survivalgardener
Build your own Aquaponics System
If you’ve ever wanted to build an aquaponics system, here’s a simple indoor system that won’t break the bank and is small enough to fit inside your house or on a balcony. This 55 Gallon Setup can produce both vegetables and fish from 1 food input(fish food) on about 10-15 watts of electricity. More detailed instructions are found here in my Instructable.
Once you round up the supplies from the list at the bottom, you can build this in about one day!
What is Aquaponics?
Aquaponics is a sustainable food production system that combines aquaculture (the cultivation of aquatic organisms like fish) with hydroponics (the growing of plants in nutrient-rich water without soil). This combination creates a closed-loop environment where fish and plants thrive together.
How aquaponics works
In aquaponics, the fish are housed in a tank and the plants are grown in a grow bed. The nutrient-rich water from the fish tank is pumped to the grow bed, where it is filtered through the plant roots. The beneficial bacteria that live in the grow bed break down the fish waste into ammonia, which is then converted into nitrites and then nitrates. The plants absorb these nitrates and other nutrients to help them grow. The plant roots also help to oxygenate the water, which is important for the health of the fish.
The clean water from the grow bed is then pumped back to the fish tank, where the cycle begins again.
Check out this video here for a more engaging explanation. What is Aquaponics – Video
Benefits Of Aquaponics
• Sustainable and intensive food production system.
• Two agricultural products (fish and vegetables) are produced from one nitrogen source (fish food).
• Extremely water efficient.
• Does not require soil.
• Does not use fertilizers or chemical pesticides.
• Higher yields and Organic like management and production.
• Higher level of biosecurity and lower risks from outer contaminants or pests.
• Can be used on non arable land such as deserts, degraded soil or salty, sandy islands.
• Creates little waste and can be grown in very small spaces
• Daily tasks, harvesting and planting are labor saving and therefore can include all genders and ages.
• Economical production of either family food production or cash crops in many locations.
• Construction materials and information base are widely available.
SUPPLY LIST
Here’s a list with everything you need to build your own 55 gallon aquaponics system. (Again, detailed step by step instructions are located on my Instructable.) You may be able source some PVC or barrels locally at a lower cost to free if it’s up-cycled. However, your most expensive item will be the expanded clay pebbles. You can use other grow media rock, such as volcanic rock, pea gravel, or granite, but clay pebbles work the best. I compiled the list below to make it simple to do from Amazon.
Amazon Order List:
1 Growbed tub – Tuffstuff KMM100 ($70) – https://amzn.to/2RwLIYB
1 2″ PVC Cap Piece ($4) – https://amzn.to/30ABMBs
1 3/4″ Uni-seal Tank Fitting ($5) – https://amzn.to/2THUJR6
1 1″ to 3/4″ reducer ($5) – https://amzn.to/2RSJcNo
1 300 GPH Water Pump ($20) – https://amzn.to/3vd79zD
1 50L Bag Expanded Clay Pebbles ($40) – https://amzn.to/3bsG4iL
1 55 Gallon Drum Food-Grade Polyethylene – https://amzn.to/359Wawh You may be able to find these locally for less. Just be sure they’re food grade
1 Gorilla PVC Cement ($10) – https://amzn.to/3waOllQ
1 Roll 1/2″ Tubing ($10) – https://amzn.to/367F14x
1 1/2″ 90′ Elbow + 1 3/4″ 90′ Elbow ($10) – https://amzn.to/2VmS1AT
Hardware Store PVC List:
2-3 Feet 3/4″ PVC pipe (stand pipe)
1 Foot of 2″ PVC Pipe (bell siphon)
1 Foot of 4″ black drainage pipe or 4″ PVC Pipe. (bell siphon protector)
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