New guy from northern New Mexico

[Brian Rodgers]

Here is a shot though the viewing window in the Brook trout 2600 gallon pond in the earth-sheltered greenhouse.


Sorry the Plexiglas was dirty, I've since washed it but it isn't light enough yet to get a better quality image.

 

[Hendre]

Pics everywhere
Very cool stuff there man.

 

[Brian Rodgers]

Aquaponics Brook Trout at one year old! Brian and Nell Rodgers on September 1st 2016

After a day of house addition designing by Nell and Brian Rodgers, I got a nice little video of our indoor Brook trout 2600 gallon pond.
Of course the phone camera highlights the solids in the water

nevertheless, this is pretty good considering it is through the one inch (2.54cm) thick Plexiglas viewing window.

Will ya look at the teeth on these monsters?
Tank info: 2600 gallon free-form masonry construction. Five and a half feet deep Vee bottom tank. Ten feet across more or less round design. Tank is painted with the spendy Herco Koi Pond Coat at three coats!
Laguna Max-Flo 2000 Electronic Waterfall and Filter Pump for Ponds Up to 4000-Gallon in a 200 gallon masonry sump tank.
Thirty gallon radial flow filter. Fifty gallon dual action static up-flow filter / moving bed bio-filter.
Four 85 gallon media (Clay beads) beds, with bell siphon drains. One 125 gallon deep water culture / raft bed for lettuce and peppers.
~ 25 Brook trout. We started one year ago with 45 three inch fingerlings brought over the 9000 foot mountains by Taos, which caused some fish to have the exposed red gills you see in the video.
The last five we harvested weighed in at nearly three pounds, making a meal for four.

 

[Brian Rodgers]

Here are a couple shots of our 2600 gallon indoor tank.

Sorry about the dirty water, my fish. Today I did a partial water change and cleaned all of the filters. I've also ordered more JMat as it worked so well in the Koi tank.


The Comets were in first as part of the cycling process. The trout leave them alone thankfully.




I caught another trout today, another two pounder. Our tank water is too warm ~68 F for these monster fish and it is stressing them, to be sure. I would like to go into Fall and Winter with new fingerlings or just keep a half dozen of the adults and try and get them to spawn. I believe I'm getting closer to an understanding of which are female and which are male.

 

[Brian Rodgers]

Currently, our air pump is becoming loud and doesn't seem to be making as much air. I know these have a replacement diaphragm. I don't know where to get one. I'm spoiled with Amazon Prime and two day shipping. It seems like Hydrostore another company that makes the same pump needs more to ship it than the diaphragm costs. I mean it makes sense that a weakened diaphragm will create less air. The old pump is barely a year old. Do I want to spend money that really needs to go to the addition on our house on a pump?
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This is the next size up in pump.
It's always something isn't it?
---------
Okay I just read answers to questions on Amazon. I better open it up and have a look at the air filter I didn't know was in the air pump, doh!
Question: Does anyone have any idea what the BLACK air outlet is for on the opposite side of the unit? Mines loud unless I plug it. Am I missing a cap?
Answer: It is the intake.. I made a squire out of foam and cut a slit that would slide snugly over this hole.. This acts a a external filter.. Easy to remove and clean.. This adds to the life of the air filter inside the black cap on the intake.. My Pump has run continuous for over a year or more now...
By T. Jacobs on March 21, 2014
cut about 2" of standard air hose and attach a backflow regulator/check valve that comes with aquarium air lines. The air line should fit perfectly(very tightly) into the air intake pipe. Make sure the valve is allowing the pump to retrieve air through it(arrow pointing in toward the pump) - if you get it backwards it will shut off the air supply and burn up the pump. You can check to make sure it's right with the pump running cover the exposed tip of the check valve with your finger and then pull it away. You should feel a slight suction break if you've got it right. This will muffle the sound coming from the internals of the pump completely. Be sure to clean the check valve occasionally. see less
By Ed on May 13, 2014
That is actually the filter housing and pump intake. It is not advised to plug it or create any restriction in that opening. Mine is loud as well, the Mfg did not make any boasts about how quiet it was, mine is not, but it does flow good volume at great pressures. I have 10 sponge filters and 11 air stones in 10 tanks going all of the time, it has pleanty of volume to add 6 or 7 more. I am looking to buy a second pump as a spare, this one has been operating non stop for a year and a half. Yes I would reccomend yhis pump if you isolate it in another room. see less
By Bill Taylor on March 21, 2014
It's exhaust valve. Keep the pump on a sturdy surface. The stiffer the better (concrete). Or place inside a box with a air in and air out and one small desk fan inside aimed at the pump to keep air moving over it.
By adam on March 22, 2014

 

[Brian Rodgers]

Here is our Brook Trout this morning. We netted another trout that was struggling. We have dinner tonight.

The water is looking better after five days of adding the JMat biomedia in the MBBF. It still needs help. I'm formulating a plan to make the current overflow (three inch) 7.62 cm pipe another air-lift SLO as well as a surface skimmer. (Edit) Every time I shoot video the water looks worse, dang. I need to deal with this ASAP. We need a bigger water pump and a bigger air pump. I'll start reading here on what your big tanks have.

 

[Deadliestviper7]

Planting a fast growing tree over the building can help reduce tempature

 

[Brian Rodgers]

Planting a fast growing tree over the building can help reduce tempature

Indeed. I normally have reed cloth over the clear roof, but our plants were suffering and I thought perhaps a blast of late Summer sunshine might make a difference. I'm now leaning more toward low nitrates in the water as the reason the plants look pale. I gave them a small dose of salt last night. Around a cupful for the 2600 gallon tank.

 

[Brian Rodgers]

Finally a test which shows improvement in Nitrates
I am so glad the JMat idea is working. My idea is that by increasing the static biomedia in the Kaldnes 2 media barrel I would get better results on the conversion of nitrites and nitrates.
These are tests of FT water.
Attachment:

Oct-20th-2016-ammonia.jpg [ 108.81 KiB | Not viewed yet ]

Ammonia is about the same @ .25 ppm
Attachment:

Oct-20th-2016-pH.jpg [ 123.71 KiB | Not viewed yet ]

pH is also about the same @ 7.6
Attachment:

Oct-20th-2016-nitrite2.jpg [ 102.49 KiB | Not viewed yet ]

Nitrite I can't remember but it was low .25 ppm
Attachment:

Oct-20th-2016-nitrate.jpg [ 112.59 KiB | Not viewed yet ]

Here is the big change Nitrates between 20 and 40 ppm!

I think our plants will appreciate this as it has been 5 ppm for most of the year!

_________________
Brian's Build: Earth-sheltered Greenhouse. Steadily decreasing from 45 Brook Trout as we harvest one a week!

 

[Brian Rodgers]

Finally a test which shows improvement in Nitrates
I am so glad the JMat idea is working. My idea is that by increasing the static biomedia in the Kaldnes 2 media barrel I would get better results on the conversion of nitrites and nitrates.
These are tests of FT water.
Attachment:

Oct-20th-2016-ammonia.jpg [ 108.81 KiB | Not viewed yet ]

Ammonia is about the same @ .25 ppm
Attachment:

Oct-20th-2016-pH.jpg [ 123.71 KiB | Not viewed yet ]

pH is also about the same @ 7.6
Attachment:

Oct-20th-2016-nitrite2.jpg [ 102.49 KiB | Not viewed yet ]

Nitrite I can't remember but it was low .25 ppm
Attachment:

Oct-20th-2016-nitrate.jpg [ 112.59 KiB | Not viewed yet ]

Here is the big change Nitrates between 20 and 40 ppm!

I think our plants will appreciate this as it has been 5 ppm for most of the year!

_________________
Brian's Build: Earth-sheltered Greenhouse. Steadily decreasing from 45 Brook Trout as we harvest one a week!