Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

OK, I'm starting to think about my second system and need lots of ideas.

I'm thinking of using my 50,000ltr megapuddle which currently houses about a dozen koi and a hundred baby goldfish. The goldies are only in there because it's so damned hard to catch them (I think I need to invest in a dragnet). I want to keep the megapuddle for koi only.

The basic outline of what I'm thinking is to use the pond as a sump and pump up to a couple of IBCs for trout and barra and then gravity feed from the IBCs down to about 4000 ltr of blue barrel growbeds lined up around the pool. Due to space availability I can get about 4000 ltr of growbed if I split the barrels across the middle but only about 2500 ltr if I split them down the middle.

I need to work out what size pump and what type of irrigation system to use.

If I use flood and drain would I need to use a bell siphon in each barrel. Would the barrels need to be up off the ground for a bell siphon to work.

Would it be possible to put a layer of coconut fiber on top of each barrel and pump water in on top using the natural wicking ability of the coconut fiber to distribute the water and drain from the bottom in a constant trickle system, or would the water not distribute evenly through the media this way.

Any ideas on how big a budget I'm going to need for this project, considering that I have nothing to start with but the megapuddle and the original pool plumbing that goes with it.

Setting up a lot of blue barrel growbeds means a lot of plumbing and expense. IBC's cut in half would give you your 4000L of growbed with just 8 beds, blue barrels 40 beds

I know IBCs would be better but the problem is that the only space I have for IBCs is at the opposite end of the yard to the power and the pool plumbing. So the only way I could see to use the IBCs would be to run plumbing across about 20 meters of yard.

Ok, that's fine. Blue barrels work fine so go for it, but just be prepared for a lot of plumbing and potential leaks
Just go for it I say