Wow, time files. I ran into a few snags and started a new job, so the aquaponics project got shelved. But we're back online, with an new plan! Rob Bob's Chip and Flip Barrel System is our guide, and our current materials should be almost entirely usable in this new design. Thanks, Rob Bob!
Today I picked up a 55 gallon, blue poly barrel with a closed top from Container Reclaimer. They're located just east of Boulder, but luckily they drive a truck down to Colorado Springs every two weeks! I happened to discover them the day before they were going to make a delivery. $25, including shipping, for a once-used, food-grade barrel? Yes, please! And here's the beauty:
I don't know if I got lucky or if this is what most of the used barrels look like, but it's in like-new condition. The man at the truck said it'd only been used once to store/ship soy sauce. It certainly smells like soured soy sauce, but a few rinses knocked that down. Once we cut the top off, we'll give it a proper cleaning.
After watching some videos and re-reading the first book I purchased on the subject, we think we know how to overcome all of the snags we'd hit. The structural integrity of the earlier grow bed (straps and all) was still questionable, and the thought of flooding the dining room (and basement) int he middle of the night wasn't exactly prodding us to start cycling the system. The barrel and our new "greenhouse" solve that problem!
Finding ammonia without additives proved difficult. I believe I'll still try to get some, since we've moved, but I also re-discovered the Murray Hallam cycling technique that uses liquid seaweed in place of ammonia.
The auto-siphon design I had would only work very irregularly. I know see that the design was flawed in several ways. Mainly, I did not have a funnel at the top of the stand pipe. Secondly, I don't think I had enough room between the inner and middle pipes (or middle and outer, for that matter. Thirdly, I don't think I had nearly enough holes in just about everywhere holes are required. With these modifications and a better understanding of siphons (thanks again Rob Bob!), I think we'll get that auto-siphon working!
Discarding the need to make this a "showy" indoor system means we won't have to worry about glass aquariums (the one for the previous system had already started to form a small crack). And it'll be better for the system as a whole. Fish prefer the dark, apparently, and there's less of a chance that algae will grow in the blue barrel.
Having this blog here to go back and read before starting the new system was valuable, and that's most of what I intend to use this blog for - a reference for later. The links here already helped me determine that the pump I purchased for the fish tank system will work perfectly for the barrel system. I'm glad Gwen convinced me to bring everything with us when we moved!
Gwen's making me write down fish types to consider now. We have Common Goldfish, Shubunkin Goldfish, and the Fantail Goldfish. The internet says they are hardy and good for beginners. She's kind of partial to the Fantails right now, because they're pretty.
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