Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hello Friends,
My name is Mr. M, and I'm presently a university student who loves gardening. I've got an organic community garden plot, a container garden, an aeroponic system, and have been thinking a lot lately on how to set up a home aquaponic system. Let me preface this introduction with the fact that I'm vegan and my missus is a vegetarian, so the fishes we keep are just our little helpers, not food. However, we still want them to be as healthy as possible.
I may scan a sketch later to add to this so that everyone has a visual of what I'm talking about. I've read a number of online sources and they seem to use various things for bio filters. I was curious what some of the best/otherwise interesting options would be for bio filters. At present, my design which I'm hoping to complete and assemble this week is set up as follows: I have a 40 gallon aquarium, which looks the size of a 50 gal, however, it isn't as tall. This is resting on a black steel frame. There are two lights which the red eared slider's use for sunning and the feeder fish and goldfish [goldfish are coming this week] enjoy. I am planning to run a hose from the tank down to what we'll call "box 1."
"Box-1" is the first biological filter, which I was thinking of filling with small floating beads [sorry, i forgot the name of them, though I read about it online when googling aquaponics, supposedly this works to grow algae] which would grow algae on them. This box 1 is the highest elevation of the 3 boxes I'm setting up. From there, the water would flow downward into a shallow rubber-maid container. "Box 1" is to serve as bio filter 1. The second shallow tub is the growing bed. It has holes cut in the top and plant baskets from the hydro store installed. These will be filled with clay tablets. An air stone will be present in this, Box 2. I am not sure yet, but have considered the possibility of getting a "Y" shaped connector tube, so that I can run two hoses with airstones off of one air stone pump. I would arrange an air stone at either end of the grow bed to make sure that nutrient rich water-solution is getting the roots of the entire grow bed. Then, about 4-6 inches lower, I would have box 3. Box two would connect in such a way that the water level has to be high and then gravity would do the rest to push the water into "Box 3." I'm thinking of filling box 3 with two things. 1]cutting a whole for another plant basket maybe, or 2] just filling Box 3 with these stones, I forget what they are called, but we use them in our turtles filter system already, and essentially, The water entering box 3 would enter at the lowest point in box 3, and then have to pass through all of these filter stones [essentially catching any large debris] before becoming high enough to reach the "out tube" which would pump the cleaned water back into the turtle tank. I'll have 2 high power flourescents, which will be hooked on a string and thus they can be raised or lowered as needed. I'm also planning to constuct or erect some sort of ballast system to reflect the light from the 2 flourescents down towards the plants while keeping the light from going up through the gravel and causing algae growth in the turtle tank. I already have the turtle tank lights on a timer and would just plug in a power strip to make all the lights on a 12-12 or 16-4 cycle.
I guess that my questions are thus: are three seperate boxes necessary for biological filters? I do want the turtle/fish water to be clean for them, so I thought that this would ensure that it gets cleaned a little in box 1, then feeds plants in box 2, then any debris are removed in box 3 and having a screen on the tube to prevent any clogs in the tube, before being pumped back into the turtle tank. Also, is there any risk of catching anything communicable from the red eared sliders? I always wash my hands when dealing with them, but I wasn't sure if plants could absorb anything questionable that me and my missus might then consume/ingest. I'm assuming it's safe, just as I've read about other people having fish and turtles in their aquaponic setup.
THANKS SO MUCH, in advance for any help you can offer!
I plan to eat from this garden, but if necessary, I will just grow decorative flowers or such. Let me know what you think, and later I'll post a diagram of what I'm planning to make later this week.

Hi Mr. M....

If you read through the many posts on this forum or if indeed you have or purchase Joels book and dvd, you'll find that for most people the need for a separate bio-filter has been negated.

Instead it is possible to use all three of your container beds filled with gravel/clay balls etc and plants and they will act as the bio-filter.

This is the "heart" of Aquaponics theory... why waste the space for a separate bio-filter if you could utilise it to grow plants that acheive the same result?

The only time a bio-filter is utilised is by those people who run hydroponic style channels somewhere within their system designs... rationale for using them in this instance is to prevent the solids from "clumping" around the roots and forming blockages within the system...

Welcome Mr. M and read on.... much good information here...

Need pictures. Probably should go to bed.

I second ROZ's observation about the biofilter. The growbed media becomes your biofilter.

I am unaware of anyone using turtles in their system. That's a new one.

Sounds like your system would work fine, the floating beads for bed 1, you mean Hydrotron clay balls? You could grow plants there as well as your other beds. But if its to be just a bio filter thats works too. You'd just have to get a balance between your fish stocking and the plants you grow. Your going to pump water from the fish tank to bed one? How will you know when to shut off the pump? Red sliders .. them turtles?
Looking forward to pics.

Hi Mr. M. Welcome to the forum. What part of Florida are you in? If you are Central around Orlando I can direct you to a great place to get clay balls. I am on the east coast, central region. Enjoy your new project. I have experienced that the vegies grown through AP has a better taste than the ones I grew up north in the dirt. Or maybe I have become obsessed and it only seems better, then yet we look forward to your new system and see what you think.