Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi there,

My husband and I will be buying our first house within the next six months and one of the first things we would like to do is add a large aquaponics system to our basement. We will be living in Quebec, close to Ottawa, so it is not possible to have a year round outdoor setup.

I have been lurking on this board for a few months now and I am ready to ask some questions of all you seasoned aquapons
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I will lay out my plans for you here and hopefully someone can critique and add or take away from my plan.

I originally thought that I would like to have one FT that was 10 feet in diameter by 30 inches high (originally a pool). I have now thought that through and think that I would like to have separate tanks (about 6 IBCs) so that we are able to have fish of varying sizes and maybe breeds. I have not decided on fish breed yet as I am not sure what would work in my area. I think that with the size of the tanks and the grow beds I would be able to stock 200 fish safely.

Since I will have about 6 tanks which will hold about 1650 gallons I figured I would build 10 GB that are 8x4x1. I would like to have 2 of them DWC beds that will hold lettuces and herbs. The rest will be media beds that I figured I would fill with red lava rock with the top inch or two as ¾ inch river rock.

I would eventually like to add some towers for berries and some 55 gallon barrels for fruit trees. I would like to add the fruit trees after about a year when my system has matured. Will the system that I have above be able to handle the addition of these items or will I have to add another FT at that time?

I am not sure how to logistically put this system together (my brain cannot comprehend all the pipes and sump pumps and pumps, valves and aerators) so I would like to have it all sorted out to give to my husband

Since this system is in my basement I am obviously going to need lighting. I have researched that and I know there are many many different options. I would like to keep this as efficient as possible without breaking the bank. I am willing to sacrifice a smaller plant yield by not using top of the line lights.

I would like to add worms and grow duckweed as well. We are planning on being as self sufficient as possible when we buy our home. We already make our own laundry soap, can EVERYTHING, cloth diaper, dehydrate etc, etc. And we will be raising our own meat birds, laying hens, a couple pigs and a milking cow.

I would appreciate any help I can get! Diagrams would be extremely helpful! We are very excited to have a plan and to begin collecting materials while we wait for the perfect space!

I look forward to hearing all your thought and suggestions.

THANKS

I'm still a newbie, so don't have much worthwhile to add (sorry!) - just wanted to say good luck!

Sounds like you've done your research, I hope it all works out great

Welcome to Aquaponics.
Some good ideas you got there.
I recommend that you do not make a shallow fish tank, you will loos heat a lot faster. Also the rate of water evaporation is higher for that volume.
What type of fish are you going to grow? Do you have intention to have the fish in order to feed your greens, you you also have plan to enjoy some good fish meals?
If you plan on fish for food too, then do some research and find out what type of fish will reproduce under your conditions.
Also, we do enjoy pictures!!!

Thanks to those who responded!

I have done some more research and I have figured that Tilapia will be our go to fish. I know that they prefer warm water so I will have to use a small heater to keep the water consistent on my system since it is in the basement.

I went to a hydroponics store tonight to inquire about lights and have decided to go with 600 watt Powersun digital ballasts with 600 watt Metal Halide bulbs and reflector shield. We will also use black and white plastic to line our walls to reflect more light and to keep it in as well.

I originally wanted to go with 10 grow beds but I think I will cut it in half until I get the hang of things. I didn't realize just how big 8X4 beds were going to be :S

1 will be a DWC and the other 4 will be flood and drain with the same media I stated above.

It may be a silly question, but if I have multiple fish tanks will I need separate pumps for each? I found a pond pump today that pumped 1500 GPH. Will this work?

I am doing ALOT of research and still have loads to learn!

Thanks everyone!

Hi Gnomeward Bound,
did you find any fish locally ?
I'm in Aylmer Qc and so far can't find any tilapia or trout.
I too would like to start a small interior and exterior setup but i'm missing the fish
my small setup is ready to run.

ping me or message back on this thread please.

Hi Oliviers,

I have not started the system yet so I have no fish, but the timeline for buying a house has moved up and we may be buying next month! Exciting!

Anyways, I have no fish as of yet but I have been researching and I have only been able to find one that sells Tilapia in Guelph, ON (NOA Fisheries). I find them quite expensive though at like 5.50 per fish.

I am more than likely going to order from the States, have them ship to a KINEK location and be there to pick them up when they arrive. I have spoken with the Head of Fisheries at the Canadian border and he has given me all his contact information, if they try to stop me. It is for personal consumption and Tilapia are supposedly very clean fish so there should be no problem bringing them across the border. He gave me contact information in case the officer is unaware of the specifics.

Sorry, I'm rambling

I hope you are able to find a solution soon so that you can try out your new system I can't wait to start mine!

Any pictures of the basement?

Preliminary drawings?

I'm really interested in your basement system concept. I think I'll be trying to grow stuff on atleast 2 levels and therefore will need some kind of lighting setup. It'll be interesting to see what you are going to do.

Good luck