Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I am not worried about the seepage. Right now it's helping with curing and I am going to seal the whole tank in a couple of weeks so the cement will no longer get wet.



Yes, by tying the steel mesh better, tighter which will make thinner walls. I will still use and inside and outside layer of mesh but they will be close enough together that it's only one wall. Around most of the tank i effectively have two walls, an inside and an outside.

It will be easier to see when i do my grow bed. Hoping to start on it this weekend but with the storms and some other projects I may get set back a few days.


brian

Good job so far.
What are you going to use to seal the cement? Also, it is better to seal it from both sides, otherwise moisture from one side causes the other side to give.
If there is a next project, it might work a little better if you build the fish tank almost in ground or half way in there. Not only ground provide insulation to your fish tank, but also, it is easier design with respect to return water to tank from grow beds. I am assuming with your design you are going to use two water pumps.

Zubin,


For sealing the outside i am planning to use a home depot garage/driveway water resistant epoxy. for The inside i am planning to use pond shield non toxic epoxy. I dont know for sure if i need to seal it on both sides or not. I figure it will protect the concrete better so i will.

I use CHIFT/PIST so my tank overflows to grow beds. I want the tank to be high. I also didnt want to dig. While the tank is very big/heavy and would be difficult to move it is not "permanent". Which was mostly why i didnt pour a real cement foundation.

No, my design uses 1 pump. CHIFT/PIST.


brian

Hi Brian,

Yes, I highly recommend you treat both sides. Saves a lot of headache later on!

How are you going to get the solids out from the bottom of the fish tank? You got to be sure to get all the fish crap out as good as you can, otherwise you will have issues. Fish crap does not float to the top, it settles down at the bottom of the tank.

I use what people on this forum call SLO (solids lift overflow).

This is my 4th system in approx 5 years. I have a lot of experience with different models and I have never had a problem with fish solids in my fish tank. The fish stir up the solids enough that they eventually make it to the grow beds.

You need the SLO so you arent just skimming the top water. it's keeps floating fish feed in the tank instead of sliding right out into the grow bed.


If you arent familiar with CHIFT PIST w/ SLO as an aquaponics design there's a lot of info on this forum. i see a half dozen thread on the topic seemingly daily.



brian

love your work! i'm contemplating making a wooden tank..(gotta be able to remove it from the rental house)
but this ferro works always has me thinkin..

Especially when you see how inexpensive the materials are. If you can develop the skills, you can create some amazing stuff without breaking the bank!

Didnt get to work on this, it's been raining every other two days. Some storms severe, So maybe the storms will be done by friday and i can start building the frame by next monday. I have other chores backed up like mowing, mulching/covering the grass around my fruit trees and building a grape trellis that now have priority over the grow bed build. i am anxious to get it done though.



Brian

Can i get some help from the cement people on sealing?

my original plan was to use pond shield which is a non toxic epoxy to seal the inside of the tank but i am starting to balk more at the cost as it will cost roughly the same amount to seal my tank than I have spent to build the structure.

I used roughly 1 part portland cement and 3 parts play sand for most of it. At the end i replaced the play sand with sakcrete sand mix (which i thought was just finer sand but having left a bag sitting outside in the rain i now think it has a mortar component as well)

Do i really need to seal this? It's mainly leaching lime and calcium right? I fi am ok with high PH is there anything truly toxic assuming i drain all teh water in it current and refill it say.. a month later?


any advice would be appreciated. Still havnt gotten to start on my grow bed. It's been raining and I need to finish my grape trellis and do some mulching around my fruit trees before it gets too hot


If i really must have a sealer i am now considering white billboard tarp or pond liner.


brian

www.pondarmor.com

hit up butch there and he'll help you out with your liner

Again nice job so far Brisn.

How thin do you think the walls could be and still be strong enough?

that is an awesome first go!!!! have ya done anything to the outside???

Sorry Brian , must be my fat finger syndrome.

Try not to think of the liner in terms of how much the structure costs, think of it as the structure is there to hold the fish safe liner...

BobH,

I am not sure yet. The outside of the ferro does have some hairiline cracks now so over time i may not want to make it much thinner. Also have to keep in mind due to the poor framing, i kind of have an inside wall and and outside wall so the outside didnt have proper water contact and curing. So I am just going to have to experiment more before i can say for sure. I am going to try to make the grow bed wall a lot thinner. Targeting maybe half inch thick if i cant get it a little thinner.

stucco,
thanks, y our thread was my inspiration you make it look so easy. I have not yet sealed the outside, should i?

Ron,
I'll give it 10 more days which is a month and i am going to drain, refill and then treat with muratic acid to see if i can neutralize the calcium sulfate on the surface of the cement. If i get the ph stable i will try feeder fish/minnows and just go from there. My systems already run buffered to 7.8-8 because of the expanded shale so i already know how to deal with highish ph. as long as it's not above 8


brian