Wolf Pack Aquaponics
When people get into aquaponics, they usually get the idea of setting up a big system in their backyard. While there are plenty of factors that halt their idea, cold climates, lack of funds, a nagging wife/ girlfriend who does not want an ugly system in their yard, etc. But nothing stopped the Wolf Pack Aquaponic crew from setting up their backyard system.
The tour started off with the water collection system that can collect over 300 gallons every time it rains one inch! The tour continued to the back side where there was eight or so 300 gal IBCs with half 275 gal grow beds on top. There is currently only a lonely blue gill swimming around, but once summer comes again they will be filled with home grown tilapia. Each grow bed fills and drains via an auto-siphon into the fish tanks below. Each IBC is connected with each other with a four inch PVC pipe so the fish can swim from one container to another.
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| Inside the Wolf Pack Aquaponic greenhouse. |
Inside the greenhouse there are IBCs on each side, but you barley notice them as IBCs. They are tastefully covered and look great! There are lots of plants growing but most have been harvested for the winter. One cool thing is the whole system is run off of one hot tub heater. This includes all the IBCs outside too! The pump doubles as a heater too, keeping the water temp suitable for tilapia. The pump does have a draw back, the cost of running it. It costs about $2-$3 a day just to run the heater pump. Although it does not sound that high, consider the pump is running 24/7, 365 days a year. That is $730 to $1,095 a year just to run the heater pump. Plus you need to factor in the cost to run the air compressor that provided air to each and every fish tank and DWC grow bed.
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| These are the floating raft beds (DWC). This is where they start seedlings for transplant. |
The fish tanks that lead to the floating rafts are filtered with a swirl filter. A swirl filter skims clean water off the top of the container while the heavy solids "swirl" to the bottom, also called a vortex filter. All of the solid fish waste that is collected is used as fertilizer for the "traditonal" garden outside. The plants love it! There were more tomatoes then they could eat, and pole bean galore!
While the system is just feeding the Wolf Pack family for right now, they have plans to expand and have different offers that they are entertaining. There is lots and lots of work that went into making this system as well. The knowledge is being kept and collected to share with the public in the future. A "this works and this doesnt" manuel for aquaponics.
