Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Plan on using a 300 gallon, insulated, spa-n-a-box purchased used for $50 as a fish pond.



Will employ an 1800 GPH @ 25' Superior pump purchased from ebay at $65 to pump water from the pond to grow beds.

Considering burying the spa in the backyard to minimize head/grow bed height, to serve as the pond, and to pump water to 300 gallons of grow beds.

Considering 6 x 50 gallon or 12 x 25 gallon grow beds, suitable, inexpensive, grow bed container advice appreciated.

The spa has a high output air blower and jets that may prove useful for extra aeration, or for backup, if needed.

Planning on stocking with Blue Gills or the like, suitable fish, Northern Virginia, USA, stocking advice appreciated.

Need to figure out a mast head design for distributing pond water to individual grow beds, design advice appreciated.

The other big cost item will be the expanded clay grow media at $25/50 liters, inexpensive grow media advice appreciated.

Will install backup air supply with 12VDC relay (thanks to your most helpful forum post).

Finally, will need to determine feed requirements, food type, advice once again much appreciated.

Cheers!

Jackal

Welcome Jackal

Thank you!

5 blue barrels cut in half (10 beds) should be a cost effective way to get enough growbed space. But that depends on the cost of fittings, sometimes less, bigger GB's Is better. Maybe an IBC cut in half?

Will

Welcome Jackal



Your good option would be blue barrels, quite a common plastic drum that many aquaponicists use. Inexpensive and easy to work with. It just so happens that if you cut 3 of them in half... you would have 6 x 50 gallon GB's.



Theres a number of ways you could do this but a simple approach would be to have your FT lower than your GB's, pump from your FT to GB's and the water drains from them back to the FT. Simple, easy.



There are a multitude of feed options and it will depend on your budget. Id say 90% of us here are using aquaculture pellets which are specifically formulated for fish and plant health and growth. But, there are cheaper options like duckweed, worms, BSF etc etc..

Thanks! Do you see any issues with using the spa, as it has a plastic liner?

Cheers!

Jackal

Wouldn't that be 6 x 25 gallons?

Jackal

You've done your research. You've got a lot already for a newbie. I can't imagine trying to bury the spa..... Looking forward to seeing how all this develops. And what fish you decide on.

The real issue is getting stuff past the wifey, as she does not readily support my projects and/or hobbies

Such is life!

Jackal

Well you can always tell her "but honey, at least I'm at home and not at the bar"...

Found 55 gallon blue barrels locally for $40 each (so $20 per GB, not bad!). Also, saw a video on using drinking water hoses (50' hoses for $15) and hose valves and connectors to run the plumbing lines. Finally, can get 1 cubit yard of pea gravel delivered for around $165.

So projected costs so far:

1800 GPH pump: 65
300 Gallon fish tank: 50
100' of drinking water hoses: 30
12 bell syphons etc. 200
2.0 CUYDS of pea gravel: 216
6 55 G barrels (300 G of GB): 240
backup air/relay: 100
hose connectors/valves 50
Fish Bluegill?
Fish Food ?
Plants ?

If I what I calculated is correct, the above set up will provide a yearly yield 300 gallons of GB (@ 1 G of GB/G of FT), and 300 lbs of fish (@ 1 lb of fish/G of FT).

This seems excessive for a family of four, so will probably scale this down by 1/3 or so to try to achieve 100 gallons of GB (or 100 SQ FT), and 100 lbs of fish (@ 1 lb of fish/3 G of FT) per year.

All suggestions appreciated!

Cheers!

Jackal

Found a local fish farm (http://www.smithcreekfishfarm.com/c-2-p ... kages.aspx) that for around $400 stocks a 1/4 acre pond (100'x100') with:

1 QUART DAPHNIA
1000+ MIXED FATHEAD MINNOWS
50 GOLDEN SHINER MINNOWS
25 YELLOW PERCH
100 MIXED BLUEGILLS/SUNFISH
25 LARGE MOUTH BASS
10 CHANNEL CATFISH
6 KOI
50 ASSORTED SNAILS
50 PAPER SHELL CRAYFISH

Thinking of taking this recipe and scaling it by 1/10 for the 300 gallon fish tank.

1/10 QUART DAPHNIA
100+ MIXED FATHEAD MINNOWS
5 GOLDEN SHINER MINNOWS
2 YELLOW PERCH
10 MIXED BLUEGILLS/SUNFISH
2 LARGE MOUTH BASS
1 CHANNEL CATFISH
1 KOI
5 ASSORTED SNAILS
5 PAPER SHELL CRAYFISH

Comments appreciated!

Jackal

Found out that no permit is needed to stock local fish (http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/fish/) in my tank so long as they are not sold or released into Virginia waters!

Jackal

Hey Jackal,

On the wife front, I had to set her mind to thinking about the direct benefits while making comments in passing
"Man, it's gonna be nice when I can just go to the back yard to get a tomato instead of going to the store."
"I don't know what we're going to do with all of these cucumbers. I think I planted too many!"

After a few weeks, she started talking about expanding so we could fit spinach in.

Paul