Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

So I'm completely new to this and just researching and exploring. I don't have a system started or even any ideas of what type of system I'd be doing.

I've got a second story sunroom that's skinny and long that I would love to use so I can take advantage of natural sunlight and insulation. But I haven't figured out the details yet or decided how big to start with.

So I'll probably be just reading through the previous posts for a while and trying to find more examples and info. And this looks like a great place for that.

Welcome to the forum Sparhawk2k . Check out the IBC of Aquaponics PDF it's free and has lots of examples that use IBC's. You can click the link in the upper right hand corner or this will get you the same place for the download - http://ibcofaquaponics.com/

Make certain you check on what the floor can support if you are going to put a lot of weight up there.

Greetings Sparhawk2k,

A good and quick way to figure out how big of a system can fit in a space is as follows. Take the square footage of the room and divide it in half so you can account for proper walking space around the tank/growbeds. That number will give you the amount of gallons you can have in your fish tank, which is the same as gallons for media bed, and square feet for float bed space. Divide that number by 3 and you arrive at the number of 1lb fish your tank can support.

Scotty435 is correct about there being a point load issue with the sun-room being on the second story of your property. As long as the water is no more than 16-18 inches deep then I don't believe you will have a problem with the point load due to most homes having a floor joist spacing of 16 inches on center. This being a thing, putting an IBC tote up there probably isn't the smartest idea, but a fair sized 100-200 gallon tank could do the job.

I hope this info helps a little bit. If you need anything else feel free to reply back here on the forum. I design/build/manage aquaponic systems across the state since 2014 (certified since 2012) out of seattle, and am more than happy to help.


Warmest Regards,

Seth the Muskrat