Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi there,

I’m a teacher in the Gulf of Carpentaria, QLD. I just received my IBCs to begin setting up an aquaponics system. The plan is to build one at home, get my head around it, then build one at school with the students.

The IBCs I have are from the local pool, so they had Hypochlorite Solution in them. I’d appreciate any advice on the best way to clean them out.

Planning on using Barra as that’s the easiest to come by, and the tastiest up here.

Another thing I’d like to be clear on is how much light needs to be kept out of the fish tank to reduce algae. Is a bit of shade ok, or does it need to be in a shed?

Anyway, keen to learn all I can.

Cheers

GG

Hi GG,

light in the FT's is an issue and should be minimized as the growths can lead to problems down the line in the GB's,plumbing as well as the FT's.
Some line the IBC's with building foil, plastic sheeting or paint between the PE and the frame. Others build often nice looking timber or metal covers around the outside of the frame.
The shed option is the extreme but has the most benefits such as easier temp control, access to plumbing & power, safety as it can be lockable, somewhere to store associate equipment, keep out the rain but most of all to control light. Garden metal sheds seem to be the most popular although heat becomes an issue so insulation, ventilation, light coloured paint and external shading is required. Some like me have assembled cool room panels into the shape of a shed or container with the idea of controlling all of the above better.

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Pete.

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Cheers Pete,

Might be able to sort out a bit of a manual arts project for the students to construct a timber surround. The foil sislation is a good idea too. The one at my place will have a 90% Shade Sail above it, but it gets pretty hot up here from around now till about April. So I'll need to be very careful about heat.

GG

I would say that if it was straight chlorine, your cleaning job should be done for you. Rinse it out and take a chlorine reading if you can. Sodium Hypochlorite will evaporate off pretty quickly and your IBC should be clean. If it has crystalized on the botton, use really hot water to disolve and rinse some more.