Water pump sizing

Posted by David Schwinghamer on September 7, 2011 at 9:54pm

What is the best way to size a water pump for an aquaponics system? I have about a 200 gallon fish tank. Is there a general rule to get me close?

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  • Chad E. Olberding September 12, 2011 at 9:32am

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    This is a Lowe's pump that move 500 GPH with adjustable switch. Only been using for a month so I hope it last.

    • David Schwinghamer > Chad E. Olberding September 12, 2011 at 2:08pm
      I have been using a 560 gph pump from Lowes for over two years, Im also using one of those filter boxes for a water feature in my front yard. I like using these because as long as you keep your receipt you can take it back if there is a problem. What is the deal with the adjustable switch, I didnt notice that on mine? Can I come over to see your operation?
    • Chad E. Olberding > David Schwinghamer September 12, 2011 at 2:40pm
      Its not much of an operation but you can come see it. I'll show you mine if you show me yours. lol My phone # 602-909-6858. I live near 35th Ave and Thunderbird.
    • David Schwinghamer > Chad E. Olberding September 13, 2011 at 3:41pm

      I see what you have in your photos, it looks like you have a fish tank and one grow bed full of gravel, what type of fish, how many and what kind of plants are you growing? Lastly what do you feed your fish and how long have you had this system in operation?

      My system is being constructed, you can see it at www.creativewatertrends.com/aquaponics.php

      I have the tanks but need to have someone weld the metal frame together.

    • Chad E. Olberding > David Schwinghamer September 14, 2011 at 9:37am

      I have about a 40-50 L fish tank with a dozen feeder goldfish for $1.99. I have 2 grow beds. 1 is filled with hydroton a clay meadium $35 to fill top grow bed that is 35 L in size. It’s a rubber maid container. The top grow bed drains into a gravel filled 18 L grow bed also rubber maid. That then drains back into the fish tank.

      My setup has only been going for a month or so. I currently have basil growing and it is doing wonderfully. By far the prettiest basil I’ve ever grown. I have started some lettuce from seeds and they are only a week old and same with the tomato and cabbage.

  • Chad E. Olberding September 11, 2011 at 7:47am

    This was great info. I was just going to say go big and put a valve on the end to regulate flow and remember to add an aerator it will help divert some of the pump power and oxygenate the water.

    • David Schwinghamer > Chad E. Olberding September 11, 2011 at 4:45pm
      Going big is actually a great idea just because expanding is easy. You mentioned an aerator, Ive thought about that but then again my grow beds will be waterfalling into the fish tank which produces oxygen, it may not be enough though, what are your thoughts?
    • Liz & Dan > David Schwinghamer September 11, 2011 at 7:54pm
      Check out this video by Dr Wilson about dissolved oxygen content and keeping DO levels high as the temperatures rise.  According to his research, as water temperatures rise it is increasingly difficult to keep sufficient amounts of DO in the water.  Also I remember Murray Hallam saying in one of his videos, the only way you are getting too much oxygen in the water is if you are literally blowing your fish out of the water...  so maybe during the summer, here in Phoenix especially, having more ways to introduce DO to your system is a good thing.  I'd be interested to hear other's experiences about summer temps!
  • Lisette Volkmar September 8, 2011 at 8:06am

    After dinking around unsuccessfully early on with smaller cheaper pumps, I switched to a pump that could move the entire volume of my fish pond in 15 minutes.  Well, ended up with a pump bigger than that, going for the quality I wanted and the sizing available.  My pond is 330 gallons, 330X4= 1320, the pump I have is 1800 GPH.  Below is the site that I got the info from, great info there!

     

     

    From  http://aquaponicscommunity.com/page/aquaponic-gardening-rules-of

    Water Flow

    • You should flood, then drain your grow beds. The draining action pulls oxygen through the grow beds. The least complicated way to achieve a reliable flood drain system is using a timer.While more complex, siphons are also excellent options for aquaponics.
    • If you are operating your system with a timer you should run itfor 15 minutes on, and 45 minutes off.
    • You want to flow the entire volume of your fish tank through your aquaponic grow beds every hour if possible.  Therefore, if you are running your pump for 15 minutes every hour (see above), and you have a 100 gallon tank, you need at least a 400 gallon per hour (gph) pump.  Now consider the “lift” or how far against gravity you need to move that water and use the sliding scale that is on the pump packaging to see how much more power you need beyond the 400 gph.
    • David Schwinghamer > Lisette Volkmar September 9, 2011 at 9:58am
      What brand pumps have you found to be reliable and do you recommend any type of filtering before the pump inlet?
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