Greetings from Tucson, AZ

[Pam DeLong]

I'm hoping to glean a LOT of useful information from this friendly site!

I found out about Aquaponics  from a recent Worm Farming Secrets newsletter and immediately started brainstorming on a system for my back yard. One of my co-workers has been trying to give/sell her 8'x2' stock tank for the last five years. Well, I guess God had her hang onto it long enough for me to acquire it! It's now in place, but I need to coat the entire inside with a good sealant graded for continuous underwater use. I found out that 100% silicone is not good when used on galvanized metal - drying agent is corrosive (could be why there is seepage along the bottom seam where silicone had been previously applied). I'd come across a DAP Auto/Marine sealant that appeared to be what I needed, but, alas, the online info indicates not to use it on galvanized metal...so, I'll be taking the tubes I bought back to Ace.

There's a product out of CA that claims to be non-toxic, rubberized, and fully useful for sealing stock tanks, etc...in fact, there's a YouTube video demonstrating its use on a rusty tank. I'm now looking at using Tucson Rubberized Coating typically used for roofs. Talking with the rep seems to indicate it should be safe.

QUESTION: Is anyone currently using this coating in their tanks? I'd like to do the coating really soon so I can acquire my Tilapia before the weather gets too much cooler.

Thanks! Looking forward to getting to know folks here!

[Pam DeLong]

Hi,

The Cal Pump is submersible:

...it is currently inside the nylon covered basket. When I use the bucket, with the fine-mesh paint strainer as a cover, my main cleaning will be of the strainer - just pop it off, rinse in a separate bucket, replace back over the filter bucket. The bio-slime/poo build-up water will then be used on other plantings I have (trees, asparagus, etc.) that won't be hooked up to the aquaponic system. Using the bucket will keep (potential) fingerlings from getting "the ride of their (short) lives" through the impeller!  As well as, hopefully, making filter cleaning a little easier.

This is a draft make-up of what I'm thinking:

Does it make sense?

RE: Grandson - yeah, I told him because of his orange shorts that's probably how they saw him!

[Harold Sukhbir]

Hi Pam,

Thanks for sharing your ideas here. Makes a lot of sense now! If you'd like you and extend the suction line to the center of the bucket with an elbow to a larger diameter pipe running the vertical length. The larger pipe can have many tiny holes in it, this way the filter material won't have any chance of blocking the water going to the pump. BTW lovely diagram, wish i knew how to draw on my PC like that! I have also used fish poo on my soil plants and boy, do they grow! If i may be bold enough........do you have any background in engineering?

[Pam DeLong]

HAHA...no, no engineering background...I just come from a long line of DIYers who make do with what they have...but thanks for the compliment! LOL! I was one of those kids who took things apart to see how they worked!

To make that .jpg, I just used Microsoft Publisher, assembled the different shapes, added the fishy clipart, grouped it all and saved it as a .jpg picture.

I like the idea of the central pipe...will incorporate that one. May not get it all together until Sunday...lotta 'life' happening! I'll snap a pic when I'm done and let you know how it's going.

Thanks Harold!

[Jim Fisk]

Hi Pam,

Enjoying reading about your progress. One suggestion I have is to add a sump if you have room. That way you are not pumping your fish waste water but only clear, filtered by your grow beds, water. Saves so much extra work like strainers not to mention your pump impeller. Pump in sump, to FTs to GBs and back to sump. Simple and saves so much maintenance work down the road. Sometimes you just don't have room or want to dig a hole to put it in but if you still can, go sump. Maintaining that pump filter may not sound like much now, but just wait

[Pam DeLong]

Hi Jim,

As it turned out, the foam chunks wouldn't saturate enough to even half-sink (and yes, cleaning would be labor intense). So until I finally added my tilapia recently, I just had the paint strainer with an old towel in it; and a brick in the bottom of the bucket to weight it down better. I'd had a large old broken red clay bowl that I placed upside down in the tank for an eventual hiding cave for the tilapia, but over time, it began to break down - slowly producing a lot of fine red particles that don't filter well.  Lesson - a clay pot does not hold up as well as a terra cotta one.

Not sure how a sump might work with my tank...it's an 8'x2' cattle stock tank that I supported with a lot of cinder blocks to keep it off the ground. Since I live in Tucson, AZ, I thought it might help keep the water cooler in the summer...we'll see.

So, currently, I have a different filtering system that has removed a lot of the clay sediment...I'll have to get batteries for the camera...kinda redneck the way I did it, but hey...I work with what I've got.  The water has cleared up greatly and the 4 tilapia in there are really enjoying their new digs...from a 40 gal tank to a 750 gal one!

 

Finances (too low) and time (too short) are putting a strain on getting my system going...the growing season has already started here and I don't even have my grow beds cut and set up! I can see in my mind what I want to do but it's just not coming together as quickly as I'd like... Tonight and tomorrow morning need to have some energy intensive activity to get this going!

 

Frustration running a little high, can you tell?

 

So, I'll get some pics taken and maybe you can offer further ideas on where/how to do a sump if it can be worked in. Will try to take pics as I assemble what I hope will be a workable system. Also trying to acquire an old tub from anyone's remodel to work in my vermiculture as well...would be able to contain the red wigglers better...they're pretty 'wild' right now. My worm 'farm' is just an enclosed area of ground between my citrus trees...wherever the ground is the wettest is where they migrate to...been doing better at keeping their area moist lately so they'll be easier to gather.

 

Ah, well...enough rambling for now...back to work...hope to have pics to post after this weekend.

[Jim Fisk]

Oh it's a learning process no doubt! It sounds like you work all alone as do I. My wife is supportive but every last nail and cut is pretty much me. I am grateful if I have a day here and there to devote to our AP. And then there is the $. She's been pretty good about that considering we need about another $25K just to even get into our new house and we do all that ourselves as well. Still living in our cute little cabin with 3 dogs and 2 cats and giant printers, scanners etc. that I use in business while our 4500+ sq ft house stares at us from across the lawn always asking us: Well? And then there's the farm with sheep, chickens, etc. and we cut our own firewood and on and on...... "And then we die!" comes to mind Yeah, creative people are all crazy. So don't feel too bad

[Pam DeLong]

Yeah...hubby's hours are somewhat offset of mine, so this is pretty much 'my baby'.

My 7 yo Grandson helped quite a bit this weekend...I told him there was a chance of getting real dirty! That's an attraction for most 7 year olds! He helped me measure and cut the two barrels and we yanked out a stash of old tires I'd had for a previous project (that's where the real 'dirty' came in...wish I'd gotten a pic of him!

So, with the tires, I'm trying to get a guesstimate on GB placement and height. Hubby came out last evening and was trying to think of a real sturdy support system. I showed him the PDF print out of the Barrelponics system that includes building the stand...he liked what he read so, I hope to work with him on building it.

 

The stock tank is behind the tires...I have a PVC frame and plastic covering it, kind of like a green house effect, which helps greatly in keeping out the neighbor's chinaberry tree debris as well as leaves and old blossom pieces from the tangerine tree that's to the left of the tank. It's been pretty windy lately, and I need to work on making the plastic more secure...always something ya know!

 

The barrels are cut in half with the bung holes at the bottom. Water will flow from one tank to the other and drain out of the final one. Hubby wants me to try using float beds...I'm leaning toward pea gravel bed...so, I'll go both ways with the first two tubs as the floaters, flowing into the gravel beds, then bell syphoning back to the tank. Not sure which direction to put the beds yet ... the tire stacks are a little easier/lighter to move than a heavy wooden frame.

Here're the pics I took:

 

[Jim Fisk]

Those tires will rock and roll and drive you crazy. If he is handy let him have a go at it. Keep them at an easy working height. Just launched my Barrelponics siphons on Ebay if you need those made. Just search "barrelponics siphon" on ebay and it should come up.

[Pam DeLong]

No...as I said, I'm just using the tires to "get a guesstimate on GB placement and height"...I have no intention of using them as a support system. There is a way I could incorporate them, but since I'm not going that route I won't go into detail. If hubby has time, I'd love for him to tackle that...it all depends on his availability. Otherwise, I need to do this soon (I'm no stranger to power tools, hammer and nails, squares, etc.).

 

I've already acquired the materials for the siphon...but will keep your Ebay offer in mind. Thanks!

 

Will post pics as/when progress takes place.

[Harold Sukhbir]

Hi Pam,

Yep, great ideas!

[Pam DeLong]

Whew!!!

Busy Saturday...    Okay, for the most part I believe I finally have a good start with my GBs! I put together a group of photos into a PowerPoint 'show'...hope it loads. The first two pics are when I initially set the tank, so those might be a repeat here, but the rest are from this past Saturday (4/13). Thoughts?

Still a work in process...need a lot more gravel, etc...busy, busy, busy...

[Harold Sukhbir]

Hi Pam,

Thumbs up from me

The system looks like the operator knows exactly what she's doing. Please post again when you get the GB's running at 100%.

ps  You should keep an eye on the leak or at least have a reasonable stock of de-chlorinated water on hand.