Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Is there any way of getting a 500l growbed cheaper than 100€?
I'm frm germany and don't know if there is anything simelar or usefull as a growbed on the european market...
My plan now is to take an IBC tank, ill get it for around 50€. Is there an alternative ?

thx 4 ur answers

You can cut the top off the IBC... see this thread posted just a few minutes ago... viewtopic.php?f=8&t=5052&p=177071#p177071

It includes a link to a members system that shows the result...

IBCs are good items for grow beds or grow bed/fish tank combos. You can get two nice deep grow 500 l beds out of one IBC which would be good for growing large plants or even small trees.

You can also look into using pond liner and wood to make grow beds. Kinda handy as you can make the bed about as big as you like and order the roll of liner in the right length to suit. Check the available widths of liner before constructing the beds so you can make the size work without wasting money on wider liner. Use high quality liner for grow beds since gravel can easily damage thin plastic drop cloths.

You can build a wood frame one the ground, lay down free news papers and lay in a couple layers of cheap 6 mill plastic from the hardware store. Its worked well for me. Only problems is that after two years any plastic exposed to sun will break down. I thought about using latex paint to cover the exposed part of the plastic.

placing rags or anything that will shade it can protect the exposed plastic some. The paint would tend to simply chip off I think.

I will get some IBC i think. Then cut 1 in 2 pices one 300l and one 700l and built up an growbed out of some plywood and plasik i got left in my basement.

there is only one problem... will the cage fit threw my door (about 80cm)? and if not is the cage nessesary if the tank is filled wich wather???

*push*

Possible to fold ibc cage/ use only the plastic part?

the door is 69,9cm wide wo we will cut it in 32cm and 68cm parts!
but the cage....

unless you have the scrap wood already i would not good wooden bed route. time you buy wood and liner and spnd your time in building the GB itself , it will be far less expensive to get plastic GB especially and IBC cut down

i like IBC a lot and wish i had some. im wondering if they could be safely painted with duponts "fusion" type paint?

i have heard the paint has UV inhibitor in its base. i changed my houses plastic shutters color and a week later i pressure washed the house and was all over the shutters and the fusion paint stayed put.

how deeply it bonds into plastic im not sure
but it might be an answer for IBC and clear drums UV probs?

good luck with your new system

I bought 600l tubs 1x2m for about 65€ but they're in Australia... Try looking at industrial stuff, as well as agricultural. Stock troughs make good GB

I expect you would want to use the cage to support the IBC. If you cut the IBC to fit through the door, perhaps you can cut the cage too so you can get it in.

+1 for keeping the cages. They're 70% for protection against forklifts and for stackability, but they double for structural integrity. so they don't bother making the plastic that tough.

Ok thx for your tips!
At first I thought of leaving the cage in one part because it’s easier to put the GB on top... but it shouldn’t make a big difference. I will look what I will get as a second growbed... gonna take some hours to search for this stuff... never search for something you can't name exactly...