Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I started on my aquaponics system today. First I had to clean out and move the bird aviary (for sale in case anyone wants it)

Then it was re-leveling up up some of the sunken pavers.

Then the fun begins
Moving around two IBC's - one as a FT and the other cut into two GB's. I had picked up an old spa tub and was toying with this as the fish tank but the dimensions were wrong so I cut it out the centre section to use as a sump tank. I am hoping my ST is big enough it is calculated at 530 litres.

I have room beside the FT for another cut down IBC GB or some small tubs as GB's
I plan on running flood and drain with bell syphons.
Hoping to use 32mm pump from pump to FT/GBs and 40mm from FT via SLO to either a swirl or a radial flow filter.
Obviously the GB's need to be lifted up yet as I have only placed items at the moment. I have hardwood joists and besser blocks for this.

It will then all get clad in some brushbox flooring I scored for nix.

Let me know if I have done anything wrong

Bird aviary removed - unproductive birds

sounds good. Post some pics when you are able to.
That will help to provide some feedback as things come together.

what type and rating is your pump ?

Pump is a Jebao 3500l/hr. Can be run wet or dry

Trying to add photos but having difficulty. Is there an easy way to do this? Small JPEGs so size is not the issue

the instructions are here - viewforum.php?f=4 (top 2 threads)
go down towards the bottom of the adding image tutorial for an alternate explanation and some updates.
images must be below 900x900 pixels.

if you get stuck and are on a PC display the image on the computer screen and use the snipping tool.
make the photos about 1/4 of the screen or less. Save as jpg - that should do the trick.
(if you cant find snipping tool type into the search/cortana and that will locate it)

3500 LPH is a good sized pump. Should be fine.

Got it sorted - Thanks for your help. Didn't have the pics quite small enough.

yep - pics all there now.

wondering that the spa sump may be a bit small.
Best to have the volume of your grow beds plus a bit spare.
will probably run OK but may not have enough capacity if water level drops down a bit.

rest looks fine.

one option for the fish tank is to simply trim off the top leaving you with the full 900-950mm height.
Gives a good volume that way and room for pipes. Plus the FT will be naturally high for SLO outflows.

Thanks Darren, I was wondering about that sump size, particularly if I add further grow beds. I was thinking of getting another IBC and getting one more grow bed and using the rest for a sump. I also have some drums arriving soon so I may one/some of those cut down to beef up sump capacity.

What are your thoughts on digging the sumps in, possibly under one of the grow bed? I could move it under put in under the one furthest from FT as it is pavers there. The FT sits on a concrete slab so that spot is not an option. Allergic to breaking up concrete

Any thoughts on insulating the FT before cladding it?

It looks quite small, so I'd use that tub as a GB and use a full IBC for the ST. Insulation is a good idea for the FT, it helps reduce the diurnal temperature range- fish prefer a reasonably constant temperature.

Thanks Gunagulla. I will follow your suggestion and track down another IBC.
As I will be using auto syphons do I need a full size IBC as a sump? I have seen several systems with 4 growbeds on auto syphons using what seems to be a single sump only about 450mm deep.

What are your suggestions for insulation if I am cladding the surround with timber palings. Do you suggest polystyrene or wool or fibreglass batts or something else? What works best? I've tried browsing and searching the forums but there is sooo much info here.

Got my syphons built today and cut the hatch in the fish tank and ripped down all the hardwood supports to a uniform size.
Starting to take shape.

The larger the sump, the more stable your water temp will be, and the longer you can leave it between top-ups- especially important in hot weather if you are away for a couple of days.

The insulation will need to be unaffected by rain, so polystyrene is good, so long as there is no sun on it. Batts would turn into a soggy useless mess if wet.

>> What are your thoughts on digging the sumps in, possibly under one of the grow bed?

+1 to what Gordon has said above.

If you don't want the full IBC size even 700-800Litres is good.
You can get this by cutting horizontally and keeping the cage and pallet.
this helps keep the beds at around 1-1.2m above ground which is comfortable to reach over.

700-800 litres will give you 2-3 grow bed volumes (a 250-300mm media IBC GB has about 100-150L water in it)
plus some spare as Gordon notes.

The trick is not to have all your siphons firing at once
So make sure they are not too fast.

You can use the foil wrap type stuff (like the car windshield protectors but larger)
Best is the fridge panels that are common in refrigerated trucks/containers etc
(but not so easy to come across)
Most insulation will require some level of UV protection.

Thanks Darren I can probably get some builders foil and wrap the polystyrene as well. What thickness of foam do you recommend? I would be assuming the foil would be on the outside to stop external heat changes with the foam inside of that to retain the inside temp. Would you recommend insulation to both the ST and the FT?

not really sure as I don't insulate my tanks so don't have a handle for thickness versus effectiveness.
in cases the air gap and reduction of UV/sunlight heating is as important as the material.

most people around here would probably just go with whatever they can get their hands on.
suspect the outdoor roofing sheet or shed roof liner level stuff would be a starting point - think that is about 18-25mm (inch).

Here there is a product for fence posts, its a closed cell Polyurethane

Sika Polyurethane Fence Post Mix (Actual Net Contents: 33-fl oz)

Lowes Item # 759030 Model # 483503 $10.77 bag

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Sika-Polyureth ... /999977070

A 2-component, pre-proportioned polyurethane resin that produces an expanding foam for supporting and backfilling fence, mail box, gate, and signage posts

Suitable for all types of posts including wood, steel and PVC

Lightweight pouch replaces two 50-lb bags of post mix

No water or special tools needed

Sets in 3 minutes and cures in 2 hours

Closed cell Polyurethane has a R-Value of 5.5 - 6.5 per inch thickness.

From my own personal use, it works fine for insulating IBC fish tanks or GB's.

Been a week of rain here this week so not much action. Also its a bit slow as I am waiting on the sale of my aviary for release of aquaponics funds

A few hours of sunshine this afternoon so I made the most of it and I fitted the uniseals to two of the grow beds and then fitted the siphons. This will allow the grow beds to drain with this weeks forecast rain.

Also made up the SLO and fitted that ready to continue the plumbing.

Looks like I might have sold the aviary so I am hoping to pick another IBC this weekend for the sump and a future grow bed