Swimming Pool System

[Pat James]

I have finally got around to start to work building my AP system. I bought two 55 gal barrels and eight 275 gal IBC totes a few weeks ago and then the weather got cold and wet- progress stalled. At least we have had a few days

The system I now plan to build is quite a bit different than the one I originally planned. That is due to the help and advice of some of the people here.. Thank you.

I will buy the piping itself at one of the big box stores, but I can save a bundle by buying the fittings online.

Today I will begin cutting the IBC's.

[Jim Fisk]

Bob, that was not what Jim was suggesting based upon his statement "especially since you don't need to have light for your plants like a greenhouse would require. "

[Jim Fisk]

Normal poly lasts one season. GH cover will last at least 5 years or more and can be had for next to nothing from a gh operation. That is a scrap to them and often left over from covering a large commercial gh.

[Jim Fisk]

Hey JT, So it is the three of us. Always good to get your input.

"especially since you don't need to have light for your plants like a greenhouse would require. " I think Pat would like to enclose the entire system and not just the fish in which case he certainly needs a gh cover rather than a car port.

[Jim Troyer]

I read your posts Pat, but then again I'm probably a nobody

I thought I posted here (guess not) about the portable carports they have a Costco for around $200 bucks. They are 10' x 20' but you could extend the frame really easily with muffler pipe from auto zone or similar.  I use one here in AZ to keep the blazing sun off when I'm working outside in the summer.  It would very simple to make it longer or wider with a few feet of tubing.  You may have get the muffler guy to expand some ends to fit things together but it would be a cheap and easy place to start to cover your pool, especially since you don't need to have light for your plants like a greenhouse would require. 

Jim

[Pat James]

Jim, Yeah , I was thinking the same thing.. Nobody else is reading my posts.

Now since I have now begun to harvest fish from the system, I am going to keep score. The way I am going to do it is not really accurate.  I am counting ALL expenses per species (purchase price) plus the total of feed I have purchased against what I harvest. I am going to maintain a running account.

I am not considering the$75 initial purchase for the catfish as I have not harvested any of them yet. But they have been eating like gangbusters..

Right now since I finally harvested only a couple pounds of tilapia, my cost per pound is sitting at $86 /pound for meat in the freezer....

Would be higher if I added in the cost of my  catfish fingerlings.... I will add that when I begin to harvest them.

[Jim Fisk]

Yeah, I am happy to say my kids are totally cool on that as we brought them up fishing on Cape Cod Bay for blues and bass. They love fish.

Hey Pat, keep in mind that I PU a 25 x 50 6mil gh cover for 25.00 from an out of business gh and that was just a scrap left over from their past. That and some 20' pvc pipe coupled at the center with another for a ridge pole could do it for you. I would ck Craigs list on a reg basis and watch for such. A gh doesn't have to cost much at all if you scrounge and I know you can scrounge.

Why do I get the feeling this post of yours is just between us? Anyhow it is nice to have a few regular friends on here. I really need to update my system post one of these days. Our trout are doing great but between me and the wife and the daughter we keep buying food (lamb roast tonight from our own stock) while the trout just keep getting bigger. 15" and a good lb & 1/2 now. Probably a dozen left in the one tank and the fingerlings coming along in another.

Just pu a very clean 330 gal ibc for 40.00 and don't even have a use for it right now but who could resist? I would love to replace the below grade 275 sump with it if I ever get that ambitious.

Later.

[Pat James]

I tried posting this before but it got lost in the ether.....  I have had my nephew work for me over the summer. I told him he would work 20 hours and would get paid 1/2 of whatever aluminum cans we took to the recycle company.

What he did not know was that I was going to guarantee him $100 for his efforts. His parents and grandparents were aware of that...

Today I had him over to help me clean and then reset my piping. Then we caught some tilapia for harvest.I have never seen a kid so squeamish about cleaning a fish. he has never been exposed tothe task...

he worked hard and even managed to NOT puke when we killed and gutted the fish...

[Pat James]

Jim, If I could afford a GH frame that would cover the pool I'd be in 7th heaven... I'd drop the water level down and make it like that family on that video...

[Jim Fisk]

Hey Pat, Is it time you thought about covering that system with a GH!?? Tilapia are going to revolt real soon. My temps here have dropped to 56F in the system already because I still don't have the new GH cover on yet and we still have to do the 36' x 4' block wall. This week for sure as we are going into the 20's here end of week.

With the IBC FTs I have the luxury of dropping the water to around a foot just by opening the big drain valve. At that point picking out the biggest trout is easy peasy. You on the other hand may want to invest in a scuba and spear gun

Trout are great as they don't even require descaling and the temp swings aren't a concern so far. If it gets above say 73F in there I simply add water from the well. I just added 50+ more fingerlings and 31 were dead in 2 days. I checked the chemistry and found all was well but the ph which had hit around 6. So I added about half a cup of wood ashes into each of the 5 grow beds at the inlet and that was all it took. No more deaths and now around 6.8 so we will be off to the trout farm again and NEXT time I will ck the chemistry BEFORE hand. DUH. To be honest I hadn't checked it in many months as all seemed happy. Nothing beats experience. Still harvesting 16 month old Kale and Swiss Char. Amazing. Also it is so much fun planting the Winter garden in the GH. This Winter I have a bit of a head start on just what to expect and what does best with the least input.

Keep up the good work. It sounds like you too are getting the hang of it all. Now if only $ were no object. Of course that would take all the challenge out of it

[Pat James]

Right now things are still going well in the AP system. But I think that is short-lived. Temperatures are starting to fall. Right now water temp is 71 degrees, but with cool night-time temps that is likely to change over the next few weeks.

My main concern is getting some of the tilapia large enough to harvest. I can see some that are 8 or 9 inches (hard to tell in the water) and alot that are smaller. I figure most of these will have to be cleaned and kept as whole fish rather than fillets. Any of the small fish that do not survive or are totally stressed will be catfish food. Even with these lower temps, I am seeing newborn fry.

I do not plan to harvest any catfish for the time being. I have a couple weeks before I am out of the area for 10 days or so. I am thinking of setting the fish trap I made baited with some worms and pellets to see what I can catch. In the past,(after a couple attempts) I have only caught 4 inch fish in it. I am not sure why but the ten or so fish were consistent in size.

Plants are doing well and I recently re-planted with lettuces. I am harvesting the older lettuce heads every few days. I have found that sweet potatoes make great warm weather greens. i will harvest the ones in the ground around Thanksgiving but I have been using the ones in the AP system as fresh greens for a couple months now. I only wish I had started them earlier in the year as they are an excellent food.