Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi everyone,

Just starting to plan an aquaponics system, Ive played around with a small barrelponics system but never really got a chance to finish it off fully. Im currently trying to do a sketchup model but im not really that good at that program yet, its pretty hard lol. Here, in words, I will try to describe my system. It will be pretty much running in CHOP style.

Sump: 2 x Blue Barrels joined with balance pipe. I may cut the top out a bit for cleaning and possibly keep some yabbies in there.
Fish tank: IBC
Growbeds: 6 x half barrels cut lengthwise, will make a stand up to support the sides once filled with gravel.
Vertical: A few strawberry towers
Pump: unsure what type yet, but possibly something around 2000-3000lph

Pump will be in the sump and be split with a few different outputs.

1 main line to the growbeds
1 main line to fishtank
1 smaller line to strawberry towers.

The fish tank will have a bottom lifting overflow into a swirl filter which will drop back into the sump. I have been thinking of using a single 100mm drain from all the beds into the sump. Will be fed by siphons on each bed.

I have been thinking of using loop siphons much like SS Barrels and Ruperts system over bell siphons, majorly just for the cost. Strawberry tower will also drip into the main drain line.

Do you guys think my 400L sump will be enough? or should I try and incorporate another barrel into it? I would like to half bury an IBC, and that may happen in the future, but Im only renting at the moment and dont want to buy another IBC if not needed.

Im going to use 19mm gravel in the beds, would this account for 50% of the space or more in the beds?

Sorry for all the questions, just so much stuff to think about designing a system.

Cheers,
John

400L sump with 600 litre of growbeds in flood and drain - maybe.

You need enough water in your sump to fill all growbeds at once and still have your pump submerged.

You also need enough sump volume to cope if all growbeds drain at the same time (or close to).

Change it to constant flood and you will be ok, other wise you will need to increase the size of your sump.

I had a chat with a mate this afternoon who thinks he can get me another IBC free of charge for a sump - Yay!

I have done a pretty crappy sketchup pic of what I hope to do, one day I might be as good as the other guys - what they can do on that program amazes me.

One question is, with a 1000L FT and Sump, is 600L of growbeds enough?

John

Hi John:
I like your diagram, these days I only look at pictures and don't read descriptions LOL. I wonder how the solids get out of the swirl filter. It might be interesting to put another small solids pump at the outlet of the swirl filter, out to the grow beds. Normal operation would be the one pump in the sump watering the beds and FT, but occasionally the other one would get solids out of the swirl filter to the beds. Otherwise I suppose the solids build up until you open the tap to drain them, but then the beds don't get the solid goodness in them that way.

Dave,

Should have mentioned that earlier, but I just forgot. Once I drain the solids out of the filter via the tap I will water them down and add them directly to the grow beds. Just trying to stop most of the solids getting into the sump and sitting there or worse going back to the fish tank.

Ive heard of people adding the solids to an aeration tank for a few hours to break them up a bit more or something, and then adding them in?

Planning on running 19 black flexi hose to the strawberry tower and 32mm PVC to the grow beds with a tap on each bed. 32mm back to the fish tank and run 40mm output to the filter and sump just to be safe. Im also going to run an overflow on the tank just above water level.

This sound all about right?