Brainstorm required!

[maximus]

Dear All,

I need your suggestions.
I am developping a AP system in Egypt and I need to build it cheap and not permanent (pilot project inside an hotel, so no concrete or other permanent structures yet..).

Setting is very similar to UVI
Fish is tilapia at density of 14 to 50 kg m3 (best FRC and economic result will determine the best ratio.
vegetable production estimated at 25kg m2

My idea was creating a small 10m3 raceway (11x1.5X1) type of tank build using sandbags as containment wall and a LDPE liner. Last two meter of the raceway will be used as sedimentation tank by using a baffle structure.
No Hole in the FT but 2 immersion pump (one stand by and 45 min FT exchange rate)

One IBC air stripping-nitrification tank (either with floating media and forced aeration or gravel trickling filter ) in higer position fed by FT pump.

Two raft tank 70m2 each (0.40m depth) fed from IBC by gravity and then heading back to the FT by gravity as well.

One IBC to top up the system

No Sump

Aeration provided by air diffuser along FT and a PVC food grade pipes along the raft GB (as done in Canada by Savidov)

Why I chosen this setting :
-FT need to be heavily shadowed most of the year to keep temperature stable but might need a small greenhouse to cover the system in january february. Raceway setting will allow to play with fish density and determine best economic growing condition.

-GB height of 0.4m was thought to increase temperature stability

-IBC tricking filter might allow to reduce extreme temperature in summer thanks to evaporation (estimated in -7°C from ambient temp)


Any suggestion or comment will help out

Thanks!

[francois]

hi maximus

if you want to look at the way i made my trays
2mm hdpe cut to size and folded into water tight grow tray.
Easy cheap and durable
This is 4 of my trays rolled up when I took my system down.
roll up and go

[maximus]

Hi Francois,

useful picture thanks. I believe you have got GB depth of 0.2m in your system.
I plan two channels only (5x15) of 0.5m height. Do you think that sand bag would be appropriate to sustain such through?
I will use your idea to recycle the suspended solids retrieved from the FT to feed worms and then using worm tea on the system (spraying branches and into the water).

By the way I red a paper from an australian university stating that undiluted worm tea have a pH8. So if produced in the right quantity it might supersede the need of adding bases. I will attach the file (quite large I am afraid to a mail I am sending to your inbox mail)

Cheers

[francois]

My trays were meant to be 2x300x8000x200mm high but I had nothing supporting the sides and they ballooned.
So at 500 mm some type of frame cross braces over the top and sandbags I think should do the trick.
Using maybe 4mm x 60 x 60 wire mesh as the frame........
And then packing bags
.....trial and error
Make one tray and see what is needed to support the sides
The best answer.....in practice reality
good luck
francois

[Bluegill]

For a minute, I thought you were going to build a wall of vegetables growing on a media and letting the water drain down into a tray at the bottom and them back to the FT behind the wall....a wall of veggies and greenery......would be nice.

[maximus]

Sorry bluegill ....
In fact I have draw a scheme that might simplify the idea but I got no idea on how to upload....

[Bluegill]

Maximus:
You have to start a NEW THREAD.
Then scroll way down to the bottom and you will see "manage attachments" or something like that....
If you still have trouble...let me know...
There are lots of mates on the forum than have put pics on the forum.
Assuming you can get your drawing into a format that the forum can use....
If that's the prob....just ask for help.
Good luck.
Bluegill

[RussRosser]

Hi! It would be easier for a newbie to follow the discussion if these were defined:
UVI
FRC
FT
IBC
GB
...and any others that are likely? Thanks!

[SolTun]

Hi! It would be easier for a newbie to follow the discussion if these were defined:
UVI
FRC
FT
IBC
GB
...and any others that are likely? Thanks!

KISS

[Yabbies4me]

Hi RussRosser, Welcome to the forum.

Hi! It would be easier for a newbie to follow the discussion if these were defined:
UVI
FRC
FT
IBC
GB
...and any others that are likely? Thanks!

The main ones you need to know are:

FT = Fish tank
ST = Sump tank
GB = Grow bed
IBC = Intermediate bulk container (in the US I think you call them a Tote)
KISS = Keep It Simple Stupid

Cheers, Yabbies.
.