My bare-bones home aquaponic system -- designed to cost about $75. Materials shown:
- 10 gal aquarium
- 5-15 gal air pump
- a handful of feeder goldfish
- 2 foot section of 4 inch PVC and endcaps
- 30-45 gal/hr fountain pump

I figured it would be less expensive to cycle with martyr fish that are doomed to die of ammonium toxicity than pay for a cycling starter.

The system's been running relatively flawlessly for 3 weeks now. I'm open to any tips and suggestions.