Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Galvanised 100mm jolthead nails. Skewed for most of it so doesn't stick out other side. Internal z plates to help fix roof.

I haven't got photos for attaching the 6x2 and pegs etc under the baseplate and it was a bit technical. We'll get there.

If you are on a slope and want to cut into the land a bit you need to have the 6 x 2 on the side that the dirt is, and the pegs on the low side.

In the above photo that corner actually has both. One to meet a high corner, one to meet a low.

is that going to be your fishtankAA. If so, what are you going to line it with?

looking good... a lot of work there indeed - please keep the pics comming as it is Very interesting to see how it shapes up!

I answered your question when it was first asked in another thread Monya. I'll get back to it when I reach that stage.

Granny flat yes. It'll have water and power too how much could i get renting it out in Central auckland. $200 per week? Needs Gib.....

I have kept track of labour hours actually spent on this. To date I'm up to 50 hours and I have 1/3rd of the roof to go. The pond to line, bed framing and beds to figure and construct, plumbing to be done, electricals...

I would easily lose 10 of those hours to not double handling dirt next time. In fact I think it's possible to almost halve the time by adding some better tools as well...

Small digger to level site. Nail gun for framing, wheelbarrow for dirt (I carried a lot then got a wheelie bin).

I knew I'd blow my budget out going this size and making such a solid construction. But! I'd hate to be stuck with a tinny little job when i'm capable of doing it well.

And having this up gives me incentive to haul ass and get the rest together.

I'm making this an approximate model I can repeat. Should be quite something for a hobby gardener once it's finished. i hope to produce a families requirements of veg in it.

You too can have a 4x4 metre aquaponic greenhouse in your backyard.

For $6000 NZ.

Once it's done, we'll look at that price and other products, see how it stacks up to competition.

looking good, and weel documented too! me, I just go for it then wonder where all the time and money went afterwards....

With the 'anality' of govt bodies when it comes applying for anything I thought I'd best learn to keep track of things so I can throw statistics at them everytime they object

What type of roof are you planing on AA, gabled?

Roofs up plastic's not. Straight roof plastic covered from the low to high side. This gives a potential 17 plus sq metres light panel on the roof. The high side will have 4/5ths of the back wall opens as windows. Then a door with insect screen. and fans in and out for Summer where needed.

For thermal insulation I'm planning

Front (sun) sides and roof. Two layers Greenhouse plastic. (designed to be anti drip and last 10 years. $150NZ for 60 sq m including courier.

The two back walls will be plywood backed (free from industry compressor crates), Pink Batts lined, ( free from neighbours, have i mentioned how damn good those boys are had em here yesterday putting up the last nogs with drills as the hammering was so damn hard up there). On the front will be roofing mylar the white surface exposed (free from neighbours).

Love thy neighbours, if they suck scare em off till you get some like mine.

Ok I'm working on many articles and a book at present so this thread has been neglected. I'll post more progress pics (got them must put em in computer) as I go but...

I can't be so detailed my time is worth more to me now studying and discussing all things Aqua than writing out basic building technique.

As we progress feel free to ask about any aspect that puzzles you and I'll try clarify.

Posts are in, that's the tricky bit. Soon we'll get onto system design rather than building.

And here, thanks to Dave and sketch-up, is a sketch up.

The plumbing is very straightforward. Water drawn from pond deep end to pump housing with a distribution piece with four taps. One smaller flow to circulate water in the pond. Two as spare. Third goes in at the top of the towers and back home underground via gravity then into the pond via an S bend waterfall.. The return pipes will have a 5 degree slope to ensure movement within.

Easily scaleable methinks!

In the second picture, that's the missus packed up and gone after finding whiteworms in the fridge for a third time.

What can you do?

Cool mockup! Tower power!