Aquaponics blog

IBC Aquaponics Design

Following the previous article, we will continue with IBC Aquaponics for our Aquaponics system. The best IBC was transformed into a fish tank and the remaining two will form the growbeds and the sump. Let’s do the growbeds and the sump.
To start, let’s separate the base, the cage and the plastic tanks from the remaining two IBC’s. You will need a battery drill and T-30, T-35, T-40 driver security bits, to remove the machine screws holding the cage to the base. Depending on the IBC type, you can use an ordinary hex headed machine screws.

We can start to cut the cage and tanks to make the growbeds and sump. For better handling, lay the cage on its side to do the cuts. Because of its fast and clean cut, use thin abrasive cutting discs. If required, you should remove sharp edges with a sandpaper flap wheel or a flat file.
In this IBC aquaponics design, the two plastic tanks will be cut to form 3 grow beds and one sump. Divide the plastic tanks into three parts, each. The 375 mm (15’’) piece from the first tank will serve as a sump and the same cut piece from the second tank will serve as the rear grow bed.

Use the piece from the bottom of the tank, this way you will have the tap/the valve included in your sump. The upper part of the first IBC should form the second grow bed(the 350mm - 14" piece). Finally, the same cut piece from the second IBC tank will be used as a second front grow bed.
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Build a Fish Farm With The Right Aquaponics Fish

After we have build our system, we should choose certain fish species that are suitable for our aquaponics fish enviroment. For this aspect to be done properly, you should consider the following key factors:
- fingerling and fry available quantity;
- local climatic enviroment;
- local jurisdiction - some of the fishes can be forbidden to grow;
- fish for consuming or for selling;
- fish weight.
After you have made your choice, you should try eating a fish from every chosen species. It would be a shame to spend months of growing a certain type of fish that is simply not that good.
Check with your local Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry about the fish you are allowed to grow, or you can do a simple google search also.

Quantity is another important factor when we choose the proper aquaponics fish. Do you want to sell the fish or just to provide a fish dinner for your family a couple of times a week? Bigger farms will buy fish from fish hatcheries in larger quantities, from 100 to 200 fingerlings per sale, sometimes much higher.
Bear in mind that for consumption, a fish will lose around half of its weight in inedible bits (head, guts etc.) If your family is consisted of two adults and one children, you will normally consume in one meal two 500 grams fishes. So, in a year your family will eat around 200 half-a-kilo fishes, more or less, if consumed twice a week.
Consider calculating fish quantity in fish kilos/1000 water litres.
Fish weight will depend on the following factors:
- tank size;
- size of the fish;
- types of fish;
- system capability to dissolve oxigen levels;
- bio-filtration system capacity;
- system nitrate-removal ratio
Manage these aspects in a proper way and I will guarantee you will get an excess of 50kg of fish, every year, in a 1000 litres fish tank.
To summarize, choosing the best fish type for your system will maximize your time spent, so it is very important not to skip this crucial step in developing your future aquaponics systems. You can thank me later!
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Learn how to build a aquaponics fish tank

Let’s learn how to build an aquaponics fish tank using three IBC’s. Firstly you need to purchase or lease the IBC’s. After that you have to choose which one will make a good fish tank, while with the other two you can cut one into three growbeds and the other one will be used as a sump.
How to choose the proper IBC for a fish tank? Well, you have to look carefully at the pallet base, and choose the one with the best pallet base condition.. This is an important part in building a fish tank, because we need a firmly tank as sometimes, when we discard the IBC’s from a truck, some of them might suffer some fork lift damage. If an IBC has a damaged pallet case you can use that one for Grow Beds.
Also you need to look for rust in the galvanized coating on the metal. If you find rust in these places, you should use some cold galvanic pressure can paints (silver frost) for the cage, as they are easier to paint but also cleaner to use on steel. If you can’t find these pressure cans at your local store, try a spray gun, a compressor or just use a brush.
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Cut out on top the chosen IBC for a fish tank, to allow better fish access. Remove the side-to-side top bars from the IBC and pull out the plastic tank. If this doesn’t work lay the IBC on a side or even remove the base bars. If you still can’t remove the plastic tank, try levering the tank out with gentleness. Don’t forget to keep the bolts in a secure place for later.

Cut the top out from the plastic tank. Measure a 5"(120mm) line on the top of the IBC, from the edge to the center. You can use a jigsaw to remove the top from the plastic tank.Now you must look for any rust in the galvanizing coating. It is highly recommended to paint the metal to ensure it will not degrade in the future and also for aestethics, because, for instance, I like to have a neat backyard.
The plastic tank will need to be prepared for painting in order for your paint to stick. You can find some of the best primers in the auto-shops. You must choose a dark colour for top coat because dark colour keeps out the light better. When the system is up and running, green algae can develop on the inside surfaces of the aquaponics fish tank so therefore we must use light blocker colours. Although the green algae will develop for sure inside of the aquaponics fish tank, black paint will not block it entirely, but will reduce it very much.
Let the paint dry for a couple of hours or less. The final step in building the fish tank is to re-assemble the cage as well as the base and the tank.Don’t forget about the bolts you placed in a secure spot.
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