Advice on pool/tank

[flienlow]

The one thing that I am finding challenging about aquaponics is that all the good stuff for it seems to be sold in the UK or AU. There seems to be little that I can find in the US, hence everything has to be hodge-podged together. I do understand there is a system MFG of a high quality system that is a contributor here, but getting into the "thousands" category is beyond my means (although I am sure they are worth the price.)
I am trying to cipher a few things.
1. fish, in seattle we have a cool winter and a warm summer. trout? -they seems to be a very touchy fish from what I am seeing. Need to be 60f or below in the summer and cant be too cold in the winter. Need a lot of moving current , and lots of O2.
talapia? may be too cold here for them in the winter? I want to do as little heating and cooling as I absolutely have too. Infact, I would prefer none.

2. the tank. What is better a 300 gallon round tank, or 300 gallon stock-type tank that is more rectangular? For me the more compact the size would be better as I want to stuff all of this in a greenhouse and grow like a mad man. But what about the fish?

3. Filtration. I tried playing around making a vortex filter out of a 5 gallon buck, but I dont think my pump is strong enough to create one. How can I filter out all the fish poo, but yet same it for my other plants?

[urbanfarmer]

1) Check what local fish survive in your geographic area. Make sure this fish is good for what you want. Get some of that fish!

2) It's not a big deal. The only difference is the surface area for gas exchange. Since you will likely be massively aerating your water like most do, this is a non-factor.

3) Not sure what that last part is (typo?), but if you use a gravel grow bed and/or if your fish density is low enough a vortex filter can actually be a bad thing because you don't want to remove the solids.

[JCO]

The one thing that I am finding challenging about aquaponics is that all the good stuff for it seems to be sold in the UK or AU. There seems to be little that I can find in the US, hence everything has to be hodge-podged together. I do understand there is a system MFG of a high quality system that is a contributor here, but getting into the "thousands" category is beyond my means (although I am sure they are worth the price.)

Here's the mistake in your thinking about Aquaponics....it's a DIY (Do It Yourself) technology. There are companies that sell ready made setups, however unless you are blessed with endless cash, it's time to reach down deep and pull out that pioneer spirit and start figuring out how to DIY (Do It Yourself).

The very object of Aquaponics is to get away from store bought and produce your own whether it be the Aquaponics setup or the fish and veggies that are produced through Aquaponics Technology. Break out that Coonskin cap and start thinking.

3. How can I filter out all the fish poo, but yet same it for my other plants?

Your plants do not need or use the poo....the poo needs to be filtered out and broken down by nitrification bacteria to create nitrates (nutrients). That's what the plants take out of the water.

As for removing the poo from your tank, you can use a number of ways and the simplest and least expensive if you have a large buildup over a period of time is to manually siphon it out. However, as long as the water chemistry is in balance and the water is remaining clear even with the accumulation, then leave it until it is just absloutely necessary to remove it because of the bulk of it. Whether the poo is filtered out or laying on the bottom of the tank, the bacteria will still do their job.

[Kilbye]

It's good to see the advise about the water tank, i actually wanna know about that and this post helps me alot.

[foodchain]

I grew up West of Seattle. A stream near our house had trout, they did fine year round, as do most of the rivers/streams all the way to the coastline. They do prefer faster moving cooler water. But Yellow Perch or sunfish. YP will tolerate wider water parameters, and even some heat...heat for the North, not TX heat...Faster moving water will stay cooler, and deeper slower moving water stays warmer. Large volumes of water will help insulate itself. So it will handle the temp swings better.
I would suggest outdoor ponds in summer, and indoor ponds in the greenhouse in winter. Plum for both, and use valves to isolate which water supply. You become the manual thermostat by adjusting the valves. Good Luck.

[urbanfarmer]

Here's the mistake in your thinking about Aquaponics....it's a DIY (Do It Yourself) technology. There are companies that sell ready made setups, however unless you are blessed with endless cash, it's time to reach down deep and pull out that pioneer spirit and start figuring out how to DIY (Do It Yourself).

I hope no one missed this VERY IMPORTANT point. For a COMPANY to build a system that WORKS in most cases, they would be building off some kind of MODEL. However, this is NOT what they do. In fact, what scientific information is out there that would allow someone to CALCULATE, DESIGN, and TEST a system prior to SELLING it is in obscure places and hard for the average person to find and understand. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY.

not to mention you can do it for 5% of the sale price, on average

[commander]

I just had to drop in here and add a comment. I am just getting started. I plan to cut up my first IBC tote this weekend and start getting it put together. I was sitting on my patio a few days ago thinking about where and how to arrange my systems and I looked at the non-functioning hot tub sitting on my patio and had an AHA moment. Perfect fish tank. Drains, return water inlets, aeration system and a heater if one wants to mess with that. The plumbing is all OVC so making the changes to the system should be easy. It is almost 400 gallons, already has a UV filter on board, two water pumps, an air pump and a heater. The control board is shot but I wouldn't be using that anyway. It has an insulated cover. It is already wired for 220volts and when it was working, would run on maintenance mode for about $30 per month.

[foodchain]

A concern I would have would be copper....copper isn't very friendly to several types of aquatic life. In fact it's a component of many aquatic meds in one form or another. Inverts particularly don't like it, although I am not sure at what concentrations it becomes toxic.

[foodchain]

Probably would depend too on what types of aquatic life you put in, some will be more tolerant I suppose.

[commander]

If you are thinking about the hot tub, I am pretty sure there is no copper in the system with maybe the exception of the heater unit which is easily isolated. all the valving, plumbing and connections are either PVC or ABS.