Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi everybody, forgive my poor english, I'll try to be clear...

I live in Italy, and eventually came across AP surfing the net, hooked in minutes and get addicted in a matter of hours... Great forum, and committed people, willing to improve and share, I like it.

I've spent a couple of weeks browsing the endless pit of knowledge that your forum represent, and decided to start my greenhouse garden for good. Got 3 IBCs and waiting for 3 more, I've sketched the possible layout. The available space is a terraced car shed, roughly 20 x 20 ft. Greenhouse is 10 x 10 ft at about 8 ft height on top of the shed, really well exposed. I can't put too much weight on the roof so both the FT & ST will stay ground level under the shed, pros low light / less algae, protected and clean place, stable temperature, cons must raise water at 9 ft, need a lot of elbows in plumbing. As far I can see...

FT/ST 270 gals each;GB 300 gals (3 x100) Ratio 1 :1 ; expanded clay ; catfish/trout
Pump is capable of 1300 gals, max h 20 ft

My idea: pump in FT, timed, up to the GBs then drained via gravity to the ST, connected to the FT via the two big robinets at the base of the cube, using communicating vases.

It's good to be part of such a great community, I've learned a lot just reading and I'm grateful for the time you people spent on this.

Please let me hear your voices...

Sounds good so far... Like all of us you are hooked

Pumping up will be a mission but overcome that and you are on a winner.
IMHO only!
Lets see what other have to say.
Welcome
C1

Wow, Italy now, woohoo My husbands family came from there, and we visited the village (Isernia) 24 years ago, beautiful country.We had visitors to the shop recently from Zurich, not that far from you.The A-Z alphabet is filling with Aquaponic enthusiasts around the world.
With your system you will possibly need to consider the weight of water in the pipe, as well as the volume of water that is displaced, have fun and we look forward to following the progress. We love real pictures too!

Fine idea Sonny.
Get a big pump (you have some height to overcome), provide lots of bubbles, use white shadecloth (not green or a dark colour), watch out for any leaks and just go for it.
You will learn more from doing than just dreaming.

Most people here do roughly what you plan to do. I differ from that design in that I use a pond filter as well as the growbed media as a place for the bacteria to live. I also don't flood, drain or siphon just let the water fall through. So there are different designs for different people most with good results.

I heard that when looking after fish, get oxygen in, get solids out.
I heard that when looking after plants, that they will grow to the limiting factor, either light (red and blue), temperature or nutrients (including H, O and C from water and air).

Good luck.

Build it and they will grow!

OK! Here I am again... Thank you for the welcome, some pics now... for the followup I'll post links

Finally some sunny days and a little time to work on my sys, most of the cutting is done, along with first washup. Where my baby sits now will be paved and painted, with a shadecloth on the window. Piping will follow the black tube up to the terrace.

faye...[quote]With your system you will possibly need to consider the weight of water in the pipe, as well as the volume of water that is displaced, /quote]

you mean for roof safety ? Three GBs will hold about 80 gals each, 240 total,then if 40% space for water is correct I'll have 96 gals and 11 more gals in about 35 ft of 1 1/2" pipe... Then if I get it right, roughly half ton on 30 sqft... plus clay... Checked it's ok Let's move on...

Pump pump pump... 1300 gals 20 ft... must raise to 9/10 ft... tank cycling two per hour mmmmhhhh...... Did I underestimate the prob?

OOOOPS.... Veeeery l8.... gotta go sleep sadly, more to come soon!

Farewell Aquaponians, go with my blessings

Welcome Sonny
Good to hear that we have a new Italian Aquaponist (your English is certainly much better than my Italian)
Your system proposal looks good my only comment would be to oversize your pump particularly with the height your pumping, It's also important for future expansion which I'm sure will happen aquaponics is not only addictive but for many becomes an obsession, there are certainly worse things to be addicted too!
I see your also addicted to two wheels
Here is my addiction


And this has potential as a portable AP system

The system plans look good. +1 on big pump - you have a lot of height to overcome. Did someone bring up roof integrity yet? I would make sure the roof could actually hold the weight.

Love the bikes - both of you! I sold mine a year or so ago as I had young children and personally witnessed to bike fatalities.

Speaking of safty - I would install a railing on the roof before doing anything else.

Mark

Using the valves inthe bottom of the IBC will be problematic, there is no easy way to add a siphon or standpipe to them. Maybe an external one though? Just be difficult keeping the roots out.

Yes, never underestimate plant roots... Seems like a good plan for a system though..

Just found another use for a bathtub as a side car, thanks Desertrat

Hi M8s I'm back...

Time (and weather, way too hot now) is my enemy. , but it's time to give some follows up

Things have moved on since, and now the setup is almost done, the cleansing
(cleaning and singing?) too, I had to fix just 1 leaking.... !!!
The garden also has a shape more like.... a garden....

You can see the second system that I'll build for my mum, for her flowerplants and herbs, the softness of the system, (no need of irrigation, trasplanting made easyer by height etc.)
is purrrrfect 4 my old grumpy mom.
More to come on this ...

Notice for Aquamen;

If you need to impermeabilize a concrete tank with food grade mat, use osmotic concrete,
like kerakoll osmocem, it's DA REAL DEAL
If the surface is smooth you can lay it in a thin layer, two hands crossed and you'r fix'd...
Thou shalt Google 4 it...
I'm going to use it also on some rough marble tiles that I will use to build other GBs,
more to come on this 2.
OK 'nuff 4 today, I wish you friends all the best things, healthy plants and happy fishes!!!
http://s763.photobucket.com/albums/xx27 ... inning.jpg

After a long long time here I am again,

Hi everybody, finally my IBC CHIFT PIST system is up and fishless cycling.
Added four days ago two capfuls of Plagron fish emulsion and two of Plagron seaweed extract, and a bucket of aquarium water plus filter gunk. My first lecture today with liquid tests gives:


Temp 22° C
PH 8.5
Ammonia 0,25 mg/L
Rites 0,3 mg/L
Rates 50 mg/L
GH 16°d
KH 20°d
CL2 0

In GBs I have four tomatoes, two capsicums, blue and genova basilic, two eggplants and some salad.

Pics better than words

And some details...

and more details

And last....

Until next time farewelll