Aquaponic Gardening

A Community and Forum For Aquaponic Gardeners

Greetings from a complete novice to the world of aquaponics.  With retirement coming up in the next few months, I will finally have time to more fully develop my in-ground greenhouse located on my small farm in southern Indiana.  My 24x12 greenhouse is attached to the southern side of my barn and is located 3 feet below ground level.  I'm in the process of building a 850 gal (100+ cf) fish tank which I plan on matching with roughly 100+ cf of grow beds.  Although I have just finished reading Sylvia Bernstein's great book on aquaponics, I still have many questions.  The foremost issue at this time is what to use for the grow beds.  I want something low cost and practical.  Any suggestions would be much appreciated. After I get past that hurdle, I'm sure that I'll have many more questions.  Thanks for your help.

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IBC's cut in half make great grow beds for the price (IBC's being those plastic tanks in the metal cages) you just should protect the plastic from too much sun if you can since UV will make the plastic brittle with time.

Or Rubbermaid stock tanks make great grow beds too and are available at tractor supply for good prices.  I tend to use the 100 gallon ones since they usually only cost a few dollars more than the 50 gallon ones and then I don't have to build stands for them and I get extra filtration for the depth, just means needing more gravel or other media.

Our local rural king sells polyethylene 100 gal stock tanks for $80.00.  Is that in the range for the Rubbermaid?  Thanks.

TCLynx said:

IBC's cut in half make great grow beds for the price (IBC's being those plastic tanks in the metal cages) you just should protect the plastic from too much sun if you can since UV will make the plastic brittle with time.

Or Rubbermaid stock tanks make great grow beds too and are available at tractor supply for good prices.  I tend to use the 100 gallon ones since they usually only cost a few dollars more than the 50 gallon ones and then I don't have to build stands for them and I get extra filtration for the depth, just means needing more gravel or other media.

Yea that is in the similar price range, however I know know how sturdy the tank you mention are.  I know the rubbermaid tubs can handle being full of gravel and flooding and draining with water but I know there are other more flexible stock tanks out there that would bow and buldge if you filled them with more than Just water.

This is what the Rubbermaids look like

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