Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I've got about the same area available to me as earthbound, so was thinking of setting up similar system. Is there an optimum tank depth. Is is worth saving a few dollars and staying one sheet high- corrogated iron? Seems like 650 high is the easiest for them to make. Sorry if this question has been answered elsewhere

mmmm.. but 650 isn't very high... No the subject of tank depth hasn't really been tackled, but I think you'll want a little more than 650 for a few reasons, if your thinking of setting up a system like mine.

Firstly the fish, fish prefer to not be in the open, the shallower the tank the less comfortable they are going to be. If your fish are nervous and uncomfortable, then they won't be feeding as much.

Secondly with a flood and drain system, when you pump out the water from the fish tanks into the growbeds, the water level in the fish tank drops, with less height in your fish tank, the level will drop a lot..... If you make the tank larger in diameter you take up more space, and the level switch is harder to adjust.... And if the water is even lower after pumping out into the growbeds, see point one, the fish.

So no..... I don't think it's worth saving a few bucks to be going down to 650mm high fish tank, not unless it's a huge amount of money and your willing to adapt other things around having a shorter tank.. Remembering that the larger the water volume the more stable the system temperature, and the more fish you can have...

how deep is your tank? Maybe I should go to 1800 diameter with higher sides by the sound of it. Have found a guy here who has no probs with doing it. Hopefully if i was to get grow beds and tank all from him he would drop his price

Thanks

My tank is about 900mm high, and 1800 diameter.. How do his prices compare with what I originally paid for my tanks and growbeds? I think you may have commented on the price already, but I couldn't find it with a quick scan....

he wanted $515 for 2.5m round 650mm high- seemed a bit dear, but it was just over the phone. Maybe everything here is dear, I spoke to a guy about fingerlings yesterday- happy to do small quantities, but at $2 each for 30-35mm , it seems a bit rich, especially compared to the bargain prices that you got your big ones for

silver perch that was...

Sounds fairly ritzy for a steel tank, there's nowhere near as much work involved as making Murrays nice fibreglass ones and they don't last as long....

I'll check out prices in the next week or so from the guy that I have used in the past, I'll try and get a good idea from him as to what costs should be, then perhaps you can have some bargaining leverage once you have another price.. I wouldn't think the price would vary much between capital cities, if anything it would be more over here on the other side of Australia...

And yes, those perch prices do sound a little expensive, you should be able to get them for about half that much...

Thanks Earthbound,

It's definately going to be a case of shopping around.

Tank dimensions/Fish comfort:
I'm looking at Constant Height One Pump, so the fish tank water level will be higher than the grow beds.
I'd put the grow bed surface about 800mm above ground (for ease of garden work), then gravity down to a sump under the growbeds. Submersible pump lifts water back into the fish tank.
I can get a 900 litre food grade polyethelyne, 960mm diameter x 1250mm high for $ 465.
Any comment on the proportions? Any problem with diameter or height of fish tank.