Aquaponics Solids (poop) Removal Tour and Maintenance

[@ASMMA2023]

You are a paragon of advancement in this community.

[@insAneTunA]

Last year I crushed some regular charcoal without additives, added the fish waste solids, added some water and bio start. I let it all dry up again over the winter season, turned it into a grainy powder again, and added it to my grass lawn 3 weeks ago, and now my lawn is looking great. And last week I cleaned out my filters, and now I am going to do the same thing again.

[@rjv2395]

have you ever tried snails in the radial flow tank, seems they might keep the sides clean. just mesh off the outlets

[@C-Hirsuta]

I suspect that a mesh fine enough to contain baby snails would simply become clogged by the solids.

[@starlarkyt]

Thanks for showing us your solids removal in such detail. It really helps out when looking to improve my own system. Keep up the good work! Love seeing updates

[@jamesstclair9511]

Nice! I wonder if you could use a vibration unit fixed to the settling tank to encourage solids to work themselves down the cone? Vibration may also help to separate bubbles from the solids, reducing floaters. May need some experimentation to find the best frequency.

[@Bigelowbrook]

That's actually a good idea and I might have to try it! ;-) Another thing that works well is putting a small fish in there which I've done in the past. They just pick at the solids and they work their way to the bottom. They really don't create many currents if you don't scare them. My problem was the fish would get too big, or can get flush out the bottom if you're not paying attention to their position. When they get scared they hide in the bottom of the code and it's a quick trip over to the MT!

[@cnc-ua]

@@Bigelowbrook or you can put shrimp\crayfish or mussels which are great to filtrate some solids

[@ekasusilo]

What model and where to get the small pump on the ground for water circulation? Thanks

[@howardburke6034]

Good to see you at the conference, didn't expect to see you posting from OKC!

[@marcoantoniomanes5073]

Tudo bem ? sou do Brasil.Excelente o teu sistema, me permita dar só uma singela sugestão : Com relação ao que você disse lá em 15:27, você pode utilizar estes resíduos sólidos em um biodigestor para que sofra uma fermentação anaeróbica e assim obter dois excelentes subprodutos, o gás metano , que é um combustível, e o bio adubo, que é aquele material orgânico muito mais mineralizado e solúvel em água, que pode ser reutilizado , sendo recolocado no sistema para que as plantas usufruam dele, mas isso precisa ser feito com cuidado, utilizando um condutivimetro, para que a concentração de sais na água não seja excessiva. Pela minha experiência, até 2,5 ms/cm não haverá problemas, nem mesmo um pouco mais. Outro cuidado é que este material é bem alcalino. O que não deixa de ser positivo.

[@bartonsummit5158]

Love your diagrams. Very helpful for the visual learner.

[@iiinsaiii]

Question, what the temperature in the greenhouse during the winter? I know the temperature outside goes into the teens. How you keep it heated? And why don’t you put the fish sludge on to a tarp and let it dry out. That’s fertilizer that you can probably sell or spread it onto your other plants. Or put it into a compost.

[@Bigelowbrook]

I shut the greenhouse down during the winter. It's not economical to heat it. The sludge is just tossed into the field so it's used as a fertilizer there.

[@iiinsaiii]

@@Bigelowbrook Do you harvest the fish? Or just keep them going all winter long?

[@FindTheFun]

They have magnets for cleaning fishtanks on the inside from the outside. You could probably rig some simple magnet system to clean the edges of the filter.

[@Bigelowbrook]

I go low-tech and use a bottle brush on a stick. ;-)

[@gavinmcmillan6222]

It’s a great system, and great R&D on the centrifugal pump instead of air stones. I’d assume the infusinators that block often are the last ones - solids will not distribute evenly they will go to the end. You could have the end flow non infuasinator just to pass solids. I dump my solids into mineralisation with an air siphon (an upside down liquid siphon, like an S trap, but the air siphons) and an 11w air pump on a timer. It runs about 30 mins to trigger the air siphon each day. Still needs cleaning. It’s a cool idea

[@Bigelowbrook]

It does tend to be the last one but I have had others get clogged too. I'm always trying to improve the process but overall I"m fairly happy with this setup.

[@JebGardener]

It's a fascinating system. Thanks!

[@NedBerndt]

Thanks, Rob If you have a composting pile, you could add the sludge and use in any soil beds you may have. Those chard plants look awesome!! Also do you use red wiggler worms in your media beds?

[@Bigelowbrook]

I do have red wigglers! They're my best buddies! ;-)

[@michaelpastrana751]

Hi! I wonder if with the mineralization tank running does the system still require addition of anu minerals either for plants or fish to be healthy?

[@Bigelowbrook]

yes, we still add various nutrients into the system.

[@jamiecoxe7327]

Is there any way to automate some of those steps to reduce some of the maintenance? For example; adding electric values on a schedule

[@devonolsen1331]

Have you ever experimented with crayfish or bivalves in the solids tank or other parts of the system?

[@Mike-lu1pt]

I noticed your mineralization tank doesn't have any MBBR or otherwise plastic bits to increase surface area for biofilm growth. Could you add a filter at the bottom to prevent the mbbr from going into the pump?

[@Bigelowbrook]

It's a possible option but I would be concerned of them clogging things up in there. I just drain everything into my media beds which act as the biofilter in the system.

[@craigshoemaker2492]

Is there any use for the solids after collecting them. Do you trash it or repurpose for use somewhere?

[@Bigelowbrook]

after they break down in the mineralisation tank for a bit, I just toss it in the field. Compared to the cow manure that we spread, it's just a drop in the ocean!

[@jojovideo2]

Constantly see systems saying solids go down but I see a LOT floating on top

[@Bigelowbrook]

they start by going down. If they stay down too long, gas bubbles start to form and will make them rise.

[@davidhughes473]

What type of barrel that you have for your radial flow settler, the one with the cone shape bottom

[@Bigelowbrook]

Ace rotomolding manufactures these tanks.

[@ozzypunk1]

The glamorous world of fish poo. Thanks for the video Can’t wait to hookup my infusinators

[@thisismyname8627]

Why dont you put the waste from the filter into the potted plants? Its the best thing for soils.

[@Bigelowbrook]

Most of the good nutrients from the sludge has already been removed from the MT. Plus all the solids would eventually fill up the pots.

[@kolebuscher5733]

Another common thing to do with the solids is to feed it to the worm bin, if you have one

[@thecookeman]

I feed my hungry (soil) fruit trees with them. Every week and have seen substantial results with the few month of running mine. I have also been looking into a compost bin full of worms and leftovers. Have also considered filling up wicking barrels but I'm worried about the solids clogging or anaerobic zones.

[@wonderfullaquaponics6320]

Very impressive. Is it possible to volunteer for your farm?

[@elihuthompson626]

I afdthe sludge to my trees

[@pierreshasta1480]

Lots of interesting information, thanks for sharing.

[@wallykreuser2363]

I would love to know how many and type of fish you have in that tank…also how about a design I would love to build one like yours

[@Bigelowbrook]

there are around 200 koi and a few goldfish. Tons of older videos that show how it was all put together.

[@ezzyzhoo5139]

What pump do you use?

[@candycaneunicorn8024]

marine sock is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay easier. This creates so much work and doesnt collect all the solids whereas a marine filter sock collects permanently.

[@starlittle93]

Yeah in aquarium I agree.. in large system with a lot of poop it usually clogged very often .. I already tested mine with marine sock.. clogged in just one day lol 😂😂😂... It is pain in the butt to clean them everyday, now I store them in storage.

[@lifeonsibuyanphilippines7212]

I just used 5 gallon bucket with the insides of a pillow thrown in and it worked for years ..... I had 6 growing beds

[@NedBerndt]

Rob, are the leaves turning yet

[@Bigelowbrook]

Yup! A little earlier this year

[@elihuthompson626]

I like your set up

[@karimhayes3134]

love this so helpful thank you. can i ask why do you not have a air pump in the minerilizer . also i have my system running for free off solar . those jabao pumps are 24volt DC so direct solar with a cheap 24volt regulator converting PV from 42volt cheap second hand house panels to 24volt you can run that and 24volt air pumps. i hope that helps. my problem in part is the noise of air pumps .i am only on 1/4 acre. but i am doing pretty good . karim hayes is my channel if ur interested . i hope to live your life one day. keep up the good work

[@petersvan7880]

Excellent video, thank you!

[@alexandertanudjaja2728]

To much work, to much maintenance

[@Mike-lu1pt]

very interesting, so helpful!

[@schmidt827]

✌️I think the tank should be protected from sunlight and especially from UV light, then less algae formation is possible.

[@Bigelowbrook]

I keep the covers on the tanks, there is hardly any algae growth in this area of the system.

[@drmosfet]

My wife moving towards aquaponics at the old glacier speed, when ever we change the fish 🐟 tank water she there waiting to use the water for her plants, she calls it free Miracle-Gro.

[@regenerativelifewayne]

Awesome video

[@ChristianAvondt]

Thx 🙏

[@CarlosEduardoSilva007]

Tá tudo errado 😭😭😭😭. Overflow a 90° destrói o coco 😭, decantador também não presta, só serve para manter o cocô nas mesmas águas criando o ciclo do nitrogênio 😭 nem vou continuar a assistir...

[@regenerativelifewayne]

If you had a composting worm 🪱 farm 🚜 you could feed it to your earthworms

[@MichelVaillancourt]

he's got composting worms in all of the grow beds