Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I've been browsing this forum for 12 months now and started building the system 9 months ago. Have just got it cycling in the last week.
Tried my best to build a neat looking system in a very small backyard, on a budget.

The build was 2 IBC's with tops cut off as fish tanks, and a custom growbed on top. The growbed rolls on
castors to allow access to the fish.

Tanks are dug into the ground to keep overall height down for easier planting of growbed.Bottom 350mm of tanks were clad in galv sheet to stop earth pressure againts tanks.

Growbed I made myself with a borrowed plastic welding gun and 5mm pvc sheet. Growbed is 2400 x 900 & 300mm deep. Filled with media to 250mm. Painted on outside only. I made the growbed base frame out of 50x50mm steel angle with 6x castors rolling on alluminium tracks.

Tanks are plumbed together with 50mm pipe work to keep their levels balanced.
Pump is in the right tank and drain from growbed is into left tank.

Filled growbed with Chinese clay, washed seperately in a kid pool, then put into growbed. Running it on constant flood until the clay absorbs some water and stops floating. I had it on timer at first, 15on 45off but the floating up down effect was making a mess of the growbed, it looked like dunes or rolling hillside and was pushing the seedlings out. Hopefully a couple of weeks on constant flood should get the clay to stay down, then I'll switch back to timed flood /drain.

The seedlings were added 5 days ago and they are still looking good even though it's been over 30degC the last 4 days, The rocket looks a bit sad at the end of each day, but perks up again in the evenings.

Fish- I'm thinking of Silver Perch for ease but still undecided.

Hope you all like,.
Great forum... Cheers

Very nice work Aquanut

that's one beaut setup. well done!

Wow, that is sensational Aquanut! It is so perfectly neat and tidy that I had to look hard at your first pic to see if it was a Google Sketchup image! Congratulations on your system build and good luck with your fish.

What a remarkable build.

Nicely done...

Thats shocking - you're making the rest of us look untidy

That is one neat looking system. It is a credit to you.

Thanks for all the great comments people.
I'm happy to have made use of what little space I had. I still have some fence that I could build a neat strawberry tower against but that would be a while away yet.
Have added a couple more pics.


Thanks again.
Chad

A couple more pics.

Totally sweet, aquanut, great job!!

I'm so gob smacked I can't even find a smiley to show how gob smacked I am.

That is a flippin' AWESOME set up.

I'm totally jealous.

Quality build mate

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Very well done. Love that you are so neat and tidy - it really shows off the system well.

very clean build, cudos. i kinda like that idea of using pvc sheet and a plastic welding gun. maybe you can do a how to thread on it?

seems like it might e a cost effextive means of getting a GB to the specs needed.