Jeff's Backyard System - Here We Go!

[Jeff]

Ok, so I figure I would make an official thread documenting my first aquaponic system. I still have LOTS of questions, but I may ask them in separate posts so that this thread stays on topic of documenting the progress.

As of right now, I have three 45 gallon tubs for the grow beds, and one 110 gallon tank for the fish. All were purchased at Tractor Supply Company. I highly recommend their Tuff Stuff brand, because it's been the most affordable I could find (compared to Rubbermaid which is twice the cost).

I then went to Home Depot and purchased 32 basalite concrete blocks: 8x8x16. Those are supporting two boards measuring 2x8x10.

Finally, I have a lot of the PVC purchased. I assembled the PVC manifold which will pump water from the tank to all three grow beds. Here is a photo of what the project looks like so far:



NEXT TO DO: Drill the holes in the grow beds to make bell siphons.

[keith_r]

great start!

[Eleven11]

Nice looking setup.

I had a hard time finding affordable tubs too. I would have gone with the RM Stock tanks but didn't like the price or the dimensions for using as grow beds. I ended up using Rubber Maid 55 gallon totes from Home Depot ($20) but they needed heavy reinforcement.. wasn't expecting the huge amount of outward force caused by the water and grow media sitting in the tote.

For the fish tank, I found a local guy selling IBC's.

That Tractor Supply Company looks like a great option.
What is it? Where is it? How durable are these containers?

For grow media, I would suggest finding a local quarry if you can and ask if they have expanded clay. It won't be pretty like hydroton but will do an excellent job at a nice price.

[Jeff]

Nice looking setup.

I had a hard time finding affordable tubs too. I would have gone with the RM Stock tanks but didn't like the price or the dimensions for using as grow beds. I ended up using Rubber Maid 55 gallon totes from Home Depot ($20) but they needed heavy reinforcement.. wasn't expecting the huge amount of outward force caused by the water and grow media sitting in the tote.

For the fish tank, I found a local guy selling IBC's.

That Tractor Supply Company looks like a great option.
What is it? Where is it? How durable are these containers?

For grow media, I would suggest finding a local quarry if you can and ask if they have expanded clay. It won't be pretty like hydroton but will do an excellent job at a nice price.

Hopefully it's OK to post links here, since it relates to the topic and could help someone else.

These are the tanks I purchased:
http://www.tractorsupply.com/tuff-st...0-gal--2229862
http://www.tractorsupply.com/tuff-st...0-gal--2229862

I used their website and was delighted to see that they had a store about 30 minutes from my house! One thing to note though. Those 40 gallon tanks you see above were actually 45 gallons in the store. I believe they were the same price, but the dimensions were slightly bigger. I couldn't find any 40 gallons when I went there.

Now, at this point, I haven't filled them with media or water yet, so I can't say how they hold up, but since they are stock tanks normally used to hold water, I don't anticipate it being a problem. These saved me a lot of money instead of going with the rubbermaid brand.

As for grow media, I think I am going the Hydroton route. I want the lightest weight media possible (at least in this start up system), and it's more convenient for me to get Hydroton delivered than shale. I have tried looking for local sources for shale and I can't find any. I may just not be doing the right kind of searches, but since I don't have any sort of truck, I need stuff delivered to me, and shipping/transportation of the heavier rock is really expensive.

[urbanfarmer]

Nice work! I was just showing my friend what can be done with some simple items. Very good

[Jeff]

I have drilled the grow beds to begin fitting the bell siphons in there. And just in time too, because look what arrived today:



Now I just have to come up with a good way to clean it all. I was thinking of putting it inside a cooler (with the little drain hole on the bottom). That way, as I wash them, the dirty water will just constantly drain out.

I thought about doing it in the grow beds themselves, but they're much heavier to move and I don't want to drain the dirty water directly underneath them (which will create a lot of muddy dirt in the area).

[bsfman]

I have drilled the grow beds to begin fitting the bell siphons in there. And just in time too, because look what arrived today:



Now I just have to come up with a good way to clean it all. I was thinking of putting it inside a cooler (with the little drain hole on the bottom). That way, as I wash them, the dirty water will just constantly drain out.

I thought about doing it in the grow beds themselves, but they're much heavier to move and I don't want to drain the dirty water directly underneath them (which will create a lot of muddy dirt in the area).

Get a cheapo 5 gallon plastic bucket and drill a few dozen 3/16" holes in the bottom. Prop the edges of the bucket bottom on a couple of blocks, fill with media and blast it with a garden hose. It helps to reach down with your free hand and agitate the media while you're hosing it off. Once the water drains from the bucket clear, dump, refill, repeat!

[commander]

Has anyone ever tried tumbling media in a cement mixer while running water in it to clean?

[Eleven11]

I never cleaned mine. I just let the system take care of it and it settled in the sump.

[Bioritize]

After washing 2 + yards of rocks I will second that. I am leaning toward not washing and then perhaps vacuuming the sump tank.

Now that may be different for river rocks. That nice hydroton which is baked in an oven and then packaged and therefore pretty "clean" already, at this point I would not wash that stuff haha.