Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Thank you Backyard Aquaponics and all the members that offer information for unknowing gardeners like myself.
I now have a garden to be proud and boastful of. I can bring vegetables to the table and also share from the garden with my neighbors. The fish will come it time.

One side of the IBC tank that is my sump has collapsed inward and is going to leak. I have this tank in the ground. If I reinstall a sump tank would it have to be as deep as the one I have in the ground now?

As I understand it as long as the sump tank is beneath the grow beds I can still keep this a one pump system. And could I also raise fish in the sump tank and at the same time raise them in my fish tank. By the way I will raising Bluegills when all the repairs are completed.

Thank All of You for been here, chat soon

I also think that the problem can be in feed. Very often it states a problem for many tanks. You know your aqua the best so you should observe what will happen if you change it. Also it can be caused by insufficient level of nutrients. Hope everything will me okay!

Hello AquaMarin5
After all the trials and errors, I finally have a productive vegetable garden. I am able to give an assortment of vegetables to our neighbors and also keep enough for my family.
Thanks for all your information.
I don't know how send pictures yet but when I do I'll be happy to share them.
Bye for now, chat soon.

Hi GilJones,
How big are your grow beds?
Are you running siphons, or constant flood?

The sump doesn't have to necessarily be as deep as an ibc, just as long as it would have enough water left in it to keep your pump from running dry if all of your grow beds were flooded at the same time, and then maybe a little extra for piece of mind.

If you are running constant flood, the sump level won't change much, mostly from evaporation.

So the IBC collapsed inward from pressure of the surrounding soil?
You could pop another ibc in the hole, but reinforce the sides with something that would prevent the soil from pushing it in.
It should be something that doesn't degrade easily since you have a pretty wet climate sometimes. Something like corrugated metal panels outside of the ibc cage could work. Or maybe cement board.

You could raise some fish in the sump. Some people like the sump to be the cleanest part of their system. They like using the sump to add whatever supplements they need to add, without adding them directly to the fish, this gives them time to mix in. If you keep fish in their, then their waste will be there too, so you might have issues with your pump clogging more easily, depending on your pump. Some don't handle solids very well I'm told.

I have been keeping a few green sunfish in one of my buried sumps. Here, they do ok. They grow slowly, and they don't eat as much during cool weather. The ground keeps the sump constant temperature, but on the cool side.
If your hot temps are extreme, the buried tank might help your fish out during the summer though.

Hopefully this helps