michael,

two ibcs to make the sump is so i am not as limited on how many grow beds i can flood and drain. It just leaves me with a lot more options for expansion in the future. If i ever add in power backup i could conceivably have 10-12 grow beds and run high density in the fish tanks.

david,
Yes, i didnt want to bury the ibcs so in order to CHOPS i had to build the grow bed higher than the sump and then the fish tank higher than the grow bed.... i am not real worried about the blocks.. given i dont know what their weight rating is at this orientation, but there's 9 holding up each fish tank.. assuming 300 gallons of water and 8 lb's per gallon, i feel like each on can hold 275 lbs each. if someone knows better feel free to educate me.

brian