Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Would this be appropriate for an aquaponics system? The price is right... that much is for sure!
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product. ... id=4634030

I think it would be good to start. The plastic is not food grade either i suppose, could leach out bad stuff. I'd think that it would be good for a few years but on a longer term it would be too weak to cope with all the aging of the plastic.
And the pump is no way powerfull enough.

Anyway if i had a small piece of land, i'd probably start with something like that linked to growbeds made of wood and liner. Cheap system to learn, and then a good system to last.

I'd be more than satisfied with a year of productive use!
Another question:
Would it be possible to segment the tank into pie-like sections with some kind of screen material to separate fish at different stages of development?

Thats one big tank! Would be awsome stocked with large fish can see you running fishing charters from your backyard

Longevity is obvioulsy the issue, but this seems like a good starting point. I know EB and others have started with a similar solution for fish tanks and obviously learnt alot.

You guys have rubbermaid though! Janetspellers tanks seem very robust and affordable, might be worth starting that bit smaller, that way you could still use the same tank as a sump or similar for a larger system down the track.

To segment I would use a basket type system as the sides may be flexible. That way each life stage would be contained in each segment. Another way around it is to manage fish at the one age, harvest progressively and then freeze the last largest fish to carry you over till the new young fish are of ediable size.

Just food for thought

Yes it is possible to divide, the problem is to find small numbers of fish batches to introduce one after the other.
The other thing is that you'll need a big area of growbeds if you are going to use the pool volume at optimum fish density.
The ratios for calculation of fish amount to fish tank volume to grow bed volume is
1 lbs fish / 2 gallons of fish tank volume / 4 gallons of growbed

So to summarize in your case: 4400 gallons of fish tank
then 8800 gallons of growbed and fish quantity in system of 2200 lbs at the best (not recommended yet, i'd stay under 1100 lbs in system)

If you stay at low fish concentrations in tank, the calculations of growbed will be to comparing the daily fish food input ,the bacteria activity and plant nutrient uptake. But the ratios have not been all identified in the same place so if you want to, find them and link them together.

This method would be cheap for a start because you would need less growbeds, and you could use rafts on half of the surface of the pool and cage the fish only near the water flow output to increase the concentrations of the water going to the growbeds.

Check the member's systems here on the forum you'll find a few who have used pools for the fish. An advice Read, Read and Read all the infos on the forum, you'll then be able to make your mind on your own and be the best to adapt the system to your location and situation.

Anyway have fun and beware this will take up your life because there is always a new thing to find and to link.

They sell them here in OZ Asitis.... on eBay under the brandname "Intex" ... can get them even larger

Intex Pool

Similar (usually smaller) pools under a brandname of "Bestway"

Ahh looked familiar, my next system will be the concrete variety of these, last and look a bit better

If you can put it in the shade it will last longer.

That looks very similar to this
AES Portable Tank
Of course that is a complete pool kit while this is an intended fish tank only.

I was thinking that something similar could be done with pond liner and wire mesh (either hardware cloth or cattle pannels from tractor supply.)

Check the South African system if you want to see tanks made of cattle panels.
Those tanks are meant for Koi carp exhibition or acclimatation, i've used them and they are real tuff stuff put you pay the price for it.

The cattle panel tanks seem pretty tuff and cheap too...
Specialy if you do growbeds the same way, then you can negociate the liner price if you take a big lot of it. I'll check that out for here too.

They`re not designed to be left outside all year round but if you clad the outside with something it should last a fair while.
They are sometimes used as temporary ponds for koi so its definitely do-able

Excellent,
I should mention:
I will be doing this in a large heated basement space, so I don't think degradation by UV rays will be a problem.
Most likely (since I live in Chicago), I will run a hybrid system and use aquaponics for 5 months of the year and then just use a filter system and remove solid waste manually through the winter,
To take advantage of the sold waste, I will pasteurize it and use it as a substrate for growing large amounts of oyster mushrooms, which just love the stuff!

That'd be cool--oyster mushrooms in the basement. How will you pastuerized the stuff? In the oven? Does SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed) know?

For better or worse, I am at bachelor status right now!
Most likely I will pasteurize the manure in a large pressure cooker, as is customary in mushroom growing circles. I may also try to make the manure filtration compartment enclosed and perhaps include a UVC light in the chamber to reduce bacterial growth? Just an idea...

Cool, mushroom AP, i'll be following your progresses for sure!
Keep us updated please.

Just an idea in the solids are too much for your use, you can use duckweed, in a shallow tank under a fluo after a biofilter. It will keep the nitrate at bay. Even if you take the solids you'll have to find a way to manage the ammonia diluted in the water by the fish, so a biofilter will be necessary to degrade it.