1 - Joan's Aquaponic System - Dec. 19, 2010

[starfruitygirl]

@jiggysmb: The bell siphon allows your grow beds to cyclically fill and drain. The siphoning action will kick in once the water fills to the height of your standpipe in the bell siphon and rapidly drain the bed. Once the siphon breaks, the bed is filled again and the cycle continues. A bell siphon allows for full flooding of the beds, provides optimal oxygenation of roots when the bed drains, prevents pockets of standing water which can rot roots, and prevents beds from overflowing.

[jiggysmb]

I am working on a similar project and was wondering what is the purpose of the bell siphon?

[ernestog84]

Great looking Setup!! What do you find better to work with, the drain system or the continuous deep water culture method?

[starfruitygirl]

@ernestog84: Thanks so much! I find both work really well together since the flood and drain system provides great course filtration for the entire system. The F&D system also holds taller plants much better (kale, peppers, basil) than the DWC method that seems to be better for low growing plants like lettuce, mint, and watercress. If electricity is an issue, the F&D is better since it's on intermittently. If ease of setup is an issue, the DWC is easier to setup. :)

[iLEGENDARYx]

Thanks for all the info and advice it's been very helpful!

[phipps3113]

Wonderful presentation. I am going to put together a system in Phoenix. My concern here is temperature control. I imagine Tilapia are the best choice for grow fish. What is best for mosquito control?

[starfruitygirl]

@phipps3113 Thanks! I imagine just about any fish would be good for mosquito control. Mosquito fish, goldfish, koi, etc. are all good mosquito control.

[ilovelizards]

How much did it cost you to build?

[starfruitygirl]

@ilovelizards : I'm in the process of calculating that. Will let you know as soon as I figure it out. :D

[dramey03]

beautiful setup

[jimginnyohio]

Great looking garden! Just curious, where did you buy your grow beds?

Thanks for sharing!

[starfruitygirl]

@jimginnyohio: Thanks! The black grow beds are large cement mixing tubs (20.9 gal) by Plasgad that are marked fish-safe for ~$12.00 from Home Depot. The white trays are 24"x44"x7" hydroponic trays by Botanicare for ~$75 that I got at my local hydroponic store.

[iLEGENDARYx]

@starfruitygirl thanks for the info I have asked so many people over the last month with no replies and you already answered it here. Also thanks for the dimensions of the drain and have you ever had it fail?

[starfruitygirl]

@iLEGENDARYx : I have a couple of bell siphons to see which performs the best. The one in the hydroton bed is Affnan's bell siphon (see You Tube videos). The former sometimes fails by only draining once and not breaking the siphoning action. The bell siphon in the cinder bed is from CITAHR at the Univ. of HI and never fails. Google "bell siphon University of Hawaii" for the pdf instructions (can't seem to place a link in this comment field). Good luck!

[starfruitygirl]

@iLEGENDARYx: See below. Continuing my reply ... I should note that bell siphons may need to be tweaked because each will perform differently based on your water inflow and any differences in construction. The Affnan siphon will probably work well too if I tweak it more. I haven't because I've found that plant growth is still very good so never bothered to fix it. Oh, and I put a hole at the base of my standpipe to drain if any siphon fails or if your pump is on a timer, like mine.

[budmonkies]

Hello-Great aquaponic garden! I like the combo of flood-drain and floating raft. It is also very neat and tidy looking. I've subscribed to your channel...help to see more AP vids. Good growing!

[starfruitygirl]

@budmonkies: Thanks for your kind comments! I'll be posting more AP videos soon. Aloha! :)