm sure a 5 gallon bucket would be fine, it's going to be home to a whopping 4 goldfish.
but I'm trying to figure out the best way to recreate a "natural" environment, this reminds me of a bog, where you have pools of water that just slowly drain into the next pool.
and i just like using 5 gallon buckets for everything dangit
Hey Rob, have you tried having 2 radial flow filters connected parallel to each other?
This way you can double the volume and retention time and still use the cheap components.
Also I had another though.
Do you need that much water flow through your fish tank?
You mentioned many times that you need to pump the entire volume of the growbed twice an hour for the bacteria to work. But that has to go through the growbed, not through the fishtank, right?
So if you have a split system you could slightly close the valve on fish tank side and reduce flow through the fish tank by half.
In theory that would double the percentage of ammonia in the fishtank water but since we are removing half, it would equalize and the same amount of ammonia will escape the tank.
The only question is if doubling ammonia concentration in the fishtank water wont kill the fish.
I run 2 radial flow filters (55g drums) in parallel. Works great.
I haven't due to space issues but think it could be done mate & the decrease in flow would help to a point. đ I'm not sure it would really be worth it in a small system like this current one I have on the go.
Cheers mate.
@@underdog5004 Cheers mate. đđ
@@hubertnnn The fish tank water needs to go through the beds twice an hour as that's where the ammonia is coming from & we want it processed ASAP so as to not build up & harm the fish. đ
Hope that helps.
Hi Rob
I'm just in the process of building a radial flow settler. I have a piece of 150mm pipe like you used, or I have z piece of 200mm pipe. Would the larger diameter pipe increase or decrease retention time.
Thanks in advance.
Hi MFL.
The total volume of the drum will dictate the overall retention time. đ I do think that the 200mm pipe would allow the water to slow down a bit more before entering into the main chamber though which could help some.
Hope the build is coming along well.
Rob which cut off or ball valves have you found the best ( easiest ) to open and close. I keep tropical fish as well and use vast amounts of valves in the fish room, some require Popeyes arm and cans of spinach to open. Thanks Ps I live in southern Ga in the states
I like the Sanking 3002 - Series Ball Valve & think that they're available in the US. Have found them fairly easy to operate when compared to others I've tried. I was drawn to them mainly as the handles are removable. I switched to them after we had visitors kids turn a few valves on & off while I was chatting aquaponics with their parents. đ
Sorry I'm not much help there mate.
What if you added a second radial settler, so that the flow goes from the first settler to the second settler, would that allow you to increase the retention time? Asking because I have access to those blue 55 gallon drums but nothing larger.
You would still have the same velocity of flow so not much would settle out in the second settler NotACat.
You would be better off splitting the flow into two then running that through the two settlers which would double the retention time. You could then run the outlets to separate components or join them back up, depending on how you'd like to plumb up your system.
Hope that helps some.
hi. just a question. can i put in fishnets or shade cloths inside the filter to further help in filtering the water going out? or is it not necessary?
I have seen folks do that & it works well. Can be a bit messy to clean & you'll probably need to dump most of the water come cleaning time. Might have a few issues if you don't clean the netting out frequently.
Cheers Ivan.
Hi Rob, I have just discovered you and I am thoroughly enjoying your content. A complete novice question here. Would it be possible to have 2 x radial flow settlers set up one after the other to maximise solid waste separation? Or is my thinking redundant as the amount of waste settling in the 2nd drum would be minimal? I have a 3D printer, so instead of a second settling tank, would creating a weir that you mention earlier in your video be a much better alternative? TIA. I am hoping to convert to an off the grid lifestyle in the near future as my life circumstances are changing.
Hi mate. It's best if the setters are set up parallel & not in series. This video might help explain why,
czcams.com/video/VgBuUFx_xOE/video.html
That link will take you right to the spot you need.
Hope that helps.
I'm trying to add one of these filters to a chop and flip system, no sump tank. Would I put the pump in the 55 gal drum so that it would pull the water from the fish tank?
Probably not a good idea as it will disturb the solids some what.
A small DIY canister filter would be what I recommend Jim. czcams.com/video/HtMZRM3a5Fs/video.html
Hope that helps some.
Hi. Can you tell me where to find one of those metal stands that you are using for your grow bed in this video? Thanks!
This stand was custom build for the bed by the chap I bought it from SC. I'm yet to find a place that sells the troughs with a suitably high stand.
Cheers.
Whenever you are pumping out the solids, from where you taking the make up water? Can it be taken from the taps directly?
I have the water in a storage drum to let the chlorine off gas. You can see it in one of my more recent clips. czcams.com/video/H-jfWMpZXHI/video.html
If you have rain water tanks you can add water directly from them if you think they're not contaminated in any way.
Hope that helps.