Now, there are a lot of PVC parts there as well as wood, wire, pipe-tape, etc. I’ve salvaged as much of it as I could. It will be the stuff that Backyard Aquaponics System Mk.IV will be made of. However, a few things will be new, starting with the fish tank.
I’m using a livestock tank again. This one is about 730L, and much shallower than the old 1000L “IBC” tank. It’s also oval shaped, not square. That is going to make it easier to enjoy the fish visually, as well as keep water turning smoothly in a gentle current. That’s good for the fish, as well as for water quality.
Livestock tanks, of course, are designed to be kicked around by horses and stepped on by cows. Nothing I’m going to do with them is going to break one. It’s a bit spendy, but I’m considering it a long term investment.
I’ve got a Uniseal in the center bottom of the tank, and piece of 50mm Schedule-40 white PVC down through it. That’s my stand-pipe, for setting the maximum depth of the tank. Right now I have it set up as a surface skimmer, but will eventually put a piece of 75mm thin-wall pipe over it so that it works as a bottom drain.
Ergo, the adventure has begun. I’m going to be posting a few short videos to my YouTube channel about the two indoor systems so you can get good looks at them and watch the fish get fed. 🙂 I’ll also show this build as I do it, and explain the decisions I’m making and the reasons behind them.
Please do come along for the ride. Keep an eye on the YouTube channel, follow me on Twitter, and of course, drop back here from time to time. Feel free to post questions, suggestions and other comments after this article in the comments section below, or @ me on Twitter. I’m happy to chat about Aquaponics.
Backyard Aquaponics 2021 is going to be quite an adventure! Thanks for coming along!
Very interesting! Reading this post, I learned a lot about aquaponics, plus there was a bonus cat AND goldfish. What’s not to love? 🙂
Seriously — it’s really cool to see your set-up!