A Community and Forum For Aquaponic Gardeners

Compact System Design

I have been researching aquaponics off and on for 3 years. I don't really know much about plumbing, which is one reason I haven't built a system on my own, but another reason is that I live in a subdivision with an HOA and need a compact design that is inconspicuous.

If I build one my intention will be to supplement my above ground vegetable gardening beds.

I've been looking at pictures and videos on this site trying to find something with the beds above the fish tank. The smaller commercial versions with small fish tanks won't really provide the quantity of fish that we'd like. There's a nice commercial version for $1995 -$ 2995 which looks good, but I can't help but think that I can build one for less.

I like the one on the 3x5 Aquaponics blog, but I'm wanting to see some other options and ideas too.

I think a 300 gallon Rubbermaid stock tank might work well for catfish, but I need to come up with some creative ways to stack the grow beds. I'm wondering if there are other alternatives for grow beds besides using smaller Rubbermaids tanks.

Wood isn't really an option due to termites, so I'd like to use some type of readily available shelving or possibly the folding saw horses I've seen at Home Depot.

I like the basic idea of this commercial version, but something more vertical would be preferable. I like the Aquabundance system, but I think I might really need something bigger to grow more fish.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by TCLynx on February 21, 2011 at 11:35am

Have you see this system yet?

http://backwaterprovisions.com/OxbowSystem.aspx

Made in Florida and pretty.

Permalink Reply by B. Pearcy on February 21, 2011 at 1:15pm

I did see that one. It looks like it was purposefully built for just the kind of backyard application I have in mind. It's beautiful and turn key so to speak, but I'm not sure my wife will go for $4,000.

Permalink Reply by B. Pearcy on February 21, 2011 at 5:44pm

Maybe incorporate some Vertigro stacks with a Rubbermaid fish tank?

Permalink Reply by TCLynx on February 21, 2011 at 7:20pm

In that case you might want to come on the Tour on March 5th to see Cosmo's vertigrow stacks.

Permalink Reply by B. Pearcy on February 21, 2011 at 7:28pm

That's a good suggestion. I was just looking at his pictures. That is quite a set-up he has. I'm not quite sure how the stacks correlate to horizontal grow beds. If you need 2 times the grow beds as fish tank, how many Vertigro stacks would that equate to?

Permalink Reply by TCLynx on February 21, 2011 at 8:07pm

That is more of a challenge to figure out since it isn't like the media floods and drains to it is harder to tell how much filtration you are getting.

Permalink Reply by B. Pearcy on February 21, 2011 at 8:32pm

What about something along the lines of this idea with 5 gallon buckets?

http://vertigro.com/products/tabletop.php

Permalink Reply by TCLynx on February 21, 2011 at 8:40pm

I'm not really sure how those systems work? Are they drip feeding the buckets?

In any case, flood and draining a 5 gallon bucket of media is really only going to support one fish and that fish not to get very big (cubic foot of gravel is about 7.5 gallons and for a new system, a cubic foot of gravel for each fish is a good idea.)

My current systems, I grow catfish. I give about 10 gallons of fishtank per fish and about 20 gallons of gravel and that seems to be working well as a max stocking density as the fish grow out big. (I can stock more while they are small fingerlings but only temporarily.)

as to the buckets on the table, I can't say that it looks all that pretty and you would need lots of those kits to add up to the fish you could keep in an oxbow system.

I do the rubbermaid stock tank systems but I can see where one might not see that as pretty.

Permalink Reply by TC on February 24, 2011 at 6:48pm

Perhaps this is too elementary a response, but have you looked into barrelponics? It is a great entry level system and builds some basic understanding and experience while being quite inexpensive and compact. There is a very good explanation as well as a part by part construction manual: http://www.aces.edu/dept/fisheries/education/documents/barrel-ponic...

Permalink Reply by B. Pearcy on February 24, 2011 at 7:13pm

Maybe I could couple the Rubbermaid fish tank with the barrels as grow beds. What I definitely want to avoid is spending money twice. I have a lot of hobbies that I enjoy, but most of the time I end up buying "small and cheap" to get started and then end up buying something "bigger, better and more expensive" later on.

I think I'm definitely sticking with a Rubbermaid fish tank. I need to find some grow beds that wont be eye sores for the neighbors.

Permalink Reply by B. Pearcy on February 24, 2011 at 7:28pm

Here's an example of one of the cleaner and neater looking barrel set-ups I've run across:

http://aquaponicscommunity.com/photo/backyard-aquaponics-62610?xg_s...

I'd rather the beds go linear like a rectangle versus the square set-up I see in most of the barrel designs I run across.

Brian

TC said:

Perhaps this is too elementary a response, but have you looked into barrelponics? It is a great entry level system and builds some basic understanding and experience while being quite inexpensive and compact. There is a very good explanation as well as a part by part construction manual: http://www.aces.edu/dept/fisheries/education/documents/barrel-ponic...

Permalink Reply by B. Pearcy on February 27, 2011 at 7:37am

What do you think about using this goat / sheep feeder as a grow bed?

I noticed the 300 gallon Rubbermaid water tank is approximately 5 feet wide. Coupled with the goat feeder as a grow bed the foot print starts stretching out quite a bit.

Maybe I could figure out how to raise the sheep feeder above the tank somehow so it's a vertical foot print and not a horizontal foot print. Teamed with vertical towers hanging over the goat feeder, this might offer a compact option for me.

It's frustrating me a little that these basic, although crude appearing tanks and troughs are relatively inexpensive, but the purpose built tanks and beds cost 6 - 8 times more. Having something that looks good will cost me it appears.