Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi everyone,

Hopeing some of you have time to read this and help out with some design questions for my new system.

I've finally taken the plunge and ripped out almost everything in my
backyard in preparation for a full redesign .

I've been wanting to start my first AP system for ages. I've read everything I can find and am trying to design my system. Now that my yard is a virtual wasteland something has to happen!

I am trying to build a system that will blend as best as possible into the
yard. This of course is to appease my better half.

I started to think about burying the tank in the ground which
sounded like a good idea initially. Then people started saying things
like "It will collapse because of the soil around it". Not being an
engineer (well not one at least with any capacity to comment on that
statement) I'm not sure if it's true but it sounded worrying.

I've been looking out for some time for a suitable tank, something
larger than an IBC and haven't found anything either within my budget
or of suitable visual appeal to pass the test.

The next thing I have been considering is digging a bloody great hole
and lineing it with a pond liner and using that. My yard is quite
small so would need to have verticle sides. I was thinking about 2.4m
x 1.2 x 1m deep. The minister for war and finance assures me she is
looking forward to digging the hole and should have it completed in
short order. I'm, I think at least, a little more realistic and
expect that it will be a huge undertaking. Not to mention the rumor
that there is a sewer pipe down there somewhere at an unspecified
location and depth.

It has the appeal of a more natural feel than an IBC sitting in the corner. Any issues with open pond vs closed IBC or other tank?

Another question is, is anyone else burying tanks, if so what sort and did they have any trouble with collapsing?

I was considering using sleepers to sure up the walls of the pond but then started considering termites. Perhaps some concrete or bricks or something......

Any advice re pond construction would be very very much appreciated.

The next thing is to ask about overall system design for such a setup. I am considering just using F&D straight back into the pond does that sound reasonable.

Sorry for the large amount of questions..

CT

Welcome to the forum CT

Many have buried tanks in the past and there generally isnt many problems depending on what you will use. Most aquaculture tubs are strong enough to support themselves. IBC's simply just need some timber or steel sheeting of some kind to stop the earth pushing against the bladder.

If your after something larger for a pond your probably better off going down the dig a hole and liner path. Keep in mind liner is pricey but still cheaper than tanks (unless you can score one from somewhere).

Stick around and do some searching and you will pick up a lot of info in a short time.

Good luck and keep the questions coming.

I dug a hole, and filled it with concrete and bricks. works brilliantly.

IMHO, burying a tank is a good idea, Check Outback Ozzie thread, I think he has buried quite a large one. Digging hole and lining with bricks is probably the most economical as you can get free bricks out of the paper (perth), you can make what ever size you want and rendering it is pretty easy. If you use a cream cement with cream sand you may not have to paint (colour wise), check it out but you could probably put clear water proofing agent in render mix to water proof render, again I am only guessing and you should check waterproofing agent to see if its potable. Worst case just paint with Crommlins pond paint.
Burying tank gives you the great advantage of having a very simple flood and drain or constant flow system with very little frame work to mount beds on, if any.
there is info on inter web of course regarding the construction of the brick tank.

I buried an IBC with nothing but heave construction plastic around the outside of the cage, it has been fine. I have climbed in it a few times to inspect. A lot of people thought that the world was going to end because of it, but it really depends on your geology. My *ahem* soil was clay. The sides supported my weight with no cave-ins.

My 1550 gallon tank is buried, and I will aslo be buring 4 IBC's next to my tank. I try to always keep the water level above the ground level except for short periods of time for cleaning out, or harvesting fish.

Thanks everyone for the info so far.

I'm guessing that the best option for me to get started is to get digging. Especially as I'm not entirely sure what's down there.

So plan is to get out the shovel and start at it. How far I get will in some way probably determine what ends up happening.

What do people consider the minimum acceptable depth? I'm thinking 1m. I'm dreaming of getting deeper but we'll see how it goes.

CT

1 m is a big hole. thats why with my pond, I decided to build up as well, to add that depth to it.

good luck with the digging

Over the years you will accidently drop stuff into your FT. The deeper it is the harder to retrieve.

Tip : don't stick your phone in your shirt/jumper/jacket pocket when palying around with your tank...

Lost mine in the tank about three times...

Just as well it's an old industructible Nokia....

Sometimes the lack of planed obsolescence works against you

Remember that as you dig, you will have a lot of extra dirt. Use it to build a dirt wall around your tank, it will give you extra buried depth, get rid of dirt, and provide good insulation. I believe it's called a berm.

Also, all that water will push out against the dirt.

Hi,

Things are progressing. Yard is cleared out of all trees etc. New fence going up this week...

Thinking a little more about the pond design I've got a question:
If I have the pond open at the top to look more natural how bad are the issues with things like:
- Algy
- Things e.g. birds, pilfering fish? Would I need a screen or something?
Will I need a UV light in the system somewhere to keep the algy down?
CT

Barley straw is popular for keeping algae down.

I'm looking at the 3000l tank and 500l grow beds from the following site:
http://www.polywatertanks.com.au/aquapo ... m-kits.php

Probably will have 3 beds for a total of 1500l of growbed. This is small for the tank as I understand it but should allow for expantion down the track. Although there isn't much room for that .

I've spoken to quite a few people regarding digging the tank into the ground and the best answers appear to be to dig the hole, Level the floor with sand, install and fill tank. Then backfill with either concrete or a dry mixture of sand mixed with cement.

I'm thinking to have no plumbing outlets at the bottom of the tanks as it sounds like that's trouble waiting to happen. Thinking to have submersible pump.

Am I on the right track here?
CT