Expanding my Pond with a buckets

[wh33t]

So I'd like to expand my current system and do some larger veggies that don't necessarily grow well in my flood table. I'm speaking predominantly about Peppers and Tomato plants (they take up too much room) and I had a friend suggest to me something called Bucket growing (or something to that effect).

He explained to me that if I pump water from my pond into a bucket and have a plant suspended in the lid using a Net Pot that I could then distance the bucket from the pond itself providing I have enough plumbing to return the water to the pond. In theory to me this just sounds like creating a small flood table for just one plant which is pretty standard however I realize that if I add two 5 gallon bucket plants into my system that will drop my water level severely in my pond (and it already loses half of it's water to fill the flood table which is takes 40 gallons).

So I'm thinking if I were to make these buckets "continuous" flow rather than flood and drain each bucket would "in theory" expand the over-all water carrying capacity of the system itself.

How do you pro's feel about this?

Is this a good way to grow larger veggies away from the smaller ones with out having to create a whole other pond system?

Would these buckets in a continuous flow set up require an air stone and air pump for each bucket or do you feel with pond water (around 75f) will contain enough Dissolved Oxygen?

I really detest air pumps and air stones because it adds so many more tubes and wires into the system, however if need be I would compromise to make this kind of thing happen.

Thanks so much for reading

[cookie]

I am not a pro but I expanded my first floor fishtank basement flood table system with tomatoes upstairs in netpots. I split the water coming out of my filter/hydroton growbed and pumped it to an upstairs room with tomatoes in it. It was an experiment that I was happy with the results of except light needed. I used 1/4 lines with no drippers on them coming out of a 3/4 supply. I ran it for 5-6months without clogging but did see decreased flow near the end of it and would recommend taking lines off and hitting them with compressed air sometimes.

I used 3.5 gallon buskets with 10 inch netpots and made 3/4 pvc drains using electrical connectors as bulkhead fittings at the base of the bucket. I ran water on 100% of the time the lights where on then 2-3 times during lights out to flush the water in the system. My temps where cool so you may need to flush more often during warmer weather. It was run from a 75 gallon tank filled with 3 big piranha and tons of feeders.

My buckets did not hold much water so as for expanding the water carring capacity it was minimal but if you where to put the drain up higher on the bucket or make it adjustable I think it could be done turning it into a DWC busket but water flow and air might have to be high. I did something like it with hydro a while back called Bio-bucket that used lots of water flow that would adapt nicely to fish based systems but have yet to try it out. A bio bucket type set up would increase the water capacity but you would need a decent pump just for 12 buckets alone.

[wh33t]

I am not a pro but I expanded my first floor fishtank basement flood table system with tomatoes upstairs in netpots. I split the water coming out of my filter/hydroton growbed and pumped it to an upstairs room with tomatoes in it. It was an experiment that I was happy with the results of except light needed. I used 1/4 lines with no drippers on them coming out of a 3/4 supply. I ran it for 5-6months without clogging but did see decreased flow near the end of it and would recommend taking lines off and hitting them with compressed air sometimes.

I used 3.5 gallon buskets with 10 inch netpots and made 3/4 pvc drains using electrical connectors as bulkhead fittings at the base of the bucket. I ran water on 100% of the time the lights where on then 2-3 times during lights out to flush the water in the system. My temps where cool so you may need to flush more often during warmer weather. It was run from a 75 gallon tank filled with 3 big piranha and tons of feeders.

My buckets did not hold much water so as for expanding the water carring capacity it was minimal but if you where to put the drain up higher on the bucket or make it adjustable I think it could be done turning it into a DWC busket but water flow and air might have to be high. I did something like it with hydro a while back called Bio-bucket that used lots of water flow that would adapt nicely to fish based systems but have yet to try it out. A bio bucket type set up would increase the water capacity but you would need a decent pump just for 12 buckets alone.

I'm so glad someone finally chimed in! "Bio-Buckets" yes, that is what this person referred to them as. I couldn't remember what he said exactly. In your Bio-Bucket system how many GPH was your pump rated for your 12 bucket System? Were the Buckets 5 gallon buckets? Did you use Air pumps? I suppose maybe I should go research Bio-Buckets?

[cedarswamp]

I grow tomatoes in kitty litter buckets filled with 3/4" stone, run a pipe out of my continuous flood/continuous flow GB and into the top of the buckets. Have a pipe on the inside of the bucket going to the bottom to insure complete water turn over, and exit the bucket about 4" below the top of the stone, back to the fish tank. Also running the buckets CF/CF. Had the same 2 tomato plants growing since May this way, no need for an airstone.

[wh33t]

So how high is the water level in your buckets? I presume CF means continuous flow?

[cookie]

The bio buckets I had kept the water about 2 inches from the bucket top but I moved the water over 15 times per hour per bucket with a one foot water fall into the res and I think a small airstone was in there too but I bet it was not needed. I ran my supply lines inside the return lines with 2 submersible pumps. I had to have a chiller going which is another power hungry device unless it winter then I would use a glycol line running to outside. I do not remember the size of the pump but just remember it was lots of movement.

The slow drip fed plants used a way smaller pump and would have just a small amount of water in the bottom 1/4 inch maybe would be left after the pump shut off. I had no waterfall into the res as the buckets where on a few pieces of wood and the res was on the floor so there was no room for that but I did run lots of air into the res. I love lots of air.

A drip fed bucket system will not steal to much water from the system and allow you to grow much more but a biobucket will add to the water capacity but with a heavy toll on the power bill. They are both viable but I would go drip fed and maybe hide a sump somewhere to add more water if you just want more water in the system.

Maybe even take the bell siphon exit and drain it into a sump that would then distribute the water to the buckets before it goes to the pond using any available gravity drops to add air via waterfall. If your flood table fills and drains a few times an hour I bet the buckets would do great. You may have to make the water distribution rig out of 1/2 pvc maybe even 3/4 as its a gravity drain but top feeding the buckets with a drain at the bottom should work if you can get the water to them.

[wh33t]

The bio buckets I had kept the water about 2 inches from the bucket top but I moved the water over 15 times per hour per bucket with a one foot water fall into the res and I think a small airstone was in there too but I bet it was not needed. I ran my supply lines inside the return lines with 2 submersible pumps. I had to have a chiller going which is another power hungry device unless it winter then I would use a glycol line running to outside. I do not remember the size of the pump but just remember it was lots of movement.

The slow drip fed plants used a way smaller pump and would have just a small amount of water in the bottom 1/4 inch maybe would be left after the pump shut off. I had no waterfall into the res as the buckets where on a few pieces of wood and the res was on the floor so there was no room for that but I did run lots of air into the res. I love lots of air.

A drip fed bucket system will not steal to much water from the system and allow you to grow much more but a biobucket will add to the water capacity but with a heavy toll on the power bill. They are both viable but I would go drip fed and maybe hide a sump somewhere to add more water if you just want more water in the system.

Maybe even take the bell siphon exit and drain it into a sump that would then distribute the water to the buckets before it goes to the pond using any available gravity drops to add air via waterfall. If your flood table fills and drains a few times an hour I bet the buckets would do great. You may have to make the water distribution rig out of 1/2 pvc maybe even 3/4 as its a gravity drain but top feeding the buckets with a drain at the bottom should work if you can get the water to them.

Great advice man. Thank you.