Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

First off No its not hot here lol. rarely gets past 70f lol. Everyone thinks california is always warm. But where I live its a miracle when it hits past 75 during the summer. This year we had 1day that got 77f. sofar its averaged about 65 for the summer.
average of 7months of the year its raining.

Debating on trying to run a IBC Type system in the garage or shed. & also plan to have a pond thrown out in the yard somewhere with mosquito fish & goldfish & koi. I plan on the outdoor pond for the fact that I keep reading it helps control mosquito's. Which I hate going out too often due to mosquito population.


Sofar it has been a pain finding a reasonable price for a used IBC where I live. No clue where to buy 1 besides online. as I do not have a truck & far from the big cities.

Was also thinking of building it out of wood & Pond liner.
Might end up building a greenhouse to put it all in but currently unsure.
I thought about the tote system but Almost all my totes are clear. Would have to paint them with fish safe paint(exterior).

Been researching this system for a while. Found a cool place about a hr & a half away that has a system partially how I would like.(I would post there name & site but unsure if anyone would consider it spam) They use a constant flood system I would like to run 15on 45off full medium that way I could have a greater grow area to help feed a family of 3. Basically family of 2. Wife and I share a plate while grandfather eats a full plate. Also been reading the 15on 45off is a faster grow rate.

Figures this would be the best way to try and become healthy again.
as 1 bell pepper is $1+ sometimes 2-4$


Thank you BYAP for the ibc video & pdf it is very informative.

Just need to slowly figure all I need & start buying it slowly.
As I am in process of finishing adjustment of status for my wife to be able to work & live here legally.

Hopefully I could learn as much as possible before starting this.
And possibly find a way to build a small system to help feed her parents back in Philippines.
For them would probably be a fish tank with Gutter system due to the limited area they have.

Hope everyone is doing good. & Can't wait to see everyone's designs.

I think I read in the BYAP trial thread that constant flow and flood and drain gave very similar results (in that instance anyway).

ya The 15 on and 45 off if i recall from there videos showed about 1/3 to twice as much growth rate.
I know it also depends on what your raising.
depth etc.
the netpots i thought about using inside of foam but it don't seem like you can get as many plants.
Also if I can't get hold of a IBC @ a reasonable price locally I might just use 55g barrels blue or black. Could pick them up for about 5-10 bucks a piece.
Which could be the best way for me to start out.

Knows if I do it indoors I would need enough light to help it out. as plants do need light.
Would use t5 for energy savings. Being on well & septic. have high enough of a electric bill. & trying to cut back on costs as much as possible.

Wish I knew #'s to grow the right amount of veggies to survive on without buying them. & to give them to neighbors etc if there is a excess amount.

Would love to grow onions, cabbage, lettuce, bell peppers, jalapeno, broccoli, carrots, potatoes & what ever else we use on a constant basis.

I know it is not as simple as that. But as much as possible to reduce grocery spending would be better.

Aquaponics have caught my eye more then hydro or even garden planting. Which gets annoying with the bugs.
We do have a high slug population here & also a high mosquito concentration.
Lot's of deer coming thru the yard though. & goats are eating all possible to help get me closer to a nicer yard.
friends trying to talk me into a 10x20 greenhouse in the front yard. I am just scared I would need a permit for it. then underground wiring & plumbing.


Rain season is coming soon so need to get in gear & decide in the next month or 2 how I will be doing everything.

Thanks for the response kthig

Ps Sorry for the long posts I normally don't post that much LOL.

Cool! What video?



I wasn't meaning rafts w/ roots suspended in the water. I think in the trials it was plants in media, but with water flowing constantly instead of flooding and draining. Leaving 1" or so of dry media on the top. See responses to my questions about this very topic here http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=10260&start=15

youtube.com/watch?v=lDQMSAgC5Zs
this video gave me more idea's as did a few other video's.
Thanks to BYAP for the vids.

I was also guessing about the growth rate.
but it seems to be lots better even though I have no clue what they are using for there test. may have showed but i didn't pay attention lol.

ya the flood don't seem right to me.
but basil seems to love it.
root growth is good in it also. but limits ya to what you could grow.
I would probably add shrimp or other sort if i went that route. maybe even a few small fish LOL
but that would be trial & error.

nice link some of what I read starts to confuse me.
as getting idea's.
growing banana's would be nice. wonders if mango is possible. Not the large seeded mango's from grocery stores either.
we like the seedless mango's. there sweeter & easier to deal with.

Thanks for that link I know I have lots more studying to do.

Man I keep looking at ibc systems & other systems. And keep drooling.
I would love to start up a larger system.

but i do have a few questions in my head. that I haven't found as of yet. Still looking. And searching the forums. but I tend to read so much i get confused haha. so I will just ask a few questions here for now.

What would be the best & easiest way to start up Financially wise.
imagining about a 4x8foot grow bed area possibly.
Just need to get caps for my 8' fixture. HO fixture that is. LOL. Thinks I still have bulbs otherwise just buy some new.

would it be cheaper to use pondliner & wood?
or would it be cheaper to buy 65gallon tub $70 for fish & multiple beds for growing?
also would it be beneficial to have a enclosed container? forgets the name of it. sort of like a filter.
probably toss in goldfish to start unless i could get edible fish somewhere cheap to start.
maybe some snails & crayfish. snails could be sold on fleabay easily if they start overpopulating.
or maybe 4x55gallon drums. cut 2 in half & have fish in 2. drums cost about 5-10 used at Taylors sausage in Oregon.

still looking thru forums for a simple larger start for decent price.
I know if it pulls out good I will take and invest in doing it on a larger scale. in a greenhouse etc.
links to posts would be grateful as im not familiar with where everything is. & search always depends on how you type it.

Probably cheaper to go with the tub than the liner but depends on the type of wood and liner that you choose. Personally I would go with a poly stock tank and put it in underneath a wood growbed with a liner. There are other options including just lining a hole in the ground or stacking concrete blocks into a tank and lining that. If you don't go more than about a foot above the ground you can combine the two without having to mortar the blocks in place (haven't tried it but heard it works).

Hope this helps. The larger you go the harder it is to move so keep this in mind.

very true scotty.
I thought about the greenhouse idea also. & digging a trench & lining it. as it should keep some warmth that way for the fish. & putting a 2' wall around it. being from Oregon you know why I choose indoors or greenhouse for the rainy season. lol.
i'm in Crescent City.
also can't think of where to buy the IBC's from locally. I would borrow a truck to pick them up in Medford or eureka if the price was reasonable. Maybe even up to coos bay. Has No clue how much Delivery would be. Thank's to our gas prices in cali it prevents me from doing much.

thinking of starting it in the corner of the shop/garage. 16-20 i believe Maybe larger. as I have never measured it.

Yep - I'll take the rain over freezing like everyone in the upper midwest or roasting like the Texicans. Indoors or in a greenhouse beats getting rained on all the time.

Just have to cruise the industrial areas looking for IBCs till you find some that are useable and cheap. Much easier to find stock tanks when you are in a small town since agriculture is usually more important. Crescent City is kind of odd in that way because of the Redwoods and being on the ocean (not to mention the large empty tsunami zone) so I don't know what you've got in the way of farm supply stores. Eugene has Coastal and Wilco - both have stock tanks so you don't have to pay shipping unless you special order one.

Regarding the delivery - Just negotiate with one of the employees who wants to make a few bucks if the store doesn't normally deliver.

good point on that.
65g tank *black* they use to stock koi in. costs 60-70 after tax.
I could always call the other place.
and they have a 125 for 140 i think it was. Which is why I would rather the ibc.
not sure where else to try and purchase.
maybe farm? LOL not sure what they would order that includes a ibc. besides maybe pesticides.
I would not want that type or even 1 that had oil as thats contamination.
might just have to do the pond liner or barrel style. But would like a large tank. 55gallon tanks are simple to use & raise fish in. but limited.
Cruising around would surely take forever in medford for me as I am not familiar where everything is.
55gallon i would imagine 5cats or 7koi
or 25 golds.

Found my IBCs on Craigslist. Guy was 2.5 hours away, but delivered free when I bought 2. They were 275 gallons each for $120 each. We live on the central coast in CA.

i found a couple 1-2hrs away but they want 250 lol.
cheapest was 150 i found that had pesticides. (won't touch pesticide containers for a project)

might take a couple months to pick 1 up but im sure im starting this project by the end of the year or beginning of the year.

Just do what you can, then expand. Getting one started in the key so don't spend too much time overanalyzing the thing.

You have a good start already in looking for tubs, tanks, buckets, barrels, pipe, fittings, etc...

Put the word out all the time, and stuff will start coming your way. Farms are great places to scout out and almost everyone has some sort of... well... junk pile that you might be able to check out. One man's trash, anothers treasure.

Good on ya for watching what was in the container before it was emptied out. Be careful and hunt all the time.

Good luck.

thanks iam.
ya i tend to over analyze stuff.
admits it stresses me out how much i analyze. but it also helps me weed out stuff i don't want to do lol.
just takes me longer lol.

hmm good point about the farms when I finish this guys computer will ask him if they have any tubs etc at the farm he works at. most are organic here i believe.