LV's IBC system

[Lord Viykor]

I got put onto aquaponics after seeing a work mates set-up, so after getting keen on the idea I went with a flood and drain IBC system.

http://photos.viykor.com/albums/aquaponics/normal_ibc02.jpg

Cut down to the grow bed and fish tank
http://photos.viykor.com/albums/aquaponics/normal_ibc04.jpg
http://photos.viykor.com/albums/aquaponics/normal_ibc08.jpg
http://photos.viykor.com/albums/aquaponics/normal_ibc18.jpg

[Lord Viykor]

Gravel added to the grow bed, cycling of system has begun.
http://photos.viykor.com/albums/aquaponics/normal_ibc34.jpg

All under way
http://photos.viykor.com/albums/aquaponics/normal_ibc51.jpg
http://photos.viykor.com/albums/aquaponics/normal_ibc61.jpg
http://photos.viykor.com/albums/aquaponics/normal_ibc70.jpg

[Crusty]

Very cool. How many fish in it?

[Lord Viykor]

So far everything is going well, I have 10 Jade Perch in my tank.Mind you i think 1 or 2 may be Silver Perch. They are rather quick and hard to catch when small :D

Got a second system under way with more IBC's, bathtubs and blue barrels.

[Crusty]

Very nice. You will be able to link them up in line so you only need one pump.

[Crusty]

Forgot to add. Might be a good idea to put a tent peg in the ground and connect the gal frame to it with some wire. Not sure if anyone else has had this, but I had 14 IBC hooked up and it kept having a massive build up of static electricity, not just a little zap but a charge.

[Lord Viykor]

Thanks for the tip Crusty, I've got a few tent pegs lying around.

My second system will be a separate system on the other side of the yard. I'll be going for a low voltage pump on the new system.

Should look like this.

http://photos.viykor.com/albums/aquaponics2/normal_lv2ndsystem.jpg

[Crusty]

What is stashed under the half barrels? An ibc?

Looks like a neat, compact unit mate.

[Shane]

Great plant growth in the first system,
When do you hope to begin the second system?
Whereabouts is Kallangur?

Cheers,
Shane.

[Lord Viykor]

What is stashed under the half barrels? An ibc?

Looks like a neat, compact unit mate.

It is an IBC, he barrel above it will have a duckweed in it.


Great plant growth in the first system,
When do you hope to begin the second system?
Whereabouts is Kallangur?

Cheers,
Shane.

Kallangur is about 28km north of Brisbane in the Moreton Bay Regional Council area.

[Lord Viykor]

Well it is slow going get my 2nd system done, it will once again utilise IBCs for the tanks with bath tubs for grow beds. I got the steel for the frames this week and a mate from work is going to weld them up.

http://photos.viykor.com/albums/aquaponics2/normal_ibc129.jpg

http://photos.viykor.com/albums/aquaponics2/normal_ibc122.jpg

http://photos.viykor.com/albums/aquaponics2/normal_ibc124.jpg

All going well it'll be cycling in the next month.

[Lord Viykor]

Being winter not too much has been happening with my 1st system, growth has slowed as expected the fish seem happy enough though.

The Bok Choi seems to like the AP system.

http://photos.viykor.com/albums/aquaponics/normal_ibc119.jpg

http://photos.viykor.com/albums/aquaponics/normal_ibc125.jpg

http://photos.viykor.com/albums/aquaponics/normal_ibc126.jpg

http://photos.viykor.com/albums/aquaponics/normal_ibc127.jpg

[GaryD]

Hi LV,

That's a serious bok Choi........and the fish are looking good, too.

Why do you still have them in the laundry basket?

Gary

[Lord Viykor]

Hi LV,

That's a serious bok Choi........and the fish are looking good, too.

Why do you still have them in the laundry basket?

Gary

That was just for the photo and to check on them all took a while to catch them all. I just wanted to make sure they were all ok and the easiest way was to put them in the basket to make sure I got them all.

I wont do it again don't want to stress them too much chasing them with the net.

[GaryD]

Hi LV,


I wont do it again don't want to stress them too much chasing them with the net.
Yeah......some of ours have been moved around too many times......something I'm trying to avoid in the future.

Gary

[Lord Viykor]

Some updates on the second system I'm doing.

Fittings for the grow beds, still not sure on the set-up whether it will be siphons or stand pipes.

http://photos.viykor.com/albums/aquaponics2/normal_ibc131.jpg
http://photos.viykor.com/albums/aquaponics2/normal_ibc132.jpg

The barrels, these will get hydroton or similar to reduce weight.
http://photos.viykor.com/albums/aquaponics2/normal_ibc133.jpg
http://photos.viykor.com/albums/aquaponics2/normal_ibc134.jpg

[Lord Viykor]

The oulet on one of the blue barrels.
http://photos.viykor.com/albums/aquaponics2/normal_ibc135.jpg

Sump tank (IBC) with a blue barrel for duck weed.
http://photos.viykor.com/albums/aquaponics2/normal_ibc136.jpg

Bathtubs and stands set into place.
http://photos.viykor.com/albums/aquaponics2/normal_ibc137.jpg
http://photos.viykor.com/albums/aquaponics2/normal_ibc138.jpg

[Lord Viykor]

Been working on my system today, the 25mm threaded fittings don't allow for a lot of leeway in the bathtubs. So I cut the bottoms out of some old pots and made a spacer to try and centre everything.

http://photos.viykor.com/albums/aquaponics2/normal_ibc139.jpg
http://photos.viykor.com/albums/aquaponics2/normal_ibc140.jpg
http://photos.viykor.com/albums/aquaponics2/normal_ibc141.jpg

The 50mm to 24mm reducer is different from the one Affan (http://affnan-aquaponics.blogspot.com/2010/05/siphon-revised.html) uses, I'm going to try and find one with a taper like his.

http://photos.viykor.com/albums/aquaponics2/normal_ibc142.jpg

[Lord Viykor]

The bathtubs had some chips in the enamel so I smeared silicon over the area.

http://photos.viykor.com/albums/aquaponics2/normal_ibc144.jpg
http://photos.viykor.com/albums/aquaponics2/normal_ibc143.jpg

[GaryD]

Hi LV,

It looks like everything is coming together nicely.

Gary

[Lord Viykor]

I ordered my pump today, went for a Hozelock Cascade 4000 Submersible Pond Pump. Just got to wait for it to be posted now.

Buried the conduit last weekend and set up an old space case for the back-up battery, air pump and power points. Also added the drain piping to the bath tubs, another trip to Bunnings is in order for some more bits and pieces.

Hopefully it'll be at cycling stage in a couple of weeks.

[GaryD]

Hi LV,

You've obviously researched your pump well......it costs several times what you'd have paid for a similar Chinese pump in popular use.

I note that, in the UK, these pumps have a 3 year warranty. Do the local distributors offer the same thing?

Gary

[Lord Viykor]

Hi LV,

You've obviously researched your pump well......it costs several times what you'd have paid for a similar Chinese pump in popular use.

I note that, in the UK, these pumps have a 3 year warranty. Do the local distributors offer the same thing?

Gary

Gary,

it does come with the three year warranty, that was one of the factors in buying it as well as the 44w power consumption.

[Lord Viykor]

I'm a bit concerned that my bathubs have started cracking in the enamel, the weight of the gravel on the steel frames could be the beginning of a headache.

At present I plan to silicon over these areas to 'seal' everything up.

[GaryD]

Hi LV,


I'm a bit concerned that my bathubs have started cracking in the enamel......
I guess your biggest issue there is that, after a couple of seasons, they'll begin to leak. Would fibreglass bath tubs be a better choice perhaps?

Gary