Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hello everyone!

I've been following this forum for a long time now and have learned a lot about aquaponics from many of the experts here. I have been reading about AP for about 2 years now and I think I am ready to start my system for real now. This post will be my way of tracking my progress as well as a place to get some needed information from everyone here.

My plan
My plan is to build a larger system than most people start out with simply because I have found through my reading that the larger the system, the easier it is (if a large garden is actually easy....lol) to manage the PH, nitrites and nitrates. Plus, the larger system (read that as larger FT) fluctuates slower when it comes to temperature and stress levels on the fish and plants.

My experience
My goal is to have a lot of veggies and such for my family as well as a small income from selling the extra produce at my local farmer's market. I already have a presence at the farmer's market for my wife's arts & crafts business and I have seen many of the regular farmer's do quite well from week to week. The only problem they have is dealing with the weather and the instability of what is available to sell week to week. I have been soil gardening for about 25 years now so I know how to start seeds and to care for the plants. I also have years of experience maintaining multiple freshwater fish aquariums so I am very well versed in testing the water and dealing with fish illnesses and such. I'm also a pretty good woodworker and with that experience I will be building a new fish tank building and attached greenhouse.

System Design
Since I want to maximize my space for fish and plants, I am planning to use 2 x 625gallon round FT that are 8' diameter x 2' high. These FT will be purchased from my local ag supplier and I have found a couple other people who use them for an AP setup already. I have not chosen a pump yet nor have I decided on the GB setup. I'm thinking about going the same route as JT by building my own GB's but that is where I am having some trouble that I hope ya'll can help out with.

I'm planning on a CHIFT/PIST setup but I'm a little confused on how to properly calculate the amount of maximum GB to FT/ST. I will be working on a basic design on graph paper that I can pop on the forum in another post but here's the basic thinking. Hopefully you can all follow my thinking and help me with the GB sizing.

My FT building will be around 20'x20' with a 20'x50' greenhouse attached.


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*not drawn to scale

I'm planning to build a platform on the northern wall of the FT building that is roughly 16' in length for the two FT's. Underneath the platform would be 1 or 2 more of these 8'd x 2'h round tanks for the ST. The GB's would be in the GH of course. I'm thinking that I would plumb the ST to pump the water up to FT1 which would overflow to FT2 and then FT2 would overflow to the GB's. That's just an idea that I came up with to ensure the water in the FT and ST are thoroughly mixed so I don't have problems with one FT/ST having more nutrients for it's GB's than FT2/ST2. Whether that is the final design really depends on the number of GB's that I have and whether or not they can be filled then drained quick enough back to the ST to ensure I don't run out of water in the ST.

Another option would be to pump water from one ST to the opposite FT which will overflow to specific GB's dedicated to that FT. Then have the water from those GB's drain to the other ST which has it's own dedicated GB's. This may sound complicated but I want to grow 2 different fishies.

I basically need some help figuring out the size of the GB's and the number I need for the volume of water I will have available. I'm not sure if I should be calculating the GB sizes based on the volume of water I have available or by the sq. footage of the GB's......

If I go by sq. ft, I think I need something like 6 GB's at 12'x4'x1' (is this too big for a 15/45 flood/drain). I don't have the calculations of media volume to water volume in front of me right now. I believe this size GB is around 350gallons but with the media, only 40% or so of that will be water. With 1250 gallons available (let's just use 1000gallons so I don't pump the ST dry), that leaves me with a bunch of GB capacity. I may be completely wrong here so any help is appreciated.

That's about it for now. I will be checking to see if anyone has responded and I will get back to anyone if there are additional questions.

Hi AquaPonicsFTW and welcome, ill be quick as got to go but, i just skimmed over your thread, looks like you have an exciting build ahead of you.
Just for the record i am also a newbie.
As for Gb size in relation to FT size i understand it as 1 part FT Volume to 2 part GB Volume but this is not an exact science and stocking levels also effect this and can be used to tune the system so to speak.
I my calculations i also included sump volumes as i have a large sump colume and intend to add yabbies to them.
Forget about measuring media etc, just base it off the used volumes of your tanks and GB's.
Stocking level is a personal choice and the opinions vary, however from my research off this forum 1 fish per 25 litres is what i chose to run with in my FT.
With regards how you tie in your FT's, ST and GB's, i would make sure you keep the 2 FT's separate, ie not mixing water between them, so in effect you will be running 2 completely separate systems side by side.

Good luck and be sure to add plenty of pics right from the start both for our benefit and yours. I find myself flicking back over my build thread all the time, its quite interesting watching your own build grow and change direction etc.

Thanks kita for the reply. I'm thinking that running two separate systems to the GB's would be an issue for me if there were issues with one but not the other, ie. ph high/low, algae problems, etc. I'm leaning towards keeping the water in the ST's and FT's mixed will ensure I'm using the nitrates across the entire GB system so I don't have to think about which system is producing more nitrates for those heavy nitrate plants. Maybe someone else has another suggestion. I'm sure someone will ask but I don't want to dig a huge ST. that's a lot of digging in hard clay soil where the FT house will be sitting. Maybe I could just run a pipe between the two ST's near the bottom of the tanks so the water will circulate between them. That way I only need 1 main pump.

Dont get me wrong you can certainly link the ST's and also the FT's but for each benefit you mentioned there is also a pitfall. You get an algal bloom in 1 then you get it in both, fish get sick in 1 then fish get sick in both, get a leak in 1 then both are effected.
Dont be scared of the PH, Nitrites, Nitrates and Ammonia levels, although crucial they are generally stable and if you test regularly then its just simple adjustments from time to time to correct before it becomes an issue.
Take a look at my system, i am running 2 systems side by side. Stage 1 had socks on the outlets to try and filter some sediment but one blocked and partially came off causing a water spout that sprayed over the side consequently draining the system to point of shut down but only effects that system. I dont know why but stage 2 has now got an algal problem but it only effects stage 2 which at this point has no fish in it, they are safely in stage 1.
At the end of the day i wouldnt put all my eggs in 1 basket but others might, its a matter of personal choice, but make sure you weigh up the pros and cons of both because you will get attached to your system and a lot of work goes into it.

I understand Kita. I'll think about it a little more. Once I get closer to actually buying the hardware and such is where the rubber will hit the road for my decision.

Well, the building permit for the fish tank building and the greenhouse are approved! Had to get a site survey done today to find the septic tank and drain field lines. I had to modify my design of the buildings a little bit to make it fit so I'm not building over the drain field lines but it is doable. Next step is to stake out the building corners to adjust the design as needed and then a lot of digging to prepare the foundation under the building. That will begin this weekend. I'll post some picks of the design and the area where I'm going to build.

Can anyone tell me a recommended depth for the GB's? 12" or 18"? I'm pricing out my GB costs for the wood and liner so any recommendations are appreciated. I'm a little surprised that I've had 90+ views of my post but only 1 person has responded to any of my questions. maybe all of the experts are on vacation.....

Hello Chris

Some people are just nosy...

My gbs are closer to 12 inch. Would be nice to be able to build something that easily, here everything needs to be built to cyclone code and inspected a lot of times along the build.

Good luck with your plans.

Cheers

You have the correct idea. One big system to start with.
I started with about 1700 gallons of fish tank, and my future green house will have 3 2000 gallons system. If you can go big, go for it. It has been proven that Aquaponics works. So, there is no need to experiment with small system.
You have done well educating yourself from all posted good materials. And there are many good people here that are willing to help with any questions that you might have.

Take care, enjoy your build, and get ready to spend a lot of time and money. But it is really a good and very healthy hobby!!

Best regards, from the Great State of North Carolina.

PS
I do love Georgia too. Spent too many years at Fort Benning, Fort Gordon, and there is the other one, which is very hot and steamy, I really would like to forget about that one because of too many snakes. I do not like water mucks!!!

Thanks Gwydion for the recommendation. I was leaning towards 12" depth but I have read others who went with 18". Most of the barrel systems look to be around 12" once the barrel has been cut in half.

Zubin, yes, it is very hot in Georgia. I still have a lot to do and money is really not the problem. It's the time to actually build the buildings and put it all together. Working just on the weekends and a little during the week will probably take me at least a month to build the FT building alone. The GH should be a little easier since it won't involve as much lumber. I'm planning to use greenhouse panels for the roof and to build some simple frames covered with heavy clear plastic with an air barrier for insulation for the walls of the GH. Sorta like decalsbyJT did in his GH. That way I can remove them during the summer to let those bees in for pollination.

to work out sizes and flows there is a calculator here:- http://www.aquaponic.com.au/calculators.htm

Quick update and question.

I have my building permit now for the FT building and greenhouse! whoohoo. Now I need some grading done and some crusher run spread for the building base. Getting some quotes this afternoon so hopefully that will be done by this weekend.

Should I go with #4 River Rock (Brown) 1 1/2" x 2" or #7 River Rock (Brown) 1/2"? I'm going to need about 1.5 cubic yards per 10'x4'x12" GB but I don't know if I should put in 9" of river rock and the last 3" with hydroton. Or should I just go with all river rock? The river rock is $45-$55 per yard so not too bad. I can get 50L of hydroton for about $30 at the hydroponics stores in Atlanta.

I'm planning on having 3 GB's in the greenhouse and will probably set the system up as a constant flood with a syphon setup. I will have 2 FT (round; 675 gallons each) along with 1 (or 2???) sump tank. Should I match my sump tank(s) volume to match the FT's for a constant flood setup? Did i mention that I hate math?

River rock is going to have limestone in it which will cause you high ph. Go get a sample, put it in a plastic cup and fill with vinegar. If it bubbles it has limestone in it. Check into expanded shale at bulk landscaping suppliers that have mulch. It is much lighter and cleans easily. You won't need to use hydroton as it is easy to dig in. Some it actually floats.

Hi AquaPonics FTW, great to hear the approval was successful, as for the gravel media i personally (baring in mind i am also a newbie) would run with the larger gravel for the first half then top up with the smaller. I havnt used the hydrton but not a fan of it, prob ok if growing lettuces etc but if growing something tall or top heavy, they can have a tendency of falling over and requiring staking.

As for the sump, if running constant flood then dont need a large one, however if you have a lge sump there are a couple benefits,
1, larger volume of water means more stable system in all aspects inc temp
2, flexibility, can change to flood and drain with ease or add other styles such as DWC/FR or towers etc
3, top up required less frequently
4, can run marron or other species in sump tanks

As a minimum i personally wanted a sump that could handle all my GB's dumping at the same time and still have some room, baring in mind that a 300l GB will only hold about a 3rd of that capacity in water once filled with media.

Hope this helps

Oh and as RairdogAp says, do the vinegar test as some of our river pebble here in oz failed the test.

Thanks rairdogAP and Kitacooch for the replies. I plan on checking the river rock first with the vinegar test but it's always good to be reminded of that need. I don't want any PH issues after spending a lot of money on media.

I was planning on just using 1 ST @ 675gallons but I will need to really think about my design once the GH is built for the plumbing. Since the ST is round and 8' across, I may need to centrally locate it under the GB's in the middle of the GH and build a simple bridge over the middle of it so I can still access the GB's. Maybe I will go with another type of ST instead at first to see what kind of volume I need. Maybe a 300gallon tank would be better. I'll upload some pictures of the design once I get the buildings finished.

The grading is happening this Saturday for the buildings. Then I have to install some footings for the GH. Gonna order the wood next week and hope to get started on the framing and floor for the FT building next weekend. Failure is not an option. If nothing else, the storage building and GH will add some value to the property in the future as long as it looks good.