Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Had my barrels dropped off today, got 4 55 gallon blue food grade.
I found what will be my fishtank at Tractor Supply, the 100 gal tank is $69 with a drain, the 110 gallon is 60 w/o the drain, I just have to find a way to pick it up..

I might be able to go pick up my lumber for framing and pvc for pluming today or tomorrow, it all depends on finding a truck to use..

We rent our house, so aren't planning anything permanent. I do plan on making my growbeds in 2 pair, with some valves separating them, so i can bring one pair into the basement for winter growing, i already have a growlight (it was a gift, i've never used it)

I'm waiting to contact a place within a couple hours of here that may have yellow perch - i've found a little bit here on that subject, all pretty interesting. In the stores it goes for $13 to $15 /lb, and a pound is made up of 3 or 4 butterfly fillets. As a kid (lived in the same town as today right on lake erie) we would catch yp by the bucketful, not so much now. There good eats at 10 to 12 oz, and is pretty much the size you find in restaurants that do server yp (lotsa fish fry's around here, most use yp). I'm thinking i'll start with 50 after my system is cycling - starting it up with minnows, and local crayfish - which are much smaller that what you aussie's have! i'm really interested in the fresh water prawn's, further down the road anyways.
I'll get some pic's up as i go, and I look forward to input and comments
oh, it's was 4 deg celsius when i was out this am!

I think I would recommend starting with a smaller number of fish in the system for the first season at least.

Sounds like you are talking about 200 gallons of grow bed hooked to 100 gallons of fish tank. At max stocking once mature that might mean 40 lb of fish but for a first season, I always recommend starting with less than what the max might be. Like counting each fish as 1 lb and then under stock even below that a bit. So maybe 30-40 fish max to start. That is just my recommendation but I must say I did fairly well keeping my first batches of fish alive.

So, if you are having 200 gallons of grow bed and 100 gallons of fish tank, how are you gonna deal with the water level fluctuations? Will you use a sump tank or will you use an indexing valve?

just picked up most of my lumber, and pvc.. still need a few more 2x4's

i'm planning to have 100 gallons of growbed using 2 55 gal barrels cut in half.. not sure about which tank yet, but i do have a ride with a truck this evening to go pick it up, probably the 110 gallon tank
the other two barrels,, one is going to be my flood tank (cut down), the other, either a maggot farm, or my winter tank.. or a float bed.. still thinkin on that one (sorry about the confusion on that!)

i was thinking 50 was a bit much, but worried about loosing a few..
i imagine i'll harvest some smaller ones as the summer progresses, and i want to bring in 10-20 over the winter

and i'm not sure about the pump, saw a few reasonable pumps, to pump 200gph @ 6' head, - a little over kill maybe, but ok i think, since i'll be diverting some flow for aeration, like the barrelponics system

i was thinking that i'd use valves to balance the flow between the 2 pairs of growbeds, but am looking for a smaller indexing valve as well just to maybe check that out

If smin can get a 300 gallon home on a saturn, bet you can do it with 100.

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=5862&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=texas+sump&start=30

So funny! scroll about 1/2 down.

Yep, proof is also off to the left there.
Just don't fill it more than half full or you'll slosh when stopping... Or turning... Or anything...
Granny-with-shotgun not included.

100 gallons of grow bed only supports around 20 lbs of fish when mature so you should probably only put 20 small fish (MAX and I would probably do less) to start if you are cycling it up with fish. If you fishless cycle well before adding fish you get a bit more leeway.

Please remember that if you over stock in plans on fish dieing, you are risking majorly spiking the system and the possibility of killing all the fish. Stocking an extra couple fish is one thing, over stocking with twice as many fish as a system can support in a brand new system to boot, might be really asking for trouble.

thanks for the replies,
hopefully i'll be able to begin cycling the system this week, then add some small fish after a few days..then in about 2 weeks, i'll add the yp

haven't posted in a while, but i've been readin posts, getting inspired, and trying to make the best decisions on how i'm gonna do this..
anyways, my best laid plans and all usually hit bumps.. but i picked up the 110 gallon tank for my FT without any problems.. but the following weekend..
went to rent a truck to get gravel and blocks for the GB stands on saturday, and found out my drivers license expired (ha), took care of that, got river gravel and blocks, almost finished the frames to hold the half barrels and ran out of screws (double ha).. started raining so packed everything in the garage saturday night, sunday picked up screws, started raining, but finished the frame in the garage
found a major score yesterday and verified today, found 50l hydroton for $19.90 15 miles from my job, picked up 4 bags (wish i could have bought more!)
so i've refined my plan, 2 pairs of 1/2 barrel grow beds, with some valves to isolate, so i can bring one pair of GB's in over the winter and try my luck with a light (other long range plans would include breeding indoors over the winter, but i don't want to get to far ahead of myself)

my plan is to get the stands painted and set this weekend, and barrels mostly plumbed-pretty much sticking to the barrelponics method for each pair.
got a small stock of pee to start the cycling, and first add minnows before getting to my planned fish (either yellow perch or bluegill, found sources for both within 2hrs drive), i'm thinking at this point 20 to 30, as well as a handful of local crayfish. i'm gonna try to get some duckweed for one of the flood tank tops, maybe both, but not sure yet on that part.
even the wife is getting excited about it!
still getting some hard frosts up here, but last years parsley, sage and oregeno are sprouting in my step daughter's dirt garden remains from last year (her first, she started digging this years)
and as soon as i have something to take pictures of, i'll get them up

finished my flush valves tonight, my wife got a 7 dollar camera thats about 1.5" sq, so here's the results;
looking east, it gets sun from early am till 5ish


a little different angle, looking southish (i'll take the pic's next time )


finished the flood valves tonight after work, i think i have everything to put the pump in and pipe it up tomorrow night
there's a 110 gallon ft not really in the pic's but there will be more soon

got it plumbed on tuesday, watched it cycle for a while and had to show the wife.. when i left for work wednesday am, it was still running fine, but i got a call from home in the afternoon that the ft was almost empty, but still pumping water, one of the elbows under the flood tank came loose, so my neighbors were checking out the system and repaired it, and filled it back up.. i get home and all is running fine
i saw that it was a good day to plant corn (lunar planting) so i went ahead and started that, got all excited and planted a little of everything, then the storm started and i got called from work - ended up working till after 11 last night, but when i checked the system before bed, it was doing fine (i emptied a couple of buckets of water so it wouldn;'t overflow in the rain)
this am, it was almost empty again, this time the little "shower head" dealio i put on had gotten clogged in a couple of the pinholes, so all the pressure was squirtin one line outta the fish tank... pump was still running, adjusted the spray, and put the hose in the Fishtank to refill.. it was filled before i left for work, so we'll see how it goes today..
i have one dose of aged humonia left so that will go in tonight, added 6 red worms and castings to each grow bed last night before the rain hit
the wife took some more pic's but i didn't have time to do anything with them, hopefully i'll get them up tonight, maybe some fresh ones when i get home

glad i never questioned "fishless cycling"

oh, and i mentioned what i am doing to a couple people at work, one offered me a pond liner that he wasn't going to use (not sure of the size, a smaller one, but i'll take it)
and another guy offered me a 130 gallon aquarium! - he has to check with his wife first though.. i made the system with 2 separate pairs of beds so i can bring one pair into the basement over the winter

What awesome neighbors!

The wooden stands you built are very pretty

It looks like it's going to be a very good looking system.

yah, the neighbors are very curious about it, i heard how i could improve it tonight!

pretty huh? i don't get that allot!

got home tonight and topped the water off (it was where i left it this am) here are a couple of pics
the fishtank, one pair of beds draining


me;


a view from the back porh;

Hi Keith,
Looking good.
But, please put a lid on your Fish Tank, not just to stop Algae growth (from direct Sun light contact) but most importantly, to keep out the little Kiddlettes that become very interested in things containing water and fish!!
We have very strict laws in OZ about covering water containers/ponds/pools/spas/etc just for this reason.

I put windows in my FT so the Kids could look and not be tempted to crawl over and in.


Anyway, keep the good stuff coming,
Cheers IanK

Thanks Ian,
another plan is covering for the tank, hopefully that will be done this weekend, along with getting some duckweed for the top overflow tanks.
this is addicting