Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

As I've been converting my first drum system over to larger GB's I was looking at a way to use the old half drums. I've been playing with Square foot gardens and wickin bed etc and converted a drum over to this. Later I will water from the AP system on a drip timer. The mix I used was composted manure, perlite and peat moss. The color of the water is after the first watering. Give you an idea of what ends up in the sub soil. I watered from this, the tap and the AP system.

Interesting Duff, did it take long to get that growth?

Plant photo's are 25ish days apart. Its powering on now and growing 10cm ish every day or so.

Duff,

Looks very interesting.

I can't quite work out how it works and what all the different parts are doing.

Can you give a really quick rundown please?

Cheers.

Its a half drum that was a GB for the AP. So some of the bits aren't needed. Basicly its a large pot with a drain that goes into another drum. The peat and perlite holds a lot of water. You just fload the media once a week or so from the other tank or from the AP system. SFG are ment to be a lot shallower but I liked the drums. The PVC and gravel just keep the drain clear. If it blocks I just pour the water down it to keep the drain working. Later I may use these as AP drip feed garden beds that have the drain going into the dirt garden.

Very good idea, and I bet if you had a worm farm they would love that soup too

Interesting, I had thought square foot garden beds were actually deeper, like double dug intensive garden beds?

In any case, keep posting your progress with it so we can see how well it does.

Ones I saw were shallow. I googled and found the deeper ones. I like the double dug gardens but in my yard it was too much work. With a smaller area I should be able to work all the soil between crops. And any spare salivina and duckweed will be dumped into the tops to add mulch. Worms can also be thrown in. The whole permaculture and feeding the soil seemed like a good idea at the time. But in my yard I thought starting small and have it slowly expand was a way that would at least keep me interested. Attacking too large an area will not show the kind of results that keeps you going. I can handle a drum.

I like the plastic, it has a little give. Fibreglass tends to crack if you push it too much. And round don't give you any corners to hide in.
Bet the round won the argument. I think fish like to swim in round tanks also.

Think I saw that question posed somewhere as well ... "Do fish swim in round tanks?" .... ROFLMAO....

a 1' square bed, would take up more room than a 1' round. This is because one has more are than the other (1 sqft vs 0.25pi sqft (~0.78 sqft))
however the square bed is more efficient of course, because they both require the same amount of room, the round bed just wastes 0.22 sqft per bed.

Where do you put your feet when you have 8 of them together. I get to stand in the 0.22 sqft space. I think whow high the tank is that is the facter that makes then similar.

I don't know, I just do the math

plus, do to the fact that you need to put your feet somewhere, I assume there are at least 2 drums next to each other, which in facts gives you 0.44 sqft to put your feet in more for 3 barrels, and even more for 4

I've got a big foot.

Wow, I've heard of them.


I didn't know anybody had managed to keep them in captivity though.