A Community and Forum For Aquaponic Gardeners

First System-Solid Waste Problem

I am Amy from Los Angeles. After almost three months, I finally finished my system and it has been cycled for a week. Thank you everyone who helped me in this fun project. Currently, I have four medium size tilapia in the fish tank. It's already have some fish poo settled at the bottom of the tank. What I need to do to get them out into the grow beds? The only thing I can think is adding a lot of air stones with an air pump to get all solid waste suspended in the water.

My system is a CHOP system with two IBC totes. One tote was cut into a fish tank and a grow bed and the other was cut into two sump tank. Water from fish tank flows into grow beds by gravity through the original valve of the tote. Water of the grow beds drains into sump tanks through siphons. Two sump tanks are connected and the water was pumped back into fish tank by Quiet one 4000 pump (about 900 GPh). To avoid using an air pump, I have add a Venturi system in the pipes from sump tank to fish tank. It definitely add more air in the water, but it's not enough to creat enough agitation to suspend the solid waste. To prevent the overflow of the fish tank, two sets of overflow pipes come from fish tank to sump tank.

Any suggestions of how you deal with the solid waste will be helpful. Any critics or warnings of my system will be more than welcome.

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Permalink Reply by Bob Campbell on July 31, 2013 at 2:35pm

They can survive much longer than 2 or three days, but so could you.

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Permalink Reply by Roger Baldwin on July 31, 2013 at 3:16pm

My tilapia made it a week without food, but the water temperature was hovering just over 60F , so they weren't eating much even when they were fed.

For some reason I am unable to get a search of the forums to turn up anything.

Bob, can you lead me to more info about your radial filter?

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Permalink Reply by Bob Campbell on July 31, 2013 at 3:25pm

@Roger - http://community.theaquaponicsource.com/main/search/search?q=radial+

http://www.ecofilms.com.au/diy-radial-flow-filter-for-aquaponics/

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Permalink Reply by Joel on July 31, 2013 at 10:19pm

I'd suggest Rob bob on you-tube. He has a good video on a radial flow filter and a solids vacuum. Just search Rob Bob

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Permalink Reply by Harold Sukhbir on July 31, 2013 at 11:31pm

Hi Amy,

Had to recycle a system once with thirty 1/2 -3/4 lb fish. They went the full 3 weeks(no feeding) without any noticable ill effects.

Amy Lu said:

How long fish can survive without feeding?

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Permalink Reply by Amy Lu on August 1, 2013 at 12:07am

Thanks Harold, Good to know they can survive that long without feeding. The sick one is about 1/4 lb, Which is isolated in a separate tank. It keeps loosing the scale. Any idea what's wrong with it and how can I help?