Aquaponic Gardening

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Tell us about your grow beds.  Rubbermaid tubs?  AquaBundance aquaponics beds (that's what I make), EPDM liner?  Bathtub?

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I have used many things as grow beds.

Blue barrels (cut long ways and around the middle)

Water tanks pulled from dumpsters (HDPE inside fiberglass outside)

Lumber Framed EPDM pond liner (Don't do it in termite territory, even Pressure treated lumber not good long term)

 

And I finally broke down and started using Rubbermaid Stock tanks.  Originally I thought they were too costly but after replacing my lumber/liner beds, I would have saved much by using the stock tanks in the first place.

 

Originally, I had looked at the 50 gallon stock tanks but just couldn't bring myself to pay that much for only 50 gallons of media bed when I would still have to build a stand for it and I was able to build the lumber and liner beds to my desired size.  Since then, I have realized that the 100 gallon stock tanks are almost as cheap as the 50 gallon stock tanks.  At the beginning I was aiming at the 12 inch deep grow bed.  Well over time I've realized that deep grow beds are actually a good thing when it comes to filtration (as long as you have plenty of filtration it is easy to add axillary planting methods if you need more plants to take up the nutrients.)

 

So, the 24 inch deep 100 gallon stock tanks set on some concrete blocks makes for a nice height grow bed that can still drain into a fish tank or sump tank sunk a bit into the ground.

 

Some people may then ask me but the deep beds take a lot more media to fill them and my answer is yes but that's kinda the point, they provide more filtration for the same footprint. 

 

So the Rubbermaid stock tanks make for a handy ready made, locally available grow bed.

My first was a rubbermaid tub I put together when I lived in Florida. However it didn't make the move with me. Now that I am getting back to aquaponics I am considering the AquaBundance system because I have MS and it seems that I am not going to want to deal with the making of my own ebb and flow bed.

Margaret, while I'm very sorry to hear about your MS (my grandmother had MS) I'm happy to hear that you are considering AquaBundance.  Please let me know if I can answer any questions for you.

Margaret said:

My first was a rubbermaid tub I put together when I lived in Florida. However it didn't make the move with me. Now that I am getting back to aquaponics I am considering the AquaBundance system because I have MS and it seems that I am not going to want to deal with the making of my own ebb and flow bed.

For my little or micro aquaponics test system I am useing a kiddie swimming pool for the grow bed. It was cheap and works great with the 50 gal. hard pond. The bad part is that the weight of the gravel has started to bow the sides out a little and also has cause my siphon drain tube to lean over from the weight. I kind of new there would be issues with useing the pool anyway so that is why it was just a temp thing. We are going to start building a 10' x 12' greenhouse in the backyard in about a month and we are thinking about building the grow beds and stock tanks out of treated lumber and pond liner. I read what TCLynx had to say about that, Texas is famous for termites also, but the way we want the tanks and beds to run we would never find anything premade that would work for us. We want the tanks and beds to follow along the walls leaving the middle of the greenhouse floor open.

Can you use something other than wood for the construction?  Or can you pre treat the area against termites before you build?

 

Metal fence posts and metal framing might do better in ground contact near the liner.

 

I was wondering if concrete board might be a better choice instead of plywood but it can be brittle can crack if not well supported.

 

I've used liner and fence panels to make round tanks that I'm not too worried about termites in.  And my raft bed is framed up with metal instead of wood.

 

It is possible that HDPE liner might be safer from termites than the EPDM but HDPE will not be nearly as flexible.

My wife and I have been thinking about maybe even building the grow beds and stock tanks out of renforced fiberglass. Has anyone tried that before and how well did it work out?

This is what I came up with from the standpoints of durability, insulation and cost- the interior is lined with EPDM pond liner, is brought over the top of the foam wall strips and tucked between the fencing and foam.

My first grow beds are made from plastic trays that they sold as containers for mixing cement. They are only 2' x 3', but are cheap and fairly sturdy. I'm looking for alternatives.

I've mad a two floor grow bed out of wood. I put plastic in the bed to hold the water.
The water comes from the barrel and go to the top one. And with a bell siphon it then goes to the bottom one which is a raft system. And when the water gets to a certain height, it falls into a (overflow)pipe and goes back to the barrel

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