So now that my tests have proven successful its time to expand to a much larger system. Below are some pictures of my progress on the new larger capacity system.
In this picture you can see the two 275 gallon IBC totes that I will be using for my fish tanks. This should provide a great home for the Tilapia that we will be raising from hatchlings. We should get our breeder colony in the next few weeks and start breeding our own supply of fish. In the mean time I will cycle the tanks using goldfish so we will be ready to start growing ASAP.
In the foreground you can also see the lumber and supplies I need to build out the grow beds. I am planning to build two 4' X 8' beds that will sit on top of the IBC's.
First things first, the original systems need to be moved against the far wall to make room for the new ones. Anyone know how heavy water is? I'll save you some time, 8.33 pounds per gallon that means these suckers weigh more than 400 lbs each, thankfully I'm not moving them very far. For anyone who wants to try this at home I would plan things out in the beginning better than I did sou you wont have to learn this lesson.
As you can see I got the test systems moved and have framed up the first grow bed. At first I thought I may have over done it with my construction but when you consider that this bed will be holding close to 150 gallons of water sturdy is good. (thats 1200+ pounds for those of you that don't want to do the math)
Since we live in Arizona and the temperatures range from 30 degrees up 120 degrees insulating tanks and grow beds is important so we can keep the temperature of the water mass more regulated. The water will need to be heated in the winter and cooled in the summer but this will reduce the requirements significantly.
It was a long day of building and I only got one of the grow beds complete. I have decided to make the second bed 3' X 8' after seeing how large this one is. I'm not worried about the size of this bed as we plan to grow greens in floating rafts that can be easily removed at harvest time. In the other bed we are planning to grow larger plants that will require more access so the 3' depth should help out a lot.
Now I must rest! I am short some materials for the final bed and will also need to pick up the supplies needed to insulate and protect the IBC's. I will update progress in the next few days.
