Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Here you go-this guy seems to be advertising all over WV on Craigslist:
http://parkersburg.craigslist.org/grd/2813076557.html

Or just pick whatever area is close to you on craigslist and search "gallon". Something will turn up.

Mite worth checking the local fisheries for these we use to call them Dolavs they are used to store bulk fish in the chillers while awaiting processing.

Megabins are usually more expensive than IBCs. Around here I drive by hundreds of the vented ones because of the fruit industry around the orchards.

You should look into the tanks they use for making wines, they are usually super cheap and ae definitely food grade. If you have any wineries innthe area they will sometimes sell some because they are either reducing production or going for bigger ones.

Over here we make tons of wine and olive oil (even amateur-ish) and you can find many online.
They are actually very similar to the BYAP round fishtanks.
http://www.google.it/imgres?imgurl=http ... BA&dur=417

I am still looking. I have been calling everyone around trying to get a lead on one. The only one so far that I have found was a link someone gave me to a guy about 2.5 hours from here that has them. He wants $110 each, plus I would have to spend a fully day driving and a full tank of gas in the truck which will add around $85. So for one of those IBC's it would cost me very close to $200 which I just can't bring myself to do.

I did talk to a guy the other day that used to have an aquaponics business for about 8 years until a few years ago when he shut it down. I guess he has a few 1150 gallon (4353L)tanks. He is asking $200 for each but I guess they are a cone bottom and nearly 6 feet tall. That seems like it would make setting up my system a bit harder. I forgot to ask if they come with a stand. He did mention that it might be best to bury it so it would not be so tall, so who knows. Burying it would be a huge hassle as I would have to dig the hole by hand and we have very hard clay immediately below our grass.

I am going to see him tomorrow so will know more then. Apparently he has water pumps, air pumps, beds, and pretty much everything else I would need. Now if I could just get him to cut me a package deal.

What do you guys think?

Greebe

Sounds like some neat components, you should try for a good deal, that kind of stuff might not have buyers for it very often?

Yeah we will see. I am going out to his place today to take a look. Perhaps I will take a few pictures and post them here of what he has. That might help someone get a deal and help him to sell some of his stuff. Maybe if I told him that, he might be more willing to work with me.

1150 gallons might be more than I need. I was hoping to build an air lift system but I think that tank might be too tall for getting the lift that I would be possible out of that set up.

I will update you later today about what I find.

Greebe

Deeper makes getting an airlift to work easier because you can get more depth for your air input if your pump can handle it. But whatever depth your air pump can handle, you can still plumb the piping for the airlift all the way to the bottom to pick up solids. The airlift will do the "lifting" work up from wherever the air input is, but the water in the pipe below that will be drawn right up as the weight of the water outside the pipe is "pushing down" as water returns from the growbeds.
I hope that's not a confusing description. But, with an airlift, or any pump for that matter, you're worried about head-the difference in height between the surface of the water in the tank and the height at which you are lifting it up to. The key is to design the system with as little head as possible, but you can still plumb the airlift to draw from the bottom of the cone tank. If, you want to dig that hole for that tank

I am starting to build a system now using pallets,that I get for free, to build the structure of the tank and a pond liner. Although yesterday while at the store I saw pool supplies being put out and thought maybe using a pool liner, much much cheaper. So far I've been gathering scrap wood from construction sites. I have estimated that it will cost me around $500.00 for the system fish and all.