Flood and flush system with IBC

[dave jersey]

Dave the new guy here

I see grow media and rafting and cloning systems oh my!  Was watching videos with the http://fastonline.org/ guy who has a nifty flood/flush system that floods the grow medium where it drains off again.  At this point we (Kim Lewis and I) are planning a tote fish tank with barrels for growing.  Possibly a second tank for water, to act as a buffer for heat and chemistry.

Anyone tried the flush system with IBCs?  Did it work or am i just mixing metaphors?

Dave Jersey

[TCLynx]

Most people call it flood and drain, the Barrel Ponics (with the Flush tank) is of course another option, however, there are other simple ways to do flood and drain without requiring a header tank to provide the "flush".

You can use timers to turn the pump on/off or you can use siphons to drain the beds automatically once they reach the appropriate level.

I have some pages on my site that could give you some more ideas

http://www.aquaponiclynx.com/aquaponic-lynx-llc/aquaponics-in-detai...

And for building with IBC totes, you should look up the IBC of Aquaponics which is a free download put together by the people at Backyard Aquaponics.

[Leo White Bear]

I am sure that people are getting tired of hearing this but...here we go again.  I am in the process (almost completed) of building a 16-unit IBC Flood and drain system in a barn to be heated this winter.  I do have a few pics of this system in progress on my picture page, if you are interested in seeing what I'm up to.

[TCLynx]

Post a Link Leo! make it easy for people to find your picture page (lots of people new to this site won't even know how to view your page let alone find your pictures.)

[Leo White Bear]

Although I am not new to this group,it seems that I had to upload them.  Here is the link to my profile page.  Let me know if they uploaded.

http://community.theaquaponicsource.com/profile/LeoWhiteBear

[Jim Fisk]

Guys, let people know that all they have to do is click on your avatar to go there. That IS the link to your profile and folks need to be told that sometimes. Works pisser

[dave jersey]

Massachusetts, huh?

Jim Fisk said:

Guys, let people know that all they have to do is click on your avatar to go there. That IS the link to your profile and folks need to be told that sometimes. Works pisser

[dave jersey]

OK so besides the barrelponics flapper valve system bell siphons seem to have a lot of potential.  Been thinking that fewer moving parts is better...  Is anyone using IBCc as a fish tank then setting up a bell siphon to run the flood/drain cycle?  Use the tote lid as the outlet, setting the siphon over that.  I realize that there is a limit to how high the siphon tube can be above the bottom but 1/3 to 1/2 isn;t out of the question making over 120 gallons available for the flush cycle.  Been a long time since hydrodynamics class.

I have an almost unlimited supply of totes and barrels from work so trial and error isn't out of the question for building proof-of-concept systems....

dave

[Jim Fisk]

Hi Dave, not sure how you got Mass from my page as it says Shady Valley,TN but yes Mass for about 30 yrs. (Cape Cod) but left there 10 yrs ago. Click on my avatar (picture at left) and ck out my siphons which are the Affnan style. Very simple and they simply work day in and day out. If you don't have the tools to make them check out my Ebay store.

Unlimited totes eh? We may need to talk. What was in them being the obvious question?

dave jersey said:

Massachusetts, huh?

Jim Fisk said:

Guys, let people know that all they have to do is click on your avatar to go there. That IS the link to your profile and folks need to be told that sometimes. Works pisser

[dave jersey]

various chemicals, but i can pick n'choose which ones.  i tend to grab the eth

ylene glycols since its simple to wash the glycol out

Jim Fisk said:

Hi Dave, not sure how you got Mass from my page as it says Shady Valley,TN but yes Mass for about 30 yrs. (Cape Cod) but left there 10 yrs ago. Click on my avatar (picture at left) and ck out my siphons which are the Affnan style. Very simple and they simply work day in and day out. If you don't have the tools to make them check out my Ebay store.

Unlimited totes eh? We may need to talk. What was in them being the obvious question?

dave jersey said:

Massachusetts, huh?

Jim Fisk said:

Guys, let people know that all they have to do is click on your avatar to go there. That IS the link to your profile and folks need to be told that sometimes. Works pisser

[Jim Fisk]

Good advice. Any water based chems are far easier to wash out than say petroleum based. Veg oil is certainly non toxic but can be a bear to wash out if they were sitting for long. However the bacteria will eat them fairly quick once placed in the system. Bleach will do wonders as well but rinse well as it also is top of the heap for killing all kinds of bacteria. Both good and bad.

[dave jersey]

After i cut a barrel/tote i load them in the pickup and run on down to the dollar car wash and give them a really good going over, i use dawn dish detergent rather than their soaps, which are "optimized" for cleaning car finishes.

d