Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi all, i have been doing aquaponics for nearly 7 years now. i have been researching, experimenting, building and running all kinds of setups. i have previously posted one of my largest setups while i was building it and early stages of growth but failed to keep posting. I am about to buy a large block of land and im looking at trying a commercial/hobby setup. it wont be my only income but i would like it to make money.

I have been doing alot of research lately especially on the chop and chop 2 systems. one day whilst working and day dreaming about large setups and about the chop 2 system mixing the clean and dirty water together this popped into my head and i havnt been able to stop thinking about it since. If u can follow the image(i know its very rough) i will step u though it.

- This system is a hybrid gravel bed/floating raft system
- It uses 2 sumps and 2 pumps. sumps are joined via large pipes with a pump in each and are sunk in ground
- flow rate from both pumps should be close to equal

Theory:
- clean sump pumps high to #6 #5 # 1 #2 (k1 moving bed filter,marron/yabbie half blue drums and 1000L IBC fingerling and medium size fish tanks)

- water drains from #1+#2 tanks into #3 grow out tanks

- water drains from #3 tanks into 2x #4 1000L IBC radial flow filter

- water then drains to the dirty sump

- dirty sump pumps into media filled beds on auto syphon

- water drains from gravel beds into floating raft beds

- water drains from raft beds back to clean sump

other notes:

- i would like to have a shed with the tanks and filters in with a separate greenhouse/hoophouse for growing.

- the sumps should be pumping so not much water exchanges directly between them, to create a dirty and clean water scenario, but if one of the pumps were to fail the sumps would flow together so the system would keep running without overflowing just losing flow to either tank or beds witch ever pump failed.

- the biggest problem i can see here is the height differences i will need to flow everything together but this could be simplified

I like the idea of this system because:

- it keeps constant height in tanks

- i am able to use venturi to turn k1 filters

- clean water sump will pump solid free nutrient rich water to gravel beds that will further remove solids and are full of bacteria to provide the cleanest most nutrient rich water to the raft beds

- if either of the pumps should fail there would be no over flow and still half the system will keep running

- layout can be different, same figure 8 principle

please have a good read/look and think before commenting.

im looking for ppls pros and cons of this system

I havnt seen a design like this and i cant stop thinking about it.

I am looking at 2 10 000L grow out tanks might only use 1 once calculated size of growing area, with 4 1000L IBC tanks plus some blue drums with marron and yabbies.i already have 6 2400x1200 growbeds the rest of the growing area needed will be floating rafts, i havnt worked out all the ratios yet just questioning the design for now

..

10000l... I just shudder when I think of the post... " ... oops.. the fush are dying..."

I've got a scuba system and speargun...

Oops... sorry about the hole..

I. Do hope you get to build it.. ".. build it and they will come.. "
they. The customers for quality produce
..
.

I can follow it pretty well,but if your worried about it looking rough when showing to people. Paint is your best friend!!!
I use paint to draw out blueprints sometimes when I can't use CAD. I drop everything still to a measurable ratio though.
I usually do things in 1/4"so 1px=1/4" 1x4x12=48px=1ft I size up the canvas to what I need and draw my basic floor plan.

You don't need to be exact and ocd about it as much as I am with precise measurements but paint is good for drawing up something without it looking so rough.

Do you have any pics on hand or any up already? I'd like to see them. Post them or send me a link if they are up already.

If you've been at it for 7 years now, I'll skip all the newbie stuff that I'd say to a random who pops up saying they want to go commercial. Just make sure you've done all the sums, allowing for losses, unusable products from pests, and realistic prices for what you'd sell, and if you have people set up you can sell to.

I don't think you'd have the control to manipulate the nutrients enough in this system, for a backyard system, it doesn't really matter, but if you're making a living off it, you need optimal growth and things like tomatoes and lettuce need different nutrients for optimal growth.

I'd turn it into two separate systems, with a standalone aquaculture part. Feed the stand alone parts from the aquaculture system. This will allow you to control if you want high nitrates in your lettuce area, or low nitrates with high phosphorus in your fruiting area.

I'd also rethink your filtration method, aquaculture systems have some great drum filters, solids go in, the drum spins and keeps the solids in the system, and sprays the solids off the side as it goes through. Then once a day, open the valve and they'll all go into your mineralisation tanks. You'll be spending a lot of time harvesting/seeding/pests etc. You don't want to be messing around with filters.