Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hello everyone!

I have read the forum for several years already and had plans to start my first system about 4 yrs ago, but other things got on the way.

I hope that by the beginning of the new year I can have my system installed and cycled.

Here are the plans, feel free to comment on the layout.

This shows the overall layout of my sideyard


Profile of grow beds and fish tank


Profile of filter/floating rafts

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The fishtank will be partially buried built with lumber and liner and will hold approx. 1300 gal

The growbeds will be built with plywood and liner. 4 ft X 8 ft X 1 ft, will hold approx. 157 gal at 8 in. of water

The floating rafts will measure 2 ft X 10 ft X 14 in.

I already have a 1800 gph pump mag drive from pondmaster, a bunch of 4 in. 2 in. and 1 in. pvc with fittings.

Need to order the liner which will run about $210 + shipping for the FT, and about the same for the rest of growbeds and raft.



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Hi Mark! I'd say ditch the drums and just feed the floating rafts with the outlets from the GBs.

Well, I want to stock as much fish as possible eventually. I have room for another two 3X8 growbeds.

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How many fish would you recommend I start with? I would initially have about 400 gallon of growbed with another 300 gal of expansion (future).

I have not been very successful growing on the ground and ultimately I'm more interested in the fish,

I will also install the two barrel biofilter to help with slightly larger density of fish.

By the way, has anyone attempted to make their own biomedia by recycling and shredding water bottles? I ask because my coworkers drink lots of bottled water and don't think we recycle those here in my office.

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Rule of thumb is

Fish to grow to 500 grams, require 25 litres of GB Filtration ,20 litres of water for each fish.

Ok, so looks like I could start with about 60 fish.

I will be ordering the pond liner for the fish pond next friday and start construction of the pond the following sunday.

Well, had a car breakdown so there goes the aquaponics money, but was able to get an ibc and will be starting a smaller system.

I built two growbeds with 3 half barrels.



But I haven't decided if I should build a chift pist or put the pump in the fish tank an let the beds drain directly to the fish tank (ibc).

If I go with chift pist I have two blue barrels that I can partially bury in the ground connected together as the sump tank. This would allow me to place the grow beds at a relative low height and would benefit from more water volume.

If I drain the beds directly to the FT, I would have to bury the fish tank in order to have lower height in the grow beds. I like the simplicity of this system but I don't like the idea of having the pump in the FT.

The pump I have is a Pond Master 1800 (by Danner) pumps 1800 gpd at 0 ft. I don't know how good it is going to be handling the solids that is why I'm learning more to chift pist.

I guess this is why I haven't been having much luck growing on the ground

I buried two blue barrels that I will be using as sump tank connected only through a siphon pipe 1-1/2 in. or 2 in.

I will place the pump slightly higher than the bottom of the siphon pipe in order to not loose the siphon.

I will be cutting the top of the IBC today and level the ground in order to set the right elevation of the growbeds.

Each bed will be plumbed together (3 half barrels) with 2 in. pipes from the bottom and will have a common affnan siphon or a barrelponics type of flush valve. Any advise on them?



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looking at the livestock picture...

Either you have really small hands or....


YIKES!

---D

That us actually my wife's hand, she would not date to touch it. I had never seen grubs that big, the typical grubs we see around here are less than 1 in. this one measured about 3in.

Made some progress this morning and the growbeds are almost ready. The uniseals I order are on their way and should get them this monday.

Please take a look and let me know if,you see something that might not work.

Pics



That is looking west, you can see my two sump tanks under the grow bed.



Sump tanks connected by a siphon.



This is looking north an the fish tank



This is the overall shot. I expect the shade feom the pergola not to be a great factor for the growbed during the summer.

I don't believe your grow beds are going to be strong enough. Those drums are going to sag or break the s 2X4 that is horizontal. I also don't see anything holding the bottoms of the barrels. How are they secured to the stand.

It looks like they are nailed/screwed in along their sides. I would look into having some sort of bottom support as well.

I will support them from underneat with a couple 2x6 then.