Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Ok, now I see why your gravel level is so low, you are running open drains. Stick a length of pvc in that hole with a cap and drill a bunch of holes in it for the water to get out. Drill more holes then you need. The roots will find them. You can even cover it with some rocks and then mesh if you wish. Anything to stop the gravel from going right down that drain. Then fill it up. The water level looks fine as is. It is wicking water to the plants instead of constant fill. It will allow air to the roots all the time. Right now you are doing a 3 inch constant fill.

In the top cover of the Ft where the water returns you could always add a slip fit tote with a bio filter for the return water. My next test will have one. I want to help keep the plant solids out of the FT.

I replaced the screen, does what I need it to do.


The water level when the pump is on is at 3 inches and settles a half inch lower when the pump is off. The roots have about an inch and a half to two inches of airspace in the gravel. Is that enough?


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There are pinto beans in the empty space getting ready to sprout

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I'm not familiar with slip fit totes. I'm not having a problem with solids going from the GBs to the FT, and once I have a new fully functional pump it'll move under the gravel for good, and clean the FT gravel and change the water every so often.
For aquaponics, gravel filter seems to get the job done, and I don't want the bottom to be a flat plastic incline that funnels solid waste into a seperate biofilter, gravel makes the fish more comfortable.

I think in my next system I'm going to combine Growbeds, Biofilters, and Fish'ponds' in one circulating system. I can use the seperate ponds for breeding mesquito fish. I'll be drawing diagrams with a cayon soon.

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Ok it is not a slip fit tote. It is a hole cut in the top plastic cover so a tote can slip fit into it. Best to maintain an air space between the bottom of the tote and the water. The bottom of this extra filter will have a hundred holes in it to allow drainage an add aeration. This extra drain thru filter can have layers of floss, charcoal, non movable bio balls or coral tubes.

Looking at the FT the water is not crystal clear yet. On the pump, I add a tee above the tank to a valve and hose. When I do a water change I pull the old water right off the bottom of the tank. Most of the bad stuff should settle there and I dump it with ease. I actually use this section of waste for the house plants or to start another test. The water should be cycled already and Ok to use as is. I start another tank with about 50/50 fresh and this water. It has always worked for me.

On comfortable fish. The Gold fish will eat the gravel and suck on it to remove food. Some of it goes thru them. As far as the minnows go, They loved it when I added a few plastic plants for them to hide in and around. Sometimes they will rest at night in the branches and it looks like a bunch of birds in a tree.

When I reset up my tank I left out all the gravel this time to try and keep it cleaner for the Gold fish. After a week the floor was covered in gravel parts they must have ejected. Now they eat them over and over. I had 12 gold fish and the bad water killed 7 of them that time so I am now left with 5. 12 can take a clean tank and turn it into a toilet bowl in a week and I have 300 liters and several filters on it. That is why they are good for AP if you cant fit fish. They are AP poo machines.

Oh, the air space looks to be Ok. If you have a problem with the plants doing a little wilting until they reach the water level just water them. Since your totes are clear, May I suggest that when ever you plant something put one of them right on the edge so you can see what's going on inside with the roots. It not only helps with decisions but it is also a bit cool to watch Mother Nature in action. On my larger deeper beds I now have 6 inches of air space to the water wicking line. I just transplanted them so I need to wait to see what happens on a deeper set up. A week will tell. As soon as they hit the water they should go nuts again and grow faster.

What do y'all think?

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I may even use a divider between the gravel and water that still allows water to pass.

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I don't know what you mean by plastic wool. If you mean filter floss I would keep it away from all roots. You can never get the roots out. As far as them being in the same bed, I guess it is worth a try if you want to lose growing area. I am not sure of the calculations to know if it is a gain or a lose in space. If you spray fertilizer you might hurt the fish.

The only fertilizer I use is homemade redworm casting compost tea, safe for fish.
As far as the space situation, I'm thinking 2/3rds growbed 1/3rd pond area. And the pastic wool is just nylon filler from a pillow, but you're right, I'll never get the roots out. I'll think of something though.

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Just got a bunch of free plastic mesh.
Oh, the possibilities!

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This is how my next system will function. I think anyway.

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I probably will raise the gravel height to the top so I can move the GB drains up some

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Wheat roots

These are how I have the GB drains.

Goldfish can do without o2 in the water and if these are gambusia they can deal with small ammounts. I have a bubbler in here anyway

I am thinking on maintaining a very minimum of a 2 inch air space. On test 2 it is over 6 inches. As you can see in your clear side shot, they never have a problem finding it. It is only the time between putting the seed in and seeing it hit this line that is a bit troubling to maintain. The easy way as I was told here is to place a slip fit turnable loop on the drain and rotate it to the desired fill line. I have held off on this so far in fear that the kid will pull it out and drain me dry and then blame ghosts. lol

You might want to take a piece of PVC, cut it in half and place it in front of the drain. The roots will find that drain very fast. By lifting up the PVC and sliding it back down it should cut the roots or give you access to at least seeing them.

IMO I would baffle that bottom tank and add bio balls to the first compartment. Maybe charcoal in the middle and pump out of the end as you show. This would be the place for a UV if you wanted one. It kills E-coli and many other harmful things.