Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hey. I am a student at UCF so I'm going to be getting by with a small budget. I recently toured a big aquaponics sent up in the back of a parking lot. It has pushed me to get started with my own and take a little back more control in my life. I plan on starting with a 55 gallon blue barrel for a fish tank and maybe just get another one for two grow beds, then add some NFT plants. I am still not sure if I should use a sump, as long as I am able to watch the fish water levels good. I have found what looks like a fairly good pump on craigslist for 25 http://www.waterace.com/specialty_4.html Its got a 1500 GPH flow rate, making it easy to expand a bit later. Im just trying to make sure it will function properly for an aquaponics system.

that might be a bit too big to start with (the pump that is).. while you could divert most of the flow back into the ft so that you aren't putting back pressure on the pump, which would shorten it's life.. but i think it would be too much flow..
my first system was using a 110gal ft, and 2 barrels cut in haf for gb's.. the pump i used was rated for 200gph at 6' head and pushes plenty of water. and was low wattage, somewhere around 30watts (a pond pump from home depot) still running going into it's second year..

Welcome Zenn!

+1, don't spend a lot on the first couple of systems.

Get this:

My first system was inspired by reading on the Speraneo's S&S email list. They used sump pumps with float switches and their fish tanks were 600 gallons. So for my first AP purchase I went to Sears and got two sump pumps, almost $100 each. My first fish tank was a 110 gallon Tuff Stuff tub from Tractor Supply for $60. The grow beds were two 20 gallon McCourt Plantainers from Lowe's for I think $20 each. I used a small storage tub for the sump. So a 1/6th HP sump pump on a timer pumping up to the two 20 gallon beds, draining down to the say 15 gallon sump, with a 1/3 HP sump pump in that. That was overkill.

Go to Lowe's or Home Depot or Amazon or eBay and get a pump that costs say $30 or $40 dollars. When you expand it will be handy to have that original pump for NFT or DWC or towers or an additional cycle in the system.

BTW PM TCLynx and ask for a tour of her system, it's probably not even an hour from you. Lots of ideas and examples to see there.

Hello Zenn - Is is Zenn and the art of AquaPonics?

Try these guys out. They may have a distributor in Florida or may be able to tell you where you can go to purchase barrels are really reasonable prices down there.

http://www.lexingtoncontainercompany.com/

JayGee