A New and Revised Barracks System, The Rob Panero method++ my changes.

[bettafan]

First let me say I love my barracks, but as all things time makes one see or look for improvements. I have seen many systems and they all use beannies, or jars. I saw the Panero design in flare a few months back. I liked it, I also saw room for imporovements. I started to cost analysis the design I want and it is expensive, plexi is inherently costly. I'm thinking 96' in length six by six by four per section, 20 units per level and five levels high. I'll shelf mount this to the wall. Each section will share water but all sections will have a seperate water area so only one section at a time will be able to get any cross contamination. the water will be a cross fill and run directly to the sewer . so they always get fresh water. I can run this once a day so they never have old water. Directly from the house lines, by using a small mini heater for each row to heat the water. I should be able to maintain 100 fish.

This enables me to open up the room and give me additional space to build some racks for the growouts. plus allow the setting up of jars too sort of 400. Utilizing the old racks from the barracks but setup to the wall so the room is still open.

I diecided to do this because I have growouts setting too low for me to look into. I vertually have to lay on the floor to see whats there, as well as I have a couple breeding tanks also that low. I can move those back up and put my planted tanks down low. Cause I never do much with them. They were breeding tanks but as I cut back they grew up and I just put the oldy but goodies there to live out there lives. Now I have them holding my Koi angels. so down they go and the breeding tanks can come back up. Just my ideas, I will start this venture in a couple weeks or so.
At that time I'll start to post a few pictures of the process. And finish with the newly redesigned fish room. :blues: :blues:

[Pam S]

Sounds great.. more room and cleaner water ..

Pam .. does that mean you are going to venture out into more colors and fin types?

[majerah1]

You can alway come practice the design at my house,lol.Seriously though,it sounds like a great idea,and less worry for diseases.And as Pam said,more colors should venture into your fish room,with the extra space.

[bettafan]

You guys, I use yellow's for nonred, and blue to wihiten, and copper for metallic, then the splits have all sorts of colors. I only resist when there not expected. LIKE MAAAAAAAARBLES!! But there is plenty of color comes thru. But they have a purpose for my whites. I just don't raise some other color for that color itself. But on occasion I may purchase another color just for a diversion from whites.

[davegibson]

Al, do you have a sketch or photos of this system?

I've been doing some work on the other end of a rack system; the pump and treatment. I'm planning on staying away from energy hog mechanical pumps. I've been doing some tinkering and it looks like I'll be able to pump water to a system like the IBC newbie rack system using 100% air lift. I've been successfully lifting water to 40 plus inches so far, with a descent flow rate.

I also don't like the idea of cutting slots in beanie boxes and then draining into a roof gutter. There's too much evaporation going on with all of that exposed surface area. I'm certain that the heater runs more as well.

I found a way to make up inexpensive bulkhead fittings, so the drain portion of the system will be nearly completely closed, except you'll still be able to remove a beanie box with no mechanical disconnects. That should equate to less evaporation and more heat retention.

The wet/dry treatment system I'm going to keep to myself for now, at least until I get around to buying prototype parts for it for a test run.

[bettafan]

only the basic design I can show you, but the overall system is still in my head. however I can try to make a sketch of it but I draw pretty badly. send me an email and I'll attach part of the design, then I can explain the system I have ammended to itl.

[davegibson]

OK, now I get it. Pretty slick system and no filter. I often wondered how plastics were bonded.

I'd be concerned about that water temperature coming directly from the tap. With my water, I'd have to let it warm up a day first in a sump, like maybe a 4 inch x 10 foot piece of pressure rated PVC hung high, in the interest of saving space. Tap water in one end, outlet to the barracks on the other.

[bettafan]

I have a double tap, i can regulate the hot and cold to a nice temperature to enter at once. but like I said at 96in. I can build in a heater , the little heaters for the mini's are 25wtt. and will heat the one section. One per section. so two three or what ever. ..

ON the other hand you can use 30 gallon tank, and just use a pump to fill it and heat plus additives if you wish. being on a well I don't need to add anything. when I do treatments I can add directly to the sections.

The big thing is the water isn't circulated, but goes directly out to the sewer. They get 100 percent clean water on a daily basis, :)

And the size of the fish section , I am thinking 5X6x6 just that little bit makes it more comfortable for the fish.

Easier cleaning is a point as well, just a sponge wipe and the unit is clean. and no wasting of 4 inches of beannie and one by one cleaning. deep down in there seven inces x four. so you don't have to stuff your hand down in.

[Pam S]

Al,

Would you be able to disassemble without too much problem if you wanted to
sterilize ? Or could you just do that to one unit?

The extra size is good.. around 3 quarts of water ?

I think Rich Christman changed his drip system.. to just fill and drain. Both he and Scotty voiced a negative opinion about the closed barracks system. Great concept unless you have one sick fish.

Pam ..

[bettafan]

I am hoping that it will come into 7 pieces. the input should be a set of valves all connected with couplings, they should come off in one section , the same for the exit lines, then just the five full length sections. and there gonna be 8 footers.

I have never had a complete meltdown of fish in the barracks, in the years that I have used it. I have more problems in a comunity tank.
but that being said a fatal situation could occur. This way its being minimized to simply one section at a time.But thats unlikely with 100 percent water changes and larger cells. Well thats my plan anyway.

So I think each section could be sterilized if need. being seperate from the others. just remove the fish fill and add some bleach, when done drain it off, or suck out with teh python. what ever works best. :LOL::

[Sherol]

Al,

I built 2 of those flow throughs. The first one we got the space between the dividers too big and also, I think, made the smaller divider too tall. I have a second one with modifications but as of yet, don't have water in it or fish. I will have these drain into vertical pvc pipes with 'wyes' that I run a flexible tube from the barrack into the 'wye' and eventually all draining away. Mine are 6' high and 6" deep and 4' long. The plexi is very expensive and it helps if you can sweet talk the guy at Lowe's to cut it for you. I used the heavier plexi for the frame and larger dividers, thinner for the smaller dividers. I did get a couple of cutters so if needed, I can cut the smaller pieces.

I am working on my fish room. My shelves are 18" deep.. so I'm actually thinking about making these barracks 12" deep but still only 6" high. Need to put a pencil to it as do not want to get any waste from the plexi. But along the wall, I'd rather not have the fish double up so I can not clearly see the guy behind. on the shelves that come out into the room I will put 2 sets of barracks as will will be able to see from both sides.

Right now I'm just adding water and having it flow out into a 5 gal bucket that I dump between barracks. I get a complete water change in just a few minutes. I can also pull fish and remove the barracks to clean them out. I need to get some pipe cleaners to get in between the dividers.. you do get some funk in there.

You find a good place to get the plexi or a good place to get it cut, let me know. If you need to order a certain quantity to get a better price, I would be interested also.

[Maryanne]

How would the fill and drain system work? Do you leave enough water for your fish to still be swimming?

Also I always wondered how you condition the water in this situation. Do you just have spring water or is there some step in the process I am missing?

I would love to see these designs :) One day when I am in a more permanent housing situation, there will be barracks going up :)

Can't wait to see it finished!

[Sherol]

For me, in time I will have a large 100 gal container that I will age and heat water in. I plan on flipping a switch to pump water into lines that will run water into the input side of the barracks. It will have more flow that a drip.. I'm still working on how all this is going to go together. I want to be able to control the flow of water into each barrack.. and be able to shut it off if I need to clean it without diverting water from other barracks. Al will probably get this part worked out before I do and can just learn from him.. hee hee.

Anyway, water will flow through the barracks and output the other end where I have a 1/2" bulkhead drilled. I have fittings that allow me to attach a flexible 1/2" hose to drain the water away. The bulkhead is close to the top of the barracks and is an overflow. Each shelf unit will have a vertical pvc pipe with a 'T' or 'wye' that the end of the barrack hose will be pushed into at every shelf level. I plan on 4 shelves to hold fish so there will be 4 places for the hose to feed into the vertical pipe. The drains will connect to a piece of pipe along the floor that will run down into existing drains.

Right now I am just trying to get the room heated for the winter and get through my busy season... I'm retail so don't have the time to really work out the details until the first of the year.

[bettafan]

at the in side, you drill a 1/2' hole and put a bulkhead in with a 90' then you put a valve on it with a switch, make it a screw on valve. then a tee and a valve for the next one. I am trying to draw a simple diagram but I don't do so well. here is a general idea , use some imagination.
(Posted Image)

[bettafan]

follow up, the valves alone, look like they cost min 60.00 I figured I could use the ones I already have, not a chance the weight would bust the plexi for sure. so all new ones, plus bulkheads and tubing, I priced out the plexi-precut. looks like 400.00 sheesh. all for the dang fish.