Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hello all,
After much lurking around on this awesome forum of info, I'm afraid I might have caught the bug thats going around. The "AP" virus. ... I'm sick allright, and I only have you lovely guys and gals here to thank, ...so thank you.
I made my introduction in the new members thread about a month ago with my smaller system. I have since done some more work. Knowing how ya'll love the pics, thought it was time to post some of progress.
I have a small 20'x12' GH out back that is home to my system. I decided to go with CHIFT PIST. I have a 55 gal plastic drum for FT(with no fish getting blue gill or cat fish next week), 2 (4'x1.5'x12") GBs, and a glass 35gal ST with small fountain pump running 24/7(has 10 gold fish in it) ... so really I have the basic CHIST PIFT system . I built it with stuff I've been collecting from various jobs and trash bins. I only had to purchase a few plumbing parts and pea gravel.
I'm amazed by the propigation power this system has. I've had a thornless blackberry bush in the dirt garden for several years now. Every year I'll take cuttings from it, dip the end in root tone, and plug them into a dirt container with little more than a 20% survival rate. Just three weeks ago, I placed 17 cuttings in one of my GBs and ten of them are starting to burst out. Five days ago, I placed a cutting from a blueberry bush in the GB and it is almost blooming.
This is all probably old news and very dull to you longtime APers, but for me its' amazing to watch.
I have an idea for a tower that I may need some help with though. I have a collection of 5 gal buckets. So, I thought I'ld make a tower. Any thoughts on this before putting more time into it? I thought I would try bits of cut up soda straws for the grow medium. Anyone ever done this?

So are the bottoms of those buckets cut out?

Never really thought of straws for media. However, plastic drink caps are collecting here and I might try them in a tower some day.

welcome the the NC AP nuthouse

Im in wilmington and its good to see more people from the area going nuts about
growing their own food and fish...

if your down this way, stop by

JT

Yep TC, the bucket bottoms are off. I cut each bucket just an inch below the collars. This way, each top nestles pretty snuggly inside the next. The very bottom bucket is not cut and there is a 1" drain on the side wall towards the bottom. Inside that bottom bucket I've placed another bucket bottom upside-down, like a false bottom. I had to cover the pile of heavy rock that's acting as an anchor. I thought of using caps, but I decided the straws would drain the water better, or rather, allow better flow. Will the caps hold/retain a certain amount of water, ...unless you drill through each. Forgive me, I have'nt searched tower filter media much, but my "common" understanding of it is with the caps you will have some "dead spots" . Maybe, this is good? Caps might slow my water flow more than straws in the tower too allow better wicking?
Maybe I'm over thinking... habit.

Hi JT, oh I've been in the nuthouse for awhile now just in other wings, ...beer making, wine making, music, dance, and now AP. It's quite nice here though. I have to stop by soon, I've wanted to see you place for awhile now. Also, want to join the workshop, however work is keeping me too tied down to commit. Would you mind if I was to show up during the event and offer an hour or so? Afraid I can't commit more.

I suppose caps might hold a little water but if the water is constantly flowing, I don't think it would really be too big a problem. But I haven't actually tried it yet so I can't say for certain what would be best.

Caps would be easier than cutting all these straws. I'm all for working smarter.

Not if you consider all the money spent and time spent drinking soda pop.

Well, digging in the trash for the caps should'nt be that hard.

Ok, I got my straws in the middle pipe of my tower, and got water running to pipe, but I could'nt get the head I needed from pump to get water to the top. So I plumbed water entrance into tower half way up the tower. I now need to wick water up to the top and was thinking of burlap. Anyone tried this in a tower, I've seen it used in some of the "wicking" beds here, but not a tower.
Could I use burlap in the grow tower as a grow media, or any suggestions on something else that will wick water and not break-down too fast? I need a very lightwieght tower "fill".
Other than that, I need to fix one of my bell siphons, darn thing is not breaking now, worked like a charm for a month, now not getting enough air. Not an uncommon problem from what I've read here, will fix it today.
Also, sometime soon will post more pics of veg. growth, my blueberry cutting is almost flowering and has new leaf growth. The bush the cutting was from, in the yard, is just now budding.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Instead of wicking the water up, could you just use two 1/2 sized towers?

Or lay them on their side?

Yes, but would like to try to maximize floor space in GH, hence one tower. I've got the water to all but the top three bucket collars/levels, a total height of 16" is what needs to go up. I will still have to wick the water outward towards the plants from the center pipe, a total distance of about 5". ( I hope I'm discribing this clearly)



I need the floor space, and I wanted to experiment with this tower idea. Just did'nt know if burlap was a good(good meaning cheap and light weight) material for this type of application.

Has anyone used burlap in a tower for a grow medium?

OK, got a bunch of burlap for free from local garden center. Washed them and filled the tower. Going to plant some lettuce just to see if it works.


Here are some photos of veg progress in GBs.

Tower is up and running for two days now. The only problem, is I now have some foam/soap bubbles happening in ST, due to burlap that was'nt rinsed as good as should've. I hope this clears up in a few days. All the plants in the tower are starting to make a turn upward, I'm assuming this is good.
If the plants continue to do well this week, I intend on making a second tower. I've got alot of these buckets.
Hard to beat 36 plants in a square foot of space.

opps, hit wrong button....


I had to place a tablespoon or so of my compost in each hole of tower to ensure a "connection" from root to burlap. The water seems to be wicking very well this way.
That's all for now...

Well done DD
Love to see recycling and reuse in action especially when aimed at producing food in the backyard
Some great ideas
I'm sure you will think of more ingenious ways to utilise all those buckets