Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Ok – here is the forum post that will describe the system that I am currently constructing, this initial post will be a long one, so get comfy if you are reading this.


Structure: I will be building a hoop house one hoop at a time. Each hoop will cost about $20 (give or take) It will more than likely end up being a shade house more than anything else. The structure will end up being 20 feet wide and just less than 60 feet long. It will be built a section at a time, or as I put up more grow beds. I probably won’t cover it until I reach the length that I want. It will have roll up curtains to allow airflow. Those curtains will have screening behind them to prevent bugs from getting in.

Pond/tank size:The pond will be an above ground pool converted for pond use. The original plan was to lower it into the ground, but I found that to be problematic, and also the wife gave me permission to keep it above ground, as long as it doesn’t look “ghetto.” Here are some pictures of the area that I am leveling to place the pond:



The pond will be 15 ft wide by 3 to 3.5 feet deep, which roughly comes out to 4000-4500 gallons of water.
The good thing about having a pond this size is scalability. I don’t HAVE to use it to full capacity (the full 4500 gallons) at first. I can add water as I add grow beds. I have the cover for the pond, so I can limit the light exposure to prevent algae. Also – I have the original pool pump which I can use to help with aeration via a venturi system. (Maybe)

The pond will be put in such a way the center is just slightly lower than the rest to help the waste and solids to gravitate towards the center, and of course there will be a swirl action from the return system. Also –t will be placed half way in the grow/shade house and halfway out.

Fish of choice:Catfish. I am not going to raise a fish if I can’t eat it, and from what I have read, Tilapia cannot take extreme temperature swings like what catfish can. (Someone correct me if I am wrong) Also, I have never eaten tilapia, so I don’t know if I would like it or not. I may buy some filets, and try it one day. Initially, since I won’t be using the FULL capacity of the pond at first, I can – again – get some “sacrificial goldfish” who don’t need as deep of water as what catfish or tilapia.

Grow beds, and media: Grow beds will mainly be 4 ft x4ft x1 ft beds that will be on legs. They will vary from floating raft, wicking, and then typical grow media. The grow media will be pea gravel. Hydroton is just not in my budget. Many of the grow beds will be made out of reclaimed fence materials Here is the video where I explain this:




I will either double layer or possibly triple layer them with 6 mil plastic that I can get at a big box store. I know that this will work okay for the floating raft/DWC beds, but I will have to see if the weight of the pea gravel will be too much for this setup. It might be a combination pea gravel and perlite. Not sure yet.

Sump tank/Return Tank System: The Sump and Return tanks will be IBC Totes (175 Gallon). Sump tank will siphon fed from the pond, and then from the sump, the water will then fed to the rail system via a pretty hardy pump that will have a float switch on it. (Blue lines on the diagram above) The sump will also have a “blow out line” in the bottom to remove excess solids, and those solids will be used a pure fish waste fertilizer that I can used in standard beds, or throw into my “fish emulsion creation tank” – more about that later.

The return system: The return system (shown by the red lines) will be a pipe system below the beds that will join at the central bed and dump into the return tank. The return tank will be lowered into the ground, and then there will be another pump with a float switch that will return to the pond at an angle to help with the swirl action, also I plan to implement a venturi system to help with aeration.

Plants:You name it, I am going to plant it. Obviously there will be lettuce, tomatoes, etc. Lettuce will probably be in the floating raft/Kratky systems. But I am also going to try root crops in the wicking beds, and for some strange reason, I am obsessed with growing aquaponic corn (via the wicking beds). Maybe because so many people have tried, and not succeeded. Some of the beds will be Frankenstein's Lab beds. Meaning that I am going to plant something to see if it grows and produces, especially if not supposed to do well in aquaponics.

Power – going off the grid:Yes – I would love to do that eventually. I need solar panels and 12v pumps, and they are not cheap, and I have to keep certain “aesthetic” concerns in mind. (I love in a neighborhood with an HOA, and then there is my wife.)

What is the purpose of this?
It has four goals:

To PREPARE for a SHTF moment.
To PROVIDE for my family, and neighbors.
To PROTECT my vital self-interests by having food, and also being able to eat as healthy as possible.

And – and I know some may have a problem with this – to PROFIT from the excess after I take care of those in my family and people that are close to me. This would be done via farmers markets, etc. There is nothing with making a dollar. So in addition to selling veggies, I could also sell off the excess fish waste, and also any emulsion I make.

I know that there will be hurdles that come up, and there are probably flaws in my design, so I am open to suggestions or advice.

SO HERE WE GO!

Looks like you got some big plans. Good luck with the execution and I hope you are ready in time for the shtf moment.

Of you find good 12 volt pumps let me know, so far I have only read about bad experiences with that kinds of pump. We have one small model in our local hardware store with 200 g/h @ 0.5m which I am going to try when I start building a 4x4 dwc.

Ok - I have two days off this week - Friday and Saturday. So I am going to attempt to level off the area for the pond. Pictures and video will follow. We have received some rain over the past few days, so that should make thing interesting.

you'll probably need a larger sump if very many of those growbeds are media filled (flood and drain), omit the "return" tank and drain back to the ft
you could do this with one pump (but a second pump is great to have as a backup)

Wouldn't you know it... two days off.. and today it rained. I am thankful for the rain, but the timing sucks.

AHH - beautiful first morning of Autumn in Texas. Not a cloud in the sky and the air is nice and cool.

I have a few hours before the kid wakes up, so let me see what trouble I can get into today.

What happened over the weekend? Friday it rained, and Saturday all three of the secondary vehicles had issues, so I wasn't able to work the way that I wanted to. Sunday I worked a full day at my part time job.

So let's see what trouble I can get into this morning.

Ok - so didn't do exactly everything that I wanted Because the kid woke up earlier than I thought she would. So I again had to spend a good part of the day inside. And it was a beautiful day.

So in order to keep up my "dirt skills" - I started some yellow squash, zucchinis, picklebush cukes, some lettuce seeds (which will eventually be put in a Kratky system), and some French Filet Green Beans in some "dirt buckets" that also have some composted llama manure. (The llama pellets I gathered from local petting zoo earlier this year, and they seem to have broken down really well.)

We will see how this goes. I am going to be doing dirt beds in addition to the AP system. And NOW is the time of year to be putting fresh animal manure into the ground and letting it breaking down for 6 months or so. (Cover crop anyone?)

So we will see. Probably about time to go back to the petting farm and offer to clean out some pens.

Hmm - I think I just had an idea for something - but need to sleep on it. I know I am late on some dirt crops, but just trying.

Quick update:

All the seeds(squash, beans, zukes and PB Cukes) that I started are doing well -already seeing some strong leaves in just a couple of days. But nothing from the lettuce yet. But the other seeds had a head start as I did the "start on a napkin in a Ziploc bag method."

So I think I might do that with the lettuce (napkin/Ziploc bag) if I don't see anything here soon.

I obtained a HUGE crate from where I work that will make a PERFECT floating raft system bed for lettuce and other stuff. This bad boy is big and deep.

I will post pics soon.

BTW - I know that this is a aquaponics forum, but as I said, I will be doing dirt beds to augment the AP system, which is still under construction. So I might as well grow SOMETHING while I construct.

Hey I remember you from your YouTube videos.. Hope everything is getting better at home! Sorry to hear about some of it but your doing really well overall and being a good parent is aways best!
I'm from sa too, if you get back on the forum, I'd like to meet up sometime and maybe even help you out in building your system. Good luck!