Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi Everyone,

I have a bomb shelter in my house. Its 10x12, and the temp is always 65 degrees in there. I was hoping to build a system that could sustain 2 adults in this tiny space.

I was thinking of doing a 4x8 table in the center of the room, with 2 levels, but the ceiling is probably 7ft high. So if anyone has any idea of how to cram 50 sq ft of growing space into this room I'd love to hear it.

Thanks All!

PF

Hi PF,

Hows the ventilation in that room? It's worth a shot but I'm concerned that the moisture may be too great among other issues. Maybe some sort of stair step arrangement with the tank below - lighting would be tough though. Another possibility might be to do some micro-greens on shelves under the main growing area. I'm not sure if anyone has done these with AP or how suitable it would be for them.

There is a 4 inch pvc pipe running from the shelter to the outside for ventilation.

I was thinking of a 150 stock tank rubbermaid, for the fish, with rafts on top of it, spilling into 2 sump tanks, also with rafts, under the table, and then the flood drain area on top of the table. Mounting lights under the table for the tanks below, and lights on the ceiling for the plants on the table.

So long as you leave yourself access to the fish that could work. You'll need to be able to see if any fish have died and whether they are eating and you'll need to be able to get them out. If you have room for more than one grow bed using two separate tanks as fish tanks might be a better choice, both for redundancy and you can sort the fish by size a bit if needed. While running with the pump in the sump is great (and has some advantages), in a situation like this it might be better to have the pump in the fish tank. As long as the fish aren't small enough to get pulled into the intake and it's secured well enough they can't knock anything lose it should be fine. It will chew up the solids a bit but should work fine.

I've been in a similar situation but with less floor area using a greenhouse (6 x and about that amount of ventilation. Make sure you set the system up on a GFCI in case something overflows.

You might be able to go without the lights below for the fish, if you're lighting the plants anyway they'll likely get enough - they might actually prefer less light depending on the fish.

I was thinking of trying to do trout. The temp should be low enough and completely stable in that room. to keep the heat down i was thinking of using LED lights.

Let me know any thoughts. Thanks!

I've already been this route in a basement. You can do trout but the tank is awfully small for trout and I would say IBC size (around 300 gallons) really is as small as I would go. Another thing with trout, they get spooked in a small container and will run headlong into the sides of a black container like these rubbermaid 150 gallon stock tanks. Sometimes all it takes is some fast movement. Maybe the lighting would help them see the sides but I'd use a larger container if it's possible.

You could not sustain 2 adults with that space (Ok I don't like absolutes so make it very unlikely).
Personally I would go hydro and if you want some serious cramming in small spaces google sea of green. I know its MJ but there are some really inventive stoners out there.

Personally I would go hydro and if you want some serious cramming in small spaces google sea of green. I know its MJ but there are some really inventive stoners out there.

+1,Those guys have it down to a fine art.

so im trying to get the max out of the space i have, Ive considered vertical plantings around this 10x12 room. But I think thats all too cute for a beginner. I can get over 50 sf of growing space using the 150 rubbermaid stock tank with a raft on it, and 4 50 gallon rubbermaid stock tanks on tables.

Here is my list of questions -
1. is 55sf of space enough to feed 2 adults?

2. I hate aphids. and bugs of all kinds. if I start everything from seed in this space, can i hope to not have to deal with aphids, flys etc?

3. the temp will be about 65 degrees or so all the time. I figured this would mean I'd need cold water fish. What I didnt think of is that I might need cold weather plants.

4. Are LEDs the way to go for light?

1. Sleepe already answered this one. Unfortunately, your proposed growing area, particularly given your temperature, is probably only about enough to keep 2 adults in leafy greens, herbs and some brassicas or other cool season veg. You're unlikely to get enough fish out of your relatively small system to get a regular feed let alone enough protein. You can grow root veggies (with carbs) in aquaponics but it's not ideal for them.

2. Can't give informed comment on second question

3. I think you've answered your own question. It makes sense to match your plants to the season, even if it's artificially created.

4. I had a small system which included some LEDs and some CFL lighting. Plants grew well under both sets of lights. LEDs have much higher initial cost but lower running costs and greater longevity. If I was doing it again, and wasn't worried about the initial cost, I think I'd probably go with LED. But many are using HID lighting still - They might even have the side effect of warming up your small room allowing you to grow your plants and maybe your fish a bit faster. With a bit of luck, you'' get some more expert feedback on lighting from any of a few people on this forum who have extensive experience in the area.

PieFace,

I forgot how big you said your bomb shelter is, but I was reminded of your thread when
reading about this hydroponics system in a bomb shelter...

Underground bomb shelter converted into hydroponic farm in London


Maybe that gives you some ideas?

--
Sam

THREAD REVIVAL!!!!!!!!!!!


OK im geting reviving this thead becasue the project is finally coming to life!

Here is the aquaponics set up im planning to use -

https://www.theaquaponicsource.com/shop ... ft-system/

Its two levels of 4x8 and can fit 224 planting spaces.

1. Has anyone got any experience with that brand?

2. should I paint the walls silver or something?

3. they suggest specific lighting in that link, Im not sure if thats good or not.

THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR THE HELP!

During the past few years of reading and learning from forum posts about different styles of AP, it seems to me that the popular styles of AP , NFT, DWC, AND F/D, all eventually need some sort of additional water filtration and waste mineralization to be successful over the long term. I've also read that filtration isn't an absolute necessity as long as proper fish/water/grow area ratios are carefully maintained. I see no filter setup in the pictures. Am I missing something? Also, i have yet to find a list of what can be grown in the raft system pictured, and what is not able to be successfully grown. What I most often see grown in a raft system is lettuce and leafy greens. My question for such a system is just how much lettuce can a person eat or need? Next question would be is why limit oneself to such a limited selection of vegs? Also, how much monitoring and supplimenting of nutrients is necessary for the system? What am I missing? Not trying to rain on your parade, but just thinking if it would be worth the effort if I had the same opportunity. I could think of a better use of an underground bomb shelter, but that's just me.