Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Here are my new babies, 4 of them.
I had not seen IBCs up close before they seem awfully large!

I have settled on a 2 fish tank, 1 sump and 2 grow beds (1 IBC cut in half) system. CHIFT PIST. With another grow bed at some time later.
I have a slight fall in the land and will use that to advantage.
Digging in the sump a ways. Putting the FTs highest and the grow beds in the middle.

So I need to work out which IBC for which purpose. One is slightly different and another has a bit of a dent in the corner of the frame.
Does it make any difference, are some types easier/better to cut down for grow beds?
Do any of you remove the base stand permanently when making them into grow beds?

I have been watching Ian's thread for making insulative covers for the IBCs with interest.
I may line mine with the silver stuff you put into walls of houses, I have a bit lying round and then line them with timber pieces I find. Frame the top and put hinged lids onto the fish tanks.
This will be new for me as I have never worked with wood before, cut up lots of fabric for making quilts, can't be much different can it?

I will be positioning my system under my rotary hills hoist clothes line. It is a useless clothes line anyway, it is stuck and I can't reach it.
It has a white cover over it and is in full sun all year so should be perfect. It will provide a frame work for trailing peas, beans and tomatoes up and into and any pipe work if needed. I can also quickly attach a trellis to protect the plants should strong winds be predicted. And power is not far away either.

So now I need to get it up and running before Summer so I can get some veg happening. Much of my 'dirt garden' as I have heard it so termed on this forum, is being used for growing a huge crop of garlic this year, see picture.
So my tomato growing space is diminished in the ground.

Onwards and upwards.

Dale

And the fun begins... Good luck mate.

Not sure about your intentions finally but sounds like you only have 1000L of filtration (growbeds) to 2000L of water (fish tank)... your fish stocking levels will be limited by your 1000L filtration... and if you keep something in your sump again, then your fish stocking levels in your 2x 1000L will be lower again...

Hi ivansng,
I will be starting slowly and won't stock with fish for a while. As I mentioned in the first post of this thread I have another grow bed to put in with this system, I think it is 500litres maybe a bit more and I will add to this as I am an avid veggie grower and love to make preserves from it all and give away plenty to friends.
This is a photo of a potential grow bed I picked up for $25 at the scrap metal merhants. I have done some research and believe I can paint it with aqua safe paints to seal the zinc in that is so harmful.

So I have my work cut out, you will agree.

DAle

I think I can keep duckweed in the sump or may nothing and have the duckweed in another tub with some yabbies.
Ooh the sky's the linit.
DAle

Hi Dale

1 IBC will hold a lot of fish e.g. I have around 50 silver perch in 1 IBC.

So if you are more interested in the vege side of things. I would suggest only using 1 IBC as a fish tank, 1 as a sump and cutting 2 of them up to make 4 good sized growbeds.

Anyway, good luck and happy building.

Hi Fishfodder,
yes that would be an option to cut up 2 IBCs but it is harder to get large containers for fish tanks than it is to get smaller ones for grow beds. I may take a good while before I set up the 2nd FT but I don't want to limit potential expansions in the future.
cheers
Dale

awesome,
good luck, maybe I can become one of your friends who get some of your hand outs. Yumm

regards
Matt

Hi Dale

sounds like you have given it a lot of thought, I'd be reluctant to cut those big ones too, just because you have two set up as FTs doesnt mean they have to be stocked to capacity, you have the one grow bed already after painting, you can start aging the system with it while working on the rest, me, I'd start with the 2 as FTs, get the one GB working and start cycling while you get and do the other growbeds.

Good luck and enjoy.

Hi Mattyry,
have you got a system going yet?
Dale

Dale,
finally added my systems to my sign off. check it out below.

regards
Matt,

I have 6000lt of water and only 1500lt of grow bed, I grew 50 trout with only 1000lt of grow bed last year, 500lt GB should support 20-25 fish

I guess it depends on how much water you want to have for the fish to swim around in. You could have a 10,000 litre tank and just 2000 litres of grow beds and only stock 30 fish. 30 fish would provide more than enough nuitrients and would love having 10,000 litres to swim around in. A very humane way to treat the fish:) There is however a limit to how efficient this approach is.

The fish load would be low but the water still needs to be filtered so the problem is trying to pump 10,000 litres of water through just 2000 litres of grow beds every hour or so. More grow beds also means more plants to remove nitrates so I think getting the maximum amount of filtration up and running in the available space is a better way to go.

My 2 cents:

If you went with 1 sump, 1 FT and cut two of them in half = 4 growbeds. You would have the perfect 2:1 GB-FT ratio. You could grow more vegies and actually support more fish still going with CHIFT PIST.