My first system: Raft converted to Chop Charcoal Media Bed - Aquaponic Gardening2024-03-29T00:47:08Zhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/forum/topics/my-first-system-indoor-raft?commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A27334&feed=yes&xn_auth=noWow, that's a really great pi…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2013-02-25:4778851:Comment:4417112013-02-25T08:47:36.460ZJon Parrhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/JonParr
<p>Wow, that's a really great pic of springtails from just an iPhone and a glass! </p>
<p>Paul, I may have missed it in the thread, but what was the initial and long term effect on pH from the char?</p>
<p>Wow, that's a really great pic of springtails from just an iPhone and a glass! </p>
<p>Paul, I may have missed it in the thread, but what was the initial and long term effect on pH from the char?</p> Here's a close up picture of…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2013-02-09:4778851:Comment:4369682013-02-09T03:08:54.832ZPaul Letbyhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/PaulLetby
<p>Here's a close up picture of springtails. I held a magnifying glass in front of my phone. :) <a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2772237644?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2772237644?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="721"></img></a> They don't like the light so I took this right after the lights came on in the morning. You don't normally find them out in the open like this. They tend to get too close to the bell siphon and end up in the sump floating on the surface. They seem quite happy down there. I've had…</p>
<p>Here's a close up picture of springtails. I held a magnifying glass in front of my phone. :) <a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2772237644?profile=original"><img width="721" class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2772237644?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="721"/></a>They don't like the light so I took this right after the lights came on in the morning. You don't normally find them out in the open like this. They tend to get too close to the bell siphon and end up in the sump floating on the surface. They seem quite happy down there. I've had them survive for years on top of the water in a 75 gallon fish tank. I suppose they feed on any rotting material they find on the glass/water interface.</p> Hey Jack,
I think the gap is…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2013-02-08:4778851:Comment:4369012013-02-08T01:49:36.779ZPaul Letbyhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/PaulLetby
<p>Hey Jack,</p>
<p></p>
<p>I think the gap is around 2 or 3 inches. I don't think it would stay dry unless the gap was very large. I am saving up for some expanded clay pellets to top dress just for this reason. Then I would have that ideal dry surface I'm looking for. I might reserve a small spot for moss as my Honey likes it.</p>
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<p>I don't use plants in the fish tank as I'm using a 55 gal rain barrel at the moment. As long as you had enough nutrients for both them and the grow…</p>
<p>Hey Jack,</p>
<p></p>
<p>I think the gap is around 2 or 3 inches. I don't think it would stay dry unless the gap was very large. I am saving up for some expanded clay pellets to top dress just for this reason. Then I would have that ideal dry surface I'm looking for. I might reserve a small spot for moss as my Honey likes it.</p>
<p></p>
<p>I don't use plants in the fish tank as I'm using a 55 gal rain barrel at the moment. As long as you had enough nutrients for both them and the grow bed I'd say go nuts. I have run successful Dutch planted aquariums, and I'm not interested in that kind of maintenance anymore. It's pretty cool watching streamers of O2 though.</p>
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<p>Duckweed. I have a love/hate relationship with it. As of now the hate side has won and there is none about.</p>
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<p>Paul</p> Hey Paul,
cheers for your qui…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2013-02-07:4778851:Comment:4363272013-02-07T05:29:24.576ZJack belcherhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/Jackbelcher
<p>Hey Paul,</p>
<p>cheers for your quick reply.</p>
<p>I saw the moss, nice touch! Did you put it there or did it just arrive...? lol</p>
<p></p>
<p>what size gap do you maintain between the max grow bed water level and the top of the media?</p>
<p>do you think if you increased that gap then it would stay dry? or you could top dress with gravel of some sort.</p>
<p>I've never heard of springtails, but i will look them up. Composting worms are an AP system's best friend!</p>
<p>Do you use…</p>
<p>Hey Paul,</p>
<p>cheers for your quick reply.</p>
<p>I saw the moss, nice touch! Did you put it there or did it just arrive...? lol</p>
<p></p>
<p>what size gap do you maintain between the max grow bed water level and the top of the media?</p>
<p>do you think if you increased that gap then it would stay dry? or you could top dress with gravel of some sort.</p>
<p>I've never heard of springtails, but i will look them up. Composting worms are an AP system's best friend!</p>
<p>Do you use oxygenating plants in your fish tank? i was thinking about the benefits of including them in the system.</p>
<p>also duckweed is useful as you can use it to help close the system...</p>
<p></p>
<p>Cheers again..</p>
<p></p>
<p>Jack</p> Hi Jack,
Thanks for your inte…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2013-02-07:4778851:Comment:4362332013-02-07T01:07:43.898ZPaul Letbyhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/PaulLetby
<p>Hi Jack,</p>
<p>Thanks for your interest. </p>
<p>Charcoal does float around when you first put it in the bed but only for a few hours. </p>
<p>My setup has been running for two years. </p>
<p>There are only a few negative issues: It wicks water all the way to the surface, so it's always wet which leads to high evaporation. See pictures of moss. It does tend to be rather fragile, so small bits make it into the sump. If you have a small pump it can clog over time if you don't check it once…</p>
<p>Hi Jack,</p>
<p>Thanks for your interest. </p>
<p>Charcoal does float around when you first put it in the bed but only for a few hours. </p>
<p>My setup has been running for two years. </p>
<p>There are only a few negative issues: It wicks water all the way to the surface, so it's always wet which leads to high evaporation. See pictures of moss. It does tend to be rather fragile, so small bits make it into the sump. If you have a small pump it can clog over time if you don't check it once in a while. Now that I have a bigger pump I can't see this being an issue as charcoal is fragile and that monster will just eat it.</p>
<p>Benefits? Well, I have nothing in my experience to compare it to, though the water was completely black and opaque when first started up, within a few hours crystal clear. I don't think it necessarily has those properties anymore, but the water is always crystal clear. Can see to the bottom of the barrel no problem. My composting redworms love the growbed, actively munching any dead roots or anything else thats rotting. I have a hoard of springtails that do the same thing. They're funny. Supposedly related to ants, they hide from the light but come out at night. When the lights first come on they're all over, then quickly make themselves scarce.</p>
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<p>Hope that helps</p>
<p></p>
<p>Paul</p> Hey Paul,
great thread! seems…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2013-02-06:4778851:Comment:4359212013-02-06T04:20:04.470ZJack belcherhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/Jackbelcher
<p>Hey Paul,</p>
<p>great thread! seems to have been going a while...</p>
<p>The thought occurred to me awhile back to use charcoal (or biochar) as a medium, but i thought it might float off, or cause the pH to rise.</p>
<p>Since you have tried it for a significant period, I have a few questions for you:</p>
<p>How long have you had the charcoal bed running for, and have you had any negative issues with it as a medium?</p>
<p>Have you noticed any specific benefits, ie pH buffering, nutrient…</p>
<p>Hey Paul,</p>
<p>great thread! seems to have been going a while...</p>
<p>The thought occurred to me awhile back to use charcoal (or biochar) as a medium, but i thought it might float off, or cause the pH to rise.</p>
<p>Since you have tried it for a significant period, I have a few questions for you:</p>
<p>How long have you had the charcoal bed running for, and have you had any negative issues with it as a medium?</p>
<p>Have you noticed any specific benefits, ie pH buffering, nutrient regulation, increased microbial activity, water cleansing, faster breakdown of solids.</p>
<p>cheers,</p>
<p>Jack</p> If it works, then it works. (…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2013-02-05:4778851:Comment:4358242013-02-05T04:35:38.819ZTCLynxhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/TCLynx
<p>If it works, then it works. (about the siphon silencer that is)</p>
<p></p>
<p>As to the noisy pump, that is generally not such a good sign. Make sure it isn't just vibrating against something that is amplifying the sound. My experience is that loud pumps are rarely as energy efficient or long lasting as their quiet counterparts. Excessive noise is usually a sign of something not running as smooth as I'd like.</p>
<p>If it works, then it works. (about the siphon silencer that is)</p>
<p></p>
<p>As to the noisy pump, that is generally not such a good sign. Make sure it isn't just vibrating against something that is amplifying the sound. My experience is that loud pumps are rarely as energy efficient or long lasting as their quiet counterparts. Excessive noise is usually a sign of something not running as smooth as I'd like.</p> Pump is installed and plumbed…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2013-02-05:4778851:Comment:4356442013-02-05T02:48:22.844ZPaul Letbyhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/PaulLetby
<p>Pump is installed and plumbed. Used 3/4" pipe and fittings I had on hand from making my Affnan auto-siphon. The pump is much louder than the old one. It's almost bordering on ridiculous. It really wouldn't matter outside but it's in the basement under my bed! Maybe it's the white noise I've been looking for so little things around the house don't wake me.</p>
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<p>Affnan also gave me an idea that I used on the auto-siphon output. For the last two years whenever it cycled the…</p>
<p>Pump is installed and plumbed. Used 3/4" pipe and fittings I had on hand from making my Affnan auto-siphon. The pump is much louder than the old one. It's almost bordering on ridiculous. It really wouldn't matter outside but it's in the basement under my bed! Maybe it's the white noise I've been looking for so little things around the house don't wake me.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Affnan also gave me an idea that I used on the auto-siphon output. For the last two years whenever it cycled the splashing noise was quite loud. So I got to watching his videos and noticed one pipe design he tried had holes drilled through it. I tried it out and it's awesome!!! I can't even tell when my setup is cycling when I'm standing right beside it! I'm thrilled with that. I don't even have it vertical yet as it's not cut to length yet. I don't even have all the holes drilled. Maybe I don't need any more than I have. Seems to work just fine.<a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2772237687?profile=original"><img width="721" class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2772237687?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="721"/></a><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2772237919?profile=original"><img width="721" class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2772237919?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="721"/></a><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2772238053?profile=original"><img width="721" class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2772238053?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="721"/></a></p> My pump packed it in today. …tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2013-02-04:4778851:Comment:4353742013-02-04T04:17:28.543ZPaul Letbyhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/PaulLetby
<p>My pump packed it in today. It's running but doesn't provide enough flow to reliably run the autosiphon. I have picked up a new pump but have to buy some plumbing bits to finish the job. Hope everything is ok until tomorrow after work.</p>
<p>My pump packed it in today. It's running but doesn't provide enough flow to reliably run the autosiphon. I have picked up a new pump but have to buy some plumbing bits to finish the job. Hope everything is ok until tomorrow after work.</p> That Moss Graphiti is pretty…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2013-01-08:4778851:Comment:4278822013-01-08T02:21:14.215ZPaul Letbyhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/PaulLetby
<p>That Moss Graphiti is pretty cool!</p>
<p>That Moss Graphiti is pretty cool!</p>