Liquid fish is not sludge! Remember, this stuff goes through any orchard sprayer (including hand-pumped backpacks) no problem. An expensive sludge pump is not the answer. Purchasing fish hydrolysate by the 55-gallon drum is a good deal: The cost per gallon (for the Organic Gem product, which I use) is $4.90 to $6.90,
with shipping, the range based on whether there are 1 to 4 drums on the freight-delivered pallet. Purchasing fish in a 5-gallon bucket amount, by comparison, will cost a home orchardist $16 and up per gallon.
So let's solve this. Other growers in this holistic orchard forum certainly purchase spray materials in volume. Could someone have the gumption to state their experience with barrel pumps, whatever the type. PLEASE!
I did consider another pump design based on compressed air to power the suction. Bob Piluri, my
Organic Gem distributor, pointed out a righteous consideration: This will pump air into the product, the phosphoric acid will gas off, and thus the fish will go bad if stored for months. Otherwise, a two-year storage expectation is entirely reasonable.
Lost Nation OrchardZone 4b in New Hampshire