Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

If the FT is in the ground and GB higher just pump from FT to GB and gravity feed back to fish tank , no sump required.

i was planing on useing the sump as a fingerling tank so i can start growing them befor i run out in the FT

Go for a CHIFT PIST then.

Can you dig and (partially) bury the ST and FT? If so, then why have a ST? Conjoin two IBCs as the FT and chop the other two IBCs to make 4GBs?

Or, if you want to run/can afford two pumps, two species of fish or different sized fish (predation risk), or want to experiment etc, then why not make two separate systems, each from two IBCs? Each FT can be partially buried for thermal protection and this lowers the height so it means the GBs can easily be located for plumbing simplicity and access.


Scott

this is all still in planing at the moment
i am limited to a hothouse 2.4m by 3.5m the FT will have to be out side and mostly buryed to keep it warm.
in tas we can only have rainbows and it cost $78 to apply to get the fish and we want a constant suply but can not just go buy 1 or 2 here or there so the plan is to have a FT with a good number of fish in it and when we start harvesting them we will look in to getting more fingerlings and the idea is to have them in the ST to keep them away form the bigger fish to the time we dont have any big ones left then will move them out to the FT

and if i have the ST a little higher then the FT and just have it gravity feed to the FT and have it set up so the ST is at a content hight then i should not need 2 pumps only one in the tank to pump to the grow bed inside the hothouse then drain in to the ST then gravity feed to the FT

I was thinking something along the lines of this



You could also add one or more small fingerling tank(s) above the GBs for a little bit more flexibility, allowing small fish in the fingerling tank(s), medium size fish in one FT and the largest fish in the other FT??



Scott

i have looked at that but there there would not be any room to movie around to work on the beeds

I'm only a novice with SketchUp... but to me there looks like a reasonable amount of space??



Yes, I know IBCs aren't square, but you get the idea anyway?

i am doing it with my dad and he need to be able work form all sides
and that desin would not work

so the way we are gong to do it is to have them in a line down the senter

Draw the plans, including the elevations and I think you will see a problem with your concept as you have described it (or maybe it's my misinterpretation of your description??)

this is the basic lay out

Constant flood then.

no
i plan on using the auto syphon or a timer

Nope. Look again at where your water is going to be...

When the GBs are fully flooded, the FT is going to be empty... the only tank which will have a constant height is the fingerling tank (ST), so either your going to need to index the flooding of the GBs, get a much bigger FT, or run CF.

the Ft and the sump together there will be over 1400L