Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi,

I'm thinking about setting up a little aquaponics system with
500l tank and 400l of grow bed for 20 fish to 500g grown.

first of all have I got the maths right? I can support that many fish
with that sized system?

secondly, we don't have power where I want to site it, so can I use a solar pump, say 400l/hour?
Obviously that will stop at night. Will that be the end of the fish when it stops?

thanks
Samantha

the fish will need more air overnight especially once bigger - not running a pump overnight can cause high ammonia levels also. I am not sure about the sizing.

slane-- there has been a fair bit of convo about solar pumps.
sun shining no probs, no sun you may as well put the grill on!LOL
There is more info on the ratio of Grow bed : tank found on the sticky's.
Best you do some more reading then you will have an understanding of the parametres best suited to your situation.
Otherwise there would be a lot of question answering going on...
Take your time and notice the "P" word being used a lot (patients)
Also welcome to the forum.
C1

Welcome to the forum Slane....

A bit of advice-

For the general water pumping...I wouldn't trust those solar pumps as far as I can throw them...

I would only use them as extra aeration to the pond.

Hi Sam and welcome to our world of insanity

I have no experience with solar pumps so unable to help on that, but there is 2 other options:
1) select a site close to power; or
2) run power to site (not sure if either is an option for you)

The general guide line is 2:1 for fish tank to GB (Gb volume being twice the size)...and 6Kg to 100l of fish water (for experienced personnel)

Using these ratios - your fish tank will support 30kg of fish, but the GB will only support 12kg of fish (use the smaller)

If you are new to AP then it is best to start at half this and build up with experience...this means that you would be pushing the limits with 50 fish when they started to grow.

Other factors also need to be taken into account, like water quality, whether the system is in full sun (gravel gets very hot) and so it goes on

Some advice would be to read a lot of the threads on the forum to gain knowledge (as C1 stated)...start up a thread under members systems and describe what you are trying to do (with pics) and ppl will be more able to help on you overall design

If the property doesn't have power, he's in trouble... As I recall it costs 10's of thousands per pole they have to put up to give you power - this sux.
Of course a dodgy lead in conduit run down from the house that nobody knows about will solve his problem.
The only other way I'd trust, is a solar array backed up by a wind or water generator and a big battery store. Then run conventional pumps, but we're talking big money here also
Nothing's free - even AP.
You can get water powered pumps... this can be easier than running power. They are a hydraulic piston pump.

if you're goingt o go solar then use a "propper" setup and buy an expensive DC pond pump.

basically dont bet your system on a shitty bunnings solar pump

who runs poles these days?????????????????????????????/ is mostly underground lol

was thinking the same BK

he mustta been talking about the power poles on sim city

I was speaking of the country, where poles are still prevalent. And worse, poles with only an active on them, no neutral or 3 phase.
In fact, the farm my Dad bought was owned by a Pole :-)

boom tish

What's underground power?
Is that something like deep sewage and other urban myths .

Thanks all.

Not solar then. And not full sun, which rules out the spot I'd chosen.

Back to the drawing board.

Thanks again.

Samantha

Samantha, can you show us some pictures of your area? Full sun isn't always necessary, especially in the heat of summer.

Sam,
It is possible to install the solar panels away from the battery and pump (they are better located in close proximity). You may need to increase the wire size to reduce losses, but it is doable.

If your system is sized to provide 5 days supply (to half battery capacity - ensuring long battery life) and has capacity to recharge in one day (properly regulated to prevent battery overcharging), you should have a reliable system. In the case of more than 5 days of no sun, you could carry a small generator, second car battery etc. to the tank and recharge / replace the battery.