Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

the other thread is getting a bit of a mess with both systems in it , I'll keep that one for my pretty batu-clad troutkilling system . This thread Im starting to post all the pics and ideas for the new monstrosity

need to do another 2 courses of bricks ( maybe 3 , add another 10cm height & thus more water . that would raise the top of the GBs to just under armpit level though , maybe too high for harvest

The photo shows the brick supports tied into the wall at the back of the whole thing . Thats where the beams / supports / wood that the half-IBC growbeds will sit on . 3 500L GBs , all flood and drain with standpipes

The brick box in the distance is for an old wne barrel to sit on ( to look nice mainly ). I was going to fill it with gravel and use it as a deep growbed for a dwarf apple tree , but now Im thinking I'll use it as a water tank to pump UP to , then overflow into the 2 400L gbs that will be placed on the decking to the right of it

the first dodgy drawing shows the initial system design . Im going to plumb in the old blue-barrel system that I fisrt built as its higher than the brick trough , so again I can pump up to the 100L GB sitting above that , drain down into it , then overflow . Maybe that will be a fingerling tank or something .
One pump for that , on a timer.
Two pumps for the rest of the system . one fills two 500L gbs , one fills one 500L gb and the wine barrel .
If I plumb in the extra 2 400L gbs ( and the two 700L IBCs - 800 high with the steel bases to be able to overflow into the main tank ) then the maximum that the main tank will lower by at full flood of all 3 GBS ( opposing timers , this pump fills 2x400L & 1x 500L ) should be about 520L , lowering the main water level by 1/3rd

my main problem so far is - too many pumps !

Ideally I only want 3 pumps on the whole system , if I do it the way Ive drawn it in the second dodgy drawing though , i need:
1 pump to circulate / aerate the blue barrel
1 pump ( low frequency on-time ) on a timer to fill the blue barrels GB / overflow 7 return
1 pump to flood & drain 2x 500L gbs
1 pump to flood & drain the 3rd 500L GB AND overflow the wine barrel to the 400L GBs / overflow , return
1 pump to areate / circulate the main tank
1 pump to aerate / circulate the 2 700L IBCs

The pump that circulates the blue barrel can be cut down in size / power demand by
a) add a venturi , put in a small pump - 8 watt or so
b) make the flood & drain from the main tank to the blue barrels GB come "on" more often

The aeration / circulation of the main tank AND the 2 700L IBCs can be removed and swapped with some sort of aeration device like the one that Troutman had when delivering fish - car battery running a DC air pump with three big airstones in it . I'd want the DC air pump to be using the car battery as a battery backup incase of power failure too , so I suppose it still draws power . noisy too

I could possibly cut all this down by :
1 pump to flood ALL 3 500L GBs . That would draw the main tank water down by 600L though
1 massive pump to shoot water and air bubbles down the length of the whole main tank
1 pump to flood and drain , then overflow and return BOTH the blue barrel and the wine barrel ( theyre at the same height anyway )
1 pump with a venturi to aerate / circulate the 2 700L IBCs
NO pump in the blue barrel

the only problems with doing it that way is that the water in the 2 700L IBCs will get more of a dip in quality over the course of the drain , relying on a small pump to provide air and movement while its not receiving water from the overflowing wine barrel . and that the blue barrel will have no aeration when its not being overflowed into . oxygen levels in that thing will dip pretty quickly if I put any fish in it , I suppose that rules it out as a fingerling tank

So , if you read all that and Ive explained it well enough to not make it sound like a complete mess ....

any suggestions , tips , corrections , glaringly obvious problems that Ive missed ?

Though of just using one big pump, and going constant flow, rather than flood and drain?

My big system is flood and drain - works fine. Small system is cont flow, works fine.

Looks like you are making good use of your area

Hum, I don't know if your space would allow for it but what if your grow beds were on the paved area, would that be low enough to do a CHIFT PIST set up? It would probably require your three grow bed along that side to be connected together with very large pipe and then installing a float controled sump pump in one of them, then it would pump up to the 400L grow beds which could drain into the two IBC's that would then drain into the main tank that would overflow into the first three grow beds. Of course your space might not allow for this but it would reduce the required pumps.

nah , space wont allow it - Im not allowed to take over the paved area more than 1m from the wall either side ( clotheslines in the way for one thing )

Im really trying to limit how much of the yard this thing takes up

Raise the clothes-line and buy the Mrs some stilts

Hum, I suppose it's probably too late to make the bricked in area the grow bed and put the fish tanks over it huh? Just trying to think up ways to get you down to only one maybe two pumps.

OK , the bricklaying's done ( so is the skin on the ends of my fingers . it hurts to type now , Ive got wierd sores from smoothing the concrete by hand )

The kiddie pool is being used as a little seed propogator , with gambuzia in it
The blue barrel sytem will be plumbed into the new system with water being pumped to that top black GB and then overflowing through a T out of the blue barrel back into the main wall tank

The wine barrel will be lined with something ( any suggestions ? ) and used as another body of water , sat on top of the slab in the corner in the 3rd pic

After a week or so drying I will then clean out and render the inside of the whole thing , let it dry again and then think abouteither fibreglassing it or coating it with 3 coats of "Sikatite BE" food grade black sealant ( probably both )

while Im waiting I'll paint the whole wall with a waterproofing coat to stop rain soaking in / trickling down and taking render with it into the tank

In a word - gloves! and another word - trowel
Mmm... have fun over the next week or two Boris,
pee and aloe will help heaps!

Aren't you supposed to be getting ready for abig event Boros. It is today isn't it?

Yeah , 7pm

that was yesterday that I did the bricklaying , then hung the work for the show last night till 1:30

it wasnt easy with the horrible wounds Ive inflicted on the ends of my fingers from cleaning up all the brickwork by hand . I really should learn how to do it properly

You're late Boris ....

...more wine

Lining it with plastic would be a pita

Have you tried to fill them?
The thought being, they might swell up enough to stop the leaks!
But looking at the pix, I am not sure

hehe, just though maybe put a blue barrel inside it