Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hello All,

I was on here quite a bit for a brief while last year, but I "disappeared" since then. But I haven't forgotten about all you nice, helpful people.

Well, I have been quite busy traveling for my work, unable to do much as regards my system (or anything else around the house the wife wants done). But finally I've got a start, and I'm excited about that. I picked up three IBCs for $7 each from a surplus sale at the military base where I work. And I got a reciprocating saw now, so I'm ready to start sawing them apart.

Planning on cutting the top 1/4 off of one of them, using the large part for a tilapia tank, and the small part for a grow bed. Then I'll cut the top and bottom 1/4 off another one, and make two more grow beds the same size as the first one, throwing away "the middle part" of this second IBC. The 3rd one I plan to cut exactly in half, making one deep grow bed for root crops; the other side of this 3rd one I'll use for a sump tank to collect water returning from the grow beds, before it goes back to the fish.

And then I was thinking of having maybe 2 to 4 (2-meter long sections) of 6 or 8" diameter drain pipe stood up vertically, with coconut husk or some other media in them, to serve for things that can hang like strawberries.

Does this plan of beds to fish tank ratio sound reasonable?

Well, I can't wait to get the thing started, but one again I have trips for work ahead of me . . . going to Alberta, Canada; South Carolina, and California in about a week or so. All those trips back-to-back with just a day or two in between them at home. Oh well, I'll have plenty of time while I'm gone to think and scheme on my further plans . . .

$7 each!?! I would drive to Arizona to get IBCs at that price! Where did you pick them up? Do you know what was in them previously? A ton of people put hazardous materials such as gas or oil in IBCs, and these will ruin them.

How big are these IBCs/are they all the same size? Do you have any idea about stocking density or what type of fish?

A lot of people recommend 1:1 grow bed to fish tank ratio, but the more important inputs are stocking density/size of the fish.

I would also recommend putting a radial flow solids collector. Solids collection will be important. You should see the solids I collect from my 80 gallon system with only 9 6-inch tilapia.

http://www.ecofilms.com.au/diy-radial-flow-filter-for-aquaponics/

A sketch of what your plans are would be a great way to spend some of those hours in the sky! (Also very helpful for me to see whats going on!)