Why 3x5 Aquaponics

Possible arrangement for a three-growbed system

Anyone with a 3 by 5 area (that can literally support a ton of water/gravel/etc.) can have an aquaponics system for well under $1000. Thats under $1000 complete with lights, fish, and rocks (most experts recommend home aquaponicists stick to rock-based systems).

The Aquaponics USA miniature Food Forever Growing System gets you a plumbed tank/grow bed and accessories for under $1000, but that doesnt include shipping or rocks. They also dont consider lights - a must for us indoor aquaponicists in climates with limited outdoor growing seasons.

As shown in the picture above, the oblong 50 and 100 gallon tanks can fit inside the corners of a 2x4 rectangle. This means I can use readily available heavy-duty shelving to support the grow bed. Home Depot sells Edsal 2x4 heavy duty shelving for under $80.

Turns out there are various sources for 100 gallon and 50 gallon tanks. I was able to find Rubbermaid stock tanks at my local agricultural center (Southern States in Manassas) for less than $70 each. Theyre 52" by 31" and 26" high for the 100 gallon, 12" high for the 50 gallon.



I liked the gray granite of the Behlen 50 and 100 gallon tanks, but couldnt find them at a local vendor. If I lived near Austin, Texas, I could get tanks from Plastic-Mart, but the shipping costs were prohibitive (much more than the very reasonable item costs). Any other tank is OK as long as it is made of food grade material and fits inside the 2x4 support post locations.

Below is the rough order estimate for the system components, including water, pump, bubbler, lights, fish, rocks, and plumbing:

$000 Water
$120 Fish
$050 Air pump and bubbler
$050 Water pump and plumbing
$150 Stock tanks (locally-sourced 50 & 100 gal tanks)
$080 Heavy duty 2x4 shelving
$050 River pebbles (14 bags @ $3.50/ea)
$150 Flourescent lights (20,000 lumens)
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$650 TOTAL per complete 3x5 fishtank/growbed unit.

Take away the fish, lights, and rocks to put this concept on par with other systems available for sale, and were talking less than $350 - a number even a skeptical spouse might like. Being the holidays, they could buy it for you without having to travel further than the local agricultural coop and Home Depot...

To add growing space, you could add additional growbeds/shelving/lights for only $400 each . So the three growbed system shown above would cost $1450. Ongoing costs would be seeds, electricity for the pumps and lights (~$80/year in my area), and fish food (~$20/40 lb bag at the local Southern States), plus a bit for replacing parts that wear out (light bulbs, pumps).

For the rest of 2010, Ill take you along as I construct a basic 3x5 aquaponics system, in preparation for adding tilapia in January 2011.

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Weeding

Ray has documented an experiment where he weeded one section of his garden and let the other go natural.  So what do you think?  Is weeding just for show or does it help your plants grow better?

This link will start his video at the point where he shows his experiment.
http://youtu.be/Zl_zxmqQ1EU?t=8m48s

Or you can watch the entire video about compost tea nutrient extraction which is different from brewing compost tea for microorganisms. 

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Why And How of Aquaponics

Im still learning about aquaponics, but Ive become vested in this and want to learn everything I can to be successful.  In the beginning I ignored the problems others were having, and looked only at the positive results.  Its human nature to approach a new interest with optimism and look only at the positive results.

But I want to say right up front, this is not a hobby you can afford to make too many mistakes with.  You may watch Murray Hallams videos and think its as easy as plopping a few fish in a tank and growing some veggies in the water.  I dont wish to discourage anyone, but aquaponics is a carefully controlled environment that requires a lot more than meets the eye. 

A knowledge of aquaculture is a big plus.  Preferably you have experience with aquariums, and gardening before getting in too deep.  A well designed and maintained system will tend to run smoothly, but attention  to maintaining your system is important.   Water tests and careful monitoring of temperature, light, and nutrient levels is a must.

As I come across excellent studies pertaining to the design and operation of aquaponic systems I will include the links here with some commentary.  This will be an ever evolving post

To begin - Heather Oaks has made a short video of the a well engineered aquaponics system. - Heather Oaks Aquaponics.  Its very impressive and inspiring!  But remember this system is maintained on a professional level.  It does not just happen without a lot of expert knowledge, well defined procedures, and a fair amount of work.  This is dedication on a very high level, but smaller backyard systems still require the same attention.

I am not attempting to discourage anyone.   I simply wish to bring reality to the table.  Small systems tend to be more difficult to balance, but its a good way to gain the basic knowledge of aquaponics and find out if this is for you.

This article by Keith Connolly addresses the reasons why aquaponics is superior to other methods of farming.   He also explores the requirements of sustaining a healthy and productive system with facts and scientific research.  - Optimization Of A Backyard Aquaponic Food Production System.

My blog is about my aquaponic experience.  I present it so that others can learn from my failures as well as my triumphs.  Aquaponics is something anyone can learn to do.  Its very rewarding and as the world transcends further and further from self reliance this cutting edge paradigm shift is providing a much needed alternative to our food resources.  I hope you too will find aquaponics rewarding and fun.

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Easy Tea Brewer

Last year I build a compost tea brewer that created a vortex. Time has taught me a few things and today I rebuilt the brewer to make the whole operation a lot easier.
The whole vortex thing is impressive and fun to watch but I really dont see the benefit.  If you are into the mystical power of vortex then this design is not your cup of tea  (Like the pun?)

Once the tea was made transporting to the garden became a choir that I disliked so much that the tea would often sit too long and ended up being wasted.  The trick was to make clean tea that I could pump through a hose to the garden beds. Experiments showed me that simply placing the compost in a strainer bag did not let sufficient water flow through the bag.

This new design uses an airlift pump to recirculate the tea water through a strainer bag filled with compost. The airlift adds plenty of aeration to the tea.

I built this from parts I had around and will change the 3/4" pipe going to the bag to a 2" pipe for even better flow.   A PVC Slip Coupling on this pipe holds the bag in place with the zip tie just above the coupling.

I also cut the container down to a depth that I can comfortably reach the bottom of.  Cleaning the 33" tall 55 gallon drum was quite difficult and messy since I had to place my head an shoulders into the drum in order to scrub it out.

Im running the new design for the first time right now.  Cleanup will be easy as removing the bag of compost and wiping out the barrel.  Distribution will be done with a high powered sump pump.  I will be able to spray full strength tea on my plants and water them with an abundance of active microbes.

With this easy brewer I will be far more likely to brew very often.

For those who are looking carefully at the photos you may have noticed the 2" pipe connects through the bottom.  This adds stability to the pipes.  I might not have done this except the original design used this hole to create the vortex.  It think it is a good idea and may even replace the cap that I put on to seal the bottom with a 2" valve in case I should ever want to drain the barrel from the bottom.

Most of these pipes are not glued so they all come apart easily for cleaning.

After using this design I saw a way easily increase the flow so I extended the air lift all the way to the ground.  This design works just as well and turned out to be even quieter than the previous design.  Cleanup is not significantly more difficult so I will keep these changes,  In fact it is so easy that I would not have any trouble making tea every day.

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