Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi All!
I've been out here on the wings reading posts - there is so much more information on here now that I could go through if I had months of spare time! - and I have my greenhouse up (boy is it ugly compared to the ones on here!!!) I have things set up and getting ready to put together. I have a lot of questions and I'm sure most of them are anwswered somewhere within the depths of this forum, if you don't mind pointing me to them or typing it again, thanks!
Here's what I had going viewtopic.php?f=18&t=1399

The only tank I have right now has about 250gallon capacity with a few inches of freeboard. I'd like a bigger tank, and I'll keep my eyes open but I think I can get by with this one for now. I'm planning on using a one pump and venturi drain style system, but I might change that. I have a new in box 1/4 hp craftsman submersible pump. I have two cheap blue-with-cartoon-character kiddie swimming pools 5 feet wide 1 foot deep. I figure on placing them on stacks of pallets, each pool will hold about 150 gallons. I might get a third pool. My greenhouse is 15 by 24 feet, not sure why I made it so big, but I think I'll have to put in a boring "dirt garden" on the half that won't be taken up with AP stuff.

I think it would be REAL fun to set one kiddie pool up with gravel and make the other one DW flow-through, doesn't seem like it'd be too much trouble, I'd still get the biofiltering effects from the gravel bed. What do you(collective) think?

Ok, here are some of my newbie Q's.
How often do I want my gravel bed/s to flood and drain? as often as possible with the pump being used?
Where exactly do I put my float switch? I can figure out that the sump should have one to turn on my main pump and pump the water back to the fish tank, or should that pump work full time and have a flow switch of some kind on the fish tank itself? That way my sump level would rise and fall a lot, but there would be constant flow into the fish tank which would of course keep the DO high. I think I'll get an airstone set up anyway.

I know its bad and doesn't work well but has anyone had success taking wild fish, adults or fingerlings, and training them to pellet feed? I know recruitment rates for wild fish especially adults are very low but the fish I would use are "non-native" anyway, and those that didn't make the cut would certainly still make fillets...

THANKS everyone! I'll tryt to get some pictures up soon a little psych. experiment in the making maybe, but the threads with the most pictures seem to get the most posts

thanks,
Justin

Welcome aboard.

Just a quick note about pumps and power use, the electric bill can get steep fast if it isn't an energy efficient pump. See my system thread http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=2640&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=521
So, that said, I'm still running the pump constant and using autosiphons to drain the grow beds as flood and drain. If you are going to have a sump and the fish tank up out of the ground, then perhaps you should go CLIFT PIS, that is
Constant Level In Fish Tank, Pump In Sump. So long as your sump is big enough to handle everything your grow beds can hold plus some, you could probably run the pump constant or timed. This makes it so you really only need one pump running. Perhaps have the other one on hand for backup.

So like this, your fish tank is the highest thing in there, it overflows to the grow beds and perhps also to the sump. The gravel grow bed is the next highest thing and it gets fed by the fish tank and it drains (either by slow drain if using a timer or auto siphon if using constant pumping) into your DWC pool which has a high water overflow that drains back into sump. Your pump in sump pumps up to fish tank, hopefully splashing enough to provide aeration. This is the main reason I see for constant pump operation, constant aeration.

Hopefully I was clearer than mud. I'm still kinda a newby as no fish have been harvested yet (just a couple of fish-a-cides so far.) I've gained quite a bit of experience with some types of plumbing though. Oh and digging, I can dig a big hole in sand I can.

If you use a kiddie pool for gravel be sure to paint the surfaces exposed to sun. Every kiddie pool I have ever had broke after a year.

Thanks Dan, will get some paint for the pools for sure.

I have a new 500 gallon tank! It used to have diesel fuel in it... Should I get a liner of some kind or a fish friendly paint?!
Also, should I lay it on its side and cut the top off or just cut one end off? I know that higher surface area to volume helps keep DO up.

Any input?

thanks!
Justin

As for timing, you want to give the plants some air time. So make sure they have at least a few minutes (5+?) of air between floods.

Thats a steel tank, so I would definately line it. You probably wont be able to paint it because diesel will leak out from the cracks/holes in the steel, and break the paints surface. It will then rust extremely rapidly.

By the size of it, I would cut it in half along that weld, and have two fish tanks.

Yep, thought the same OBO... would make it easier to line that way as well....

Yeah, my plan was to use the cutting torch I'll cut it with and cook the inside walls to burn the diesel off. Its a five hundred gallon tank , so cutting it in half will give me two at 250 ( I did the math ahead of time ) . I was thinking I'd want one bigger tank, already have a 250 for the sump...if I had two tanks I'd have to plumb them together beacuse I'd like to only have to use one pump... are you SURE I can't keep it big? I have plenty of room for it in my greenhouse...

if I clean the deisel out is there a heavy duty paint available for that purpose or will I have to find a pool liner? anyone know any sources for either?

thanks
Justin

You could keep it as one tank Justin.... but not vertically... you'd need a step ladder to harvest your fish....

Horizontally... sure... might be a bit more difficult to cut though

Hi Justin,

You could use pond liner. It comes in various widths on a roll and you decide the length. Most pond stores or large garden centers that cater to outdoor ponds will carry them. With the size of greenhouse you have, I'd almost be tempted to turn the tank on it's side and cut out a nice hole in the "top." Would give you maximum volume and viewing room. Must have good viewing room.

How exciting, another Washingtonian. What kind of fish are you planning on growing that you would catch wild but aren't native? Definitely piqued my curiosity on that one.

Also, don't assume you will end up with the rest of the greenhouse in a dirt garden. I'd LOVE to have that size of greenhouse. I only have a 10x15 greenhouse and could fill it several times over. The more you read these threads, the more you want to grow.

[quote="TCLynx"]Where I got my pond liner http://www.justliners.com/index.html

I would definitely line the thing. Getting regular flat pond liner to fold nicely into such a tank would probably be easier if it were cut the long way though that won't be an easy thing to do.

Problem with trying to make it "safe" is you not only need a paint/coating that will stick to a surface that once held oil and could rust. But you need that paint/coating to also be safe for fish, appropriate for containing potable water, and able to handle some salt water at least on occasion.

Perhaps you could cut it above the half way point and use the taller half as a fish tank (this way you might get the full 250 gallons and have some tank height above that so fish won't be as likely to jump out. Then the smaller half could be a big grow bed.

Here is a link to another resource that does do liners for round tanks (probably actually above ground pools meant for aquaculture) though I doubt the size will match.
Aquatic Eco-Systems, INC http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/
The also have some pretty handy fittings (check out Uniseals) and energy efficient pumps. Or just get em to send you a catalog to look through for ideas and then source the materials wherever is most appropriate for you.

Yay Washington! The non-natives around here are bluegill, largemouth bass, and yellow perch, also some kind of bullhead (mini catfish) that I have not seen yet ( they are in a buddy's pond). I have to go to protland someday to get a 250 gallon rubbermaid stock tank for free from a good friend, I'll have to stop by and see your setup (?) !! what kind of fish do you run?

As for the tank, my friend Joe's dad owns a logging company, the shop truck will be out with an oxy acetylene (spell check?) torch to do my cutting, as soon as you folks who know better make up my mind for me on which way to cut the tank I'd like to have the full capacity, and if I cut an end off and set it up it would be aroun five feet tall, I could hack off an exta foot for viewing purposes, or I could lay it on its side, either will be easy.

Pond liner for sure, I'll order it ASAP

Also, TCLynx, I am pretty sure I'll live in a dome someday, cool site!

Thanks
Justin

Caution diezel can be as explosive as petrol[color=#0040BF]fill with water and leave full before you cut [/color]
doesent matter how long its been empty

A tall skinny tank definitely won't be easy to deal with. Imagine trying to net fish out of the bottom. Especially with pond liner in it that will probably have wrinkles and folds so not smooth.

I'm not sure how best to deal with liner if you do anything other than cut it in half longways which doesn't give you as much usable tank capacity.

What is the diameter on that tank?

We currently have a few tilapia in the system. We are working on getting some fingerlings but haven't succeeded as of yet. Meanwhile, we purchased a few from the Asian fish market that are currently feeding the system. I'd love to show you the system. Just let us know when you're coming.