Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hello, and thanks in advance to all the helpful people on this forum!

I've been in the aquarium hobby for 6 years now, I've always tried to eat healthy and be a conscientious consumer, and I recently started being obsessed with sustainability, so when I started reading about aquaponics a few months ago, I couldn't believe I hadn't gotten into it sooner!

I may have access to unused warehouse space and I'd love to do a large system in the near future, but for now, I'm getting ready to start something basic, probably with my 55gallon that is already set up in my apartment.

Houston gets HOT in the summer, so although I kind of want to try an outdoor setup, I think I'll stick to fully indoors for now with LED lights. But I'd be interested to hear if anyone from this area has raised fish without burying the tank because I'm not sure how hot the water would get in a small outdoor setup.

After reading a lot about overflow boxes and sumps, I just don't like some of the problems it may entail. Submersible pumps seem very unreliable to me, unless I pay hundreds of dollars, which is not worth it for a small system. And if I am using an overflow box, I don't understand how any solids would get down to my sump and eventually to the grow bed unless the siphon goes down to the bottom of my tank, in which case I risk flooding if the power goes out...

So my question is, could I not use an empty Eheim 2217 canister filter with no media to pump water up to some grow beds right on top of my tank? I'll have to build a basic stand, but my cousin builds shelves and wants to help with the project. My tank is fully cycled and a bit overstocked, but it is also overfiltered with a Fluval Fx6. My plan is to keep the Fluval in operation until I have enough plants and grow beds to filter my tank sufficiently or when I get rid of some of my fish.

Any glaring problems with my idea?

Welcome to the forum

An indoor setup will require you to simulate weather so the plants harden enough to support and produce veggies (unless you go for only leafy things). Most people I believe use submersible pond pumps which most nursery and home improvement stores sell and they aren't hundreds of dollars, less than $50.

Thanks for the advice, I had read that about greenhouses, but hadn't seen any examples of anyone installing fans or anything for an aquarium system.

I know I can get submersible pumps for cheap, it just sounds like most of them tend to break down within a few months, whereas good canister filters have lasted years for me with no problems.

I've got a small pond pump running a small system and it's been going nonstop for over two years. Even ran it dry by accident a few times. Just keeps on going. Bought it at Lowe's

Not sure what you consider small. I'm in FL and it gets pretty hot here. I had to stop buying fish for my very small system ~40gal FT because they couldn't stand the temperature change. s. Tried goldfish then minnows. Going as big as I can for my "real" build.

I know my 10,000 gal pool hits 90 degrees in the summer.

If your going as big as you can, that 10,000 gallon pool sounds pretty big to me

Sweet! I'm near Houston too, out by Cleveland actually. Let me know when & where this warehouse project goes up. I might be able to lend a few hours or days to get it up & running. But I'm with you on getting a backyard model going first.


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Nice to meet you, Doc, and I will! But I can barely get my home system to run well, so it may be a while, haha.