Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hey guys! I'm Tank. From the Seattle area, a bit north and east a ways.

I've been growing indoors using hydroponics for about 6-8 months now, and I'm very interested to learn about aquaponics. I see it as the perfect 100% organic way to raise your own vegetables, leafy greens and food fish as well! I've been increasingly aware of the processed CRAP that we put into our bodies on a daily basis, and I'm SOOOOO ready for a change. We've began cooking all our own food from raw products as often as possible, and once I get this going, we can have a never-ending source of leafy greens and berries!

I envision my small quonset hut encircled with a few rows of 4" black ABS piping (I'll heat it and flatten the bottom to create an NFT style system) with 1" netpots every 4 inches. I'd like to do alternating lettuces and strawberries on the walls. I'll probably get an IBC or two (can't fit more than that) to put in the middle with a modified top-feed system to maximize the growth potential in the veggies. But for the moment, I am probably going to start small, with things I can build from what I've got around. Start small, and grow from there!

Anyways, Glad to have found a forum for this new passion of mine!

g'day Tank take some pics as you go and post them here so we can watch it grow

Hi Tank,

Re the NFT system... I would make the spacings 8-10 inches apart... and filter the water before it enters the NFT channels...

Welcome

Thanks for the advice. I've actually began to think about changing my plans for the piping on the sides of the hut. I saw an awesome vid on here yesterday of a guy who used PVC pipe vertically and I'm thinking that's going to be an easier method than my idea. I just gotta figure out how he bent the PVC inwards on itself to make the plant spaces...




Thanks for the warm welcome, guys. I kinda thought it'd be a bit slower on this forum, honestly. lol

I saved this link for future use myself, it's from forum member web4deb

Awesome man! Can I use a propane blowtorch for the PVC, or do I need to have a heat gun like he had? I only ask because I'm trying to do this while buying as little as needed, and i have a blowtorch, just no heat gun...

No. I remember from some dim dark OH&S training that using a naked flame on PVC releases large volumes of dioxins and the vapour form of hydrochloric acid.

I'd be using a very well ventilated area just with the heat gun as it is the heating of the pipe that releases those compounds, the combustion process of a naked flame simply increases the volume of release and associated risks.

Gah... just another 25-30 I gotta spend then... lol