Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Ok.. My intentions were to start small, and grow over time. My Son (an avid Aquarist) heard what I wanted to do, so I was given several fish tanks to setup a learning system. Before I could get setup with my basic Aquaponics System, I ran across a source of 55gal barrels.

Sooo... Here was an opportunity to upgrade to the three blue barrel Barrelponics System. As I got more into getting the three blue barrels, I found I could pick them up for $8 each. I loaded 4 of them up in the truck and headed home. The next day I was traveling by the same area and thought, well while they are available at that price, why not get a few more. I loaded 4 more into the truck and once again headed home.

It was time now, to come up with a design using my 8 barrels and get started.

Thought I could just get a 150gal Rubbermaid stock tank from the local Southern States farm supply, and guess what happened. You guessed it!... Two weeks later, supplies kept falling in my lap.

The same guy that had the blue barrels called, and said he had someone just drop off an IBC.

Earlier, I had explained what I was doing with the barrels, and why it was so important for me to grow organic fresh vegetables. You see, my health requires me to eat almost totally, juiced fruits and vegetables. Solid foods, just do not get along well, with my finicky digestive system.

I got hold of this IBC for $45, loaded it into the truck and headed home again. So I'm now at the point of redesigning my system, and have sworn to not answer the telephone, or leave the house until I can get a working system up and running.

After much study of the information on Backyard Aquaponics, and my available back yard space. I've decided on building a CHIFT-PIST system, with a vortex filter between the sump and fish tank. This will allow me to remove and control the solids from the tank, reduce the ammonia and help keep the pump in good working order.

So the blue barrels will be divided like this:
2 for the filter and sump
3 cut into 2'W x 3'L horizontal grow beds
2 cut into 2'dia. x 18"H Pots for larger plants
1 for a rain barrel
and the IBC is for a 275gal fish tank.

After the sump I'll pump the water to the grow beds, and then from the grow beds, back to the fish tank using auto-siphons and a common drain. The solids will be removed and used as fertilizer in another garden and fruit trees that we currently have.

Another project is a build an 8'x16' green house with grow lights, specifically built for the system. This will allow me to have a longer growing season, and a way to dress up the back yard and keep it neat and clean.

All that figured out... and now I'm at the point of designing the plumbing system.

All-in-all, because of the unexpected growth of my system. I've decided that this is much easier than I though it would be.

Wow Kenny! That sounds like it was meant to be and everything fell in to place. You probably won't see this until your system is finished if you are trying not to get sidetracked, but good luck, can't wait to see it up and running. Welcome to the forum

Sent from my GT-I9100T using Tapatalk 2

Hey, welcome to the forum. IBC's and blue barrels. Great start. What part of the country are you in?

Hi Kenny,

If this is you starting out small I can only imagine what a large system for you would be....

All the best. Keep us posted with your progress and dont forget pics!

Today I'm back on the project again! Unfortunately some distractions you can't ignore. I've been dealing with my fathers cancer since I wrote the last post. Thankfully, (so far) it looks like the treatment and opersation has been successful.

Heading to the local car wash to clean out my fish tank now!

I keep forgetting that K.I.S.S. principle. I'll try and get some pics today! Hopfully I can keep up with them along the way. My enthusasm, makes me forget to stop and document sometimes.

Thanks Bill! and thanks for letting me know my profile needed updating. It now shows I'm from New Bern, NC...

It sounds like your pumping from the sump tank to the grow beds and then through a vortex filter and then into the fish tank.....I may be reading this wrong...

CHIFT PIST is normally set up as such:

water is pumped from the sump tank to the fish tank, the overflow from the fish tank goes into the grow beds via gravity and then back to the sump tank cleaner....

the grow beds are your bio filter and remove most of the solids automatically....

BTW, im in wilmington, nc

jT

+1

In keeping with the KISS principle; unless there are absolute necessities which dictate otherwise, I'd be pumping the filtered ST water to the FT, which will overflow to the GB (taking FT solids with it) which drain into the ST. If you want to limit the solids going into the GB, you can still install a mechanical/swirl filter between the FT and GB. If you need to add a biofilter (many designs require prefiltering) you can install this between the GB and ST, or between the ST and FT.

Draw you plan out on a piece of paper and see which pieces of the puzzle best fit where; making sure to identify the location of ALL of your water at ANY time, and what sections will be exposed to unfiltered solids.


Scott

Hi jT,
It's good to know you are close. I love Wilmington, and concidered moving there near Screen Gems, when I was working as a Director in the entertainment business. New Bern has been my childhood home, and I returned here to be close to family.

Thanks for the info and link to your system, I love the layout of your FT and GB designs. What are the floor space dimensions?

You think Wilmington is close? I'm 15 minutes away from you, over here in Havelock.

Thanks Scott,
The info provided from yourself and jT, is helping me to better visualize my plumbing steup. Now all I have to do, is figure out what size pipe I need where.

lol Depending which way the wind is blowing, I guess we are both getting smoked out by the Croatan forest fire right now.

small world.....

my greenhouse is 12 x 33 ft. (3.65m x 10m)

jT

lol Depending which way the wind is blowing, I guess we are both getting smoked out by the Croatan forest fire right now.[/quote]

Yeah, base was a giant smoke cloud most of today. Damn house still stinks like smoke now even.