Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hello everyone, I would like to build a aquaponic greenhouse. I have had cheap greenhouses in the past without aquaponics but I want to do this right the first time. 15 years ago I had a aquaculture class in high school and since then I have always played with the idea of an aquaponic greenhouse.

I do not want a flimsy greenhouse. I want to build something that can last all year. I live in Odessa, TX. Got up to 105 today. Winds can get high but it's not so bad in town. Winters can get below freezing but only for short periods. I have a good sunny area of my yard that will work. I'm looking for something in the range of, 10x20 on the small side or 12x30 on the larger side.

My budget is 1500 and I can build it myself if need be. As a teacher I have the next month to build this. Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.

Thank you,

Matthew

Hi Matt! Welcome to the forum.
I do not personally have a greenhouse, but i have worked in a few.

A few things to consider would be setting your greenhouse up in a way that works best with your available sun exposure, taking into account the changing path of the sun. Ideally, you'd want good sun in the winter. But, a little shade in the summer wouldn't hurt.

With temps of 105, shade cloth is your friend. One greenhouse that i have worked in got up to near 120 inside on a day that was barely over 100. This was prior to shade cloth installation.

Ventilation is key. If you can set it up so you get a good flow of air through the greenhouse, it will greatly help to moderate temps. You have a lot of options. You can have vents down low to pull cool air in, and vents up high for hot air to escape. You can use fans. You can use timers or thermostats to run the fans. With a good design, it can be done passively with convection.

Solar powered vent openers might be an option, with wax that melts in a piston to open the vent when the gh reaches a certain temp. But, these can remain open during storms if the inside temp is still high, so you just have to think about what would work best for you. But you definitely, definitely should think long and hard about adding ventilation from the get go.

You can also set up a timer to open vents, or do it manually if you have the time.

Depending on your fish's tolerance to hot water, you might want to bury your sump to keep the water a bit cooler. Insulation of the sump prior to burying is a good idea too, otherwise it might stay cool for most of the year. I have a system with some tanks buried in the ground with no insulation, and it takes forever to warm up.

As far as size, it would probably be a good idea to start smaller on the system, but as large as you are able to do comfortably for the greenhouse, with expansion in mind, because once you really get the bug, it seems like there is never enough space for expansion.

Hopefully this helps a bit,
Will

Is the 1500 budget just for the greenhouse structure or does it include everything including the aquaponics setup?

The budget is for the greenhouse. I'm wanting to make sure I build something sturdy and will work and last all year long. There are so many different build designs that I want to know my options. I'm looking at a modified version on Ana White's greenhouse. Is the currogated clear plastic good to use? I like barn style design and I can easily make it longer.

I will definitely need venting ideas. Thank you so far for the advice. Would I need to use a swamp cooler or will fans and vents suffice?

The Ana White design looks well built and should work for you, although, I'm not sure about the actual cost to build this structure. I think it's doable with your budget but you'll have to watch it. Might be a good idea to price everything out at retail (for your own information) and put it out for bids to see if you can save some money. One month probably isn't going to be enough time but it really depends on you and how fast you are at projects.

I will comment that the structure is mostly wood and will probably last about 10 years provided termites don't get to it. A structure like this might not be a good idea if termites are a problem in your area.

If it were me, I would go a different route and put two inexpensive Harbor Freight Greenhouses together end to end. (https://www.harborfreight.com/10-ft-x-1 ... 93358.html). The frames are made from aluminum and aren't particularly strong but are reasonably well designed, fairly strong once put together and can be strengthened more if you need it. All the cladding is supplied (twinwall polycarbonate which I consider to be better than single wall corrugated because it does have some insulating value (although it's pretty thin in this kit so won't provide much)). Ventilation is designed in (four roof vents - I don't know if vent openers are included or are extra but they can be purchased and added separately if needed), although you can replace some of the polycarbonate twinwall panels in the summer by making screen windows and putting them in place of the twinwall - so the air just flows through - no fans needed (this along with vent openers is what I recommend you do if you get this kit). Your Aquaponics setup will help stabilize the temps inside the greenhouse as well. If you want you can make a side wall and raise the greenhouse up a bit but be aware of your zoning laws and the maximum height your structure can be (also how close to your property line might be an issue).

Looking at the price you need to realize that at the very least you should be able to get 20% off because Harbor Freight regularly puts out coupons (sometimes for 25%). If you're really lucky you can get a sale price plus the discount (In the Spring this greenhouse was $500 on sale but it's normal price was $629 at the time - https://go.harborfreight.com/coupons/2020/03/93358-94152986/)

The 899 price plus the 20% discount would lower the price for two of these to just under 1500 dollars. You'd still have to level the site, put in electric and plumbing and setup some sort of base wall or plate to attach the frame.

There are lots of other possibilities whatever direction you decide to go. Hope this gives you something to think about.