Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Some new pictures from yesterday afternoon.

Sorry, I can't help myself. I'm so happy it's doing so well!

Cheers - Jens

good stuff Jens.

Proof that a small system can do a lot :-)

How is the aquarium filter going? I have a bunch of these in the shed and it's crossed my mind to use them for aquaponics, particularly if I build a DWC

Are some of your plants from Aldi? Some of the information tags look very similar!

Thanks Gnoib!

Right you are Sean.
I have now proven it to my wife and she really likes it. Next spring I will put up a 3x6 meter polytunnel next to the greenhouse. The greenhouse will then see a 1000L fish tank instead of the aquarium.
I will remove everything on the left side and build a tank, a filter and a sump there.
Then run insulated pipes to the polytunnel.
The greenhouse will then only be fishes and sprouting area.
The polytunnel will have 5m x 80cm media bed on one side and 5x1m DWC on the other.

Well spotted on those little tags.
I think they are actually from Lidl those plants.
Our local Lidl and Aldi are neighbors.
The Aldi only does very little in the way of plants. Lidl much more.

Cheers - Jens

Jens how has the greenhouse performed so far in the winter? Are you still growing?

Hi Rininger,

Yup, still growing albeit slowly!
I'm very impressed with the chard I have. It actually was flattened by frost two weeks ago, but as we got back above freezing it all just stood back up! This is a very delicious and healthy salad green which I'm going to grow much more of.

If you take a look at my video on Patreon you can see what it looked like last weekend.
Just click the link in my signature.

I haven't read your entire thread yet, but I must say I like your greenhouse and the whole idea of repurposing windows.

Stay in touch, I think we are in somewhat similar climates and I love to exchange ideas and experiences!

Cheers - Jens

Hi guys,

Spring is in the air!

Yesterday my IBCs arrived and they are gorgeous!

One use only, food grade (they had vegetable oil based stuff for baking in them) IBCs straight off the production floor.

5 of them even have heating mats installed!

8 in total, one black for outdoors rain harvesting. Total 300,- USD!

I'm ecstatic to say the least!

Now I have the ground cover, IBCs, blue barrels and Uniseals sorted.
Time to order all the piping and the polytunnel and hopefully this weekend (if the weather behaves) I'll lay down the ground cover and put the wooden base for the polytunnel together.









Cheers - Jens

Oooh, awesome!

Nice Jens. Didn't know you were planning on a polytunnel upgrade this year. Looking forward to see it come together. We've had spring fever here lately. We had a week or two that was 50-60F (10-16C) roughly, then it turned back to winter after that and we keep getting occasional days here and there that are really nice then back to really cold and windy again... I am so ready for spring! I bought supplies two weekends ago to build more raised beds in our dirt garden but the weather has been too cold and windy the past two weekends to feel like working outside. I've got the greenhouse to a point that it can run on its own for a bit... I still need to make a couple more changed to hook my second fish tank in and get filters plumbed in but haven't felt like it with the cold weather.

I'm looking forward to spring even though our friends down under that means a not so pleasant time approaches for them... hopefully we can have successful system to allow our Aussie friends to live vicariously through us as we have through them during the winter.

Hi Rob,

I'm putting up a 3x6 meter polytunnel with one side lined with 6 IBCs shoulder to shoulder.
I'll cut off the top 35 cm of the tanks and flip it to be a DWC. The bottom of the IBC will be fish tank.
Actually, 5 of the IBCs will be fish tanks, the 6th will be my filter. Water flows out the bottom of the fish tanks and in at the bottom of the filter tank and out through a skimmer on the top and goes to the sump. The filter media will be plastic nets from fruits and veggies.
Crayfish will inhabit the bottom of the tank to help process the debris.

Along the other side of the tunnel will be 8 gravel filled ½ blue barrels running flood n' drain on a single pipe.
That means the same pipe fills and empties the beds. The line will have a single u-siphon running the cycle.

On the same side as the barrel beds I will have a 7th IBC which will be my sump tank.
Outside the tunnel I will have my single black IBC collecting rainwater from gutters on the tunnel.
This will be plumbed into the filter tank using the existing valves so I can use that to let in water as I need it.

I can't wait to share pictures, so stay tuned!


Cheers - Jens

hey there is a thought using a U siphon for flood and drain... that would probably solve the issues of u siphons not being very reliable because of air lock issues... using the same pipe to fill will allow the pump to push the air out of the lines... I like it!

Check this vid out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctWzKGPYCkM

This English guy has it sussed! Very neat and tidy looking and it works like a charm.

I got the idea from this video. I'm making a few small changes due to the fact that my system has a lot more flow volume but I owe credit to him for the design.


Cheers - Jens