New going hungry and needing alot of help

[bsfman]

I did get something I hope will work for grow beds Concrete mixing tubs they are about 3'X2' X 8" deep I know that the 101 says 12" but I have not been able to find anything that would work.
Let me know your thoughts. thanks

I'm using them for my floating raft system and they seem to work just fine.

[Corey B]

Ya I am planing to start with two grow beds and one raft. I was thinking about taking the water through the beds then drain them into the raft and then overflow back into the fish tank. Is this a viable set up or should I just flow strait into the raft. I was thinking with the raft as the last step before going back to the fish tank It would keep the sediment and stuff to a minimum.
Also does anyone have a good resource for lights and where to buy them online. I would like to go with a nice T5 set up but can not find them in my area. Lots of T8 but I hear those will not work that great. Has anyone used this place http://www.hydroponics.net/mc/8 The Prices seem very good for what I have seen but I do not want it to be to good to be true and get scammed and lose way more then the price difference.

[urbanfarmer]

Ya I am planing to start with two grow beds and one raft. I was thinking about taking the water through the beds then drain them into the raft and then overflow back into the fish tank. Is this a viable set up or should I just flow strait into the raft. I was thinking with the raft as the last step before going back to the fish tank It would keep the sediment and stuff to a minimum.
Also does anyone have a good resource for lights and where to buy them online. I would like to go with a nice T5 set up but can not find them in my area. Lots of T8 but I hear those will not work that great. Has anyone used this place http://www.hydroponics.net/mc/8 The Prices seem very good for what I have seen but I do not want it to be to good to be true and get scammed and lose way more then the price difference.

Everything for you here is about cost and maximizing your dollar to get the largest system possible to grow food for your family.

T12 bulbs and fixtures are the cheapest. Both badflash and I have used the 4 foot 2 bulb shop light fixtures with bulbs and it works very well. I have used 40 watt bulbs with 5 fixtures to get great growth from a 2 foot x 4 foot area. I was growing peppers. Lettuce may have a lower light requirement. Keep in mind these are not particularly high Calorie vegetables. Anyway, that gives you 400 Watts and 32,000 Lumens (for reference only) per 2' x 4' area. I have tried using the 32 Watt bulbs because I was trying to be cheap, but I set up 2 side-by-side systems with the same everything except the lights and the plant growth was noticeably different.

The 40 Watt bulbs are $1.50 a piece locally for me and the fixture is $10. I used simple 1x3 white lumber and some screws that go through metal sheeting to plump it all together. A few hooks and chains to hang it. It comes with some hooks and chains, but you may need extra depending on your setup. Total cost should be around $65 for a 2' x 4' area. If you can beat that cost, please share!

[davidstcldfl]

I did get something I hope will work for grow beds Concrete mixing tubs they are about 3'X2' X 8" deep I know that the 101 says 12" but I have not been able to find anything that would work.
Let me know your thoughts. thanks

I'm using them for my floating raft system and they seem to work just fine.

I'm using them for gravel grow beds. I'm using a swirl filter to remove alot of the solids before it gets to the beds. ( the barrel on the right side of the picture)
They are ok for lettuce and that kind of stuff. Since they are pretty shallow, big plants will fill the media with enough roots to prevent water flow....so don't do any thing like this......



That's six tubs, side by side.

[diane]

T5 grow lights are an excellent option for indoor garden when considering the low cost, low energy, and longevity of the system. T5 grow lights also have a longer life expectancy, up to 3 years, and do not lose any of their lumens as they age like some of the other grow light options on the market.

[davidstcldfl]

Hi diane , welcome to the forum...
I hope you get a chance to start a thread in...'A place to say hello'...and tell us a little about your self...

[Lordshandyman]

I do appreciate all the help so far. So BSF are out. that kinda sucks. But all this info is useless unless i know for sure that I can use my upstairs or if the basement at only 6' high is enough space to do an aquaponics system. I have also been looking at aireoponics and it takes a lot less water/ weight so I know it can be used up stairs taking advantage of the space I have. but 3,600 + pounds is a lot of weight for up stairs And I do not know if it is even possible.

Cory, welcome to the obsession.

If your basement is only 6' high, then it should be relatively easy to brace up the first floor under the GB locations. Also, if you buy a fountain pump that would lift over 10', you might be able to have the FT in basement and the GB's on first floor. If you could position the GBs close to windows, free sunlight. Also, if located on the south side of house, then you could even have outdoor beds connected to your indoor beds during growing season that drain back to the basement FT. During growing season, you could even save more money just by shutting off / bypassing the indoor GB if they require artificial light.

***Warning***

You said it was an old farm house, be careful of water damaged floors under windows. Old style windows tend to leak over the years and rot the floor and floor joist around them. If only the flooring material is soft around your windows, just put down some 3/4 plywood under the GB's, and some treated 4x4's standing on ends in the basement supporting the floor joist. You may want to do this even if the flooring is sound, as an extra precaution. Jack each joist just a small amount, no more than 1/4", to slide the supports in place, use a level to make sure they are exactly plumb, then gently lower down on supports. I would not jack them any more than that, or you could crack sheetrock / plaster upstairs. I would also put several screws at an angle (toe nail) at the top of the support post and bottom of joist to keep them from falling if shrinkage occurs.
This would require drilling holes in your floor for plumbing, but you did say it was an old farm house and you are hungry.

If the joist are damaged I can give more details later. If your interested in doing it this way, take lots of pictures of the locations you are thinking of using and post them. I will try and help as much as I can. I have some practical experience in these matters, but I am far from being an engineer, I'm just a handyman with a wide range of experience. So continue at your own risk.

Just a thought.