Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Okay folks it's official, I am addicted.

Picked up a 275 gallon container today. Now what? It's missing the cap, so I can't really use the top half for a grow bed...

cut off both ends, and you'll get 2 GB's, without any holes in them, the center with the top hole is scrap.

So it would be more beneficial to make two grow beds VS adding the extra water volume of the entire container? My main goal is to be able to raise the 28 fish that I bought...but does not matter either way because I eat a ton of greens:)

If you're keeping all 28 fish you're going to need both more growbeds and more water volume, soooooo if you can get another IBC you can do both...

I'm building growbeds the way Old Prospector recommended, there's a photo here of the first one I cut:
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=26865&start=15#p536475
and later posts in my thread show how I'm using parts of the IBC cage and some timber to build their supports. Angle grinders are fun!

If you've got at least five years where you are before you might be moving, I say have fun now and build the system as big as you want. In five years time, either you'll be tired of it and happy to just break it down, you'll still love it and will manage to move the important components to set it up again in your new home (it's doable I swear!), or you'll take the opportunity to do a full redesign and build a new (bigger? more complicated? who knows!) system at your new place.

1 IBC, becomes 2 IBC..... yep that is the meaning of addiction.

Option 1:

get another IBC and get 2 grow beds as the others suggest.
that way you can get a slightly larger volume fish tank and lid is not relevant.

Option 2:

if just the small cap - then 50mm (2") fittings will go inside most IBC's caps.
So you can just use that as your drain hole (as IBC Aquaponics does) or use fittings to cap it.

Option 3:

If you are stuck with just one IBC then they are made of HDPE.
You can actually make a HDPE plug and then heat weld it in to place.
Then heat glue or silicone the underside (non-contact side).
Grow beds don't need to handle pressure, they just need to not leak.
(it can be handy to put a pot dish or cutting board over the hole to reduce media pressure)

You don't say whether it is the large or the small screw cap.

search HDPE heat welding on YouTube.
and check out the kid 'Art of Weapons' on how to make a sheet of HDPE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpXq6mnbCus
there are also some videos on using milk bottles to make laminated sheet with an iron.

Milk Bottles are typically HDPE and can be used for both the cover and the weld.
as are many kitchen cutting boards.

else people have used marine ply or cutting board and then sealed it
(ply/board stays on outside and you can screw to the threads with stainless steel screws)

on your filter - most cases people try and get it across the whole diameter of the drum.
maximises the size of the void. but what you have shown will probably work.

Not sure on lava rock weight - but weight could be only issue in a large drum.
(definitely not an issue for clay balls).

Lots of good info here...

Here is what this IBC looks like. It belonged to a co worker who used it to store water for his livestock. That's the good part. I know it's clean...bad part is it has lots of holes.

Okay current design plan is:

Aquarium piped out window into 55gallon filter with pump in top. Water pumped from barrel, to the top 1mX1m grow bed, which drains into the custom wood bed on top of the IBC, which drains back into the IBC, which overflows into the barrel where a second, stronger pump circulates the water back into the aquarium.

Just want to point out that I went out there at 10 pm to take pics real quick because I know you folks over in Australia are living in tomorrow already lol pretty crazy to think about.

Wait that plan won't work because I plan on using the IBC as the grow out tank. I would be pumping solids water back into the top of the barrel where it would be pumps water into the beds. Thoughts?

with the IBC as it is - just use it as a separate fish tank.
It is not worth salvaging a grow bed from it - look for something else to do that.
(another IBC or 200-400 Litres of tubs or equivalent)

Alright I finished one of my outdoor beds and got some fish into the IBC that is outside. I am just finishing up with the plumbing, but am having this issue with my pumps...

The pump starts out pumping at a good rate, but will slowly start loosing oomph until after about 2-4 hours the water is barely trickling out of the pipe that is filling the beds. How can I fix this problem? Both pumps are doing it. Do I need stronger pumps? They both have just over 2' of head. one is rated at 340gph the other 370gph.

sounds a bitlike blockages developing - is there much crud going through to GB ?.

(a) make sure you don't have any sponge filters on the pumps - they get clogged up and flow drops.
AP is all open pipe access where possible.
sometimes just protect the inflow with some PVC with holes drilled in it or a net pot etc.

(b) if you turn pump off wait for 10 minutes and then OK ?
If case maybe as a short term you can run on a timer - that would give you a stop-start regime.
but having pump issues is not ideal.

(c) what are your pipe diameters ? 1/2" ?
anything below about 3/4" (19mm) tends to get blocked up pretty easy.

(d) also make sure you don't have fittings (elbows, T's etc) that insert inside the pump.
these simply become clog points.

can you take a photo of your pumps.

Here are some pics. I removed the sponge filter that came on the pumps and I have made sure that the flow is turned all the way up. I also shook the pumps around underwater to make sure there are no air bubbles trapped inside. I'm at a loss


Here are the pump make and models:

https://www.1000bulbs.com/product/97303/GROW-AAPW400.html?utm_source=SmartFeedGoogleBase&utm_medium=Shopping&utm_term=GROW-AAPW400&utm_content=Hydroponic+Supplies&utm_campaign=SmartFeedGoogleBaseShopping&gclid=CMrFmeaHn84CFQmpaQodVs0G9w

http://www.horticulturesource.com/product_info.php?products_id=21246&gclid=CLa39IqIn84CFRWUfgodUZgJnw

test the load on the pumps.
run them just in the IBC for couple hours with minimum pipe flowing out just above water surface and see what happens. That will test for overheating or something like that.

then run them again with pipe at your head (height) above water - see what happens.
Just use a 1m section of pipe or something.

if they are fine after both of those then something wrong with your setup that they don't like.


you will have some friction head loss from the pipes.
It may be that they don't like running for a long time with a load on them.

plan B might be to put a blue drum right outside the window at suitable heights and then gravity feed to the system with a larger diameter pipe (1" or something).