Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Heard about aquaponics TWO WEEKS ago. Started my build on Monday (or was it Saturday?...)

FT = broken chest freezer, ~350 L effective volume


GB = ~ 500L as built
Built from scrap lumber I scrounged from various locations. This will probably prove to be the cheapest part of the build...
Media - working on it - have a lot of gravel around my yard from previous owner's attempts at landscaping. probably scoop that up, plus some crushed bricks from here and there. Trying to do this on the cheap... Famous last words...

Will be lined - "With what?" you ask - I know not yet, but leaning toward Firestone fish safe pool liner. Any advice?

You don't waste time.

I like it!

The media can be anything, just be careful with the crushed brick, if it has the cement still on it, you'll be in for trouble PH wise. One of my beds just has blue metal gravel from my driveway, works a treat. My wife wasn't too happy though!

Thats a great idea, I've got a couple of old freezers here I'll have to start thinking about how I'll work my new fishtanks in.

Keep up the good work mate

Have a look at the murdoch community garden thread in the members system area.
I'm using fridges as gb's.


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That looks great! I used the firestone pond liner in my GB's it works great. I put down the underly felt to protect it from splinters in the wood.

Can't wait to see it finished.

Poking around Walmart I came across some 170L containers, identical to the six I already have at home filled with miscellaneous junk and Christmas decorations. Talked my better half into consolidating what she could so we can free up three of them... One down, two to go.

3 x 170L = 510 L = slightly more than the volume of my grow bed. Taking into account the grow medium, I should have more than enough sump capacity. Test run with ~80L water had the container bulging out (slightly) at the sides, so I built a frame for three to sit side-by-side.



Side rails are placed to fit under the "lip" at about 2/3 height of the bin along the sides and to prevent outward bulging of the container.

I have a scrap-wood bin I built in my basement a few years ago. After moving my wood shop to my garage, discovered the scrap bin too big to get out of the basement. Rather than take it apart, I'm thinking of using it as a primary FT, with the reefer as a fingerling tank. Capacity is just shy of 600L for a total FT capacity of just about 920L. Just have to empty the scrap bin and put in a liner to hold the H2O. May be up and running (ammonia trials) in a few weeks, provided I can finagle enough money from the budget queen to get supplies.

I'm at somewhat of a dilemma with regard to plumbing my system. I've seen many variations of flow direction that I'm confused about which is best (if any) and why.

In these drawings, and the ones to follow, I've included a swirl filter. Not yet convinced that it is needed, but am considering. Some say it is necessary to minimize/eliminate accumulation of solid waste in the grow beds. Others "poo-poo" the notion, stating that the grow bed will filter the poo and you don't need a filter of any type. Some other systems add worms to the GB to ingest the solid waste and (surprise) make solid waste of their own that is somehow better for the plants and the grow beds. Still trying to wrap my head around that one.

In this post, there are two series arranged systems that are piped "opposite" each other.

Here are two other arrangements I can envision. There are probably many ways to do this, depending upon patience and piping budget ($0 at the moment).

Any advice on plumbing a system and flow path that is "best"? Or is it all trial-and-error? I'd much rather learn from someone else's trials and errors rather than make new ones of my own.

Good to see your members thread up so soon.

Swirl filter must be immediately after a FT for it to be of any use. Swirl filters and RFF are large particle filters once solids have gone through a pump the large particles tend to be smaller and after a GB you don't get any particles large enough for a SF or RFF to remove them.

I wouldn't bother with the swirl unless your planning on using the settled wastes for something.

To be perfectly honest, I'm not fond of any of the layouts.

You don't want one fish tank draining into another fish tank, it'll concentrate the ammonia and solids into the second bed. It might be fine for a while, but if you get to a heavy load of fish/waste, the second FT will be coping it. I'd make them both drain separately into the gb(s).

Stu is right about the swirl filter, it'll be useless after the GB's.

You could also bury the FT. So FT-ST-GB-FT.

Plenty of options.

Burying FT is not an option. I don't think my wife will want a hole in the basement floor, and I'm not a fan of jackhammers.

CBB - something more like this, then?

Is there a particular reason why your having 2 fish tanks and a sump tank?
I would replace the 300L fish tank with a GB personally.
Means greater fish capacity and more veggies.


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With such a large FT capacity relative to GBs he will need to remove the solids or stock very, very lightly.

Even if the second FT is turned into a GB still not a huge amount of GBs relative to FT.