Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I've just been to 'that' store, the one that starts with B but I'd rather not try and mention their name as I say it too much.....

Anyway, they had large plastic rainwater tanks that had a removable dome plastic lid on them, they looked a little like an oversided kitchen rubish bin.. The interesting thing is that they were 1500 litres and they were $199... Not a bad price for a 1500l fish tank... not a bad price for a 1500l water tank either.....

I saw the same thing in a 500 litre size for $200 a couple of months ago. Are you sure they were 1500l Joel. If so I sure hope they start stocking them in Queensland.

Bunnings: Very handy for that little "piece" that u need at 8:30pm at night

But i wouldn't get ALL your supplies there, they'll ask for your remaining arm (must have an agreement with that bath bloke)

ha ha
I was there last night - no such luck here in qld...
I thought that they hAD ONE, BUT WHEN i DASHED OVER IT WAS A COMPOST BIN ... no bottom

I must get back there and double check the size.... I remember thinking at the time, 1500L thats huge, and I took a double look at the sign, yep 1500L.... Perhaps they stuffed the sign up, coz now I think about it's size compared with my 1000L bulka bin, it doesn't seem right..

went to bunno's today. As per normal for me it was a fruitless waste of time. Never have much luck there.....I reckon the tanks you mean were 500 litres. Plastic, wider at top than bottom, small conical plastic stand???

G'day! Thanks to Joel's handiwork I'm back on the air after an absence of a couple of weeks or more. I had to get my original registration removed and re-register.

The tanks you're talking about are 500 litres, they cost $199 each and they are available at my local Bunnings outlet at Booval. I took a good look at them and they are made of food-grade polyethylene....and they come with a nice lid, too.

I'd prefer something a little larger.....but then that's the story of my life.

Yeah, went and had a look at them today, not too bad, nice n neat, but I figure that I'm already spending so much money on aquaponic stuff that I need a real reason to buy it before I just get one on a whim... Especially when I can buy the big 1000L bulkabins for $50 each, that may not look as nice, but 4000L of water storage for the same price as 500L.....

Hey Joel, what are "bulkabins" ???

Warren

Wish I could source bulkabins so cheaply here in brisbane - though I would only use them if I was 100% sure there had never been anything dodgy stored in them.

Both fish and plants are likely to take up any chemicals, heavy metals etc that get into the system through pipework, tank and growbed materials etc. One of my major reasons fro growing stuff myself is to avoid chemicals etc, so there is no point in doing this thing if the same or worse chemicals are going to be ingested as a result.

From what I read on this board, I think that this is an area that some people may not think about enough. I personally am even coverned with poly products, as they are still just an unknown in terms of long term leaching issues etc. Though I will probably end up using some poly and PVC in my system, I wouldn't use plastics that are not stablilised and meant for food grade use.

VB,

i've posted about this topic in the pool ponics section adn you here. I'm going to create a new thread under hardware for this discussion as i can see it becoming VERY large. do you mind i'f i move yours and my posts to the new topic?

Steve

No - go for it Steve. I think it is a very important issue. I respect everybodies opinions on this - after all it is up to each person to assess for themselves the risks.

is there any disadvantage to the fish in having a deeper tank, say 1.8 metres, other than needing a step ladder to see in etc...

Warren, these are what I have heard called, and what I was refering to as Bulkabins Web Page Name.

They are food grade HDPE, though if buying second hand then you might want to have some idea what they have been used for in the past... I know of one farmer who mixes his in one of these, he thinks it's great, roundup premixed in big batches, on tap.....

The only disadvantage with a tall thin tank Monya, is that there is less surface area for oxygen to enter the water. A larger furface area means more air is in contact with the water, and thus becoming disolved in the water....