Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Well last weekend all did was dig out the sump pit. But I was able to finalize the design .

Take a look... Let me know what you think.

System Flows:
Sump - FT
FT (SLOs) - RFF & Sump
RFF - Moving Bed Filter
MBF - DWC & MB (With overflow to Sump)
DWC & MB - Sump

Well this weekend was much more productive.

We where able to get all the IBCs and Barrels cut and into place.

Some more pictures.

Now we need to do the plumbing, finish the outsides of the beds and fish tank, bring in the hydroton, and plant some veggies.

Looks great, CJ - I'm excited for you guys. I've subscribed

Did you say you use google sketch up to create the diagrams?

Yes, I have it all sketched up with Google Sketchup.

Looks like a good start
Just wondering about your IBC GB stands.. do they need some support underneath in the centre as well? I use IBCs as well but I have a third support beam in the middle under my beds... they do get heavy when filled up. Perhaps they will be fine like that but perhaps keep it in mind.

Thanks again for the heads up Tom,

The extra $15 in CMU blocks and lumber will be well worth it.

I was also inspired by your wicking bed project... I have roughly 40 Cubic FT of good soil from my sump hole that I plan to use for WBs.

Any thoughts of connecting the WB to my AP system? Will the WB benefit from AP water and constant flow? Also my sump volume might not be able to handle the additional water usage. I have roughly 4 inches (127 Liter) for system evaporation/usage.

Eh, ill leave them separate until its all up and running and I get good readings on how the two are working.

Yeah probably $15 well spent for peace of mind

Wicking beds are really good and low maintenance, I personally wouldn't attach it to my AP system because I think it is unnecessary.. and possibly detrimental as you don't want your soil in the wicking beds to be completely soaking wet all the time as there will be a lack of oxygen in the soil which when combined with constant dampness could lead to anaerobic activity and rotting of your wicking bed plants. Also the wicking bed may make controlling your nutrients/pH etc in your AP system more difficult.
And if you don't connect your AP system to the wicking bed you can use normal garden pesticides that would otherwise kill your fish.. of course I prefer to stick to organic controls if I can but even some of those can harm fish like oils.
But since you are having and RFF you may want to use some/all of the waste from that for your wicking bed, it makes great fertiliser.
I am planning on building another 2 of those wicking beds as they seem better for root crops than AP is. And while I don't want to connect it to the AP I am considering interconnecting the 3 wicking beds and having a pump in one on a timer which pumps the water to the surface 2 or 3 times per day... but that's down the track a little yet

right, more blocks, the way they are shown the blocks have much lower compressive strength, stack them the other way

You may want to change the flow from the Sump and add a T in the line instead of having an overflow from the Fish Tank to the Sump. You can use it to aerate the water in the sump and you won't get solids in the Sump like you might with the FT overflow. I also like to be able to pump excess water (doe to rain) out of the system from the sump and you could put in a way to do this as well (I just do this manually - if I've salted my system I don't like to overflow it out to the grass).

What's the piping in the lower left corner of the sump? Maybe you already have a pump here?

Hey Cj, luv your planning, wish i could take the time to plan like that lol.
Small tip, the GB that is using the top half of the IBC has a lid, seal it few days before filling with media and water as they can be tricky.
Are you planning on painting the IBC's or wrapping them?
Def further supports in the centre. They flex under the weight.
I'm wishing i fitted a pre filter in from the start and so fitting one now, but i don't see the need to 2 drums, 1X 50l filter will be heaps.
Wicking beds are awesome, wish i learnt about them years ago, but hook them into the AP i think that is asking for trouble.
Have fun and take heaps of pics.

It is a run from the house tap, I plan to put an auto-top off system in there... still working out thoes details, but it will be part of a later project.

As for the FT to sump, that should remain dry... just threw that in there as a fail safe if something get blocked. ( Maybe a Kamikaze slide for small fish)

Good call on the flipping the CMU blocks around and Yes, plan on installing 1" foam / wood trim on everything.

the 30 gallon drum (1st one) will be a RFF and the 55 gallon drum will be a Moving bed filter with K1 material (2nd one).

I wanted to be able to experiment with Fish density and larger DWC beds as an expansion after this is up and stable.

OK, that makes sense. I still think you need to T off the pump line for aeration though. Many people find that their pumps push out greater volume than the system can handle - The fish may get to use the Kamikaze Water slide sooner than you think

Thanks Scotty,

I'll make sure I get it in there.