My angry silver perch just got angry again.
At 120 Things in 20 years, being angry just draws attention to yourself, and leads to pan frying.
At 120 Things in 20 years, being angry just draws attention to yourself, and leads to pan frying.
Tuesday, 13 March 2012
My algal grofest has come to an end.
Now for the clean up. It's actually clearing up very fast once the stuff stopped reproducing.
It now looks like this.
My two silver perch seem to like the system expansion, and they appear to be getting along a bit better as well.
This angle is the same as the last two photos in the previous post.
It's amazing what a difference a day makes.
I suspect by tonight it will be crystal clear.
Now all I need is some fish.
It's coming into winter, so I'm thinking I might do a quick trout run. before restocking with silver perch.
120 Things in 20 years is a blog entirely dedicated to documenting fish relocation in aquaponics.
Now for the clean up. It's actually clearing up very fast once the stuff stopped reproducing.
My two silver perch seem to like the system expansion, and they appear to be getting along a bit better as well.
This angle is the same as the last two photos in the previous post.
It's amazing what a difference a day makes.
I suspect by tonight it will be crystal clear.
Now all I need is some fish.
It's coming into winter, so I'm thinking I might do a quick trout run. before restocking with silver perch.
120 Things in 20 years is a blog entirely dedicated to documenting fish relocation in aquaponics.
Monday, 12 March 2012
Well its 5 days later, and my algae is still living out it's algal life as if I'm not doing everything I can to kill it.
Human - Nought / 3 trillion microscopic flora - One
But I'm not keeping score.
Actually it looks like this now, and the bottom is becoming visible, so it should clear up soon.
The black line from left to centre is the drain in the bottom of the IBC fish tank, and the larger black smudge is some gutter guard plastic mesh that I knotted up and jammed into the drain so fish wouldn't get stuck in the SLO (solids lifting overflow).
The same scene looked like this 5 days ago, so it's definitely getting better.
To me it looks like another week will see it clear unless it all dies off as suddenly as it arrived.
Aquaponics algal bloom improvements might not be you cup of tea, but there are a stack of other things here at 120 Things in 20 years.
Human - Nought / 3 trillion microscopic flora - One
But I'm not keeping score.
The black line from left to centre is the drain in the bottom of the IBC fish tank, and the larger black smudge is some gutter guard plastic mesh that I knotted up and jammed into the drain so fish wouldn't get stuck in the SLO (solids lifting overflow).
To me it looks like another week will see it clear unless it all dies off as suddenly as it arrived.
Aquaponics algal bloom improvements might not be you cup of tea, but there are a stack of other things here at 120 Things in 20 years.
Thursday, 8 March 2012
My algae farm is working better than I expected.
Unfortunately I expected no algae at all, and got plenty.
But it seems there is a cure.
It turns out algae, like pretty much everything else, needs light and nutrient.
The nutrient I cant do much about, but I can definitely cut off it's light supply. It turns out the fish prefer to feel safer in semi darkness as well, so all I need to do is cover my fish tank.
I chose blue.
All that junk on the ground is the inevitable result of letting me near PVC with a saw.
I think if I cover the top half of the blue bit where it's visible, and just leave a blue skirt, it might even look ok.
It's a very necessary thing to do as my water now looks like this.
That faint dark smudge on the bottom left is the bottom. It's only 1 metre away and you cant really see it.
That's not so good.
My big concern now is that when all that algae dies, there is going to be a huge spike in ammonia and nitrite as it breaks down, so I've stopped feeding.
On the up side, I have my new grow bed available to take up some of the workload in processing the waste, so I might be ok. I also bought some more media so I can get the second new grow bed online hopefully before the ammonia starts being produced.
My 120 things is 20 years sometimes turns an aquaponics system into an algae farm.
Unfortunately I expected no algae at all, and got plenty.
But it seems there is a cure.
It turns out algae, like pretty much everything else, needs light and nutrient.
The nutrient I cant do much about, but I can definitely cut off it's light supply. It turns out the fish prefer to feel safer in semi darkness as well, so all I need to do is cover my fish tank.
All that junk on the ground is the inevitable result of letting me near PVC with a saw.
I think if I cover the top half of the blue bit where it's visible, and just leave a blue skirt, it might even look ok.
That faint dark smudge on the bottom left is the bottom. It's only 1 metre away and you cant really see it.
That's not so good.
My big concern now is that when all that algae dies, there is going to be a huge spike in ammonia and nitrite as it breaks down, so I've stopped feeding.
On the up side, I have my new grow bed available to take up some of the workload in processing the waste, so I might be ok. I also bought some more media so I can get the second new grow bed online hopefully before the ammonia starts being produced.
My 120 things is 20 years sometimes turns an aquaponics system into an algae farm.
Tuesday, 6 March 2012
A venturi is a lot of things, but in an aquaponics system it's a noun, and refers to a way to introduce lots of air bubbles into a stream of water.
It tuns out, if you have an elbow in a pipe, or some other temporary restriction, the water is under increased pressure before the restriction, and at a lower pressure immediately after the restriction.
The odd thing about that, is that its useful.
Who would have thought.
If you have a restriction in a pipe and you prick a hole just before restriction (between the pump and the restriction) you get a leak in your pipe. We hate leaks, so don't do it.
But if you prick a hole in the pipe just after the restriction (between the restriction and the fish tank) you get a venturi. Actually you probably get something called a venturi effect air tube or something.
But what you really get a venturi.
As the water gets near the restriction, it slows down and as result, there is a pressure localised pressure increase. When it passes through the restriction and opens back up to the normal pipe size, it is allowed to speed back up, and as a result finds it self at lower pressure.
I think.
If there is a hole in the pipe where the pipe is at higher pressure, the water looks to escape, and does so through the hole. If there is a hole in the pipe where there is a lower pressure, the water is quite content to be in the tube, because like everyone else, if your situation is getting slightly easer to move around, and you are under slightly less pressure than you were a while ago, you become content.
The result of a low pressure area with content water is that it sucks in air instead of spitting out water.
This can be a good thing if you are trying to put air into your water, or break up the surface tension on the top of your fish tank, or trying to make one of those low flow shower heads that don't quite wet you as well as just dumping a stack of water on your head.
But dont take my word for it.
I'll build one.
I have a pipe flowing water into my new IBC fish tank.
Try not to notice the massive algal bloom that's occurred as a result of there being too much nutrient in Adelaide water, and the tank just sitting for a week or so.
That's water, not a sports drink.
When you submerge the end, it looks like this.
Interesting, isn't it.
Next we prick a small hole in the tube about halfway along its length.
I was looking for something like a nail to prick a hole in my hose, and found this instead.
I just worked out what it's for. I've had it for ages.
One end has a point for putting holes in black poly pipe, and the other end has a hex spanner for screwing in the little connectors that have a point on them for things like dripper systems, and little sprinklers etc.
So far in my life, on the odd occasion when I've done such gardening stuff, I've been just forcing the connector things through after making a hole with a nail.
This tool thing works really well.
Anyway...
I turned off the water flow and made a hole.
Interestingly (this isn't the interesting bit) the water dribbled out a bit...
and... (<= that's the interesting bit)
also made a few bubbles exit the pipe under water.
When I created a restriction in the pipe below the hole we see increased pressure as the water piles up at the restriction, and distinctly more water exited through the hole. The photo didn't really capture it, but it was probably 5 times more water.
We also see no air exiting the tube at all.
But when I create the restriction before the hole, we see no water flow out of the hole at all.
And a stack of bubbles exiting the pipe under water.
There, except for any errors I've made, that's probably all you will ever need to know about a venturi.
This 120 Things in 20 years post, looked like something on the venturi effect in an aquaponics environment, but I think in the future's history, it will prove prove to be part of something more to do with the Murray river and the environment.
It tuns out, if you have an elbow in a pipe, or some other temporary restriction, the water is under increased pressure before the restriction, and at a lower pressure immediately after the restriction.
The odd thing about that, is that its useful.
Who would have thought.
If you have a restriction in a pipe and you prick a hole just before restriction (between the pump and the restriction) you get a leak in your pipe. We hate leaks, so don't do it.
But if you prick a hole in the pipe just after the restriction (between the restriction and the fish tank) you get a venturi. Actually you probably get something called a venturi effect air tube or something.
But what you really get a venturi.
As the water gets near the restriction, it slows down and as result, there is a pressure localised pressure increase. When it passes through the restriction and opens back up to the normal pipe size, it is allowed to speed back up, and as a result finds it self at lower pressure.
I think.
If there is a hole in the pipe where the pipe is at higher pressure, the water looks to escape, and does so through the hole. If there is a hole in the pipe where there is a lower pressure, the water is quite content to be in the tube, because like everyone else, if your situation is getting slightly easer to move around, and you are under slightly less pressure than you were a while ago, you become content.
The result of a low pressure area with content water is that it sucks in air instead of spitting out water.
This can be a good thing if you are trying to put air into your water, or break up the surface tension on the top of your fish tank, or trying to make one of those low flow shower heads that don't quite wet you as well as just dumping a stack of water on your head.
But dont take my word for it.
I'll build one.
Try not to notice the massive algal bloom that's occurred as a result of there being too much nutrient in Adelaide water, and the tank just sitting for a week or so.
That's water, not a sports drink.
Interesting, isn't it.
I was looking for something like a nail to prick a hole in my hose, and found this instead.
I just worked out what it's for. I've had it for ages.
One end has a point for putting holes in black poly pipe, and the other end has a hex spanner for screwing in the little connectors that have a point on them for things like dripper systems, and little sprinklers etc.
So far in my life, on the odd occasion when I've done such gardening stuff, I've been just forcing the connector things through after making a hole with a nail.
This tool thing works really well.
Anyway...
and... (<= that's the interesting bit)
There, except for any errors I've made, that's probably all you will ever need to know about a venturi.
This 120 Things in 20 years post, looked like something on the venturi effect in an aquaponics environment, but I think in the future's history, it will prove prove to be part of something more to do with the Murray river and the environment.
Saturday, 3 March 2012
Sometimes normal folk need to reset their login details because they have forgotten their passwords.
Sometimes I forget my email address.
This may lead me to make an odd post from time to time.
120 Things in 20 years, just when you though it was starting to make sense again, along comes a post that acts as an identity check, and includes the words "rubber chicken"
Sometimes I forget my email address.
This may lead me to make an odd post from time to time.
120 Things in 20 years, just when you though it was starting to make sense again, along comes a post that acts as an identity check, and includes the words "rubber chicken"
Thursday, 1 March 2012
My first PVC screen I made to keep the media out was full of round holes.
To keep clay balls out. Round balls (like balls tend to be).
It didn't work so well.
So I thought I'd better make a new one.
I started by cutting a length of PVC lengthways so I could mount it against the end of the blue barrel, to surround the stand pipe.
It's difficult to tell, but the good bit is the bigger bit on the right.
The blue barrel has a curved face where the bung is, so I had to distort the base of my media guard to fit.
I drilled a couple of holes so I could get a jigsaw blade in there.
The plan being to cut long slits rather than my original holes. The slits should be able to be blocked, and should actually work.
The final result looks like this.
Neat isn't it.
It wont matter because it wont be visible.
Then just to be sure, I thought I'd stick some gutter guard on as well. Gutter guard is just a plastic mesh you can buy in a roll to keep leaves out of your house gutters.
I tied it on with some rubber bands to hold it in place.
The forced some silicon into the gaps.
The gutter guard seems to be made of the same stuff as black poly pipe. If that's the case, silicon wont stick to it, but I'm hoping that the silicone surrounding it should hold it well enough.
Only time will tell.
Doing 120 Things in 20 years, working on my new aquaponics system build, and making a media screen out of yet more PVC, you may feel I'm developing a PVC addiction. But it's always reassuring to know I have a long way to go. Take Theo Jansen for example. He's got it bad.
To keep clay balls out. Round balls (like balls tend to be).
It didn't work so well.
So I thought I'd better make a new one.
It's difficult to tell, but the good bit is the bigger bit on the right.
Neat isn't it.
It wont matter because it wont be visible.
The gutter guard seems to be made of the same stuff as black poly pipe. If that's the case, silicon wont stick to it, but I'm hoping that the silicone surrounding it should hold it well enough.
Only time will tell.
Doing 120 Things in 20 years, working on my new aquaponics system build, and making a media screen out of yet more PVC, you may feel I'm developing a PVC addiction. But it's always reassuring to know I have a long way to go. Take Theo Jansen for example. He's got it bad.
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