I was reading on an aquaponics forum about a guy that wanted to build a simple aquaponics system for less than $150. As the day went on the question bugged me, because for a very small and limited system I spent about $250 learning how the basics of aquaponics works. I messed up everything, killed the plants, killed most of the fish, and had a few tomatoes that cost me about $35 each. I’ve learned quite a bit since then. As the day went on I thought about what it would take to get all of my family and friends with at least a basic system they could setup themselves, for cheap – yet still produce over 100 lbs of vegetables a year. My thoughts are, if someone learns the basics, and then can see for themselves how easy and rewarding it is to grow several of their own plants, maybe we’ll have more aquaponics people, and more people who think about self sustainability. Here is one of the 3 systems that I came up with: Here is a table of what I would build 55 gallon aquaponics system from:

This does not account for a backup pump and you should really have one! This aquaponics system model was created in google sketchup, a free modeling software. Here is an animation showing you the details of the aquaponics system build. Certain things have been left out such as the exact dimensions, as they aren’t terribly important. However, it is important that the drain pipes drain the water and leave about 2 inches of dry media on the top. This is done by cutting the drain pipe 2″ below the surface. My diagram does not have it, but another large pipe with slits in it, surrounding the drain pipe would be a good idea to keep worms, and rocks out of your fish bed. Also, you would want to use a cheese cloth/paint strainer type back or some other filter for the pump intake. I like to bury the pump in a small basket filled with gravel. This keeps fish out, but allows some solids to be sucked up. The towers add on about $45 in parts, but it provides the ability to add a shade cloth or greenhouse wrap.

I also priced the tower version with at least 1 foam sheet as sun insulation ($14), 2 pieces of trellis ($30), 1 sheet of 1/2″ plywood ($16) a different pump ($80 online, $140 walk in), and the shadecloth and vinyl ($75+). The total came out to about $404 in parts (estimated) for the tower version with trellis addon. The tower version adds 12 strawberry towers but also a huge area to grow vine plants like tomatoes and cucumbers. Here are two designs that will work for beginners wanting to try out aquaponics without breaking the bank. Both systems can grow at least 30 plants, but possibly more. Everything is simple and maintenance free (clean pumps once a month, monitor water levels, fish activity, and pests). I think I’ll build the tower version as an isolation tank or for a few bluegill. It will fit on my back porch, next to the planned banana trees. If there is interest, I can provide a PDF with detailed cutting instructions, pump filter construction, parts list suppliers, cycling basics, and suggested plants.

Please leave a comment if you would like me to make this? These are pictures of a modified version that is about $363 in parts before the backup pump (add about $80 if you get it on online or $150ish if you pick it up in a store). I will probably change out the elbow for either an elbow with holes drilled in the top, or a “T” with the top open for better aeration. I also used zip ties to anchor these in place to prevent movement (and leaks) of these pipes.fish tank media studies I added a little door with some cheap $2 hinges from lowes. fish tank care hindiThe orange circles on the foam are roofing nail tops. fish tank games on facebookI took the nail out and then used a screw that was just the right size to secure the foam to the door. 6 foot fish tank light

This side will get hit with quite a bit of sun so I didn’t want radiant heat cooking the fish. You can see the water level before we fill it with rocks. There is about 2 inch dry zone and a 2 inch moist zone before it hits the water line. Plants will send roots to where they need and this will protect the water from algae, evaporation and direct sun temperature changes. Although the 2 sides that get the most sun exposure are wrapped in sytrofoam board and then 1/2″ plywood to protect the board, the 3rd side (this side) was wrapped in leftover parts. buy fish aquarium onlineThe intent is to keep drastic and quick temperature changes from happening so the fish are not as stressed. 55 gal fish tank lidIt can get 120F in the direct sun in Mesa, AZ – so I wanted to keep all direct sun off of the tank even though the 4 types of fish that will work for us here (tilapia, goldfish, crappie, catfish) can take up to 95F temps, I am sure there won’t be much dissolved oxygen at those temperatures.

If we need to, I can add another 2×2 and then wrap the entire thing with a shade cloth spacer to keep direct sun off of the tank area. The back and the tops near the door and grow beds are open to encourage ventilation and keep stale (hot) air from sitting on the system. I used some scraps and left overs to shade the tank from reflected heat from the house that is about 1.5 feet away, just in case. Lesson learned: do not save the bungholes when cutting your growbeds. It’s just another place to leak. Instead, cut directly through where the bungholes would be. Water never reaches this high as they will be at the very top of the grow bed instead of down in the water like shown here. Ahhh… the price of education. I siliconed the inside after tightening it as best I could. This is an interior view from the backside of the return and supply pipes. Here is a detailed shot of the pvc grow towers that will be used for strawberries. This shows the trellis for the vine growths such as tomatoes and cucumbers.