Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Me and my partner are looking to build a normal ICB system to star but we will be expanding to a VASTLY larger system and im looking at the below pump and wondering if its good to use in a ebb and flow system that will eventualy be expanded.

http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies/pr ... F5520.html

Awfully big pump for an IBC system!

A 1000gph pump would be sufficient for an IBC system with a full IBC (265 gal) FT and up to 4 x cut IBC GB's... and still have enough left over to run a spray bar.

If you are going to VASTLY expand... it might be worth considering a number of systems, each with their own pump, rather than one huge system with one pump... it will give you options and versatility.

so any sugestions for a specific pump?

IMO you should steer clear of pumps with float switches unless it's absolutely imperitive one be used in the system. I would use a dirty water pond pump capable of pumping small solids. I don't know what brands are popular in the US, but the ones I recommend here in Oz for IBC systems are the:

AquaPro 3000 Lph Dirty Water Pond Pump
AquaPro 6000 Lph Dirty Water Pond Pump

If you Google them you should find an example of what I'm referring to and you can look for something similar over there in the US.

They will use a LOT less power than the pumps you are looking at.

I found a few at the Petco nearby that were gonna go check out later. thank you for the advice.

"Sweetwater" are a popular choice in the US...

I am using the pond pumps from lowes for my 110 volt pumps, my 12 volt D/C pumps I bought online.

Iv looked into those but wasent entierly sure theyd do in a Aquaponics envioment. Hows yours hold up and what capasity are you useing. we havent set ours up yet but we have decded on a ebb and flow system. would that make a differance.

I am quite happy with my Laguna Maxflo. My system has a bit of head, and it handles it like a champ.

I have 4 of them, one is a 2000gph, 2 are (I think)600 gph and one is a 300 gallon per hour. All of them are running without any issues for 9 months now. Not sure what ebb is.

Flood and Drain

Don't see why not, my system is flood and drain using siphons.

If you use a pond pump, I would like to advise not to select the pump on the pump curve given by the producer alone. During my particular "learning process" I found out the flow at a certain head given by the producer may as well be divided by two to indicate the actual flow which will be given by the pump.

Here's my story on pond pumps;

viewtopic.php?f=45&t=11332&start=30

Yep, I always halve it on the cheaper pumps. Similar to when your mates tell you fishing stories... "yea, that queenie was a metre long" .... the truth is it was probably half that..... and a blow fish.

I am pretty happy with these pumps. The 2000 gph one cost about 160 bucks.