Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I'm using these storage bins because I found them today for $4/each at Lowe's:
http://www.rubbermaid.com/rubbermaid/pr ... Prod150023

I bought four of them and will be putting the table they are currently on in front of the floor-ceiling window that's unfortunately north-facing. This will limit me to things that need mostly shade for my experiment. I'm thinking basil, but would love some other suggestions (I'm USA, so north-facing window means they're in shade most of the day) would be lovely.

I plan on using one bin on the ground, holding the fish, and most likely, one bin above two others as a overflow/storage bin to allow for lesser water loss. I haven't bought any tubing (planning on using aquarium tubing for my first run) or plumbing of any sort yet.

At this point all I'm doing is bubbling two of the four bins, which are filled nearly to the end of the "support" molds. As you can see, there's some bulging happening, which I expected, and so far it's not out of control.
I plan on bubbling this water, which should be more than enough, for about a week to remove chlorine. This will give me some time to observe how the bins deal with the bulging, as well as come-up with some ideas as to how to really proceed. I'm planning on using pea-gravel loaded to the current water level.
I'm also currently thinking that holding all four bins on the table with a simple drain dripping into a 55-gallon bin on the floor in a simple continuous flow might be the best way to start. I've got a week to figure it out; but I'm excited that I've actually started, and had to post it hear to make sure I keep going

Looks like there's another lounge room gone....

mind you fish tanks make better viewing than TV anyway... toss the TV as well... another table for growbeds

With reduced light, go with leafy greens rather than fruiting stuff. Also beets, peas, and beans.

After a little poking around I found a decent article on gardening in the shade. Here's an excerpt:

I'm gonna keep looking for a couple crops that might "thrive" in the shade, if such a thing exists.
I'm also thinking of stretching a mylar sheet between two poles in the yard to reflect some sunlight into the room. The TV/entertainment center is being moved to make room for the growbeds directly in front of the windows.

Wasabi like shade. Ferns, and African violets, too.

Last night I dug-out an old "flat" bin that I filled with washed pea-gravel today. Well, at least I THOUGHT I washed it as I dirtied-up about 15-gallons of water. Luckily I had another container bubbling away. I used 4-gallons of dechlorinated water for brewing, but still had plenty on hand.
Seems to be working perfectly. The 2L bottle is filled with water and is there to stop root/gravel blockage of the drilled holes. I drilled about 18 1/16" holes along the bottom corner and 5 large holes at the top for overflow. Seems to be working perfectly! I've left it on for an hour or more and it never got above the intended water level.
Tomorrow I'll buy a timer (only missing piece really) and some goldfish, plus 3-4 crayfish (yabbies). I've also cut the top to cover any splashing, but allow the waterfall through (not pictured yet).
Also not pictured is a "control" next to my GB: one of the 18-gallon tubs with 9 holes cut in the top for 3" netpots, with 2 bubblers running in them to "mist" the netpots (about 1" away from water level) in a simple hydroponic setup to compare growth rates. I'll get some pics of that up as well tomorrow.
Well, here's the (blurry) pics:

couple more pics:

BTW, this system has cost very little so far:
$4 18-gallon bin
$22 Rio 800 (210 gph) pump
$6 for tubing

I'll be spending around $12 for a timer and probably about $10 for the goldies and crayfish, and $1.40 on mesclun seeds for a grand total of:

$55.40 USD
I'm pretty happy with that figure, pretty cheap way to start a new obsession.

sounds great, but I have to say those pictures do bad things to the eyes, especially after homebrew ginger beer with dinner

Hey Jaymie, what brand of GB do you use? I haven't had any luck with homebrew GB as yet.

Nova

Axl uses Brigalow base and adds extra Buderim ginger cordial. Then you just need to get really strong bottles

Tell alex to keg it its easier and you can start drinking it in 2 days

Every time I go the the shop they only have Westbrew Old Fashioned GB. Never thought of adding BB cordial, might try that next. Just need to get around to washing m bottles out.

Nova

Brigalow, we get from woolies, same as some of the cider too

Hi BHSX:
You can make like a spar out of 2x4s or something to keep the tubs from bulging a lot. They will bulge over time (see my system thread as I was using one of these for the sump). You should probably cover the tub with the lid as you will lose water through evaporation, especially if your place is dry in the Winter like ours is. When I removed the silicone from the sump the other day it seemed to not stick to this kind of plastic very well, it peeled off pretty easily. HTH