Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Aight folks, I'm gonna try my hand at this whole aquaponics thing here on the ranch. I've got 12 acres and ponds already but tilling, bending over, planting/weeding, praying for rain (or it to stop lately) isn't to appealing.

Here's a rendering close to what I plan but sump will be next to fish tank to reduce head on pump.


Looking to run summer crops/tilapia & winter crops/trout, as well as possibly koi year round. Being near Houston, TX - a virtual greenhouse - I only plan to cover top with green panels so the high noon sun doesn't overheat water.

I have a 200w 500gph Little Giant pump on hand. (Free) I plan on running 24/7?

Totes are also free however their previous life was machining coolant so a good cleaning is in order.

My questions:
1) Is 500gph sufficient? (call it 300-375 after head reduction)
2) If not, what recommendations would you have for a pump for this system? More efficient? (Brand/model)
3) Is additional aeration required for fish tank?
4) Would you pump to grow beds & tank or tank only only letting SLO drain supply water to grow beds?
5) Is greenhouse necessary? Or does it just help keep a controlled atmosphere?
6) Suggested cleaning solutions for tanks?

Sorry for all the questions and I know I'll have more, I've never kept fish unless the were "keepers" for table fare. No need to answer them all if you agree with other's response you may skip. Thanks in advance for all y'all's input. I've got lots to learn, looking forward to start this winter.


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Hi Doc! Welcome to the forum! I'm not the most experienced poster here but I think I can help a bit.

1) That should be sufficient flow; the general rule of thumb is that you should aim to turn over the volume of your fish tank once every hour, and since the average IBC holds roughly 264 gallons you should be managing that fine, plus some extra.

2) No idea but like I said your current pump should be fine!

3) Not precisely required but it is a good idea, especially in hot weather. You can supply good aeration by putting a venturi or spray bar on your inlet, but I strongly recommend getting an air pump with a battery backup - if you have a power cut or a pump failure and the water stops moving you can lose your fish shockingly fast, but a battery backup air pump can save you.

4) Me personally, I'd go with pumping to the tank and then SLO to the growbeds, because you may not have enough extra pump capacity to split the flow and manage both tank turnover in an hour and sufficient flow to growbeds for efficient nitrification / siphon operation. Also, if you do decide you want to pump to both, I think you'd need to add in a filter of some sort to stop all the solids ending up in the sump; otherwise it would need regular cleaning, and when the gunk went back through the pump into the fish tank it'd get minced up into fine particles that wouldn't be good for the fishes' gills. If you go tank -> SLO -> growbeds -> sump, the growbeds do the filtering job very nicely.

5) Do you get strong wind? Bad storms? Lots of bugs? Roaming wildlife (birds, rats, possums, the neighbourhood cats) you'd like to keep out of your veges? If yes, maybe go with the greenhouse! Given that you're in Houston, maybe white shadecloth or bug netting walls instead of polycarbonate or glass so that you get more air circulation while still being enclosed?

6) Not sure on this one - but if you can get the MSDS safety sheets for the original tank contents, that'll tell you whether it was something you should avoid altogether and possibly give tips for cleanup.

Good luck with the build (and take pictures! We love pictures!)

Great! Thanks for the tips & suggestions. Gonna try to get a solar powered aerator put together for regular use providing backup for power failure.

So I looked up the contents' MSDS and from my understanding all should be well. It's a water soluble machine coolant so a good healthy cleaning & it shouldn't affect anything.

"Triethanolamine is practically non-toxic to aquatic organisms on an acute basis."




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Awesome!

your picture basically proposes a CHIFT-PIST or CHOP2 system - so looking around this forum with CHIFT-PIST will find lots of info (CHIFT-PIST is preferred here). Only one pump needed. Pump in sump, pump to FT and then overflow (using a SLO) to the grow beds. Lots of acronyms to enjoy...
for help with them see here... http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/information/glossary/
you need to use the acronyms if/when you search.


200W is pretty high for a pump of only 500 gph (~2000 L/hr.)
a single IBC fish tank system can easily be run with a pump <100W and around 3000L/ph or so (800 gph).
(see bottom)


500gph (2000 L/hr) is bit low IMO but will work - mostly IBC's can be run OK with 3000 L/hr 60-80W pond pumps. But a 2000 L/hr is about the lowest you want to go. As you note it really comes down to what the actual flow rate is after lift, but you may struggle to get adequate aeration with a limited flow.


aeration is only really an issue if either (a) your pump flow rate is inadequate or (b) you have a high fish stocking level. Neither is really recommended for a new system as it raises the risk of problems and fish death. I would invest in a good pump rather than aeration personally. If you need extra aeration in a starter system then you are doing something wrong or have a specific reason that you need it (eg. to be a backup supply).

my advice is to make the sump as large as you can. Go at least half IBC (20inches or 500mm) which will get you 500L (140 Gallon). Nothing worse than cutting too small a sump.

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Pump brands vary here in Aust so you need a fellow statesider on the brand names.
Lots of cheap eBay / discount ones to avoid. If sounds like a bargain that is too good to be true probably is.....

Examples are the ones sold by the BYAP shop here http://backyardaquaponicsshop.com/produ ... nts/pumps/
They are common Australian ones that have been found to be suitable for AP.
You will source the US equivalent but these provide a good indication of specs you should look for.
You can look up flow data on the respective websites.

Most IBC systems suitable pumps start upwards from the $125 S3000 (60W 3000 Lph) or the $195 PondMaxPU 3000L dirty water.
I suspect that you will find something similar in USA just different name, but you want a reputable rather than a cheap brand given the hours and hopefully years you will need it to run for.

I agree with Darren there seems to be something wrong with the watts used and water moved. Little Giants used to be reasonable pumps so it would be good if you could give us the model no.

The model is a 3E-12NY. For some reason this model online says 230v while mine is 115v. Looking at charts of others in 3series lineup I assume it is 200w.


I don't mind buying a better more economical pump. I found this at Fish store. Haven't researched it or compared pricing, yet.


I do plan on adding a solar powered aerator as a backup.


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The little giant I would say is not really suitable for our application based on its efficiency (you can always keep it as a standby pump if its for free) .
I will wait for someone from the US to comment on suitable pumps available over there.

Things you are looking for are some solids handling, preferably a longish cord, I prefer at least a 3/4 inlet outlet and a pump curve that is efficient at a 3' lift.

I would go at least 800 gph. The cost wont be any/much different.

Also as Sleepe notes make sure whatever you buy has a reasonable discharge pipe diameter - 3/4 to 1" is good.
(19mm to 25mm). Stay away from 1/2" (13mm) - too thin and you get to much flow resistance.

As with Sleepe I cant help with the brand.
But at least you are not showing us $50 pumps from eBay
That one looks along the lines of the ones we use here - but best to check a USA AP'er or pond person.


cue Scotty....... he might also delete the duplicate posts as well

Got the duplicates.

Pond pumps are one of those items where it sometimes makes sense to spend money up front. A better more efficient pump will pay for itself in electricity savings. My favorites are the Laguna MaxFlo pond pumps (I have three of them and none have failed (The newest is at least two or three years old and the oldest is probably 5). They are cheaper to run and are able to handle solids (size of solids depends on the model). If you're paying for the electric then get a good pump. The Laguna MaxFlo 600 is listed as using 32 Watts vs the 200 Watts yours is listed as. That will really add up fast if yours is what it says.

Most pumps have a chart that tells you how much they can pump at any given head height. The head height is the top of the water the pump is in to the highest point that it will be pumping to. There's an example flow chart in the specifications here for the Laguna's - http://www.homesalive.ca/laguna-max-flo-pond-pumps.html
I like to have a bit of extra flow (above the one tank volume per hour) to use for aeration and I regulate the flow using a ball valve.

Shop around, it can make a big difference in price -
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=24199&cmpid=11cseYY&gclid=CKG2g-6B98wCFUVhfgodchgCKQ

http://www.amazon.com/Laguna-Max-Flo-Waterfall-Filter-Pump/dp/B000MD59A6

Hope this helps.

Awesome. Thanks for the input/suggestions. And cleaning up thread, don't know what happened there.

Got my electricity ran to where my system will be set up last night. I ran two, 20A dedicated services to a pair of outlets so I can also use other outlets for normal, for me, use with metalworking tools.


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