Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Ok i have finally found some IBC's for $75 used at my local farm store . I have a few questions about them and will probably have more as time goes by.

#1 how many grow beds will I need to fully feed my family of 2-3? (not sure if boyfriend will be with me in this or not ...LOL)
#2 how do i wash these IBCs out to get them to work as i hear they have had roundup (weed killer) in them?
#3 how many bluegill Fish can i have in them?
#4 how do you grow root crops like potatoes and carrots and turnips in the grow beds?

I am going to have a flood and drain simple setup and already have some of my plumbing supplies.
I am planning on having vegetables and some fruits like blackberries and strawberries. Any help will be greatly appreciated as I'm wanting to be as self-sufficent as possible.
Problems have arised with family and I need to break away from family and friends . If anyone has any housing ideas that would be great too. I will be soon selling my house and may or may not be able to turn a profit on it . sorry for my ranting this morning but I had to get this off my chest.

Hope all is well with everyone on this sunshiny morning ( well sunshiny in ky).

Not sure about in KY but here in AZ the rental house market is booming. After all the foreclosures, everyone's credit is bottomed out and the can't get loans. We are renting a 3 bed/2 bath house with a pool for the same as we were paying on our 3 bed/1 bath townhouse that was about 1/2 the size.

I am not sure I would attempt to use anything having anything to do with roundup. That stuff is evil. Wash, bleach, hit with vinegar, then fill with water and set it in the sun. IF you get algae growth, you should be ok... However I would still be concerned with any roundup that has permiated the plastic, only to be leached out later. Not something you want circulating in your system at all. I would hold out, and spend more on IBCs that are food safe.
Sorry to hear about your family woes.

Ok Guys I have a question now....what is the ratio of fish tankies to grow beddies??....i looked but for the life of me cant find it...i know im dumb

Oh and instead of a 300 gallon pond pump couldn't i just use a fish aquarium filter rated for 300 gallons of fish tank? Which would be better?

As far as the pump goes, I used a fountain pump and I'm having trouble with leaves clogging the motor (even though I have two screens on it... the leaves slip in some how). I need to take the motor out and clear it out ever week or so. I'd go with a better pump if I had to do it over again.

I've heard you can go with 2:1 grow beds to fish tank, though you'd need a sump and I've heard you can go with 2:1 fish tank to grow bed, which is what I'm running and most IBC systems are, give or take. Its pretty flexible. If you go with too much grow bed, you'll have lackluster growth (not enough nitrates) unless you feed your finned friends like mad. If you go with too much fish tank, you won't get enough filtration and won't be able to feed your fish as much as they'd like to eat and get pathetic piscine proliferation.

You want to strike a balance. You need enough growbeds to filter for the number of fish you want, I forget the rule of thumb, but it is floating around out there. Then you want enough fish tank to make the fish happy. If you run constant flood, sumps are not necessary. Flood and drain, you will need enough sump to contain all of the water of all of the growbeds.

I believe 1 fish for every 20/25 litre of GB filtration and a tank to suit the number of fish.