Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

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How many do you want??
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Buidoi - About 50 fingerlings I guess just in case some die?

For a Flood & Drain system, doesn't the sump need to be big enough to hold the volume of the GB's? If it's continuous then it should reduce the need for a large sump shouldn't it?

I just like running it continuously, I don't need to do any more thinking than is required that way, lol.

Azira - just realised what you meant by cladding the white tanks... Supposedly no UV accessing the plastic negates the need for UV stabilized plastic...??

Would dark tarpaulin or black pond liner taped to the outside of the IBC FTs and Growbeds do the trick? Or would I end up cooking my veggies in the summer heat (and cooking my fish once the hot water gets pumped back to the FTs?

I am planning a hoop cover over the grow beds with clear plastic to act both as a greenhouse and to prevent flooding when it rains for weeks like it tends to here in Turramurra... In summer would draping shade cloth over this structure and rolling up the clear plastic to allow air flow on the hottest days save my veggies from cooking?

Here's a photo of where we're planning to site the AP system - the shed closest to the veggie patch is where the FTs will go. It's approx 2.6m X 3m so plenty of room for two FTs



I'm going to put some sort of child proof gate over the shed door opening because we always have heaps of "other people's kids" (OPKs) over for play dates... And there's nothing so tempting as a pond or FT for a little child.

I will put cattle guard over the FTs to negate the drowning hazard for our own kids but the main thing that worries me about OPKs is that they'll be tempted to drop stuff in the tank and upset the chemistry.

The Growbeds will go to the right of the existing veggie garden. I'm hoping to build a frame to support them and raise them up because at the tender age of 32 my back and knees are already giving me trouble without having to bend to garden!

You can just paint the plastic bladder, a few coats of exterior household paint should block most of the light and UV. But some people wrap the IBC cage with simple fence screening you can get from Bunnings, it can help make it more presentable as well as stopping the light.

Honestly though, I think the non-UV stable IBC bladders last a long time without any protection. I've seen some that are 20 years old and are fine, if a little ugly. They would probably be more brittle than a new one, but if left in place they are fine. That said I'd still cover/insulate.

An alternating greenhouse/shadehouse would work fine, just don't block up the ends so the bees can get in and pollinate. I have some white 50% shadecloth (nominal shade is actually 30% though) over my system year around and there is a noticeable difference with the temperatures under the shadehouse. On a hot day it is noticeably cooler and pleasant underneath.

This is what I have done with mine...it's an old photo of it half-finished but you get the idea. Somewhere in my system thread is a photo of the shadehouse too, but I can't find it, lol. There are plenty of other examples from users who have covered the outside of their systems to protect from UV and for a bit of insulation against the weather.

You need to work out how much water will be in the GBs then some to allow for evaporation and for water level rise in the FT- to avoid having to top up every day in summer, to figure out your ST volume. Water only makes up 25-40% of the total GB volume, the rest is gravel or clay balls or whatever..

Water from the FT flows via gravity in a SLO to the GBs, only one pump required. the 2nd pump I run is the backup pump, if either one fails the system can carry on for quite a while with no problem.

With a pump running continuously the sump needs to be at least big enough to take all the water from the GBs if the pump fails- blackout etc, unless you dont mind losing all that water. With the GBs below the FT, you really do need a ST big enough to handle all possiblilities.

You don't have to drill a weep hole in the standpipe though, so if the pump turned off the water wouldn't drain from the GB's. I was worried about my FT flooding with the addition of more GB's, but had a member suggest just not having any weep holes in the standpipe. Seems to make sense to me, plants can handle it, sump won't get flooded. Oh wait, no maybe not, as the SLO wouldn't stop if the pump did would it? Ok now I'm not sure, what happens to the water in the FT if the pump fails?



Sorry I didn't see that. Looks like you have plenty of space there. Preventing access and covering the tanks is a good idea, you never know how tricksy the little ones can be!

I know what you mean about the back and knees, I've been up a ladder today and my legs are killing me! I definitely like the height of my GB's, not to high, but not too low either, makes life much easier!

Hi and welcome.
Congratulations ! Your system has more than doubled in size in only two day's didn't somebody warn you that aquaponics is addictive ? But all good, while its a bit more work and expense to build it bigger straight up, it has advantages that pay off in the long run eg bigger system has lower temp swings, is generally more forgiving and obviously you can raise more fish with a lower and safer stocking density. Two tanks will make it easier to raise a couple of species like fast growing trout every winter and silver perch over two summers.
If the top of the growbeds are lower than the water in the fishtank and you can find the room for a sump (and don't mind some digging ) then there are some advantages in the CHIFT PIST setup and if you go constant flood the sump doesn't have to be all that big. cheers
ps I have a number for IBC's for $20 each, I'll pm it.

Pump stops, water stops, tank stays full.

Ok. So ST is essential. If we get another IBC to act as the sump, it should have ample capacity at 1,000 liters.

Does the sump have to be much lower than the GBs or can I sit it on the ground next to the GBs as long as the GBs are raised 30-40cm above ground level?

Ahh yep, that makes sense, the SLO isn't a siphon so it wouldn't keep sucking the water out if the pump stopped.


The GB's drain via gravity into the sump tank so it would have to be lower than the GB drain. If the sump is downhill from the GB's you might be able to get away with not digging it all the way in if at all (depending on the slope). Digging a hole to bury an IBC halfway in is annoying but it doesn't take that long. I did it for two in clay and I managed it, so it's not *that* bad, lol.

True, but once the GB has been in use for a while and there's been some accumulation of gunk, roots, etc in the bottom, I think the water will tend to flow across the top and there's a risk of anaerobic zones developing in low/no flow zones.

I think its best but not absolutely necessary to have the top of the sump slightly below or level with the bottom of the growbed, reason being is I occasionally like to drain a growbed for an hour or so to airate it but what you suggested would be fine.

not quite as long as the top of the sump is somewhat lower than the top of the growbed,the growbed will still drain. ( just not completely if you pull the standpipe).

haha, this all sounds so very familiar. Me: "I want a bunch of fish, how do I do this?" I so very much appreciate the advice and patience you all show us newbies. Thank you