Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hey everybody I am a brand newly obsessed Aquaponics lover. I am in the planning stages for my first system. I plan on building 3-4 systems this year. I have aspirations to expand to even more by next year. My very first system that I am planning is a Hybrid system. I really would like to do a media/DWC system. I believe I have a firm plan but you never know. Any and all help would be appreciated.

Welcome. Any sketchup plans to speak of?

Welcome CRF!

Very soon, I keep changing my mind, and every time I read something new I change again. I am hoping to have a full plan and start my cycling in early feb.

What's your general plan...

One 300gl tank that feeds into two 4x8 beds with media (more then likely small lava rock) those will each drain into another 4x8 dwc bed. The dwc's will drain back into the tank. That is the basic idea for now.

So will you be collecting the drain water in a sump, or from the end of the DWC trough... and pumping back to the fish tank... presumably and SLO to the grow beds... or another pump???

It sounds like you're leading the witness Rupe! I know that it is really a carefully concocted question to set up cityrootsfarm to win.

Better to plan on one system only untill you have the experience. Start a thread up in members system and record your journey. Easy then to go over if you can not remember things.

Nah... just trying to envisage the system.. without pics or sketchup...

I will work out a sketch and put it up tonight

Here you all go hopefully this makes sense. Obviously I will make changes and adjustments as I go. I am hoping to get a 3D version built soon too. Any and all advice is welcome for sure. I am also going to have a blog and website for my adventure into AP and possibly Comm AP too.

Ok.. fair plan.. but it needs two pumps.... I'd on/off float activate both....

Your choice then is timed flood & drain... or constant flood... or coninuously pumped siphoned flood & drain...

As the DWC beds will require flow... then the latter two may be preferable...

If you raise your fish tank, you would only need one pump in the sump. The fishtank would gravity feed into the beds, they would in turn feed into the lower DWC tanks, then into your sump where it would all start over again. If you are using something tallish like an IBC, then it could rest on the ground and still gravity feed into the tanks. If you are running constant flood, than the DWC troughs don't need to be that much lower than your media beds. Just my 2¢.

I was going to have it where the DWC's would flow right back into the fish tank no sump but I had two issues one 300 gallons not enough water for 128sq/ft grow space so I needed the sump for that. Two the beds would have ended up being like 6 ft off the ground. I might think about raising the fish tank so I will only need one pump. I will be doing a continually pump and auto siphon drain. The only reason I have that much room inbetween the media and the DWC is for the lights. This first system is going in my Garage. I will be doing the same idea of a system but the beds will be tiered instead of stacking in the next build.