Hello from San Francisco!

[Billy Boy]

Hi everyone.

Brand new to the forum, and also just starting out in aquaponics.

Anyone got advice for doing a back yard system in the Bay Area?

Thanks,

Bill

[Roger L.]

Welcome to the group. You will find many very helpful people here.

[DruidFromAus]

hello and welcome to the forum :)

Always great to meet a new aquaponist, not familiar with " the bay area ", Im from Australia

But would be happy to help with design and general info, just can't help with area specific info.

Do you have any parts or plans to a set up at this stage?

[Apollo]

Welcome, Billy Boy from San Francisco! , glad that you have joined us. May your journey bring you the knowledge that you seek, put a smile up on your face, create hours of pleasure to stimulate your mind, an a healthier life style for your heart...from Apollo__Phoenix, Arizona.

If you want to view my set up from start to now, check out “Fire Pit … AP” then “Pipe Siphon by Apollo” and ending with "Got Vertigrow?".

____________________________________
I HAVE NOT FAILED. I'VE JUST FOUND 10,000 WAYS THAT WON'T WORK. Thomas A Edison

[Billy Boy]

Hello! And thank you for the offer of advice... Advice is what I am after at this point!

At this point I'm still planning out a fairly basic backyard system.

I read Oliver's Aquaponics 101 last night, and I was just so impressed! What a terrific and informative document!

I'm planning to basically follow his suggestions and do an ebb and flow system.

As I plan things out I've got a couple of constraints that I am working with.

First, the climate around here is pretty stable. It virtually never freezes, and it only gets hots enough to wear sandals about 10 days a year. Average tap water temperature year round is about 65F/18C. I would like not to have to do a lot of heating and cooling, so I need to chose a fish variety that likes those temperatures... any suggestions will be very much appreciated! I really like eating trout, but I'm told that trout is not a beginner's fish. I really like eating tilapia too, but it is too cold here and also I think that tilapia are illegal in California? I've been thinking about bluegill or silver carp, but I'm really just kind of feeling around in the dark at this point. Ideally I would have a number of different kinds of fish down the road, and it would be super cool if I could get them to reproduce in my system!!!

Second, in order to get my wife behind this project it is going to have to have a reasonably polished look. I've been thinking about some of the designs that use a chopped up IBC tote. I really like the simplicity of those designs, particularly for starting out, but my wife is pretty set against that "look".

An alternative that I know she likes is the traditional galvanized stock tank. Everyone seems to agree that bare galvanized steel is going to kill fish dead, but I've recently read about a supposedly non-toxic epoxy product called "Pond Armor" that I could theoretically coat the insides of the tanks with. Anyone ever used that stuff?

Perhaps the questions would be better asked in separate threads, and in specific sub-forums, but those are the big questions that I am working with right now.

Thanks!

Bill

[DruidFromAus]

Sounds like a great place climate wise

I'm really not sure about the pond armor, with the IBC tote, you could wrap it in something, perhaps wooden decking planks, or you could get chip board or plyboard and paint it, if your artsy maybe even a nice aesthetic pattern, or chose a colour that will either reflect or absorb heat depending on what you want.
You could even just paint the tote itself, in my imagination anyway, if it were painted a nice colour could actually look alright, like a deep blue or burgundy.

not a great example but here is a link to one that is coloured, however also has a walkthrough setup for this system. http://aquaponicfun.com/tips/best-first ... ic-system/ (http://aquaponicfun.com/tips/best-first-aquaponic-system/)

Or if you want to wrap it here is an idea http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2012/ja ... quaponics/ (http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2012/jan/19/richardson-inventor-entrepreneur-aquaponics/)

[davidstcldfl]

Welcome to the forum Bill... :)
Check this out for regs on tilapia in your state...
http://www.diyaquaponics.com/forum/showthread.php?636-State-Tilapia-Regulations