Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I am completely new to aquaponics but I have been reading all related material I can find.I am setting up my first system .
I am using a 1200 litre fiberglass tank as my fish tank.
I am using a 1000 litre IBC as an overflow tank from my constant volume fish tank.I intend to pump the water from my IBC to my grow beds which will incorporate bell siphons.The cleaned water will then return top my fish tank by gravity.I wonder if anyone can see a problem with this system as anything I have read has suggested pumping the water through the fish tank to grow beds back to a sump tank.
I would also love to know how many grow beds I can use .i will be using up to six standard bathtubs. I would also like to know how big a pump do I need for a continuous flow .The last bath tub will be about nine metres away and 200mm above the height of the IBC .Can I use a pool pump or is a submersible one better.I will really appreciate some sound knowledge
Thank you Ravel

Welcome to the forum Ravel. If you take a look at the www.ibcofaquaponics.com you will gain a better understanding of the basics. Happy reading.

we all have different systems no one will be able to provide you the best sound information for what you want.
You're going to have to keep reading and working little things that you don't understand out yourself.
When you have any problems with what you did or anything related, you can start asking us the relevent questions because that question you just asked is just too huuuuuuge, too general nobody's gonna be able to answer that.
So please don't be put off, just make a "model" of the system you want see if it works. Experiment with things. and read more! check out your local shops that sell pumps. Irrigation is a good place to start. Fish shops might have small pumps. Pool shops... etc. just expand your mind open up the possibilities

even though I've already made about 7 different systems I'm still learning and still reading more and more. There's just so many different system with so many different components from the very simple chift pist to the extra ordinary systems some of the members here have made. Just gotta to be creative about it and be serious with it.

Welcome, ravel. Regarding your choice of pump I think you would be well advised to not use a pool pump to drive your proposed system, not because it wouldn't be possible to make it work but on the basis of efficiency. Typically, pool pumps are power hungry and will consume anything from 600 - 2000 Watts, whereas a 2,000Lph submersible pond pump will be rated around 50W. Even with the pump running just 15 minutes per hour your power bills will be higher than necessary, and probably be unacceptably high.
I admit to being confused about what it is that you are planning to do because you ask for advice on pump size for continuous flow (constant flood) yet you have previously stated that your growbeds will incorporate bell siphons. As far as I know, siphons are only required for flood and drain systems. Am I misunderstanding you?

thanks everyone for your input.It seems that i might have to work my system by trial and error but it will be a fantastic learning experience.
Thanks PLJ for your comments .It seems that my terminology of the system isnt quite right.
When i said i was going to use a continuous flow pump.I meant that i wanted the water to flow continuously but incorporated in a flood and drain system in my grow beds.i dont know how else to do this apart from using some timing device and i have heard that a timing device can decrease the life of your pump.I probably have got it wrong again but i am willing to listen to any advice.
Also thanks for the advice on the pond pump.Ravel