Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

hey all, just starting to arrange materials for my first AP system.
I got into growing veggies and some fruits 18 months ago and just recently got my first mini greenhouse which has been amazing!
I thought the next step would be hydroponics but after a lot of study I have decided that AP would be a lot more enjoyable.

I will be getting 3 ibc tanks and one 50 litre barrel for my start up.
1 full ibc for fishtank
1 chopped ibc for a grow bed and sump
1 spare ibc for possible yabbie or crayfish (if I can get the ibc tanks cheap)
and finally the barrel for a solids filter.

its gonna be a long process to get everything together but I will be pouring over all the info I can find to assist myself.

im thinking of an ebb and flow (flood/drain) system for the grow bed but still not too sure.
im an electrician so pumps, timers and so on are easy enough to sort, even tank heaters and coils for cooling are a fairly simple option as I work with airconditioning folk most days.

anyways any help would be awesome! thanks all

pronga,

Welcome to byap. I'm new here also; you've joined a great group of people. The site is full of useful information and resources. Read, read, and read some more. Once you start building your system you'll start receiving advice from those with lots of AP experience. Heed their advice--and you maybe able to sidestep some issues that they have already developed preventative measures for (through trial and error). Again, welcome and can't wait to see you grow your system.

Welcome Pronga,

I would use the full IBC as your sump and use the cut down IBC for your yabbie or crayfish tank.

The bigger the sump the better, I cut my sump down instead of digging it in and now it runs very close to the limit with no chance of adding any more to the system without a major redesign, that extra water would have been so handy.

Spend the time planning your system and get it right first up, once you're up and running it's a big job to change things.

I'm pretty new to AP so haven't got much in the way of advice however I am wishing I had more grow beds....(as you might once you're done building) so maybe consider more grow space from the outset?