Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hey guys. I'm ready to hook up the plumbing in my Aquaponic pool. The deep end is lined and filled with 230 gallons of water. My grow boxes are built and lined. the syphons are installed. Check it out at sloneker.com
The question which I keep mulling over in my head is this. Do I pump the fish tank to a holding tank and then to a header system which will gravity feed the water to the grow tanks. Or skip the holding tank and go right to the header. The header system will be power assisted by my 1100 gallon per hour pump. The holding tank would be a 55 gallon drum sitting on the pools edge. I have about 300 gallons in the grow beds. What say u all.

If the grow beds are higher than the fish tank... just pump directly to the grow beds... and gravity drain back to your fish tank...

If the grow beds are lower than your fish tank....drain the grow beds into a sump tank... pump from the sump to the fish tank... and gravity feed the grow beds by overflow from the fish tank....

The latter is what's known as Chift Pist... renamed Chop on another forum...

Thanks Rupe. Not to over analyze but, I thought the holding tank would be of benefit if I needed to add chemicals to the system. In the no holding tank system where would u recommend adding kelp and chelated iron.

I would not be adding chemicals. (I don't really see the seaweed extract as a chemical nor the chelated iron if it's needed) I add those things to the grow beds in a little splash in each grow bed under the water inlet.

I'm not sure your layout, a diagram might help. What is your header system? I would generally recommend as Rupe does. If fish tank is lowest point, you pump up to grow beds and they drain back to fish tank.

If the fish tank isn't the lowest point in the system then a sump tank could act as a "holding tank" where you might add seaweed and iron if you don't want to dose it into the individual grow beds.

Sorry yeah a picture would be good, but I'm out running around.- no computer access. So the fish pond is in the deep end. It's 9 feet deep. The shallow end contains the 3 grow beds. Each is next to the wall. So I could pump the water around the outside of the pool on the decking and split lines off of it where needed.
I just thought the holding tank would give me more flexibility. The header is a line coming out of the holding tank that gets devided into 3 valve controlled lines. I envisioned the holding tank being the place to add stuff and possibly filter solids if needed later on.
But I guess I could collect the water coming from the grow tanks into a small tank before it goes back to the ft. I could even use it to grow duck weed. Although by that time the solids would be stuck in my grow beds.

Alright. That decides it. No holding tank.
Thanks guys.

Yep, no sense in over complicating things if you don;t need to..