Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi guys. Seeing that my pilot project is going well, I decided to expand. Last weekend we set out to bury an IBC to be used as a sump, to then add a 500 gallon fiberglass tank as a FT + a couple more grow beds.

As we were digging, we broke a drain pipe which forced me to dig the hole much bigger. The more I look at it, the more I think that most of the work is done. With a little more effort I can reroute the drain pipe and fit a much bigger sump, to have even more grow beds. So here's the idea:

(1) 4' x 8' x 4' / 900g+ sump made of 1/2" sheets of PVC + some of that heavy blue PVC glue.
(1) 500G fish tank
(1) Radial flow filter (the one I'm currently using)
(6-7) 15" tall IBC GB's

The sump would be in ground, but I'd probably still add some gussets out of scrap PVC sheets which I have around the sign shop, just to be safe.

Does the idea of the big sump (bigger than the tank) sound good? I don't want to make the same mistake I made before, in which the sump doesn't have enough volume for the GB's in the event that they all filled at the same time.

Thanks!

Hey guys. Been real busy with work, so I'm doing a May, June, July update:

I found a old volleyball net in a pile of trash and I put it into the RFF.

1. Bad: Too hot. Lettuces are going straight flower & seed and are bitter as aloe vera (Well, not quite as bitter as aloe!). Bought some 55% saran and will be installing soon. Will continue to buy my lettuces for now .

2. Good: Watercress took over one grow bed. Hacked it down and its already showing new growth.

3. Awesome: Swiss chards, basil & tomatoes! The tomato plants I picked up from my compost pile took over. Been eating fresh tomatoes for a few weeks now (+ Bruschetta... Yum!). Very, very happy about that. I thought tomatoes would be impossible to grow.

4. New stuff. Ok so you see Mike & Hector digging the hole for the new sump. I thought today would be the last day of digging. Unfortunately its mostly rock, so we have (should have) another 1/2 day to go. The sump will now be larger than originally planned. I'm going to make it 5'x5'x8', or close to 1,500 gallons. I haven't found 5'x8'x1/2" sheets of PVC yet. So far the largest at 1/2" is 4'x8', or 5'x8'x 1/4" thick.

Enjoy the pics!

Looks like your system is doing great MW.

Try putting the lettuce in the fridge for a couple of days after you wash it. This usually takes care of the bitterness for me. I harvest just as they are starting to bolt or soon after. I remove the leaves, rinse and then spin before putting in the fridge.

You might also try buttercrunch lettuce which resists bolting pretty well.

Here's a link on different types of lettuce that might be helpful -
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/lettuce/different-lettuce-types.htm

Cheers

Hi Scotty. Thanks for the link will check it out over the weekend. Pardon my ignorance, but what do you mean by bolting? Also, we really love this "Butter" lettuce we buy at Costco. Is this the same as butter crunch?

Bolting = going to seed
Love your progress.

Thanks!

I'm not sure about the butter lettuce you're buying but it wouldn't surprise me if they are the same or within the same lettuce group.

I have the same problem in Texas. Pretty quick bolting. Tried putting it on the fridge with no success. But you mentioned to spin them. What exactly is this and how to do it?

Hi Pershing,

There is a gizmo called a salad spinner that's a kitchen convenience item. I got one as a gift from my sister long ago (30 years maybe). It's an easy way to wash and quickly dry lettuce before putting it in the fridge. I usually rinse then tear up the lettuce and toss it in the spinner to spin dry but you can also rinse in the spinner.

here's a link to show what they look like http://www.wellpromo.com/Wholesale/Spinners/Salad-Spinner-53072.htm

I've had some extremely bitter lettuce wind up good after a few days, sorry to hear the refrigerator method didn't work for you. I've heard some people soak their lettuce leaves in ice cold water for an hour so maybe this would be worth a try as well.

I don't have one, but those salad spinners are pretty cool!

They've also got ones where you push down to make them spin.

Well guys, here's the latest. The hole is finally finished, and the box is in place. It ended up being 5' x 5' x 7' x 1/4" PVC. I used the blue PVC glue and should be solid, but I'm still going to run a nice fat bead of silicone before I continue with the project. Stay tuned!

Keep a very close eye on the foundations of the buildings next to where you dug that sump. I have seen a sidewalk sink about 6 inches that ran next to an 8 foot diameter koi pond. When I pumped out the koi pond there was a noticable bulge of dirt behind the liner where the sidewalk was pushing the dirt into the void for the pond.
If it were me I would have a structural enigineer look at that to see if there is a way to re-inforce there before you move forward with it. You very well may need to install a pier under the foundation to keep it from sinking into your sump.

Thanks JRL. I have a structural engineer customer who I'm going to ask to take a look at it, next time he's around.

Ok here's the latest idea (please tear it up as you feel necessary):

1. I'm not going to put the 500g tank above the 1000g sump. Instead, I'm going to use the 1000g as a fish tank, putting the pump a few feet from the bottom, in case there's a sudden leak my fish won't run out of water. I'm keeping the 500g for another system I plan to build!

2. Above the tank, I'm going to install a filter. Either use the same drum I have now, or get an IBC and turn it into a filter of some sort (still debating on which type, but I do want a filter).

3. I'm still going to have 6 grow beds but to be able to use the same pump I have now, I'm thinking about feeding 3 from the filter, and the other 3 would be floating rafts gravity fed from the GB's. I'd like to make the GB's f&d, but not sure if the rafts need a constant flow of water or if they'll be fine as long as I put in some air stones. (Please let me know!)

Ideas? Opinions? Have no mercy!

Please take a look at the pic below. It's not the best doodle (or the best photo)!

Thanks!

First off, it's been so long since I had the pump in the fish tank I've forgotten the options on doing it. I've never been wild about the pump in the fish tank that's off the bottom. There is a tendency to accumulate solids (at least I remember this from when I ran this way ). Maybe it could be on the bottom with a float switch so that if the tank gets to low the pump shuts off? I think that might be a better way.

I like that you're going with the bigger tank for the Fish Tank.

What size are the growbeds and DWC beds? This matters for the water level fluctuations.