question of an expansion of my exsisting system

[shadowrunner762]

Greetings all,

Happy new years to all. Been a little hectic over the xmas holidays, but i wanted to pick the collective knowledge of the group here for a expansion idea that i am mulling around.

Goals:
1) expand system from 475gal to 2300gals
2) add 10 - 100 gal tanks, feeding to the central seive
3) make a fluidized sand biofilter
4) make a decent sized denitrafication filter
5) make shower tower

I would like to produce 100lbs of fish a week (local asian markets are frothing at the mouth to buy it..)
problems:
1) am unsure how to calculated how much feed i am going to be using, since i will have different sized fish growing out across the 12 - 100 gal tanks. i plan on using the high end of the feeding scale to promote max growth.

2) am unsure how big of a fluidized sand biofilter to make ( most information is from farms using enormous flow and stocking rates but is did find this info tho:
"depending upon the temperature, nutrient concentration and size of the medium (and assuming a 2.5 % of the feed becomes TAN) a design criterion of 20 to 40 kg of feed/day/meters cu of medium should be used (1.25 to 2.5 pounds/day/ft3 of medium."

I think the biggest hurdle right now is the food calculation, which is the basis for the size of the fluidized sand bio-filter/denitrification filter. I am sure there is something out there to look at, but for the life of me, looking over the stuff i started with a yr ago i cant find it.

any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

Thanks

[mopa]

hi shadowrunner, i think this might give you (and others )some ideas ! i love his vids! regards
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JnJg..._order&list=UL

[mopa]

shower towers i have seen being made from the megabins with holes in them , stacked .

[GaryD]

Hi mopa,

A mega bin with ventilated sides filled with structured media mounted on top of a regular mega bin would make an excellent trickling bio-filter......and sump.

Gary

[mopa]

megabin trickle photos link



http://www.google.es/imgres?q=filtra...1t:429,r:0,s:0

[GaryD]

Hi mopa,

Not exactly what I had in mind.....but very similar. They appear to have drilled holes through the bottom of the mega bins.

I don't read Spanish but it looks like they're using Styrofoam beads as media. Is that right, mopa?

Gary

[mopa]

hi no, k3 copy
http://www.innovaqua.com/productos/f...edia_innovaqua

yes there are other styles used with stacked , side and floor perforated megabins, the ones used for fruit , but i have seen many photos of them later being covered with tarpaulins, either to stop splash or minimize temperature loss i guess.

[shadowrunner762]

Hi all,

after i cleaned the drool off me from reading all the technical extracts, ( great stuff, to bad i didnt pay attn in school with my math classes lol) i am down to the last hurdle for me

i can sieve to 200 microns, the fluidized sand filters i have read about note that the mechanical filtration should remove down to 60 or less microns.
so, with that i need some ideas to filter from 200 down to 60 microns or less.....

any ideas?
thx

[GaryD]

Hi SR,

.....i need some ideas to filter from 200 down to 60 microns or less.....

Take your pick of bag filters, filter brushes or packed media filters.....in order of cost.

Gary

[mortys]

I would build a Fluidized sand filter. They adapt quickly to changes in ammonia and are quite inexpensive to build.