Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hey folks I really like the site, My name is Taylor and I live in Mississippi. Im an equipment operator and mechanic by trade. I also side line vegetable farm in the summer. I recently read a few articles on AP and got hooked after seeing them made from IBC totes. I have a good supply of really clean totes to mention about 45 sitting on the farm now. I was wanting to build and IBC AP set up with these and other scavenged items from the dump. I would like to add this to my new 40 b fifty green house Im putting up this spring.


I am a bit concerned Ill have trouble deciding what sytem I want or how to set it up. Im sorta stuck on Ebb and Flow but the Chift set up also looks good to. I need something simple to run for when work calls out of town. Best regards TL

Welcome TL!

Welcome to BYAP.

I'm in MS too. I don't have an answer for you about proper setup with IBC's. You are bound to find an answer here.

jd

Another Mississippi AP'er. Sweet.

The simplest systems make the most use of gravity, which is why I like CHFPST with SLO drains in the fish tanks.

My suggestion is to build a smallish system to start with to cut your teeth on, and then build the big dream system. You can knock out a single IBC system in about a day, but be warned that once you begin you will become addicted.

Roy

WHat part are yall from, Im in Iuka. I plan to make a small system mybe 3 totes max. Im looking to make my grow beds from some damaged totes cut down in the frames.

NW corner of MS. Little place called Arkabutla, near the big lake.

Biggest problem you'll have with a small system is too much heat in the dead of Summer (around mid Aug), but it's still worthwhile. You'll learn about cycling the system, how to combat algae, how much is too much sunshine for the plants (shade is your friend in deep summer), how to kill fish (accidently, of course), and lots of other little things that are usually manageable in a small system but can create heart stopping moments in a large system.

It's loads of fun...

Roy

Roy Thank for the advice. Ive been to Arkbutla lake a few times with a friend. As for the heat Im thinking about digging down 12 feet with my excavator and putting my sump down there. Id like to use the grounds 55degree heat for this. Plus some shading. I also have a shade building for my greenhouse plants to.

Regarding the 12 feet, I'm not sure you will get much benefit beyond a couple of feet. Biggest factor will be surface area of the sump below ground. The reason being that the heat will accumulate in the soil around the sump after a period of time. That's why these hybrid heat pumps that recirculate fluid through the ground to add/remove heat (winter/summer) have runs of 500 ft or more... to distribute the heat/cold over a broader area. This is also why people who have tried to heat the water with a submersible heater in the winter or cool the water with refrigeration during the summer have had only moderate success. The grow beds are such large heat sinks that their thermal capacity far exceeds the sumps thermal capacity for traditionally sized sumps.

I'm not saying that sinking your sump won't help, but many people go in the opposite direction and insulate their sumps and then work on controlling the temperature in an enclosed area (ie greenhouse). Read some of the big threads and you will see various discussions about sumps and heating/cooling systems.

I'm in the design phase of my new system (having dismantled the small system for the winter). It will have an enclosable greenhouse for the winter. I'm still undecided about how I will handle the sump. It will be mostly below ground (2/3) but I'm still undecided about insulating it or not.

Roy

Another one from Ms.
I live just south of Jackson.
Anyone in the area have any spare IBC totes?
I need 3-4 more.