Going live!

[Kevin Mahoney]

I finally have the kinks and leaks worked out and we are ready to grow our first plants. I focused on getting the system live and haven't added any of the controlling and monitoring electronics yet.

I designed my system around inexpensive industrial shelving. Its footprint is relatively small and it provides a lot of flexibility. I discovered a 55-gallon plastic barrel fits perfectly between the supports of a shelf. If I didn't know better, I'd say they were designed to fit. I added vinyl coated wire to act as webbing to keep the barrels from sagging under the weight of the water after they were filled.

There are two fish barrels with a 2" pipe connecting them. My plan is to use one for the adult fish and have the other one for any fishlings needing protection. I am hoping they will naturally use the 2" pipe to migrate to the second barrel, but I might be naive. There is a 12V 396 GPH pump only in the one barrel and both have 300W heaters to help keep the fish cozy on those colder nights. I also added a 12V LED strip to each to light the inside of the barrel. 

There is 12 sqft of growing space. The grow beds are made from a single 55-gallon barrel cut in half. I decided to go with a flood and drain system using a bell siphon and the media is Hydroton. I added to overflow drains to protect from clogs. 

The grow lights are PlatinumLED P300 Grow lights. After doing some research, they seemed to be the best bag for the buck. The have a separate setting for flowering plants to help conserve energy. 

I also added a couple hose connections for filling and draining the system. 

So there it is, my first Aquaponics System. We just sowed the first seeds and are crossing our fingers. I added more pictures below to hightlight the various features.

Vinyl coated wire to help take some of the load of the water and keep the shelf support beams from pushing out and the barrels sagging.

Waterproof 12V LED light strip for illuminating the fish tank. I mounted it to the underside with a couple 5/8" standoffs and cut holes for the wires in the top of the barrel. Also showing the outflow of the bell siphon in action.

The 12V 396 GPH pump what draws about 22W when running. I also mounted the heaters to the inside of the barrel. I designed and 3D printed the mounts using FDA approved PLA. I have my reservations on how well the PLA will hold up in water over time. For now, I just have the wires coming out the main opening, however I will eventually route them out a hole with the other wires. 

A hose connector that I can use to add or remove water from the system for watering. Its perfect if you want to fill a water can to water house plans, etc. I can also connect a hose and water my terestial garden too. 

12 sqft of grow bed area. 

Custom bell siphon top. I designed an printed this also using the FDA approved PLA. The design keeps the stand pipe center and allows the outside pipe to hover above the bottom of the grow bed to improve performance. It utilizes all off-the-shelf PVC pipes you can get at the hardware store. I will have a follow-up blog discussing this more.