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System Startup in old house foundation
This system is built in an old house foundation that I used to house fish when I was in the garden pond business. It had been abandoned for 12 yrs. I am repurposing it to house fish again and become an aquaponic system. I will be building a greenhouse over it. I started everything backwards but it is what it is. I got my starting pieces from a friend moving overseas. I began mixing and matching with my own leftover things from the pond business. He had fish that would have to be disposed of so took them and tried to get things up and running as quickly as possible. So far some ups and downs but things are chugging along.
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Comment by Don Johnson on March 7, 2013 at 5:35am
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Denise, thanks for the heads up on painting the cattle fence....never thought of that. I took my IBC lid to Home Depot, and rummaged until I found fittings that fit together. The drain tube was just a tad bigger than the stand pipe, so I found a pack of "O" rings to make a better seal against the drain flange. I'm surprised that most YouTube videos don't go into greater detail with the camera. It should be a decent day outside , so I'm off to cut up the other IBC tote. The source that I had can't get me any more, (work). I got 4 free 2 years ago for irrigation tanks. There is a man on craigslist near the I-75/I-285 connector that sells the totes for $75.00 each, and blue barrels for $20.00 each. He is the cheapest I've found. Another man near there also sells Talapia.
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Comment by Denise Becker on March 6, 2013 at 8:27pm
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Hi Don, glad to hear from you. I use cattle panel fence panels for lots of things. They are very sturdy for the price. If they are going to be over your fish tanks you may want to paint them first. Galvanized items are not good for fish. Have you got a good source for ibcs? I need some more for wicking beds.
Hope your construction goes well. Sounds like you have a great place to start. Spring is coming soon and I am sure you will love gardening this way. I have volunteer marigolds and tomatoes up already. The marigolds have buds! The seedlings I started in the house on a heated mat failed but the ones that came up in the greenhouse and are doing great. I have no heat in there. Post some pics of your construction, we all love to see new ideas. Have a great day.
Denise
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Hi Denise, Sorry to take so long to answer your hello. I'm just starting out, and have cut up my first IBC tank and GB. As soon as the tree removal guys clear the area, I'll mount it all on my old cement dog kennel against the utility shed. I'll build a lean to GH over it against the shed. The GH will be 12x18 made if cattle fencing arched over to the shed, and covered with shade cloth for now. I'm having a small delay as I find suitable fittings for the stand pipe for the IBC cap. I'll add another IBC tank and GB, then 6 blue barrel halves to complete the stage 1 part.
Your system is really nice ! and a lot of hard work....Kudo's Don
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