Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi, we come from here: viewtopic.php?f=45&t=14087


Tomorrow I'm receiving two second hand IBCs that had contained wine and I'll start the constructing process of my 1st system as soon as I have all the materials. At first I've thought to make a simple system with only one IBC cut in two, one FT, one GB. If everything goes well I will add other 2 GB with the 2nd IBC and maybe a sump.

I've been reading and reading the forum and there's so much information that it's hard to filtrate and assimilate. I have also the "issue" that almost all of you live in Australia and the USA and most of brands that you recommend as Seasol, Maxicrop, Eco Rose, are not commercialised here in Spain so I have to find substitutes. Also, you can't find here most of the fish species that you have there.

Well, as I said my plan is to go commercial and my greenhouse will be a 30mx25m warehouse with brick walls and fibercement roof. Although there are some translucid roof pieces I will need more light so I'll have to replace some more if not all of them (but that will be done as the system is growing).
Here's a pic of the google maps view of my piece of ground and the warehouse marked 1 and some of the inside still with things from my old job.





I wonder if replacing all the roof will provide enough light as the walls can't be replaced.

I have a lot of questions (I guess most of them quite silly) but the first one could be about the pump. I really haven't been able to find pump capacity requirements. I know that if my first tank is going to be a cut IBC, (maybe 600l.?) I have to buy at least a 1000l/h pump but maybe I should have a bigger one for next expansions.
So here is the question: Is the relation FT capacity / pump flow 1:1? I mean If I plan to have a 5000l FT should I buy now a 5000 l/h pump although being some time oversized?

Hi and welcome to the forum, Im looking forward to this system developing.

In regards to the pump, there is a few things to take into account like pumping hieght, distance, amount of GB's or DWC troughs and volume required. Its a good rule of thumb to try pump your FT volume approx once every hour. The thing about pumps is you could nearly subtract 25% efficiency off the quoted pumping capacity in most cases.... sometimes more. Its usually better to go bigger and then that leaves you with additional flow for other things like swirling your FT, aeration and possible expantion.

In your example, Id buy a 8000 or 9000LPH for a 5000L FT.

wow, this would be nice. a LOT of space for you to play

about the light, its fibercement right? just replace every other 3 or 2 with transparant so (fiber-fiber-trans-fiber-fiber-trans etc), do that every 2nd row. i think that would suffice

Thank you guys for the info.

Glad to know that I'm not going to need to replace all the roof. I'll do as you adviced with my 1st basic system and see how it works.

About the pump, things get clearer now with your info. As I'm still thinking in what distribution and FT size I will have for a bigger system, I think I will get a cheap one first with 1500 or 2000 l/h capacity for my first tryout system with a cut IBC with the GBs on top of it.

As I read and see the variety of systems that forum members have I'm figuring out how mine could be but I've got still some more to read.


Ah!, I've been looking for a 3000l. or more tank here in Spain but I could'n find anything similar to those circular ones that are sold in the BYAShop and a lot of members have in their systems. But there are a lot of 2nd hand pools like this at quite reasonable prices:




I don't know if anybody has used something similar and know if it would be strong enough. I've seen some with children even climbing across the border.

Hola Tocayo!

I'm about to start my system in Cordoba, Spain. I am really interested as to how your project is doing. Have you started yet?

It is very true that is harder to do it in Spain, I can't find any of the products from Australia and USA, and even simple things like nitrite/nitrates and ammonia tests are many times more expensive.

I also have the idea of the "swimming pool" since I can't seem to find suitable fish tanks...

As I said, any updates?

Hi! I've sent you a private message. I'm pending to add the fishes to my 1 month old system but once I have them I'll post some pics and questions.

Saludos!

Hi fellow gardeners!

I am living in Barcelona and looking for some fingerlings Tilapia.
Anyone that can help me out ?

Ask these guys http://www.tilapianatural.es/

They told me they buy them from some European country, not sure which one.

Have you got an aquaponics system?

A few months later I'm back!
As I thought, I experienced some problems with sunlight; the plants were growing but thin and long, so I had to replace a couple of fibercement of my roof for transparent ones, and now it seems to be ok.
So, what I have now is this:




A simple Flood and drain system with a standpipe

- 450l. approx in FT
- 1 GB. from cut IBC 30 cm. high
- 1 FT. 70 cm. from the IBC isolated in a box made from plywood and white polystyrene
- 3000l pump
- small Air pump always connected
- from 9:00 to 21:00 pump is running 15 minutes and draining +- 15 more every hour.
- in the GB 3 tomato plants, two cucumber plants, three sweet pepper plants, one aubergine plant, and seven mixed lettuces. All of them seem to be growing well. In fact I planted some same plants at the same time in the outside and some of them have died.
- Last Friday I added 6 little tilapias. They are 10cm. long and I think I have 4 females and two males. They seem to be mossambicus.

My water test levels have not moved in two months and are:

PH: 7.8
Amm: 0.25
Nit: 0
Nat: 80/160

which I think is fine. As the fishes are there for 4 days I am going to chek everyday.

In this four days I have just seen them eat once because everytime I approach to the tank to feed them they run to the bottom and although I throw the food they don't seem to see it. I thing they will have to get used to me If they want to survive.

This is all for now but I'm planning to add two more GBs and a Sump and I'd also like the fishes to breed and I'm still reading how to do it because I don't know if the FT would be the best place for them to have babies or to keep the fingerlings with the bigger ones.

Two more pics:

i'm a bit worried about my little tilapias behaviour. I have not been able to find the info in the forum so i don't know if they don't like light. Everytime I open the door I made to access the tank, the fishes are swimming and seem to be happy but at the same moment I open and the light goes in they go to the bottom where I can not access and they stay there quiet. Because of this I am not able to feed them or see if they eat the food I throw in the FT.

Is this normal? Can tilapia eat food from the bottom when I'm not watching?

My water temp is 26*C, and the test levels are the same as above so I dont think it's a water matter.


I'm also thinking on getting a 170 l. aquarium to isolate some of them to see if they have babies but there's contradictory info in the forum, some recommend that and some others say its not necessary.
What should I do?

Thanks.

Sorry, I have a hard time reading past "IBC of wine" . I need one of those for my disaster planning kit.

Today vouyerism has told me that it's not the light what my fishes don't like, its me!

I still don't know if they eat but they seem happy. When they think I'm not watching they swim and "play" a lot. Also today my nitrite level has raised from 0 to 0.50.

Levels today were:
ph: 7.8
amm:0.25
nit:0.5
nat:80/160

Tomorrow I'm adding another GB and another Tank communicated with my first FT. I'll post some more pics when the job's done.

Hi Carlos!
I saw your email but now I'm not home and do not remember the content to answer punctually.
In any case I live near "Verbania" about 100 km from Milan, Lake Maggiore

Hola carlos que tal?

Very nice system, I too am from Italy but a ways farther from you.

Tilapia will probably get used to you over time - when you feed, try hovering over the tank so they associate your presence with feeding (I don't have Tilapia but this is generally valid for every fish)