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Backyard Liberty Table of Contents

1. What is Aquaponics?
a. Aquaponics history at a glance
b. How aquaponics works
c. Benefits of Aquaponics
i. Health
ii. Finances
iii. Environment
d. 3 Types Of Aquaponic Systems
i. Media Based
ii. Deep Flow/Raft
iii. Nutrient Film Technique (NFT)
2. Setting Up Your Aquaponics System
a. Backyard Aquaponics
i. Requirements
ii. Factors to consider
b. Salt Water vs. Fresh Water
c. Designing your system
3. Cultivating With Aquaponics
a. Fish
i. Common types of fish
ii. Choosing the right fish for your system
b. Plants
i. Seeds vs. seedlings
ii. Pest control
c. Bacteria
i. Nitrogen Cycle
ii. Cycling
iii. Monitoring and Testing
4. Common Aquaponics Issues

You may have heard a lot about a new method of sustainable food production called
aquaponics that helps save you money while giving you the highest quality organic food
possible. Aquaponics isnt some silly temporary fad; it is a complete method of farming and
cultivating your own food. Perhaps one of the best parts of this growing method is that
anybody can do it. You dont need a degree in engineering or biology. This comprehensive
eBook will give you all the tools you need to set up your own aquaponics system even on a
shoestring budget. Well explore the many different options available to you, as well as give you
a complete step by step guide on how to build your farm. If youre looking for a new way to get
the vitamins and nutrients your body needs without the chemicals injected into store bought
food, aquaponics is perfect for you!

1. What is Aquaponics?

Aquaponics is a combination of two different food cultivation methods.

Hydroponics: A sustainable method of growing plants in water without soil. Instead, it

utilizes mineral nutrient solutions and water.
Aquaculture: This is essentially aqua farming. It is the practice of cultivating animals that
live in water such as fish and mollusks under your control.

In a nutshell, aquaponics combines hydroponics and aquaculture into one symbiotic system
consisting of plants and aquatic organisms. There is definitely some science involved in the
process, but at its most basic elements, aquaponics farming is simple and the benefits are
unmatched.
Just like with a typical barnyard farm, there are several different methods involved with
aquaponics and different types of systems that people apply. The flexibility of creating your
own farm is part of what makes this method so popular. Systems can range from small
backyard setups to vast commercial systems that fill up entire rooms. You can use fresh water
or salt water. You can choose different types of fish and plant life as well. The world of
aquaponics leaves you with so many options that you can completely customize your system to

your preference and have it be completely different from every other aquaponic farm out
there. No matter what the size is, they all utilize similar methods and tools.
Another great thing about aquaponics is that it has encouraged different farmers all around the
country to form large groups and associations including the Aquaponics Association. There are
several internet forums for aquaponic farmers to trade ideas, and get tips. So by getting into
aquaponics youll be joining a large community of likeminded people who want to eat organic
and aim to help the environment at the same time.
Aquaponics history at a glance
In the grand scheme of farming and organic food production, aquaponics is still a fairly young
science. Some people debate about when aquaponics started. Its widely accepted that the
Aztec Indians formed early versions of aquaponics in 1,000 AD on rafts.
Its said that before they settled in Central America, they were nomadic people constantly
roaming around. They would settle around swamp like environments surrounded by hills that
were nearly impossible to farm. In order to grow food, the Aztecs created large scale rafts and
sent them out into the water covered with soil from the bottom of the lake. They would place
their seeds on these rafts that became known as chinampas. As the plants grew the roots
would grow through the soil and into the lake below the raft. And that was the first sign of what
we now call aquaponics.

Of course Aquaponics has evolved quite a bit from those days. We now implement fish and a
wide variety of aqua life into the systems and dont require a lake thanks to advances in
Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS). These advances in RAS have made it possible to grow
large amounts of fish in much smaller spaces. However, this posed the issue of the waste water
that the fish would produce. Luckily further advancements led to the discovery of using the
waste produced by fish to provide nutrients for aquatic plants. This self-sustaining system took
years to develop and is still being continuously worked on today.
Actual research of aquaponics started in the 1970s and today it is studied by some of the most
prestigious universities in the world in order to improve the technology involved and to develop
new farming methods. One university that has been placing a lot of effort and importance on
Aquaponics is the University of the Virgin Islands. They have been working on the Agricultural
Experiment Station for over 25 years and have made great progress in the world of Aquaponics.
Pictured below is the raft system created at the University of Virgin Islands headed by Dr. James
Rakocy.

How Aquaponics Works

As you know, aquaponics combines farming plants and fish symbiotically. Before you can
understand how aquaponics works, its important to realize why its so essential. By combining
aquaculture and hydroponics, it removes a lot of (if not all) the issues with the two separate
methods.
One of the major issues with aquaculture is that when cultivating fish or other sea animals,
large amounts of effluents (wastewater) is produced since it is a closed system. This matter is
dangerous and toxic for the fish to live in. The result is polluted water and fish that isnt safe to
eat. So as a result you have to constantly change out the water every day which means wasted
water. The water youre disposing of might be harmful to the fish but it is beneficial for other
purposes as youll find out.
The issue with hydroponics is that it requires costly nutrients in order to feed the plants. The
money spent to feed the plants often makes is difficult for the average person to sustain it over
an extended period of time. There are some DIY hydroponic nutrient recipes, but it can be time

consuming to create. Also, you have to flush out your system periodically. It can be difficult to
find methods to constantly dispose of all this wastewater.
Aquaponics introduces a solution to these issues, while providing an entirely new way to
cultivate aquatic animals and plants at the same time.
Through aquaponics, the wastewater and effluents are utilized to provide nutrients to the
plants used in the process. In laments terms, the fish fertilize the plants. This enables the
aquaponic system to remain a closed system without the need to constantly change out the
water and also allows it to operate with minimal amounts of water.
An aquaponic system consists of three major items:

Fish
Plants
Bacteria

Later on, we will touch on each of these elements, but just remember that these are the three
components essential for any aquaponic system. Through feeding the fish, they produce
effluents from their waste and uneaten food that collects at the bottom of your tanks. Bacteria
turn that wastewater into nutrients necessary for the plants to grow and thrive. As you harvest
the plants, the water becomes clean again and the process repeats.

The image above demonstrates the basic process of a simple aquaponic system. Not shown is
the series of pipes and fittings. This is to show you the flow of the nutrients and process of how
an aquaponic system works.To the left is a grow bed where the plants are harvested. The bed is
filled with gravel or clay pebbles. On the right is a fish tank. The water goes from the fish tank to
the grow bed. As the water seeps through the grow bed and the roots of the plants, the plants
get all of the nutrients they need in order to grow and consequently cleans out the ammonia
waste. Then the water is drained back into the tank clean and safe for the fish to swim in. The
process of converting the ammonia produced by the fish into nitrates for the plants is known as
The Nitrogen Cycle.

As you will find out a little later in this eBook, there are several different variations for the
process. Elements such as what you fill the grow bed with, what you place your plants in and
other can all be changed and altered to suit your needs. Again, this is what makes aquaponics
so popular and easy to get started with.
Benefits of Aquaponics
Now that you have an understanding of how Aquaponics works, you can probably guess some
of the many benefits of such a great system. However, there may be some benefits that you
overlooked or never even thought about. The primary reasons people set up this organic
sustainable food production method are:

To improve health (100% organic food)

To save money
To help the environment

In addition to those benefits, aquaponics is also extremely easy to set up. Because it requires
such little space and doesnt require a lot of maintenance, its possible to set up your system in
a very limited space, hence the popular trend of backyard aquaponics.
One of the reasons some people dont like about traditional farming is the effort and work
needed to properly maintain it. It requires a lot of maintenance and constant monitoring.
Harvesting is also a very time consuming process. Aquaponics doesnt have any of those issues
because after you set up your system (well give you a full walkthrough in the next chapter)
maintaining it essentially means just feeding the fish. Since this method uses the nutrient rich
water from the fish tank to fertilize the plants, your vegetables will grow in a fraction of the
time that they would if they were growing in soil. This means that you can get your vegetables
much quicker and pretty much have fresh food on a whim. And due to the ease of the process,
its very easy for people of all ages to maintain and care for. Getting the family involved in your
aquaponics farm is a great way to have some fun while receiving many other great benefits as
well.
Whatever your reasoning is for utilizing aquaponics, you are making one of the best decisions of
your life and you wont regret it.
Health Benefits

Its no coincidence that people who choose to eat organic food live overall healthier lives than
those who dont. Food bought from stores and restaurants are loaded with chemicals, steroids,
fats, and ingredients that are not conducive to a healthy lifestyle. This is one area in which
aquaponics gives you a great advantage. Everything is handled right in your backyard and is
controlled completely by you. That means that you know exactly what is going into your food
from the moment you begin setting up your system. You are getting completely organic food
through aquaponics.
Another great advantage of aquaponics is that it is vegan/vegetarian friendly as well. Although
your system will have fish and other crustaceans in it, that does not mean that you have to eat
them! The fish can simply be used as a method for fueling your system by pumping nitrates and
necessary nutrients to your plants. So again, you see another case of aquaponics being arguably
the most flexible food production methods there is.
There have been studies conducted about the effects of herbicides on plants, and they have
shown that the herbicides actually lessen the plants abilities to ward off pests. The
consequence of this is that youre not getting all of the antioxidants the plants can and should
give you. Antioxidants are an extremely vital to keeping you healthy and avoiding getting
common sicknesses and even some potentially fatal diseases such as cancer. When you grow
your own vegetables with aquaponics, you dont have to deal with those issues at all as youre

not going to be polluting your crops with harmful chemicals. Aquaponics gives you pure
vegetables, with no additives. Youre getting all of the vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidant
properties possible.
Fresh organic vegetables are not only better for you, but they also taste better. Many people
who have never had the opportunity or pleasure of tasting organic vegetables have a false
sense of what they are supposed to taste like. If you have wanted to make the switch to eating
organic food or even if you already do eat organic food, then aquaponics is tailor made for you
and you will truly appreciate the benefits it offers.
The fish that you raise in your farm will also be extremely fresh. When getting fish from oceans
or lakes, youre potentially exposing yourself to the many pollutants found in the
water.Harvesting the fish yourself is the only way to ensure that you are ingesting truly organic
food that has not been compromised at any point. You know exactly what the fish have eaten
and you can control what they eat as well.
Aquaponics is also great because it naturally encourages a healthy diet. Since the only things
you can harvest will be organic vegetables, fish, and other aquatic life, you will be more likely to
make healthier eating choices. The food will be readily available so theres less of a need to go
out for fast food or junk food when youre hungry. The health benefits of aquaponics continue,
but the most important thing to keep in mind is that aquaponics gives you one of the greatest
ways of getting organic food into your diet on a regular basis.
Financial Benefits

Its no secret that the cost of food is increasing all over. You have probably noticed it in your
grocery stores, and those increases in food also affect restaurants as well. So the cost of eating
out has increased substantially over the years as well. This has made many people to look to
cheaper more affordable methods of getting food. Some have resorted to getting lesser quality
food such as less lean meats, canned foods, or other less than ideal methods of getting food on
a budget. You do not have to lower your standard of eating in order to get food cheaper. With
aquaponics, you can grow your own food while saving money at the same time.
A common misconception is that producing your own food has to be expensive. This has
stopped many would be aquaponic farmers from pursing this sustainable food production
method. But you will be surprised at how cheap it is to actually set up and maintain your
system. The main costs associated with this method of food production are:

Fish
Fish food
Seedlings
Power supply
Water pump
Air pump
Fish tank
Grow bed(s)

The majority of these expenses are onetime expenses such as the fish tank, grow bed, and
pumps. You wont have to replace these items unless you wish to upgrade or in the event that
they break. However, these parts can often be repaired in order to avoid the need to replace
them.
Another factor to consider is the return on your investment. Setting up an aquaponic system is
a financial investment as well as an investment into your healthy. When you compare the cost
of your setup vs. the cost of buying your food from grocery stores and restaurants, you will
more than make up the costs. A cost/benefitanalysis created by Richard Chiang in 2009
examined the costs of running an aquaponic system with the benefits it results in. Within his
report, he determined that you could receive your return on investment in approximately 2
years.
If you already have some of the necessary pieces to set up your system, you will save a lot more
money and receive a return on your investment even sooner.
One group who is starting to incorporate aquaponics into their practices is restaurants. By
growing their own vegetables and seafood, restaurants are able to provide an organic dining

experience while lowering their own cost. It allows them to grow their own herbs and provide
fresh salads as well. Additionally, restaurants can make use of the system itself as a showcase
piece. Displaying the fish tank gives customers something to look at, and this is a very popular
trend amongst Chinese food restaurants today.
An overlooked financial benefit of aquaponics is the time and money saved on grocery
shopping. You will have a completely sustainable method of getting fresh organic food
whenever you like. You can grow your own herbs for seasoning as well. You can significantly cut
back the time and number of trips you have to take to the grocery store by setting up your own
backyard aquaponic system.
Environmental Benefits

Aquaponics is one of the most environmentally friendly food production methods there is.
Since it utilizes less water than a traditional farm and utilizes less fertilizer, it is extremely ideal
for environmentally friendly people.
The amount of water saved is typically one of the first things people notice when getting
involved with aquaponics. Lets look at an example.

It takes approximately 6 gallons of water to grow 1 head of lettuce. If you have 24 heads of
lettuce in each case, it would take you about 180,000 gallons of water to furnish 1,250 cases of
lettuce with traditional farming methods. You can set up a deep water aquaponic system that
only requires about 16% the amount of water to produce the exact same amount. And youll
also have the benefit of getting over 3,600 pounds of fish and not to mention the amount that
youll save on fertilizer as aquaponics produces its own natural fertilizer from the wastewater.
With aquaponics, you are not wasting anything. The wastewater that would traditionally be
thrown out in a regular fish tank, is essentially recycled in a sense and repurposed as fertilizer
for the plants. Since your system is a cycle, you rarely have to replace or refill your fish tank
with water except to replace any water that has evaporated.
You dont have to worry about disposing of the waste from the fish because as we mentioned,
it is repurposed into fertilizer. Wastewater disposal has been of the biggest issues for fish
farmers for quite some time, and it should come to no surprise that many of them have begun
to adopt the practice of aquaponics in order to make their fish farming easier and less time
consuming.
When you set up your aquaponic garden, youre also not contributing to the ever growing air
pollution that traditional farming can produce. All of these elements combined give you ample
reason to give aquaponics a try if youre concerned about the environment and would like to be
a part of the solution rather than the problem.
3 Types of Aquaponic Systems

Before you set up your aquaponic system, its important that you recognize the options
available to you. There are three major types of aquaponic systems you can set up:

Nutrient Film Technique (NFT)

Deep Flow/Raft
Media Based

Each system will produce great results, and the method you choose will be a matter of personal
preference. As a reference, media based systems are the most commonly used method for
backyard aquaponics, and is the ideal method for people just starting out. The Deep Flow/raft
method is typically reserved for larger scale setups and is used in commercial systems. It is still
a viable option for the average aquaponics connoisseur. The nutrient film technique is the least
utilized method overall primarily due to the fact that it requires a bit more maintenance than
the other two methods.
Well give you a rundown on each system so that you can decide which method is ideal for you.
Media Based

As mentioned, this is the most popular method of aquaponics especially amongst people who
have backyard setups. Its easy to set up and easy to maintain. Typically when you see images
of aquaponics setups in magazines or online, they are media based systems.
The way media based systems work is that you set up a grow bed filled with a form of media
(well give you a rundown of the different types of media) typically gravel or clay. Your plants
are sown into the media. The media helps to filter out the water that is pumped through before
it is transported back into the fish tank so that you are not introducing harmful nitrates to the
fish. It also provides support for the plants. Media based systems require the least amount of
maintenance as well which is what makes them so popular for the at home gardener.
Most people turn to clay or gravel for their media, but here is a list of some of the other choices
you have:

Coco Coir
Perlite
Expanded Clay
Vermiculite
Gravel

You can choose any media youd like, but for those just starting out, gravel or clay are the most
popular choices. Here is a chart that will show you the strengths and weaknesses of each
option.

Durability
Weight
Cost
Ability to hold
plants
Drainage
Aeration
Water
Retention
Easy of
handling
Lifespan

Gravel
Great
Heavy
Low
Good

Perlite
Poor
Light
Medium
Poor

Clay
Good
Medium
High
Poor

Vermiculite
Poor
Light
Medium
Good

Coco Coir
Good
Medium
Medium
Good

Good
Great
Poor

Good
Good
Medium

Good
Good
Poor

Good
Poor
Great

Good
Good
Great

Poor

Great

Good

Great

Great

Great

Poor

Good

Poor

Great

This chart should give you a decent idea of which media to go with. As you can see, gravel is the
most cost effective choice because it is fairly cheap (you can often get it free) and lasts a long
time. Coco Coir is a great option that is often overlooked or completely unknown. However, it is
a recyclable option that isnt too costly and lasts a long time as well. Feel free to have some fun
and try out different media types with your setup and find out what works best for you.
Experimenting is one of the more enjoyable parts of aquaponics and it is encouraged to try new
methods out when you can.
Another benefit youll get from a media based system is that they dont require any external
filtering for waste. All of the waste is broken down and mineralized by heterotrophic bacteria
and worm compost. These mineralized solids are used to fertilize the plants with the nutrients
they need to grow. This will definitely save you money on filtering systems and will save you the
time of having to constantly change out filters as the whole process is fairly natural and doesnt
require a lot of human interference.
We will get into the specifics of setting up your system in the next chapter, but a common
question is how deep your grow beds should be in a media based system. There are no depths
outlined as a necessity but typically aquaponic grow beds are as deep as the ones used in
hydroponics. These depths can range anywhere from 10cm to 30cm. You dont want to have
your grow beds too deep as this can cause issues when it comes time to cleaning out the plants

roots. Also deeper grow beds are more costly and will require you to fill it with more media as
well. Your grow beds only need to be as deep as the plants roots will grow.
However, you want to make sure that you have enough depth to house the necessary bacteria
involved in the system. The debate as to how deep your grow bed needs to be for a media
based system is ongoing with strong arguments from both sides. There may never be an
agreement or official recommended depth so again, you will want to try some things out to see
what works best for you. The illustration below shows why a depth of around 12 inches is ideal.

As you can see, the depth extends beyond the roots of the plants. The image is divided into
three different zones.

Zone 1 (Surface): This area is about 2 inches deep and is known as the dry zone. It is
where light penetrates the system and helps reduce the amount of water lost to
evaporation. Its also beneficial in that it protects the base of the plant from collar rot.
Since the surface is dry, you dont have to worry about algae forming on your media as
well as any plant diseases caused by moisture.
Zone 2 (The roots): This zone is crucial. In a shallower grow bed; this would be the
bottom of the bin. The root zone is around 6 to 8 inches deep and is where a majority of
the plant activity occurs. All of the water pumped into the grow bed from the fish tank
will drain into this zone and nourish the roots with beneficial bacteria, nutrients, and
earth worms.
This is also the zone that the solid waste will be broken down and reduced by the earth
worms so that the water is able to be drained back into the fish tank free of pollutants
and material that will potentially harm your fish. Basically, this is the zone in which your
plants will grow and flourish.

Zone 3 (Mineralization): The final 2 inches of the grow bed is where the remaining fish
waste and worm castings collect. A majority of the solid waste (60%) was consumed in
zone two by bacteria and the worms but the rest will be mineralized in this zone by the
other worms and bacterial activity.

Deep Flow/Raft

Another very popular aquaponic system is the deep flow/raft system. This system is very similar
to the Aztecs farming method mentioned in the beginning. The plants float atop the water like
the chinampas created by the Aztecs.
These systems use grow tanks to grow the plants. Just like with media based systems, the grow
beds are filled with media. The grow tanks contain water rich in nutrients. Rafts made of
polystyrene sheets containing seedlings float on top of the water. The aquaponic system
created by The University of Virgin Islands that is pictured earlier is an example of a raft system
and is actually the oldest commercial raft system in existence. Much of what we know today
about aquaponics especially as it pertains to the raft system is credited to their work and effort.

A deep flow or raft system has several distinct benefits including:

They are fairly simple to set up and maintain
You have more control over the temperatures in the root zone
They contain greater amounts of water per footprint than alternative methods
Fish can be stocked at higher densities
Easy transport the system because all you have to do is pump out the water and move
the pieces

There is plenty of information about these systems so you will never be lost

You can make your grow tank from wood, brick, or even cement so you have several options
and some flexibility for construction. You can also buy one, as they are very easy to find. The
size of your grow tank will vary but for a simple backyard system the optimal width is about 4
feet. But for commercial use they can range to up to 90 feet or longer. The depth of your tank
can be anywhere over 150 mm.
In order to set up your deep flow/raft system, you will need the following components:

Fish tank(s)
Grow tanks
Water pump
Sump tank
Air blower
Some sort of filtering device for solid waste

The goal of the float system is to employ continuous flow so that less effort is needed to
maintain the setup over an extended period of time. However, one of the obstacles that you
will encounter in both a raft system and an NFT system is the need of an external filter source.

This is typically done with what is called a clarifier and a mineralization tank. This is necessary
because you need to get as much waste out of the water between the fish tank and the grow
tank as possible. Since in this method, the roots of the plants are submerged into the water of
the grow tank, any waste that gets through will ultimately disturb the growth of the plant and
be harmful to their health.
Purifying the water through the clarifier and mineralization tank also helps to ensure that by
the time the water reaches the grow tank, all of the necessary nutrients for your plants to grow
are still in intact without any of the solid waste.
You probably noticed that in the media based system, the grow bed was the area in which
bacteria colonized and transformed the solid waste into necessary nutrients for the plants. In a
raft system, the rafts and the walls of the grow tank are utilized in a similar fashion.
The most important part of the system is to ensure that you get adequate nitrification between
the fish tank and the grow tank. Some people like to incorporate a trickling biological filter just
to be certain that proper nitrification occurs and it also helps if you ever have to separate the
fish tank from the growing tank.
Another important factor to keep in mind with your raft system is proper aeration. We will
explore this further in the next chapter but you want to make sure that your grow tanks have
air lines and diffusers to make sure that your tanks are aerated. It does require a bit of extra
maintenance to maintain these because you have to clean them regularly to make sure that
they are constantly functioning.
Raft systems are ideal for plants such as herbs and salad greens. This isnt to say that these are
the only types of vegetables that are suitable for a raft system, but they are the most common
types of greenery used.
Raft/ Deep water systems continue to be a popular choice for commercial use but have not
been widely used by backyard aquaponicists likely due to the knowledge and advanced systems
employed. There are also more parts needed in order for it to function which can make the
costs a little bit higher than most backyard aquaponicists want to spend especially if theyre just
starting out.
Nutrient Film Technique (NFT)

Perhaps the least utilized system for aquaponics is the Nutrient Film Technique (NFT). The
reason behind this is that of all the systems, it requires the most management and time so it is
primarily used for comer use rather than for backyard aquaponics. It is a more advanced
method so most beginners do not typically start out with this, but it is definitely something to
look into after youve gained some experience with aquaponics.
The way NFT systems work is there are plastic troughs that transport scarce amounts of
nutrient filled water through the roots of the plants. This is very similar to the way that raft
systems work, in that the plants roots have direct contact with the nutrient packed water. For
this reason, just like with raft systems it is very important that you have an external filter
mechanism in order to make sure that no solid waste gets through to the roots of the plants.
This disrupts the growth of your plants since it halts the flow of oxygen and nutrients into the
roots of the plants.
Although the system isnt routinely used, it does have several benefits worth mentioning, such
as:

Plants get more exposure to oxygen and nutrients

Fairly simple to change out fish tanks within the system
Water flows through the system easily

Just as there are advantages to this system, there are also some notable disadvantages to NFT
systems as well.

If one of your pumps or pipes malfunctions your plants stop receiving water

Hot temperatures cause the temperature of the high root zone to increase which can be
harmful to the plants. So its important that you keep your system in an area thats
ventilated and preferably at room temperature.
The systems can be costly due to all of the parts needed

2. Setting Up Your Aquaponics System

Now that weve taken a look at some of the vital information about what aquaponics is and
some of the great benefits, the next step (and probably what youve been looking for the most)
will be actually setting up your first aquaponics system. You will find that setting up your
system is extremely simple once you understand the basic pieces needed and how each part
functions. You will be able to easily have your first system set up and start experimenting with
different parts and designs in no time. Aquaponics gives you an endless amount of
opportunities which is why it has garnered a large following and why many people look to it as
a primary food production method.

In this chapter, you will find all the information necessary to start your system as far as the
basic necessities, different options you have, and even some things that you need to factor in
that you may have never considered. Since there is a lot of information available about getting
into aquaponics, the goal of this chapter is to bring it all together and help you get your feet
wet so to speak.
Its important to remember that aquaponics is supposed to be a fun activity that helps your
health, saves money, and helps the environment all at the same time. So if you run into

problems along the way, its ok. Dont give up or get frustrated, just use it all as a learning
experience.
Also, if you dont want to attempt putting your own system together, you may consider buying
a complete setup that comes with everything you need. These usually start around $1,000 or so
and go up depending on the type and options you select. But again, part of the fun with
aquaponics is setting your system up and customizing it to your preferences. Making your own
system will also give you the chance to completely emerge yourself in the aquaponics culture
that has developed over the years. There are several aquaponics forums filled with members
trading tips and info about DIY aquaponics so you will have no shortage of help throughout the
entire process.
Another advantage of making your own DIY system is that you will be able to control how much
you spend and can pretty much create your own setup for a very small budget. A great tip for
people just starting out with aquaponics is to start small. You dont need a large scale NFT
system to start out with. When you start out too big its easy to get overwhelmed and want to
give up before you even really get started.
If youre concerned about the costs associated with building your setup, keep in mind that you
can use recycled materials or items that you already have for some pieces of the setup. This is
great on your wallets and also means that youre recycling old things that you otherwise would
have thrown away which is a win-win situation. So dont get too caught up in the financial
aspects of getting into aquaponics because the truth is that you wont spend nearly as much
money as you probably think with this guide!
In an effort to keep things simple and easy to follow for people just beginning, we will be
focusing on media based systems since they are fairly easy to setup, and have the lowest
startup costs. However, we will definitely touch on more advanced systems and techniques as
well a bit for those interested.
We also want to note that setting up your entire aquaponics system can take as little as one
day, so it does not have to be a month long project if you dont want to. However, for most
people, setting up and improving their aquaponics system is an ongoing process that is never
really finished.
Backyard Aquaponics

Backyard aquaponics has been mentioned a few times throughout this book. It is essentially the
term used to describe the practice of setting up an aquaponics system at home, often in your
own backyard. You can absolutely set your system up inside as well, which is one of the great
benefits aquaponics has over other food production and farming methods.
Another attractive part of backyard aquaponics is that there are no real prerequisites. You dont
need a college degree to get started or have to pass a rigorous test. The only thing necessary is
a desire to learn and a passion to create your own organic food production method. If this
sounds like you, then you are more than ready to begin your journey into aquaponics. The only
thing you have to do is jump in and get started!
Requirements
As we mentioned, setting up your aquaponics system does not have to be expensive and break
the bank. Some extremist will tell you not even to attempt getting into aquaponics unless you
have a few thousand dollars to invest, but thousands of people who have set up aquaponics
systems in their own backyards for far less would strongly agree.

This guide will utilize an extremely basic setup that can be created with spare parts that you
may even be able to get for free in some cases. It is based off of a barrel type system
popularized by Travis Hughey in his Barrel-Ponics manual.
All of the parts mentioned can be found in your local hardware store (Lowes or Home Depot). A
great tip that might help you save some money is to check your local classifieds site such as
Craigslist for people getting rid of old hardware. The pieces used for Aquaponics are very similar
to those used in aquaculture and hydroponics so if you see someone getting rid of their system
for either one of those two, jump on it because the pieces could be very useful for you.
The basic parts required for your aquaponic system are:
PVC Parts

1 ft. 1/4" pex pipe

(3) 1-3/4" long 1/2" pipe
(1) 3" long 1/2" pipe
(4) 4" long 1/2" pipe
(1) 6" long 1/2" pipe
(2) 10" long 1/2" pipe
(2) 12" long 1/2" pipe
3" long 3/4" pipe
4" long 3/4" pipe
6" long sch 40 1" pipe
19" long 1" thin wall pipe
(2) 8 1/2" long 1" thin wall pipe
(8) 1/2" ell
(6) 1/2" male adapter
(2) 3/4" male adapter
Flush valve
2" female adapter
2"x1" sch 40 bushing
1 " street ell
1" tee
(2) 1"x3/4" ell
1/2" IPT to 1/2" 90deg. barb
(2) 1/2" IPT to 1/2" barb
3/4" threaded ball valve
3/4" street ell PXM

34 of 4" corrugated slittted sewer pipe

Hardware

(6) 1/2"conduit locknuts

(2) 3/4" conduit locknuts
3/8"x 1/2" FIP coupler with insert
1 pkg. screen door tension rollers
24" steel fishing leader
(2) #10 SS pan head sheet metal screws
(2) #8 SS pan head sheet metal screws
#10 SS flat washer
1/4" split shot (made of brass)
AR 3/8" SS flat washers
1 liter water bottle
1 small tube of aquarium silicone
1" by 2 1/2" by 4" long wood block
1" by 1" by 7" long wood
AR 1/2" foam sheet (type used for insulation)
AR 2" net pots
(2) 1-5/8deck screws

This part is optional but can be very beneficial. These are the parts needed to construct a stand
for your aquaponic setup which requires a little bit of woodwork (nothing too advanced). If you
have a place where you can set your grow beds and tanks, you will not need this. But if you are
interested in setting up your own stand for the grow beds you will need:

(4) 10 2x4s
(3) 8 2x4s
12 2x6
12 2x8
(8) 8 cinder blocks
AR 3 deck screws

Tools

Safety goggles
Jigsaw
drill

bit
5/21 bit
bit
bit
spade bit
1 spade bit
2-1/2 hole saw
Driver bit
Tape measure
Pencil (for marking)
Adjustable wrench
Framing square
12 channel lock

Additional Parts
In addition to these parts, you will also need 3 55 gallon barrels. The barrels will be used for the
grow beds, and fish tanks. It is extremely important that you know exactly where the barrels
came from and what they were used for. Barrels are commonly used to store hazardous or toxic
materials. So you need to make sure the barrels youre using are for food products.

A tip is to avoid using black barrels, as these types are the most commonly used ones for storing
chemicals or other hazardous materials. Try to stick to white or blue plastic barrels if possible as
they are generally used to store food products or ice. It should go without saying but by using
mysterious barrels in which you dont know what the contents were, you risk exposing yourself
to potentially fatal chemicals. You can check with your local recycling center to see if they have
any that you can have. Just be sure to ask what they were used for or where they received
them.
For your media, you can start out with gravel since its the cheapest/easiest to find. You will
need about 600lbs for this system. This is an item that you may be able to get off craigslist for
very cheap or free if youre willing to go pick it up. You can buy 50lb bags of gravel for about $5
or less a bag which isnt too bad.
For your pump, you will want one that is able to produce 100 gallons per hour at 5ft. head.

The parts mentioned are all for completely setting up your aquaponics system from scratch,
which is the best way to get started on a tight budget. You can save more money if you already
have a fish tank or grow beds. Then the only things needed would be the tubing, pumps, etc.
But the items mentioned can all be found for extremely cheap or even free in certain cases so
its recommended that you try sourcing them all for free first before you start investing money.
Here are some great places to source the parts:

Craigslist free section

Recycling plants
Retail stores (they often throw out parts such as unused wood, just ask)
Junk yards (just be careful what youre getting)
Pet stores
Aquariums

Getting creative is often the best way to find free parts for your aquaponic system, just look
around and see what you can find.
Factors To Consider
Now that you have the parts you need, there are some factors you need to consider before you
start putting everything together.
Where To Put Your System
Hopefully you have given at least a little thought to where you plan on putting your aquaponics
system. There are a few things to consider when thinking about where to place your system.
1. Can I get electricity here?
Aquaponic systems require electricity to run and function. So setting up in an area that has no
outlets or electricity wont work. A mistake that some people make is thinking they can simply
run extension cords out to the backyard. If you plan on having an outdoor system, you really
have to make sure that you have a power source close by, whether this means getting an
external generator or if you have an outside outlet that is easily accessible. Relying on running
extension cords from the inside of your home to out in the yard is very dangerous and can
cause many issues.
For instance, if the extension cord gets cut by accident, and you dont realize it, your system will
not be functional. If left untended to for an extended period of time, your plants will die, and
your fish tank will build up a lot of filth waste. This will ultimately force you to have to
completely empty out your system and refill everything which is very time consuming and can

be difficult when you have to dispose of the waste water. So the moral of this story is:make
sure you pick a location where electricity is easily accessible.
2. Can the area be covered?
If youre setting your system up outside, you have to account for the inevitable chance of rain.
A little light rain might not be a huge deal, but in heavy rain storms, your system can get
completely flooded and tainted. A covered area outside with a solid roof is ideal. Another
option you have is buying some sort of canopy. That way you can easily cover it up when
necessary.
Your goal should be to have adequate protection from rain storms that can potentially ruin your
setup. This is something that seems simple, but its easy to overlook such crucial aspects when
youre caught up in building your system.
3. Do I have a flat surface?
Your aquaponic system should be on a flat surface. When constructing or designing your
system, you more than likely dont account for gravity that helps the water flow in the system.
While its true that the pumps do a lot of work, good old gravity will also play a part. Unless you
are an experienced engineer or have designed more complex aquaponics systems, creating
your system on a slope can be quite difficult. Its best to stick to a flat surface especially if
youre just starting out.
If you can find some extra wood for free (even plywood would do) you can setup your own flat
surface that will be fairly sturdy.
4. Will the noise bother anyone?
Aquaponics is great for the environment and your health, but the sound of the pumps and
water running might be a little inconvenient at night. The pumps arent as loud as a lawnmower
or motorcycle, but you probably dont want to have one right outside of the room you sleep in.
Most people dont consider the sound of the pump soothing or relaxing. You also have to be
respectful of neighbors so placing it right at your fence line and outside of their bedroom
probably wont help you make any new friends.
Be conscious of where you put your system and make sure the sounds arent disturbing anyone.
There are some fairly quite pumps available as well. If your system is obnoxiously loud, it could
be a sign that something has gone awry within and you may want to get your pump checked
out.
5. Do I have enough space?

Of course you want to make sure that you have enough space for your system wherever you
place it. For the simple small system employ in this guide,it takes up about a space of 2 feet
wide and 5 feet long. This means your space should be significantly larger than this so that you
can comfortably move around, build, and adjust.
You can also keep the possibility of expanding later on in mind. You may want to build a larger
system at some point so you dont want to limit yourself right now. This system is fairly simple
and fairly small so if you wish to go a bit bigger, then you will have to adjust your space
accordingly.
How many pumps should I use?
For this setup, we only use one pump, and for beginners/simple setups one pump is definitely
ideal. It uses less energy and saves you money. Aquaponics works on a circulative process, so
you want to keep things as simple as possible. When you add in extra parts and pieces, the
design becomes unnecessarily complex and can get confusing especially for novices.
Unless youre setting up a large commercial sized setup, then you probably wont have a use for
multiple pumps. Do yourself a favor and stick to one pump.
Do I have the time?
Another thing you will want to keep in mind/consider is the time needed to set up your system
and maintain it. Luckily media based backyard aquaponic systems dont require a ton of
maintenance once you get them up and running but you dont want to just set it up and forget
about it.
As far as setting up your system, you just want to make sure that you set some time up for
focusing on putting it up. You dont have to get it all done in one day, but depending on how
good you are with tools, how much free time you have, and how handy you are, it might take
you a little while to put it together. If you have a fairly busy schedule set a small portion of time
each day for putting it together. If you can get some friends together, you can have everything
set up and ready to go in no time at all. Ill warn you in advance that once you get started it is
pretty addictive and you probably wont want to stop!
Salt Water vs. Fresh Water
Another thing you might want to consider is whether you want to go with fresh water or salt
water for your aquaponic system. A majority of systems are fresh water, but you may run into
the occasional salt water system. One factor that will affect your decision is what type of fish
you choose for your system (well touch on that a little later). For people just starting out, fresh

water is typically the best option. They are much easier to handle and maintain and will give
you a good idea about how the systems work.
If you do wish to go with a salt water system, you will have to cultivate some sort of organism
such as seaweed or algae to clean out the waters extra nutrients. I wont go too deep into this
area because its more advanced. Also, saltwater aquaponics is still an area that is being
researched and looked into so the jury is still out in a sense as to proper maintenance and care
needed for a saltwater system. As you get more experienced in aquaponics as a whole, you
should definitely explore different options such as saltwater aquaponics and do some of your
own experiments.
Designing Your System
Yes, finally, the portion of this book youve been waiting for! Now that youve gotten all of your
pieces and parts together, its time to start assembling! Depending on how handy you are and
how much you like getting your hands dirty so to speak, this will either be extremely fun or a
dread. Assembling your very own aquaponics system isnt necessarily a difficult task, and if you
have some friends to do it with, it can be very fun.
As you can see from the list of parts, were going to put this system together in different parts.
This enables you to build it over a period of time and pace yourself or if you have several people
working together, each person can build up a separate part. You dont necessarily have to go in
the same order of this guide, but if youre a novice or not the handiest person, it might be
easier to just follow along.
The Fish Tank
Building your own fish tank is a great way to save money on your aquaponics system. It is
extremely easy to set up which is another great reason to take on the project. The fish tank is
actually the easiest part to put together, so its an excellent place to start.
I will warn you ahead of time that you will be putting some tools to use and as a precautionary
measure, make sure that you are using goggles whenever handling any drills.
The parts that youll need for the fish tank are:

plastic barrel
1-3/4 PVC male adapter
1-3 long piece of PVC pipe
1-3/4 PVC threaded ball valve
1-3/4 PVCstreet ell
1-3/4 conduit locknut

The first thing youre going to do is stand up your barrel with the bungs up. There should be a
thin line between the bungs, you should be able to feel it if you rub your fingers across it.

Make a mark in the middle of this line using a framing square at a 90 degree angle. You can
label the mark mold line with a sharpie pen. Then flip your barrel on the opposite end and do
the same thing.

Lay the barrel on its side and make a straight mark (use a ruler!) from the top to the bottom.

Next, from one edge of the line you just drew, measure in 6 and draw a 90 degree line merging
into the centerline that is 6-1/2 long on each side. You will do the same on the other end of
the line as well. Then make a line connecting the ends of those 6-1/2 lines, essentially forming
a box in the middle for your cutout.

Now, cut out the center section that you marked out. Brace the barrel against something so
that youre able to make a clean cut without the barrel moving around on you. You can sand
down the edges so that the cutout is smooth and clean.

Stand your barrel up on the end with the bottom side up. Use a frame square to make a line
that goes to the bottom of your tank and make a mark at 1-1/2 from the edge. You are going
to drill a 1 hole at this point.

Place a PVC male adapter piece with silicone on the threads. If youre having issues
threading it, you can use a pipe tap but its not a necessity.

In order to secure your adapter, you can lock it from the inside with a conduit locknut.

Next youll install a 3 piece of PVC with the PVC street ell.

Now all you have to do is install the ball valve as well as the fittings that are used for your pump
and your fish tank is complete!

Grow Beds
Next, well put together the grow beds for the system. This guide will show you how to create
two grow beds using one barrel. Again, if you already have something you can use for grow
beds, then you can use that. But barrels are a very cost effective way to make your own and
save the money of having to buy your own. If you can make the fish tank, you are more than
capable of making your own grow beds as well. It is extremely important that the barrel you
use for this part is clean and never had any kind of toxic chemicals in it.
The parts youll need to make your own grow beds are:

(1) Barrel
4- PVC male adapters
4-1/2 PVC pipe pieces 4 inches long
4-1/2 PVC ells
2-1/2 PVC pipe pieces 10 inches long
2-1/2 PVC pipe pieces 12 inches long
2-1/2 grey PVC female npt x male hose barb
(2) 6-8 pieces of hose for the barb
3 piece of 3/8 vinyl tubing
(1) section of corrugated sewer. Do not use the type with holes

The first thing you will do is stand the barrel up with the bottom side up. Use your framing
square to make a perpendicular line from the center of the mold line just like you did with the
fish tank, Mark each side of the mold line near the edge.

Drill a hole wide one inch from the edge of the lines you just marked.

Flip the barrel over with the bungs facing up and remove them. Then youre going to cut the
barrel in half (the long way) using the mold line as a guide using a jigsaw. You can sand down
the edges of the barrel you cut with sandpaper so that they are smooth. If your barrel has a lip
on it, cut it off with your jigsaw as well.

Also, now that you have your barrel cut open, take this opportunity to clean the inside out
really well. Use an all-purpose cleaner for the initial rinse. Then use some vinegar to help
neutralize the cleaner. You can also go the extra step and scrub it really well with bleach water
for extra precaution.
Find the holes you drilled on your barrel in the beginning. Thread a male PVC adapter into
the whole with a silicone sealer like you did with the fish tank. Place a conduit locknut and
tighten the male PVC adapter on the inside.

Next, thread the female x barb to the piece you just inserted. By doing this youve
created a bulkhead fitting on the outside and a hose barb on the inside!

Slide on the short part of your hose onto the barb curved down. If your tubing doesnt fit the
end, you can heat it to get it to form better.

Now, grab your drain field pipe. Your pipe should have a mold line one the sides, cut along
those lines (the long way) and you should have two pieces.

Half of your drain pipe will cover this connection running the long way at the bottom of your
grow bed. Since your tube is turned downwards, it should be touching the bottom of your grow
bed.
The Stand
As I mentioned earlier, building your own stand is optional. However, if you choose to use
something else as a stand, make sure it is sturdy enough to support the weight. Your entire
system will probably weigh over 600lbs. The stand built in this guide is more than capable of
supporting this. There is a little woodwork involved in this process, so if you dont feel
comfortable cutting wood you can always go to a hardware store such as Home Depot and have
them make the cuts for you according to your specs.

Do not underestimate the size/weight of this aquaponic system! If you choose to make your
own using another guide or from your own design, please ensure that you have a solid base to
support the weight of this system.
The parts needed for this part are:

(6) Concrete blocks

(1) 12 2x6
(1) 12 2x8
(4) 10 2x4
(3) 8 2x4
1 lb. 3 deck screws

Screw your 2x6 piece and 2x8 to create a V shape piece. Just screw through your 2x8 into
your 2x6.

Take this new piece youve created and cut it into 4 35 pieces

Screw two of your 10 2x4s together on top of each other to make a 4x4 piece. Then cut the big
piece into two pieces that are 54-3/4 long.

Spread the two 54-3/4 parts about 3 feet apart and place two of your V shaped pieces on
the ends to create a rectangular shape.

Place one of your 3 deck screws in each corner and make sure its squared. You can check by
making sure your diagonals are all equal. Then you can screw in the other 4 corners with your
deck screws.

Next, place another one of your V pieces in the middle. You can/should use a ruler to find the
exact center of your rectangle. Then screw it in place with your deck screws.

Flip the entire wooden piece over (carefully!). Mark the center of your cross brace and then
measure out 8 inches on each side and mark it.

Screw together two more of your 10 2x4s to make another 4x4 piece like earlier. Then cut that
into two pieces that are 51-1/2 long. This will be used as a longitudinal brace. Attach it at the
8 mark you made in the previous step and as shown in the picture below. This end will lay
flush on the wood and the other will slightly overhang.

Screw in the overhanging part with deck screws. You will do the same thing on the side of the
cross brace center. It should look like the image below. Then flip it back over (carefully!)

Use the leftover 2x4s and create pieces the following sizes (a hardware store can make these
cuts for you if you dont feel comfortable but its not too difficult):

(4) 14 long pieces

(4) 23-1/4 long pieces
(1) 16 long piece
(1) 19 long piece

With these pieces, youre going to take 2 of the 14 pieces and 2 of the 23-1/4 pieces and
make a rectangular shape with a 3-1/2 offset on one end using your deck screws. You are
going to make another one of these pieces with the remaining 14 and 23-1/4 pieces.

Now youre going to screw these two pieces you just created into the larger piece you made
earlier. The pieces should lay flush due to the excess overhang on both pieces.

Then attach the 16 piece at the top of the two pieces you just put on like the picture below.

Screw on the 19 piece at the end of the top like you see below. Then stand back at look at the
grow bed frame you just put together! Easier than you thought, right?

Assuming you have the spot picked out for your aquaponics set up, youre going to lay down
your concrete blocks in a rectangular shape. Space them 26 inches wide and 50 inches long. It is
extremely important that they are leveled and not uneven. This is where the gravity factor that
I mentioned earlier comes into play. This has to lay as flat and evenly as possible or your system
might not function properly. Then lay your frame on top of your blocks.

Then place your grow beds into the spaces of the frame.

Use your last V shaped piece to wedge your fish tank against the blocks at the front of your
frame.

At this point, your drain pipe halves should be covering the suction tubes of your grow beds.
This part will require two people. One person will hold down the pipes while the other pours in
the gravel into the grow beds to help hold the drain pipes down. Make sure that your gravel is
washed and cleaned especially if you didnt buy it new!

Keep filling your grow beds, making sure that the top is leveled and even. You want to fill them
up until they are about 1 from the bung holes of the barrel. Then place 4 long PVC pipes,
ells and 10 long PVC pipe pieces into the male adapters at the bottom of your grow beds
pointed upwards.

Now you will fill up the buckets with water using a hose or buckets of water. Dont fill the beds
to the top though. Fill it to the bottom of the bungs and mark where the water level is on the
outside of your grow beds. Then place a mark thats about below the water level and drill a
hole wide into each grow bed at that mark.

Place a male PVC adapter in the hole with a conduit locknut on the inside of the grow
beds. Then install a 4 long piece of PVC pipe into the male adapter and place a ell on the
PVC pipe. Install a 12 PVC piece in each ell essentially forming a downspout. They will be aimed
down into the fish tank. This will help ensure that any water that siphoned from the grow beds
will go into the fish tank instead of the ground.

You can cut the 10 tubes into at least 6 long pieces if youd like. Then cut the 3 piece of 3/8
vinyl tube in half and put one piece in each of the grow bed downspouts to stop the grow beds
from flowing out. This helps to allow the nutrients and to flow through the plants a little more
before they get cycled back into the fish tank. Remember, you want to make sure the water is
filtered properly before being cycled back into the fish tank because it can harm them.

The Flood Valve

The flood valve is the part of your aquaponics system that allows you to adjust the flood/drain
function without the need of timers or processors. So it is essential to your setup and by making
one yourself, youre saving yourself a decent amount of money.
The way a floodvalve works is a siphon fills a counterweight that lifts open a flush valve like in
your toilet. The water from the valve fills the grow beds. The counterweight has a small hole so
it drains slower than it fills up. After the flood tank is empty enough to break open the siphon,
the counterweight starts to empty out.
After the counterweight is empty and light enough, the flush valve closes up and the process
repeats. Its essentially a self-operating flush system that eliminates the need to have to
constantly flush it out manually. Many people find it easiest to understand the flood valves by
thinking of it as a toilet flush valve.
Since youve managed to complete the other portions of this setup, you should feel
comfortable going into this portion. But this part is a little more complex to put together so be
forewarned. You may want to read through it a few times first so that you have a good
understanding of how its supposed to work first.
The parts you will need to get started with your flood valve are:

The last plastic barrel

1 ft. 1/4" pex pipe
flush valve
1/2" PVC male adapter

1/2" PVC ell

of 1-3/4" long 1/2" PVC pipe
3" long 1/2" PVC pipe
6" long 1/2" PVC pipe
3/4" PVC male adapter
4" long 3/4" PVC pipe
2" PVC female adapter
2"x1" PVC sch 40 bushing
1 " PVC street ell
1" PVC tee
1"x3/4" PVC ell
6" long PVC sch 40 1" pipe
19" long 1" PVC thin wall pipe
(2) 8 1/2" long 1" PVC thin wall pipe
1/2"conduit locknuts
3/4" conduit locknuts
3/8"x 1/2" FIP coupler with insert
pkg. screen door tension rollers
24" steel fishing leader
(10) #10 x 3/4" SS pan head sheet metal screws
#8 x 1/2" SS pan head sheet metal screws
#10 SS flat washer
1/4" split shot (preferably brass)
AR 3/8" SS flat washers
1 liter water bottle
1" by 2 1/2" by 4" long wood block
1" by 1" by 7" long wood block
AR 1/2" foam sheet (type used for insulation)
(1) tube of aquarium silicone
AR 2" net pots

Turn your barrel upside down (with the bottom side up). Find the center of the bottom using
the mold line just like before. Use a framing square and make a line that is perpendicular to the
center of the mold line.

Make a mark 4 inches from the edge of the line you just made. Then, draw a 2 long line
perpendicular to the 4 mark at a 90 degree angle.

Then make a mark that is 1-1/2 from the first line. This is where the hole for the toilet valve
will go.

Use a 2-1/2 hole saw to make a hole in the center of the mark you just made. If youve never
used a hole saw, they have a tendency to get caught when cutting through plastic. So make
sure the barrel is secure and that you are well braced when cutting.

Turn the barrel over on the other side and place it on a flat surface. Use your handy framing
square and make a line 18 from the first line you drew.

At the top of the 18 line, draw a line parallel to it 1 to the right and 5 down.

You are going to make 2 marks on this new 5 line. The first will be 16-1/2 from the bottom of
your barrel, and the second will be 14-1/2 from the bottom. Drill a 1/8 hole on each of the
marks you just made.

On the original vertical line you made, make a mark 9-3/4 from the bottom and drill a whole
wide there.

Make a line around the barrel approximately 17-1/2 from the bottom of the barrel that goes
all the way around the barrel. This will mark where you cut for the flood tank. It should
intersect the other lines you drew. Then use a jigsaw to cut through the mark you just made.
This piece will be your flood tank. Go ahead and clean out both parts of the barrel just like you
cleaned the grow beds.

Sub-Assemblies
There are a few things that you can do at this point that will help you when you put the entire
assembly together. These sub-assemblies are fairly easy to do so its a great idea to get them
out of the way now.
The first thing youll make is an extension for the toilet valve to the overflow tube. Take your
toilet valve and 6 40 PVC pipe and slip the pipe over the overflow tube. You should have a 14
piece that is secured on.

Next, take your 2 PVC female adapter, 2x1 inch PVC bushing, and 1 PVC street ell and put
them together like the picture below. Glue the joints together to create a toilet valve to
manifold adapter.

Take a 19 long PVC piece of 1 thin wall pipe, 1 PVC tee, two 8-1/2 long 1 thin wall PVC
pipe, and two 1x3/4 PVC reducing ells and put them together so that it looks like the picture
below.

Now, youll need:

(3) PVC ells

(2) 1-3/4 pipe pieces
(1) 3 piece of pipe
(1) 6 long piece of PVC pipe

Put these pieces together in the manner below. They should fit into each other so do not glue
them.

Next you will put together the siphon tube downspout. For this youll need a pex pipe, #10
stranded wire, and something to produce heat such as a blow dryer or heat gun. Since you will
be handling heated plastic you should have some gloves on or something to handle the heat
(you dont want to handle it with your bare hands). Place the wire into the pex pipe with a
piece of the wire exposed from the pipe.

Heat a section (2wide, 1 from the end) of the pipe until youre able to bend it. Bend the pipe
at a 90 degree angle around a piece of pipe and hold it in place until it cools. Running some cool
water over it will help it cool down faster.

After it has cooled, take the wire out of the tube and trim the tube to 1-1/2x7. Keep the extra
tube that you cut off.

Take the 3/8x1/2 FIP coupler and place a compression nut and compression ring on the pex
pipe. Place the inner tube into the short side of the pex pipe.

Put together the fitting and tighten it until the nut fits on tight to the compression ring basically
locking the compression ring into the pipe.

Then remove the brass insert. Put the compression fitting back on tightly.

Next, youre going to put together the roller block. Take your 1x1x7 inch blog of wood and drill
some holes for screws to attach it to a 1x2-1/2x4 inch wooden block.

Drill a hole 5/32 wide about 3/8 from the end of your wooden piece.

Screw the wooden pieces together using 1-5/8 deck screws.

Take your steel leader and thread it through the 5/32 hole you drilled earlier with the swivel
end at the top.

Place a #10 SS washer, split shot sinker, and the leftover 1 pex pipe leftover from earlier on
the steel leader.

Attach the rollers like the picture below. Make sure one of the rollers allows for the steel leader
to go through the hole and the other one should let the leader hang off the end of the roller
block.

Now its time to put that water bottle to use. On the bottom of your water bottle cut off one of
the raised areas like in the picture below. This space is where the siphon downspout will go.

Drill two 1/8 holes into the bottom of the bottle.

With the cap on the top, drill a 5/32 hole into the center of the cap.

Putting It Together
Now that you have all the separate pieces ready, its time to start assembling everything.
First, youre going to attach the toilet valve with silicone onto the gasket (the gasket will be on
the inside of your barrel) and tighten up the nut from the outside.

On the inside, place a PVC male adapter with silicone onto the threads and lock it in place
with a locknut on the outside of the barrel.

Next youre going to attach the siphon downspout from the outside. Make sure its tightened
on nice and secure.

Now youre going to attach your roller block to the tank using those 1/8 holes you drilled into
the wooden block. Make sure your block assembly is centered and attach them to the barrel
using two #10x3/4 SS panhead screws on the inside. The top of the block assembly should lay
flush atop the tank.

Attach the water bottle onto the steel leader.

For now, you can hold down the other end of the leader to the toilet valve flapper chain. Youre
going to use washers to help offset the weight of the water bottle (probably about 10-12
washers). You want to the flapper to close properly when the water bottle gets emptied.

Angle the siphon downspout to the side so that it can be placed into the water bottle. Then
turn the bottle with the tube inside it downward like it was before.

Now youre going to attach the adjustable siphon assembly to the male adapter. Make sure the
cable is able to go through a full range of motion. Your leader bottle should be able to move
freely uninterrupted.

You will want to test out the unit out before you attach it to the rest of your aquaponics
system. Place the entire unit on some blocks so that the toilet valve is elevated. Fill the tank
with water slowly with a hose or water buckets.

As the water gets close to the top of the siphon, the water bottle should start filling up. Once
the water bottle starts to get full enough, it should open up the toilet valve.

You may experience a little bit of leakage in the toilet valve, this is perfectly normal. Keep filling
up the tank while it drains to see how it would function with an actual pump. After the water
bottle is emptied, it should allow for the flapper to fall and seal the tank for the next cycle. In
the event that the flapper doesnt close, you should add more washers for extra weight. But
you dont want to add too much weight so add them slowly until you find the amount that
allows it to close properly.

In order to adjust the maximum volume of your flood cycles, adjust the top of the adjustable
siphon. The downspout settings control when the water bottle stops filling up. You can adjust
the settings and play with it to see the difference it makes. This gives you great control over
your aquaponic system and allows you to adjust for different plants in the grow beds. You can
completely customize the system to work for the needs of your plants.
Assuming everything is working properly, you can now install the manifold adapter using
sealant on the threads.

Place your new flood tank onto the framework with the rest of your pieces and attach the
manifold. Your water bottle should be hanging over one of your grow beds so that the water
can drip into it.

Floating Raft Tank

Another part of this system that you can assemble is a floating raft tank. This is for people who
want to utilize a floating raft setup. The plants will be in net pots and the roots will be
submerged in the fish tank water. Alternatively, you could use this as a place to grow water
plants to feed your fish. But for now, well focus on making the floating raft tank utilizing the
leftover portion of the barrel from the flood tank. Since you have put together everything else,
this part should be a breeze.
Place the barrel upside down on a table or other flat surface. Then measure up 6-1/2 and
make a mark.

Cut the barrel off at that mark. Then drill a hole about 1 wide around 3 inches from the edge of
your barrel.

Insert a male PVC adapter inside the hole (from the inside of the barrel) and cover it with a
4 long PVC sch. 40.

Then drill a hole directly across from the fitting you just made. It should be about 1 away
from the top edge.
Next, place a male adapter on the inside and lock it with a conduit locknut on the
outside. Use a npt x barb as well on the threads of the male adapter. Make sure you
tighten in well. Then install a 1-3/4 piece of PVC pipe and a PVC ell on the inside of your

tank. This will be the water inlet from your pump. The purpose of this part is to transfer the
water from the pump to the tank until it overflows and goes into the flood tank.

Now you should have a leftover 2x4 from when you put together the frame. Use this to cut a
23 long piece and a 21 piece.

Screw the two pieces together into a T shape using your deck screws. Nothing too fancy here.

Now, get out your foam sheet. Youll need a piece big enough to fit into the raft tank. You will
cut it out in the shape of the barrel and it should be able to fit in so that you can move it up and
down freely. Place the foam piece on top and press down on the standpipe so that you know
where to cut your hole for the standpipe to go through. Then turn the sheet over and cut out
your hole. You can also cut your holes for your net pots. The size of the holes will depend on
the type of plants you plan on growing. Youll also want to cut out a space so that your hose bib
can slide through.

Place your T shaped piece from earlier on top of your flood tank. Then place the raft tank on
top as well.

The Pump
Now that you have all of those parts put together, youre going to need a pump if you dont
already have one. For this system, your pump needs to be able to do at least 60 gph at a 7
head. This will require that you look at the actual specs of the pump. What most pumps do is
list the gph at a 0 head. So you may see something like 500 gph on the box but that is for a 0
head, not 7. Blige pumps however are generally rated at a 3 head.
So make sure if youre buying a new one to check the specs. Most pumps will have a complete
chart on the back that tells you the maximum head and flow. All you need to look at is the
volume of water, not the pressure. You dont really want to get cheap with your pump, as it will
be a pretty big factor in the overall performance of your system. 60gph is the minimum, so if
you can get something better go for it. Trying to go with small pumps typically causes a need for
frequent cleaning and flushing in order for everything to work on a consistent basis. Aquaponics
is supposed to a self-sustaining system for the most part so constantly having to go back and
clean your pump and make sure everything is operational isnt ideal for most people.
Cheaper pumps tend to not last as long and will ultimately crap out on you from my experience.
They may be operational and seem great for a short period of time but eventually the
functionality begins to decline and its unable to sustain the maximum capabilities. You should
be aiming for a pump that is capable of working at around 50% or less of the rated output.
If youre new to aquaponics, you may be overwhelmed at all of the different pumps available
online or in stores. For aquaponics, many people go with centrifugal pumps. Some people like
submersible pumps that can go directly in the water but the problem with those is that it makes
them less accessible. You can also look into magnetic drive pumps. These are nice because even
if the impeller gets stuffed up, it will continue to function. In the inevitable event that your
pump goes out on you, you can just replace the heads and keep using the motor. This will save
you some money.

If you can find the type of pumps used in marine air conditioners, those are the optimal choice.
These are typically fairly expensive though (over $300). You may be able to find decent deals on
eBay or other classified sites so keep your eyes open and stay alert for great deals. Another
great way to get one for cheap is visiting a local marina. Sometimes they have old ones that
they scrap simply because the pump section is a little worn but the motor is still good. For this
all you have to do is order a new pump kit and youll have a close to new one ready to go.
Another fairly popular choice of pumps is the 12V bilge. These are decent options but the
problem with them is that debris gets into them fairly easily. Once you get junk in there, it stops
your impeller and blow the fuse out so that your whole system is broken. After this happens a
few times youll have to completely replace your pump which will get old very quickly.
If youre using a 12V bilge, you should get some sort of filter to catch the debris before it gets
too deep into your pump and shuts things down. Also, keep in mind that these types dont have
a very long lifespan. They arent built to be used nonstop like aquaponics require. The upside is
that they are probably one of the cheapest options available so they are easy to replace. If
youre running a 12VDC system, they might get the job done, but you should definitely aim for
something better. For aquaponics you want a pump that will be able to last a long time and is
built for continuous full time use. As you know, your system will be running overnight and even
when youre not around so you need a dependable pump. Once your pump goes out it
completely disrupts your entire system and if left unattended for an extended period of time
you will have a huge problem on your hands.
If you dont want to use an electric pump, you can pretty much use any type of method that will
move water since you have the flood valve. Some people even use solar panels hooked up to a
12V pump. Others have been able to utilize wind power utilizing a wind mill like system. You
can even use a water wheel or a gas powered pump. However, gas powered pumps would be
better off for large scale setups (commercial use) and will be pretty expensive to setup and
maintain. The point is that you have a wide range of options available so youre not limited to
strictly electrical pumps. Other options may be more environmentally feasible and cheaper as
well. Try different things and find out what works best for your system.
Whatever type of pump you choose, make sure it is able to support your aquaponic system on a
full time basis. This is one issue that you might run into if you choose to go for a solar powered
option because the system will have to run overnight as well so keep that in consideration
when making your decision.
Plumbing

Now that you have your pump all ready to go, the next step will be hooking it all up. Obviously
this section might vary a bit depending on what type of pump you chose but the overall
methodology is still the same.
For this setup, weve used a black poly pipe for the hose. This material is commonly used in
underground irrigation systems. Id recommend using this for your setup because it is easy to
find (Home Depot or Lowed) and cheap. Also, youre less likely to have to deal with algae
forming inside because the black helps keep the sun light out. For this reason, you should avoid
using clear or light tubing that draws in sunlight. Once algae starts to form is completely clogs
up your hose and water wont be able to get through. And any water that does go through will
flow very slowly and have traces of algae inside. Lastly, black poly pipe is really easy to hook up.
You can use grey poly barbed fittings to hook everything together without a need for clamps.
To connect your pump to the fish tank, you can use a hose from the ball valve to the pump
inlet. For this portion, you can use a clear hose so that you can see if theres any debris flowing
in or blocking the passage. You can use a regular garden hose fitting to easily be able to unhook
the inlet whenever you need.

Once youve connected the fish tank to the pump inlet, you use a black poly pipe to connect
with a tee split. One side will go to your raft tank and the other will be hooked up to your fish
tank connected to an aerator.

To make your aerator, use a npt to barb fitting. Drill a hole at the opposite end of the
outlet at the edge of fish tanks opening like in the picture below.

Next, take a threaded PVC cap and drill some fairly small holes into it. This is going to
function similar to a shower head.

Stick the barb through the hole in the fish tank you just drilled with the barb on the outside.
Cover it with a black poly tubing so that it doesnt slide through. You may want to heat it up a
little bit make it fit easier. Now any extra water will go back into the fish tank and will be
aerated as well. In the event that something goes wrong with your pump or you experience
some blockage and the water doesnt go into the raft tank, the fish tank will still be aerated.

And there you have it. You should now have a complete aquaponics setup complete on a very
minimal budget. Remember you can definitely use recycled materials to save a little more
money and to be more environmentally safe.
The great part about aquaponics is that there is an endless amount of ways to customize your
setup and I encourage you to try some different things out. Whether its using a different type
of media, pump, trying out an NFT setup or whatever you can think of. Aquaponics is a very fun
activity to get into and you will definitely enjoy it.
You can take pride knowing that you completely set up your system from scratch. If this process
seems a little overwhelming, you can also buy a complete setup. Of course this will cost you a
lot more money and you wont be as familiar with how every works. Keep in mind that the
aquaponics systems that you can buy dont arrive assembled so you will have to put parts
together. A lot of beginners prefer to make their own setup first just to get started out and to
have an idea of how everything works but this is by no means a necessity.
What it essentially boils down to is what you feel comfortable with and your ability to be handy.

3. Cultivating With Aquaponics

This final chapter is all about cultivating your fish, plants, and also the importance of bacteria
for a functional aquaponic setup. There are several different options you have for what you will
grow and everyone seems to have their personal favorites. There arent necessarily any best
plants or fish to grow in your garden and that is a big misconception about aquaponics.
Sometimes people think that aquaponics is only for specific types of fish or plants but thats far
from the truth. The beauty of aquaponics is that youre able to grow so many different types of
things that youll have no shortage of food. You wont have to worry about getting bored or
tired because you can always start growing something different. Currently there have been
over 300 types of plants grown in aquaponic systems so that should give you a good idea of the

scope of possibilities. Its probably easier to name the things that you cant grow rather than
what you can grow because the list is just that long.
We will also go over a topic that most novices overlook, bacteria. When people think of bacteria
they tend to think of disgusting organisms that will make you sick and cant fathom how they
could benefit your aquaponic system. But your aquaponics system will not function without
bacteria so its important that you understand how it works and how it helps your setup.
Fish
Choosing fish for your aquaponic system is one of the most fun parts for many people. If you
got involved in aquaponics because you used to engage in aqua farming, you will probably love
this portion of the process. There are a few different aspects to consider when choosing fish for
your setup. As we mentioned, there is no best type of fish so you dont have to worry about
making any mistakes here.
Aquaponics gives you a chance to get the freshest organic fish whenever you want right in your
backyard! This is what all the hard work of putting your system together was for.
Treat this part as a fun experience and take in the information in this section to help guide your
way towards getting fish in your aquaponic setup.
Common Types Of Fish
Ok, so there might not be a best type of fish to use in aquaponics but there are certainly
some common types that are popular.

Barramundi: You will find many people growing barramundi during the spring and
winter as theyre more prone to the warm weather. Using barramundi in your
aquaponic system will give you a very clean fresh taste. They are a very popular choice
and are really easy to harvest.

Catfish: Youve probably made a practice of buying catfish from the grocery store or
from restaurants but you havent had great catfish until youve grown your own organic
catfish in your aquaponic system. There are several types of different catfish available
but one of the most popular types used in aquaponics is the channel catfish. People like
catfish because they grow faster than other species of fish and give you a great bang for
your buck!

Carp: Carp is one of the most commonly eaten fish throughout the entire world. The
problem with carp is that theyre a little difficult to get. Its not recommended that you

mix carp in the same fish tank as your other species of fish as they have a reputation of
being noxious in some respects. But certain species of carp are great for aquaponics and
youll definitely see a decent amount of setups that harvest them.

Jade Perch: Jade perch is notorious in Australia. For health purposes, the perch is
absolutely amazing because its packed with omega 3 oils which are great for you. Some
people who raise jade perch in their commercial aquaponics system actually try to make
them less oily for people who would rather not have such an oily fish. They are
omnivores and live in warm water. Jade perch are a great choice for any aquaponic
system.

Trout: These fish are great for people in cooler areas. They can grow really fast and
convert food very well. You will find trout in many aquaponic setups because they are
perfect for this type of environment.

Goldfish: Goldfish are very popular amongst commercial aquaponic users. They can be
sold to pet shops for a nice profit and if they breed you can easily turn them over
quickly. Its definitely nice to have some goldfish in your aquaponic setup.

Silver Perch: The silver perch is a very reliable type of fish that is easy to maintain which
makes them great for people just getting into aquaponics. A great benefit of silver perch
is that they can thrive in almost any temperature so they are seen as a very versatile
fish. They dont grow as quick as some other species however. It can take about a year
to a year and a half for them to get full size.

Murray Cod: This is another popular Australian fish that can grow to be very large. As far
as utilizing them in aquaponics and fish tanks, they are a growing trend. They are very

popular in aquaculture and fish farming and have found their way into many aquaponic
systems recently. They grow very rapidly but you have to make sure you are feeding
them regularly because they have a tendency to eat each other. So you have to be
careful with this species.

Koi: Koi is a type of carp fish. You may know that they are extremely popular in Asia and
many people make Koi ponds specifically for this fish. They are great for aquaponics so if
you love Koi, you can definitely incorporate them in your setup.

Tilapia:This is another very popular type of fish all around the world. Many restaurants
use them and they are very popular amongst bodybuilders and health enthusiasts that

love to eat fish. Tilapia is a great starter fish for people just getting into aquaponics
because they grow fast, breed easily, theyre omnivores, and arent expensive to feed.
They do require a warm water atmosphere however, which can be a drawback for some
people who live in a cooler area.

Those are just some of the most popular types of fish that you can have in your aquaponic
system. There are plenty of other types of fish that you can grow in your system. Try some
different things out until you find out what works for you.
One thing you want to avoid is overstocking your system with fish. Trying to pack it too much
results in issues. You will have to constantly monitor your system to make sure that everything
is functioning properly and at optimal rates. Trying to do too much can result in adverse
outcomes. If youre just starting out, try to limit the amount of different species youre raising
unless youre experienced in raising fish.
The last thing you want to do is overwhelm yourself trying to care for a bunch of different types
of fish with little knowledge of their individual needs. Aquaponics isnt as simple as just
dumping fish into a fish tank and feeding them. Certain fish have specific needs that must be
met in order for them to grow and thrive. Make sure you do research on any type of fish you
plan on using in your system before you get started.
Other Species
You can grow more than just fish in your aquaponic system which is another great advantage.
In addition to fish, you can also grow prawns, crayfish, mussels, crustaceans and more.

Incorporating these other species is great for a few reasons. For one, things like fresh water
mussels can help filter out your system naturally. You can even place them in a flooded grow
bed if you dont want to put them in the fish tank. Having an extra source for filtering never
hurts your aquaponic system.

A lot of people enjoy raising some different types of crayfish as well. Redclaws, Yabbies and
Marron are all very popular choices for aquaponics. Redclaws grow very quickly and are native
to Australia. They thrive in warm weather though so if you live somewhere a little cooler, you
may want to look into Yabbies or Marron. Yabbies are great for breeding and grow very quickly.
One downside of them is that they have a tendency to be a little violent and can eat each other.
Choosing the right fish for your system
Now that youve gotten a decent look at what type of fish you can raise in your aquaponic
system, how do you know what to look for when choosing the fish for your system?

When looking for fish for your system, some things you want to look for are:

Eats fish food

Can live in a fish tank
Can live in the general temperature of where you live
Can tolerate ammonia
Is not cannibalistic (doesnt eat other fish)

You want fish that eat fish food because its a cost effective method of feeding them. If they
have special needs for food then it can become quite costly and trying to feed your fish
becomes a big ordeal. Aquaponics is supposed to be easy and simple, dont overcomplicate it
with fancy feeding needs.
Obviously youre going to want to make sure that the fish can live in a fish tank. If your fish are
a saltwater species, you might not want to place them into a freshwater fish tank unless they
are euryhaline fish that can live in both freshwater and saltwater.

Temperature is extremely important for any aquaponics system. In fact, temperature is one of
the main factors to consider when choosing fish. Some fish simply cannot thrive in cold water
and need warm water. If you live in a cool environment and want to have warm water fish,
youll need to get some type of water heater or something to control the temperature of your
water. This means a new expense that you may not be prepared for. Its much easier to just get
fish that are native to the overall temperature of where you live.
The fish in your fish tank will produce waste and generate ammonia. Since ammonia can be
fatal for fish, the water is filtered before it gets pumped back into the fish tank. However, there

is always the possibility that trace amounts of ammonia are still in the water. So its important
to make sure that the fish are at least a little resistant to ammonia just in case.
Unless you want to keep getting new fish and basically keep starting over, you want to make
sure your fish arent cannibalistic. Sometimes, a fishes cannibalistic nature can be triggered by
temperatures or other elements of the environment. Make sure that the species you pick isnt
prone to cannibalism before you introduce into your aquaponic system.
Another thing that some people fail to take into consideration is whether or not they even like
the type of fish they are growing (assuming youre farming the fish to eat). I recommend getting
out and trying some different types of fish to find out what you like before you invest time and
energy into growing fish youre not going to want to eat.
You should also check to see if your local government forbids you from breeding any specific
types of fish. Again, aquaponics is supposed to be fun so you dont want to be fined just
because youre breeding certain type of fish that you werent supposed to.
Make sure you have an idea about how big the fish youre getting will be. While you may get it
when its a fingerling, it wont stay that size forever. You have to calculate the spacing of your
fish tank and think about how many full sized fish of your species will fit in there. Fish need to
be able to swim freely so packing all of your fish into a tight space will have several negative
consequences including dead fish, sick fish, large buildups of waste, and more.
How many fish can I have?
A popular question that youll probably have is how many fish can I raise in my aquaponics
setup? The answer will depend on a few different things:

How big is your fish tank?

What type of fish do you have?
Your filtering system
How fast your system can eliminate nitrates

The more fish you place in your fish tank, the more risk youre assuming. Again, for people just
starting out you want to start out light and not get overwhelmed. Having too many fish in your
fish tank will result in problems cleaning out the ammonia and removing waste and it will
become even more important that your system is properly filtered.
As a general rule of thumb, a 1,000 liter fish tank should be able to produce up to 40kg of fish
each year. This isnt a maximum per say, and will depend on how well you manage the system.
If you have no idea what youre doing and arent keeping your system up obviously you wont
yield nearly the same amount as an experiences aquaponics farmer who is constantly checking

up on their system. You can try to keep it at about 4kg of fish per 100 liters while youre just
starting out. This is a manageable number that you can adjust later on as you gain experience
and knowledge.
For people who insist on keeping a large number of fish, its advised that you test your system
out regularly to ensure everything is functioning properly. Also, make sure you are feeding your
fish regularly and evenly. You may even want to have a backup aquaponics setup in the event
that your main one breaks down for whatever reason. Its been shown that setups with more
fish have a higher tendency to break down so you will need a backup plan unless you can afford
to lose all of your fish if something breaks or if the power goes out.
Feeding The Fish
Unless you want your fish to starve or not grow properly, you will need to make sure they are
getting an adequate amount of food. You can use regular fish pellets that you buy from a pet
store or even an aquarium.

The biggest debate about feeding your fish is about how much to feed them. There are a few
different thoughts/methods people use to determine how much to feed their fish. One method
is to feed your fish around 1.5-3% of the weight of your fish every day. If your system is running
great and is properly optimized, this might work for you.
Another method is the eye test. This is how most people feed their fish at home. Simply feed
your fish as much as they would like to eat. You just have to make sure you keep a good eye on
which fish are consuming what amount. This method also allows you see if any of your fish are
having problems eating which is a sign of disease. Something youll want to watch out for is
changes in your fishs metabolism. This is commonly caused by drops in the temperature.
Also if youre pouring food into your fish tank and the fish arent eating, youll have a buildup of
uneaten food in your tank. This uneaten food will increase the levels of ammonia in your tank
and cause problems with your filters. If you notice that your fish arent eating and food is
gathering at the bottom of your tank, try going a couple of days without feeding and see what
happens.
Another issue you can run into is feeding your fish too much. This will result if fish with a large
amount of body fat which is not what people look for in fish. After a while youll find the perfect
amount to feed your fish and it will become almost automatic for you.
For smaller fish, some people buy an automatic fish feeder. If you have the money to spend you
can give it a try but its not a necessity by any means.
Plants
The other big part of aquaponics is growing plants. This is where youll be able to put your
green thumb to use. Ive stressed it time and time again throughout this book; aquaponics gives
you the freshest healthiest organic vegetables you can get. A Canadian researcher by the name
of Dr. Nick Savidov proved that aquaponics gives greater production than hydroponics.

The debate between aquaponics and soil based farming has been debated back and forth but
many studies have shown that aquaponics is as good if not better than gardening with soil.
As far as picking the type of plants you will be growing, the choices are endless. This is what
makes aquaponics stand out so much and why so many people are getting into it. Practically
any vegetable that you like can be grown through aquaponics organically. Some popular
choices for growing plants include:

Beans
Eggplant
Beets
Celery
Thyme
Kale
Basil
Tomatoes
Chokos
Coriander
Bok choi
Parsley
Cucumbers
Corn

Carrots
Peas
Cabbage
Onions
Potatoes

And this is an extremely short list of what you can grow. If you can grow a plant through
hydroponics, chances are you can grow them through aquaponics as well. Some popular
choices for people just starting out are leafy vegetables and herbs. They are easy to maintain
and grow. They fit perfectly into an aquaponics environment.
This is another one of those areas where I would encourage you to experiment and try some
different things out. Dont feel like you have to be limited to just salad greens or the items in
the list above. Try out anything you can think of and see if it works. You can really have some
fun with planting your vegetables.

With aquaponics, youre able to have your plants out in hot water and still get a great supply of
water through the cycling process. Unlike soil based gardening, plants grown with aquaponics
dont have their roots submerged underground where water is soaked up quickly in the heat.
You dont have to worry about providing extra water to your plants because the plants are
being watered continuously in your self-sustaining system.
With aquaponics you have the ability to continuously change and alter your setup on the go.
There are several things you can do to help your plants grow better if problems occur. For
example, if you notice youre not producing enough nitrate, you can use some worm tea to help
add nutrients. Feel free to make proper adjustments and alter things to get optimal results.
Performing diagnostics on your system can be a bit difficult if youre new to aquaponics or
gardening. Luckily this is one of the areas where the strong aquaponics community can be
extremely helpful. Explaining your issues on forums will likely get you solutions to your issues.
Seeds vs. Seedlings

Are you going to go with store bought seedlings or seeds? There is not right answer here but
each has pros and cons. Seedlings that you buy will definitely grow much faster but they will
cost a little more than seeds.

Growing vegetables through aquaponics does require a little bit of knowledge and skill
however. You can sprinkle your seeds directly into the gravel of your grow bed. You can set up
your grow beds so that the water raises up to 50mm below the surface. This will decrease the
chances of algae forming on your gravel but you also run the risk of your seeds not getting
enough water.
A tip if youre using gravel as a media is to use a spoon to dig a spot to put your seedling roots.
Then cover the gravel up right away and water it. Also, try to do your planting when its cooler
outside and avoid doing it on those really hot days.
Pest Control

Another very important aspect of planting with aquaponics is pest control. Remember that
aquaponics is completely organic so youre not going to be dealing with all of those toxic
pesticides. One of the great things about aquaponics is that your plants are elevated so it
greatly decreases the chances of bugs getting to them. In the event that caterpillars or other
insects find their way to your plants, they make a great snack for your fish. Simply pluck them
off and toss them into your fish tank so that they can eat.
If youre looking for some organic pest control methods, consider trying out the following:

Take 3 hot green peppers, a couple of cloves of garlic, tsp of liquid soap and 3 cups of
water. Combine the garlic and hot peppers in a blender or food processor. Put this into a

spray bottle and combine your soap water. Let this mixture sit for about 24 hours and
then strain the pulp out. Then spray the plants that have been infested completely.
Use water and a caustic potash based soap. Combine them in a bottle until it produces
kind of a frothy mixture.
Boil 8 liters of oil and 1kg of soap and stir it together. Dilute it with water and only spray
plants when its cool outside.
Mix chili and water in a bottle and spray on caterpillars. Just be careful not to get any of
this mixture in your eyes.

Try some different methods out and see what gives you the best results. There are some
organic pest sprays that you can buy in stores that would work as well (such as EndAll). Its
important not to pollute the system with chemicals or you may as well buy your vegetables
from a grocery store grown inorganically.
If any of your plants becomes completely infested, you should consider getting rid of it. I cannot
stress this enough, no pesticides are to be used on your aquaponics setup. It is dangerous to
the fish and to your health as well. By running your system properly and making sure that your
plants are growing healthily, your plants will naturally repel pests.
Bacteria

The one link of the aquaponics chain that a lot of people tend to forget or dont know about is
bacteria. It is a necessity for any aquaponics system to operate and plays a very important role
in the entire cycling process. The bacteria are responsible for cleaning the wastewater from
your fish tank and cleaning out the ammonia. So understanding why your system needs
bacteria and how it helps is vitalfor having a functioning setup and keeping your fish alive and
safe to eat.
The Nitrogen Cycle

In order to understand why bacteria are so important for your aquaponic system, you have to
understand how the nitrogen cycle works. When the fish defecate, the matter that comes out is
filled with ammonia. When the ammonia levels reach 5 parts per million inside of your fish
tank, the results are toxic. It also exposes them to diseases and sickness. In the event that the
fish dont die and are diseased, you may potentially eat the fish and this will of course make you
extremely sick and is very detrimental to your health. Fish cannot live in water filled with
ammonia and you dont want to eat fish that has been ingesting ammonia. So how do you get
rid of the ammonia and make the water safe for the fish to live in? Bacteria!
There are two types of whats called beneficial bacteria in aquaponics. The bacteria used in
aquaponics are the same as the type used in aquariums. Nitrosomanas bacteria are the bacteria
that convert the ammonia into nitrites. However, nitrites are also very toxic and unsafe for fish
to ingest as well so another bacterium comes into play here. Nitrobacter converts the nitrites
into nitrate which is a substance that is much safer than ammonia and nitrites, but can still be
harmful in large amounts. But this is the beauty of the aquaponics system.

Plants use nitrates for nourishment to grow. So when the water runs through your grow beds,
the plants complete the last part of the cleansing cycle for the wastewater and clean out the
rest of the harmful toxins in ammonia. If youre interested in checking the levels of your fish
tank, you should have less than .25ppm of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate in your aquaponics
system.
This is part of the reason that its so important that your grow beds are not too shallow. The
grow bed is where a majority of the cleaning process takes place and bacteria typically do best
in a grow bed with a depth of at least 1 foot. You want to make sure that the bacteria have
plenty of space to colonize and formulate. If you dont have an adequate amount of bacteria
you risk having the toxins not be fully eliminated which can cause big issues for your entire
aquaponics system.
Cycling

At this point youre probably thinking to yourself how do I get bacteria into my system? This
is a logical question because obviously your grow beds are clean when you first set up your
system so there wont be any of the necessary bacteria there. In order to get things going
correctly, you have to establish colonies of nitrosomanas and nitrobacter. The process of
getting these beneficial bacteria into your aquaponics system is known as cycling.
You cant see them but nitrosomanas and nitrobacter are both everywhere in the air, water,
and even soil. Its actually really easy to get them into your aquaponics system. Assuming you
dont have any fish in your fish tank yet but have water in there and media in your grow bed,

you can actually add ammonia into your system right now! Getting ammonia into your system
is a lot easier than you think.
No youre not going to pour a bottle of chemicals into your system. In order to get some
ammonia into your system you can actually put a very small amount of pure ammonia into the
fish tank. Alternatively you can place some uneaten fish food into the tank as well. When you
leave the fish food in water it will break down and release ammonia into the system.

Another approach that I wouldnt recommend is to put a live fish in the tank. Some aqua
farmers have been known to do this in order to establish the bacteria but it is a risky move. For
one youre exposing the fish to possible disease as the ammonia levels rise or possibly pass on
disease to the fish you put in later.
An idea that is becoming fairly popular is putting some prawns (5-7 large prawns should do)
into the fish tank. Wait about a week and throw some more in there. Then add in your source
of ammonia and commence pumping the water through to your grow bed and basically do a
cycle just like if the system was fully running.
Whichever method you use, keep in mind that the bacteria will not just colonize overnight.
Depending on the temperatures, depth of your grow beds and other factors, you could have to
wait a little while. Optimal conditions for this type of bacteria to establish are warm tropical
weather. Under the best circumstances, you could start getting the bacteria to colonize within a
few weeks. If the conditions arent as great or ideal you may have to wait a bit longer. Just be
patient because if youre not you can expect to have your entire system ruined.
Testing

I wish I could tell you that finding out whether or not the system has cycles is as easy as looking
at it but thats not the case here. The best way (and really the only way) to tell if your system
has completely cycled is to use an aquarium water test kit. You have probably seen these used
before. They can test the levels of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate as well as your pH levels. You
can buy a test kit at pet stores or aqua gardening shops at a pretty reasonable price.

Good kits will allow you to perform hundreds of test. You should take advantage of this and test
your water levels every day after you add in your ammonia source. Id highly recommend
recording your findings so that you can see exactly whats happening. Ideally what you should
see is that initially youll have ammonia levels rising to around 5ppm, then once the
nitrosomanas are established the ammonia levels should fall to zero. Then the nitrite levels
should start to increase to around 5ppm but eventually fall to zero when the nitrobacter are
established and your system starts producing the nitrates.
At this point it is safe to start adding your fish into the fish tank and start planting your
vegetables. Keep monitoring your ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite levels for the first couple of
months of your setup being operational. Dont be alarmed if the numbers you get are
inconsistent or seem extremely random, this is perfectly normal. Whats happening is the
bacteria are still in the process of being established.

In the event that your ammonia or nitrite levels rise above 5ppm, there is an issue somewhere
within your system and you need to fix it as soon as possible. It could be an issue with your
grow bed, plumbing or elsewhere. But if you allow the problem to persist you will be harming
your fish and they may potentially die. Your nitrate levels on the other hand may get as high as
20ppm, but this isnt as much of a concern. They should go back down shortly.

If you are getting high levels of ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate over an extended period of time,
dump out some of the water (about a third) and replace it with fresh water. You should strive
for a pH level of around 6.5-7 in your aquaponics setup. Again, if your levels are a lot higher
than this you need to address it immediately.
Please dont make the mistake of putting chlorine into your aquaponics system. It is commonly
added into tap water in order to kill bacteria so that its safe for us to drink. However, it will kill
your fish and the necessary bacteria for your system. For this reason make sure that the water
you fill your fish tank with is free of chlorine before you put it into your system. The method
you use to get chlorine out of your water will depend on how it was added into it. If its a
chlorine gas, all you have to do is let it sit in a bucket for a couple of days and it will eventually
dissolve. The other way chlorine is added is as a chloramine. If this is the case or you just want
to use the water right away you can buy a water conditioner. Water conditioners remove the
chlorine from the water chemically. You can buy them from aquariums or pet stores. The only
thing you have to be careful with is making sure that the conditioner is safe to use for water
where fish that you will be eating will swim.
I would suggest just leaving the water out because you want to avoid using chemicals in this
organic food production process whenever possible. After your system has been cycled, you

should still check your levels regularly to make sure that everything is fine. As I mentioned, the
levels of ammonia might not always be so high that they kill your fish immediately. Lower toxic
levels can still harm your fish and kill them over a longer period of time. And if you eat this fish
before it dies from the ammonia youre exposing yourself to disease and sickness.

4. Common Aquaponics Issues

Like all things, aquaponics isnt always perfect. You will definitely run into some issues along the
way. Its not a matter of if something will go wrong with your system; its a matter of when
it will happen and what will happen. The best thing you can do is to be prepared for the
inevitable issues that you will run into so that when it happens youre not completely caught off
guard. In a lot of situations time is of the essence so you might not have time to ask questions
on a forum or message board. Problems that you will run into will typically fall under one of the
following categories:

Equipment breaking/failing
Leaks in your plumbing/pipes
Unsafe ammonia levels
Diseased fish
Power outages

Equipment Breaking
We touched on this a little bit in the section about pumps, but Ill reiterate, you shouldnt skimp
out on your pump. Some people think they will save some money by getting a lower
quality/cheaper type of pump. However, you have to realize that these are cheaper for a
reason. If youre going to invest a good chunk of change into any part of your setup please
make it your pump. When your pump fails your system is pretty much rendered useless and
youll have to worry about what to do with your fish and have to spend money on new pumps
over and over. If for some reason you choose to go with a cheaper pump you better get two
because you will want an extra one in arms reach when the first one craps out on you.

Plumbing Leaks

Something that isnt necessarily a common issue but certainly does happen to the best of us is
leaks in your plumbing, broken pipes or even blockage. These can be really damaging especially
if they happen while your system is unattended. You can potentially lose all of the water in your
system.
You can reduce the chances of this happening by installing a float switch. These stop the pump
if the water levels fall too low. This will help minimize the damage done by leaks.
In order to help reduce the chance of blockages occurring, you really have to make sure that
your setup it installed properly. Things like algae forming in your piping or even a fish getting
stuck accidentally in your piping can be avoided if you install everything correctly.
The only thing you can do if you have a pipe burst is to replace it. You can try to close the piping
up temporarily but you really will have to replace it completely. Avoid using cheap piping that
can be easily broken. Saving money on parts is great, but not if it means compromising the
integrity and quality of your system.
But like I said, what you really have to worry about is if issues arise when youre away from your
setup. That is why it is important not to leave you system unattended to for days at a time. If
you ever have to be away from your system for an extended period of time, make sure that you
have someone that can at least take a look at it every day. The average person might not be

able to notice blockage but leaks and bursts are pretty difficult to miss (the pool of water on the
ground is pretty hard to miss).
The best way to help minimize the damage caused by leaks, bursts, or blockages is to install a
float switch or an alarm that will sound when the water levels fall below a certain point. After
you run into your first issue you will be glad you have one of these installed. Also make sure
youre using decent quality parts for your setup. As you saw from my guide earlier, you can
build your first aquaponic setup even on an extremely low budget. But there are some areas
where you will want to spend a little money in order to prevent huge problems from occurring.
Unsafe Ammonia Levels
You should have a good idea about the issues involving toxic ammonia or nitrite levels from the
last section. The best way to avoid this is to test your levels regularly because the levels dont
get toxic overnight. Its usually takes several days for the levels to get to unsafe levels.
If your levels do get high you can do as suggested earlier and replace some of the water. This
has proven to be one of the best ways to return levels back to normal. Dont result to trying to
introducing more chemicals to offset it or try to become a backyard chemist so to speak. After
you replace some of the water just continue monitoring your levels daily and everything should
be back to normal soon.
Diseased Fish

There are several types of diseases your fish can catch while in your aquaponic system. While I
cant touch on all of them, I will give some insight on one of the most common ones in
aquaponics and that is ICH (aka the white spot disease).
This disease is actually present in a large amount of captive fish and some people believe its
triggered by stress. The only way to really tell if your fish has ICH is through being examined
under a microscope. However some symptoms of the disease are:

Small white spots on the fishes body and its gills

Agitated movements
Rubbing up against objects in the fish tank
Decreased appetite

The best way to treat ICH is to catch it before it gets too bad. The disease cant be killed while
its on the fish, only when it leaves the fish and is attempting to multiply (by attaching to other
fish)
You will have to increase the temperature of your fish tank in order to get the disease to a point
where it can be killed. You want to get the temperatures up to about 25 degrees Celsius. When
the water is cooler, the disease will take longer to go through its life cycle and consequently it
will take longer to get rid of it.

This disease is also found in many aquariums. The way they treat it is by using chemicals such as
Malachite Green. However, this isnt possible due to the fact that you will be eating the fish in
your tank. These chemicals are typically unsafe for human consumption so its a big no-go.
Once youve found symptoms of ICH on one or more fish, you should assume it has spread
throughout the entire tank. This is important because some people think they can simply get rid
of the fish that has the symptoms and everything will be ok. However, the disease has more
than likely affected every fish in the tank as well so removing one wont do much good.
Another option you have is to try to prevent ICH from affecting your system all together. This is
actually much easier that trying to eradicate a disease. Some things you should do to avoid ICH
before it strikes are:

Buy your fish from a place that is disease free

Dont put new fish into the same tank as your older ones
Dont have fish shipped to you
Watch out for deviations in temperatures or rises in ammonia levels
Quarantine your new fish for a few weeks
Keep a close eye on all new fish
Feed your fish properly

As I mentioned earlier some people feel like ICH is caused by stress. Stress can come from:

Improper diet
Introducing new fish into an existing system
Problems with the water quality
Issues with the water temperature

Closing
In closing, aquaponics is definitely one of the best methods of sustainable food productions
there is. Setting up your own system in your own backyard is much easier than you probably
ever imagined. Test different methods out and figure out what works best for you. Make use of
the large community of aquaponics enthusiasts all around the world if you run into any issues
or just want to chat with other likeminded people.
You do not have to break the bank to start aquaponics. As you saw, you can make a complete
setup right in your own backyard by using items from around the house, recycled materials, and
a little elbow grease.
Take the advice in this eBook and use it as a guide to start your journey towards a healthier
lifestyle filled with organic food and an improved quality of life.