Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I am looking for idea's for a 4500lt system, I will be purchasing a 4500lt polly corrugated tank, 3.3mt diam and 670mm high, will go for conventional grow beds, and I am going to be told I need a sump, what is the best sump idea to use, without dynamite and jack hammers digging one in will be a problem so what is best for a free standing one, I have a 1.8mt diam by 800mm high corrugated iron tank and also a 1.5mt diam fiberglass tank that can be used, I intend growing Jade or Silvers, but would like to grow marron in either of the smaller tanks with my Pygmy Perch and mussels, is it necessary to have a sump at all? links to others systems would be appreciated as well, hope to start this one early in the new year

with a fish tank that low you could easily do away with a sump Nocky..

Jades and silver you might want to keep them away from the marron. How much GB volume are you looking at. As long as its not to close to 4500lts.

670mm high.That would make a nice GB. How much is it costing. They didn't have a price when I looked at them. 100mm siphon.Splashy

cost is $970 delivered buying direct from landmark (unless Joel comes up with a big one), but a 4500lt grow bed sounds huge, can be viewed here http://www.teampoly.com.au/arbitrage/pages/182 different sizes are available, I would keep the marron seperate as I do now with raised mesh floor but have marron on the bottom opposed to what I have now, would like the tank to be higher than 670, but a diam of 3.3 mt is great, have NFI how many litres of GB I will have, looking for suggestions, and Joel still waiting for a quote

Go with at least 4 of joels, preferrably 8

Those tanks have a brass bung in them Nocky, which is not a good idea for either fish or Marron. Joel has 5000L tanks with plastic bungs which may be a safer bet.

Think they come with the option of plastic. But I like the 5000ltr idea.

seen them at Wagin Woolarama and all seemed plastic,
EB if you have 5000lt then can you PM me dimensions and a price, the big drama is getting a 5000lt down to Narrogin though, but we have the technology

You don't have to have a sump but without one, your tank levels will fluctuate and you don't get to go max stocking density since 2:1 growbed to tank ratio would nearly drain the tank if all flooded at once.

Anyway, It might be possible to do a "sump bed" basically a really large grow bed on the ground (like I did with the monster bed done with liner) and put a sump pump in it. So if you made the on the ground grow bed the same volume as all the other grow beds combined, when the rest of the beds drain, the ground bed would be full. Since it is a grow bed depth item, It need not be very high and therefore need not be dug deep into the ground. I don't know the best way to operate a system such as I'm talking about here, Perhaps it could work as CHIFT PISB (pump in sump bed) but I'm not sure if you could reliable trigger it by float switch in such a situation due to evaporation and such. Perhaps a timer operation? Or a two pump system and it would not be CHIFT.

I can visit on wednesday morning, early, nocky

No worries OB, I start work at 7-45ish, just call into Ford over the roundabout, may have time to come to house here, but not a lot to look at

I can be there before work if that helps, driving back to Kal