Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Some minor supplementation is a little different to the style of thing linked to. All lighting requirements, air conditioners and fans inside a steel box..? This is no way to grow leafy vegetables..

This is humans saying look how clever we are, nature does this great thing where plants grow using the natural surroundings, sun/water/soil. But look, we humans can do the same sort of thing inside a steel box with artificial nutrients, artificial light and artificial climate control. Yes that's amazingly clever, aren't we so smart, but it's no real method to feed people.

Looking over who the business comprises really cements it in my mind...

The founder who is a business "startup" person whose last business was a telecommunications company.

A COO who's a franchise expert, a sales and marketing strategist, a VP of global business development, a guy who looks after the systems who has a degree in construction management, a field sales manager, and a bookkeeper accountant.

And I really can't see how any argument could be mounted.. to suggest that it's either economical, efficient... or profitable...

Let alone... sustainable...

But the marketing side of things are in full swing, they're claiming it's reducing carbon footprints, and environmentally friendly.

I guess we need to remember that at best... marketing involves a degree of "poetic licence"...

At worst.. it's either just outright bullshit... and/or bordering on unethical...

Sadly the question of ethics... seems to have become a lot more elastic in the last decade...

Funny how ethics have become elastic. When I studied philosophy and ethics a few decades ago the simple question was Socratic - "What ought one to do?".

And you're both right, it's all marketing spin designed to generate sales - the truth be damned.

All of the above quotes are the reason I posted the links with the caveat...

The TRULY sad thing is a friend I met at an AP workshop sent them to me. He has been bitten, but obviously wants to make $...so I spend the majority of our conversations challenging 'their' claims. (like the earlier posted links)

He will be visiting when I get further along as he wants to see a working system VS the classroom demonstration system @ FT Valley State.

Have a great weekend!
Brian

That system, (in the link above) in my eyes can’t feed people, EVER, moving along...........

People curently use shipping containers to HOUSE aquaponic systems. I am looking at using a shipping container AS an aquaponic system.(BIG DIFFERENCE!!!!!!!)

Powered by solar, from my experience i think something like this should work, i have a 40foot and want to convert it. All the practical experience here on BYAP should be able to tell me if I am going in the right direction or point me there. As you guys know already i am a man of few words and it really shows up in this forum, so as they say a pic is worth a 1000 words.

This is what i want to do, all questions, comments, advise welcome

Damian

I am sorry Damian,
It is my fault your thread derailed as it did. I caught the title, skimmed through the posts, but my mind was already on the links as they were relatively fresh in mind.

Yours is an interesting question and I will watch with interest as I have watched "Doomsday Preppers" a few times here in the states. People use those containers for underground shelters. Maybe contacting the guy who builds them may help from an engineering aspect?

http://shipping-container-homes.org/shi ... -preppers/

Sorry again for the derail.
Brian

Shoesstring i don't mind what you call a "derail" after all the topic is still all about shipping containers, and you highlighted the first point i was trying to make, that using a container the conventional way is not very practical. The most practical one to me is the 20 foot micro farm
http://www.20footurbanfarm.blogspot.com/

i will contact the doomsday guy to see if he thinks it is possible structurally. But what do you think of the concept?

Of course anything you want to do in the fish tank you would have to swim. I want to run this more like a fish farm with a grow bed attached than an aquaponic system

To put in the grow bed "bottom" I would cut out a 1/2 slot running the whole length of the container side (with a simple wood guide and reciprocating saw) and insert a "L" shape metal, weld it in place then complete a frame to take the weight of the grow bed bottom the next thing to do would be to just cut out the top of the container and let it fall into its final position. The fish tank would be simply to weld in the short side of the fish tank (the side closet to the container door).

To get to the grow bed would take a ladder and you would have to walk on the actual media. The space I left on top close to the door is for solar panels

I am thinking of running two separate systems a fish farm and an organic hydroponic system, with periodic water swaps. That way I get as much protein as possible out as quickly as I can and still use compost tea to get full growth from the plant side. And still be able to reuse most of the water.

Definitely like the thought process. It would be a simple system like EB's/BYAP. No sump etc...gravity feed from gb back to ft. Simplicity personified.

I dont really see much need for much ft work tbh, except for harvest time of course, and illnesses, and leaks...yea, might want to have your mask n snorkel handy.

Again, my main concern would be the structural integrity of the unit.

Keep us posted...with pics of course!

Brian

Stacked like that you're going to be doing a lot of swimming

The biggest issue would be supporting the base of the growbed. Even with hydroton it adds up to a lot of weight. While there is a fair bit of strength in the walls sea containers mostly rely on the 4 corners to provide the lifting point/stacking support.

I would need a cost effective way to support the grow bed, for sure, that is the single most expensive part of the project.

Running some numbers.

Using 30 feet of the container for fish tank that would be 215 square feet =
1608 gallons @ 1 foot
3216 Gallons @ 2 feet
4824 Gallons @ 3 feet

That's a lot of water

The grow bed is about 268 sf @ 2.5 feet deep = 670 cubic feet

That's a lot of grow bed too.

I don't know if a container can take that weight.

There is this http://www.alken-murray.com/OceanContainer.pdf web site that says a 20 foot can hold up too 35000 pounds or 15890 kilos and a 40 can hold 45000 pounds or 20430 kilos. This is the weight used for shipping and handling purposes and i think the containers in a stationary position can carry more.

QUESTION: Because the strength is in the corners is it only necessary to support the base at the said corners?

Weight of 2f of water @ 1 gallon = 8.3 pounds is 26692pounds.
Weight of GBM= if: 50 liters of expanded clay pellets weighs 40 pounds. total= 15177 pounds


Total weight added would be about41869 pounds witch is under the max aloud S&H limit.