Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi All,
Am interested in laying a concrete base and brick sides to make my Aquaponic tanks, has anyone done this? any info would be great.

Thanks

Start by wiping the sweat of your brouw.
Might have some time later today.
But the concept is yes!

Above ground or below? I would imagine a a square single brick wall would not be strong enough to support 3 or 4 tonnes of water pressure, above ground that is.... A round brick wall might be stronger. Double brick or limestone pavers may work.

I have considered doing a similar thing in the past, having a 2 x 2 x 2 metre tank 3/4 in the ground. However 1. That is a big hole to dig 2. It is permanent and 3. I would be worried about leaks more so than a proper plastic tank..

Think about, cost as well. I suppose you can get the bricks for nothing if you are a goos scavenger. Then you need a footing laid, the cement and mortar. Then a plastic liner... It would look fantastic but at what cost..?

I did read on a site that they don't need to be dug in and if constructed well require very little maintenance, I live on 5 Acres so room and water isnt a problem and a permenent structure is also not a problem. Was thinking of a rectangular shape with bessa brick walls filled with concrete.
They would be rendered and sealed inside.

Hi Mandurahguy.... DThawk built a system in El Salvador at a rehab centre..... made a concrete base/panels, then bricked courses for the tank/growbeds....

Finished off with a cement render/plaster ...

See Here

Think I'd be deleting the tilt slab phase, put up some forms and pour and compact, though I must say good job as an outcome!
Also I think I'd make it round using hired forms from the tank ppl.
Pouring the base and walls at the same time!
Then it would be truely monolithic and no need for render.
100mm wall thickness is required to prevent sepage.
IMHO.

This thread just brings back memories of this

http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum ... 5466#15466

Haheheh,
almost brought a tear to my eye!

Now, I can say that was good fun and mean it!
Cheers VB ... O oh flashback!

I have build a brick aquarium in the garden. 3 sides are brick and the front is glass. The inside has been plastered with a thin layer of special watertight cement that is certified save for use in drinking water containers. The tank holds about 800 liters of water.

It has been a lot of work to get the thing up but I'm happy with the end result. For my aquaponics system I will probably have my tanks and grow beds poured in concrete. I've seen a lot of big aquariums made out of concrete so it should work, not sure if that requires some special type of concrete though.

I would also be interested in any info on brick above ground tanks as I have a partially constructed, what was going to be a greenhouse, that I intend to turn into a tank. As I now cannot run vertical strengthening steel I was intending to ferroconcrete a shell internally.
Dthawk's grow beds were 30cms as I intend this to be a fish tank it will be 1 m deep and all water and I am starting to get a little worried about pressures on the long sides. I have a vague memory of something to do with Pascal from school physics. (but its a hell of a long time ago )

I've been doing a fair bit of reading on ferro cement today and I found some people building water containers that are 1m deep out of it. What surprised me was that the sides where only 1.5 cm thick but had no problem holding all that water.

That is right, I plan to do above ground tanks and inground tanks with ferro cement. For the in ground tanks, simply dig a hole in solid dirt cover the walls and floor with chicken wire and then plaster with a 3:1 sand to cement ratio mix. Put it on as dry as possible to reduce cracking. Should work well and should be very inexpensive.

JTF sent some pics from Bali that were of a 20-year-old water tank that was ferro cement and still has no leaks. It is only a few centimeters thick.

Mandurah

What size tanks you proposing. Length Width Height. Also how you going to key the walls into the base?

Sleepe did we need 3 posts? Perhaps delete 2?

Cool! someone must have done it for me