# 400g Growout System Build



## spcichlids (May 11, 2015)

As I ramped up my breeding (peacocks) I realized I wanted a system with large water volume to grow the fish out faster. I read a lot about aquaculture and used some of those principles in the design. After a couple of months of work it's finally done.

I've been documenting the process on YouTube. The playlist is here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... _lhJT6Yi4x









I had a roughly 10'x10' area in my basement crawlspace to use.









I considered many different options for the main fish tanks. I wanted as much water volume as possible but I was somewhat limited by the size of the entrance to my crawlspace. I also wanted to minimize the chance of leaks. I settled on these two 180 gallon bulk bins (with lids) that I found on craigslist.









Inside view of one of the bins. They're one solid piece and are made of FDA approved materials. They fit through the entrance but just barely.









I leveled the area and put down plywood and then concrete blocks to raise the fish tanks up a bit. This makes them the highest point in the system. I also added some smaller blocks to go underneath the filter barrels.









I decided to insulate the fish tanks. I had some 2 inch rigid foam left over from another project so I used that on the bottom. I used expanding foam to attach the pieces to the tank and fill in the gaps.









The tanks in their final position with the insulation on the bottom.









I also bought a couple of 4x8 sheets of 1 inch rigid foam and used those on the sides.









I bought two food grade barrels from a local specialty shop to use for the filters. These are 45 gallons instead of 55 because the 45 gallon version had better lids.









I went with a 100 gallon Rubbermaid stock tank for the sump. Purchased from Tractor Supply. This is the lowest part of the system.









I decided on 2 inch overflows with bulkheads. I drilled a hole in each tank with a 2 inch hole saw and then a 3 inch hole in the insulation to provide space for the nut.









One of the bulkheads in place.









View from inside the tank.









These are the Solids Lifting Overflows (SLOs). They draw water (and waste) from the bottom of the tank. The tee fitting at the top prevents a siphon from forming and draining the entire tank. It also acts as a backup if the SLO gets clogged.









There are many different ways to design the bottom of a SLO. I went with a cap with a bunch of small holes to prevent the fish from being sucked into the overflow. I enlarged the holes a bit once the system was up and running.









The overflows enter the first barrel after a gentle curve. This can be accomplished one of two ways: with two 45 degree fittings (left) or a long sweeping 90 (right). This prevents the waste from settling in the turns. All of the barrel connections are made with uniseals which are better suited to curved surfaces than bulkheads.









The first filter is called a Radial Flow Filter. You may have heard of a swirl filter and this is a similar concept. The water comes in (again with gentle curves) and up and over two standpipes.









A bucket is attached to the lid (with stainless steel screws).









This bucket surrounds the standpipes which forces the water to go downward and then change direction to go back upward before it reaches the overflow into the next barrel. This causes the solids to sink to the bottom of the barrel.









A view of the RFF with the lid in place.









A spigot in the barrel allows for the waste to be emptied periodically from the bottom.









The two barrels are connected with a union fitting for easier maintenance.









The second barrel is a moving bed filter. At the bottom is an airstone that's powered by my fishroom air system. Video about the air system here:













The airline comes into the side of the barrel. This allows the lid to sit flush.









I bought a 50 liter bag of K1 media for the moving bed. I wanted a biofilter that was both efficient and low maintenance.









If you're not familiar with K1, it's a plastic media in the shape of a wagon wheel. Beneficial bacteria grow on the inside. As the media moves around inside the filter it knocks the oldest bacteria off, leaving the youngest, healthiest bacteria in place.









I didn't want my water to hit the K1 without passing through some type of mechanical filtration first. The radial flow filter removes the large particles but I wanted something in place to catch the smaller particles. For now I'm going with this bucket that rests on the pipe that comes into the barrel.









I drilled a bunch of holes in the bottom. It will be filled with filter floss. The water will then drain into the moving bed.









The biofilter overflow has a cap with holes that are slightly smaller than the K1. This prevents it from flowing out of the barrel.









The moving bed overflows into the sump. I later added a vertical pipe to prevent a massive waterfall.









The pump that drives the system is a Lifeguard Aquatics PG1600. At this head height it's flowing around 1000 gph.









The pump flows up through a check valve. This prevents water from flowing backwards in the event of a power outage and flooding the sump.









I drilled 2 inch bulkheads for the returns in case I decide to upgrade to a larger pump in the future. For now I'm reducing the 1 inch return lines to fit into the bulkheads with pvc bushings.









The design of the returns inside the fish tanks is a work in progress but this is how they look for now.









Full shot of the completed system.









I added water using the fill system that I use in my adjacent fishroom. Video about that system here:













The initial fill went faster than expected.









One of the fish tanks full of water.









The system is heated by three 300w Eheim Jager heaters.









The heaters are connected to a Ranco temperature controller from Jehmco. It supports up to 1800 watts. I set the temperature of the individual heaters to a few degrees above my desired temperature and plug them into the controller. It has a probe that sits in the water and when it dips below the temperature that's set on the controller it kicks on and sends power to the heaters.









The moving bed biofilter in action.









Shot of both filters with water.









I used some corrugated plastic as lids for the sump to reduce evaporation and heat loss. I plan to add plants to the sump in the near future.

Video tour of the system:


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## smitty (May 7, 2004)

What were the bins originally used for. I think you came up with a super great ideal. My system is running slow so everything did not load for me. But I will be back to check it out later.


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## spcichlids (May 11, 2015)

The bins were originally used for feed storage.


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## EnemyNSA (Jan 27, 2016)

Wow! That's impressive!

Very nice :dancing:


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

That's amazing work you've done. Very impressive!


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## spcichlids (May 11, 2015)

Thanks for the support guys.


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## Computer (Sep 24, 2008)

Looks great! Waiting to see fish in there


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## Kanorin (Apr 8, 2008)

Very cool idea. Thanks for the write-up!


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## djd3mon (Apr 20, 2016)

Very nice setup man. I love the step by step building photos. I wish I had this much room to build a huge fish room setup like this.

:fish:


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