Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi guys

Just a short into - I live in the Caribbean and just build a 3 bed, 275 gallon FT based off of Murray Hallam's IBC tote aquaponics. I use rainwater from my cistern to fill the tanks and 1/2" - 3/4"jamaican river stone for the growing medium. I only have 2 grow beds hooked up at the moment, as I'm only using a 510 gph pump (I have a 1000 gph, but I can't locate an adapter that support the size plumbing i'm using (1" for pump lines and fish tank return, 2" for fish tank drain to sump).

I'm on Day 2. The bell siphons are working, but it takes about 45 minutes to completely fill the bed, and about a few minutes (~3-5 minutes) to drain. I tested the water today and the pH is around 8.5. I am waiting on my freshwater API kit in the mail so I have not tested ammonia and nitrate/nitrite levels yet. The water is brown and murky from the riverstone, as the delivery guy had some other soil in the bed of truck that mixed into the river stone that I bought and I just dumped everything into the grow beds. I also did a water temperature reading in the fish tank today and it was about 82F. Just a few questions I was curious about I didn't find in the forums.

Here's a video of my setup (I haven't installed the air stone or drilled holes in the fill pipe from the sump to add aeration to the water yet)

1) Would it be OK if I added a few minnows from a nearby lake to get the ammonia going and possibly start a fish cycle?

2) Should I replace the murky water in the tank with fresh rainwater (i have 10,000 gallons sitting below my house as its been raining non stop for weeks now)

3) Can I leave the 510 gph pump for now (seems to be doing the job ok - although the water from the fish tank to the sump is trickling in a little faster than the water flow to the beds.

Thanks everyone!!

Where is the video? Can I search it on youtube?

In regards to the questions you posed... For #1, Wild caught is fine and work well. I have wild fish mixed with hatchery fish and there are no problems.

To answer the other two questions; the video may help with context.

Oh, and welcome to the forum Everyone love pictures!

J.B.