Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

A couple of troughs fell into our laps - too shallow for growbeds (~150mm) - but possibly [perfect for NFT. It also just happened that the outdoor spa for Aquaponics Flower II came with a cover, and that cover is made of two very large slabs of polystyrene, encased in a vinyl cover - instant rafts for NFT.

Here's the troughs; they might have been designed with our shed in mind:


Going in - the great thing about a wooden shed is the ease of adding stuff:


First stand complete (well, completeish; I need to brace that leg):


The plan is:

• gelcoat the troughs - I don't know what they were used for previously
• link the two via their wastes
• drop a tiny aquarium pump in one of the Aquaponic Flower I's sumps
• plumb the feed under the gravel, up to one of the troughs
• create an overflow drain at the right height in the other trough
• plumb the drain back to another of the Aquaponic Flower I's sumps, again, under the gravel

Given that it's inside the shed - although it gets pretty sunny in there; if I don't wear my hat on a sunny day, I get burnt - do you think I need to treat the rafts in any way to avoid deterioration?

Your system is going to fill that structure the rate you are adding to it looks good guy's

You guys are maniacs but I love your work. When its finished and in full bloom that shed will look amazing

Thanks, guys.

Yes, we intend to fill the shed. It's 6M x 12M, and I think, with the two outside fishtanks, we should be able to produce a large proportion of the food requirements of two adults and three children.

I would fill the troughs with media and flood and drain, 150mm is deep enough for most above ground vegies (ie not root vegies), one of my beds is that deep and I have grown onion, silverbeet, pumpkin, tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage, heaps of herbs and even beetroot no problem at all, give it a bash

Simo -
I was under the impression that the bacteria were photophobic and the recommended minimum 300mm depth was based around keeping them in the dark (much like me, really)...

Nah, the 300mm rule is just an all round depth that will accommodate all vegie types, the only vegetables that really need this depth are carrots and alike that have long deep roots. Some say deeper root systems ensure that taller plants don't fall over so easy but wind won't be a problem in your shed. UV radiation (sun light) will eventually kill bacteria due to the genetic mutations they cause but I would doubt that the light would penetrate that deep into the growth media and the bacteria will always find the dark patches and little nooks and crannies in the rocks and thrive.

Hmm. Well, then - I think I'll try the NFT for a while - as I have the slabs of polystyrene and no other use for them - and if that doesn't reach expectations, I can always go back and fill them with media.

Remember if you are doing nft you will need filtered water
ie through a grow bed first

Here's the long-term plan for the shed:


The Aquaponics Flower I is built; we have the parts for the Aquaponics Flower II and building is underway. We have the two NFT troughs; one is in. We have the two fishtanks (not shown; outside the shed) for Wall O'Baths I & II - but we don't yet have the baths (/tubs/whatever) themselves.

Wall O'Baths I is shorter as that's where the entry door is, inward swing.

There is, of course, unused space on one end wall... what shall we put there?

Produce/fish processing table? Sinks, spray hoses, drains to food waste chopper under sink to feed back to fish.
Refridgerator/freezer to hold all the goodies.

Then outside, I would put a drying rack/smoker area with BBQ pit...

(There he goes, dreaming again... sigh.)

There is already a nice, deep double sink in the workbench in the centre of the shed. The waste merely dumps outside.

Although it would be nice to have a fridge down there (homebrew cold on hand at all times...), we already have a fridge as well as a chest freezer as large as a small car up at the house, and I can't, for environmental reasons, see my way clear to run another one.

I do have vague plans to build a smoking chimney at some point...

Aha, now that I squinty-eye it, I see the sink/table. And here I thought that was one of the flower stems.

Take that, ya' bastard...

The major problem with the system design is the interlinked sumps - not enough flow through the 40mm pipes, so I don't get the full capacity of all four sumps pumped out. I have resolved this with the much-maligned water bridges - but I don't want to repeat the mistake on the Aquaponics Flower II.

So... 90mm wastes!

First - drill out existing waste to allow an 80mm floor flange to go through. Heaps of 1/4" holes and clean up the ragged bits:


Cut a bit off the T so the overall height is minimised:


Floor flange, ready to go through the new, large waste hole. Is there anything the daily miracle of silicon can't fix?:

A generous fillet of silicon, as the floor flange doesn't meet the bath all that neatly:


Pop the T on, again with lots of lovely silicon inside and out:


Now let's see you not flow enough, ya' bastard.