Preparing Barrels for Grow Beds- Aquaponics or Hydroponics

Every aquaponics or hydroponics setup needs to start with a good set of grow beds. But, what should you choose? Cement mixing trays, PVC pipe, gutters, pond liner with wood boxes, troughs, feeders, waterers; there are so many options! The best option in my opinion, for an aquaponics system especially, is these 55 gallon plastic barrels. They are cheap, durable, food safe, and generally come with food products in them so they are easy to prep. Below is a method that I have developed to get these cut perfectly in half and ready for your setup.

I have used both the white and the blue 55 gallon drums but I prefer the blue ones. These generally come with food materials in them and are easiest to clean. In my first system I used the white ones and they had some type of cleaner in them. A quick trip to the power washer took care of it but I was always unsure if I had removed it all well enough. I have had the best luck on Craigslist finding these and pay between $10-$20 depending on how far I want to drive to get them.

 There are a couple of different types of plastic that you should be aware of when working with anything you are growing food in. Some  grades and types of plastic are safe while some are not.

HDPE, Vinyl, LDPE, PP, and PS are some of the labels that you will see, most commonly HDPE, which is High Density Polyethylene. All of these listed here are considered food grade or food safe plastics. I have also seen the label above "PE-HD" with the same recycling symbol (2). I can't say why it is labeled differently but it is also supposed to be High Density Polyethylene and food safe.



 Now down to the fun part, cutting stuff! For a perfect grow bed you need two perfect halves. There are two methods to accomplish this. the first is to just follow the seem with a circular saw and cut the barrel in half. The only problem with that method is that the seam goes right through the bung on each side of the top lid rendering them useless. This is fine if you do not plan to use them and I have actually done this for some of mine. However, the best way is to leave them intact. So how do you cut a cylinder perfectly in half? Well, the easiest way is to first make yourself a larger square. I screwed these two pieces of 2X4 together at a perfect 90 degree angle to use here. You could also use a large carpenters square.

Start by measuring out and marking the center point on the top of the barrel lid. Then use a square to draw a perpendicular line across the top of the barrel. This will give you your references to draw down the sides. Now, use your large square placed on the lid to match up to the line on the top and transfer it down the side of the barrel on each side. You can then transfer the line onto the bottom on each side and connect the two together. You now have a perfectly straight line to follow with your saw. You can cut these anyway that you would like but I have found a circular saw to be the easiest. You could also use a reciprocating saw, saber saw, jig saw, hand saw, router, dremel, angle grinder, etc.

What you end up with is two perfectly neat and equal halves with the threaded bungs intact and centered at the bottom of each barrel. These are very useful for connecting barrels together, external bell siphons, water supply piping and other things I am sure I have not thought of yet. I will talk more about installing these and building a frame for them in a later post and video, until then, thanks for stopping by!

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Suburban Aquaponics - Water Testing and Butterflies

See our newest edition to the aquaponics system...butterflies! In this episode I am also going through a standard water test using the API Fresh Water Master Test Kit.

Water testing is a very important part of starting and maintaining any aquaponics system. This is especially important to do more frequently when you are first cycling the system to determine when it is safe to add fish. Since Ammonia and Nitrites are very toxic to fish it is important to make sure that the bacteria colonies established in your system are able to keep up with converting these toxic compounds into more harmless Nitrates. And, of course, this is the nitrogen fertilizer that your plants need to succeed (more aquaponics rhymes coming soon).

I have been using the API Test Kit for over a year now and I have been very happy with it. I did a review and walkthrough on the use of the test kit last year and am still just as happy. It is very easy to use and gives pretty accurate results for all of the tests within 5 minutes. The only complaint I have (and this goes for any of these color based tests) is that some of the colors are very close and hard to distinguish apart. However, in most cases we are only looking for a general idea of levels in the system with the exception of pH. For the best pH results I would recommend picking up an electronic pH reader, however they are a bit more expensive. 

Now, as for the butterflies. You might be asking yourself, why would you put butterflies in your indoor aquaponics system? Well, there is a great explanation for this, I just can't think of it right now:)
The kids wanted some live butterflies for Christmas and so we decided we would give it a try and see what happens. We have done the live butterfly thing in the past and the kids loved it; so what could it hurt? They were able to watch their little caterpillars grow from tiny little worm looking things to some pretty awesome butterflies in about 3 weeks. Only problem now was, where do we release these new buddies of ours in the middle of winter? Well we figured since we have an indoor garden, they would probably fit in down there for the time and if they survive until spring they can be moved outside. In the meantime we are just hoping they do not get too comfortable and decide to start a new family of plants-destroying caterpillars! We will keep you updated on this as it develops but for now the kids, my wife, and I(I have to admit) like to come down to the basement garden and check in on our butterfly friends. Until next time, thanks for stopping by!

 

Products Used:

The API Fresh Water Test Kit - http://amzn.to/1Jd1SuT
Ammonia test kit - http://amzn.to/1L35EJa
Nitrite test kit - http://amzn.to/1EwkZNY
Nitrate test kit - http://amzn.to/1uybBZI
Water hardness test kit - http://amzn.to/1EwkIdM
Phosphate test kit - http://amzn.to/1yRWSdJ
Calcium test kit - http://amzn.to/1y2NtZQ
API Replacement test tubes - http://amzn.to/1Jm1YhS
Electronic test kit - http://amzn.to/1Jd2NeP

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Aquaponics Swirl Filter - Tips and Tricks

Check out this video to see an easy way to keep an aquaponics swirl filter (radial flow) clean and other tips on design. I have been running this particular filter for a few months now and have been able to test the design I have implemented. I have been so happy with the amount of solids that are collected by the filter and it has been an excellent source of fertilizer for my garden and indoor plants. It has not been perfect however and I have made some adjustments and additions since my initial setup.

The first issue I ran into was an issue with how the solids collected on the bottom of the barrel. When I opened the drain at the bottom only the solids that were close to the drain would be sucked down leaving piles of waste on the bottom of the filter. I have since remedied this by adding a simple piece of garden hose to the drain with a small dowel connected as a handle. This allows me to clean the bottom of the filter with a kind of vacuum, similar to a pool vacuum. This has been working great! Takes me about 2 minutes to clean off the bottom of the filter.

Another issue I ran into was with algae buildup on the sides of the swirl filter. This was caused by my nearby grow lights shinning into the filter. Water + light = algae! I have since added some cheap mylar sheets (emergency blankets) to the walls of the grow beds to reflect the majority of the light back into the growing area. This has just about stopped any further algae from growing on the nearby fish tanks and swirl filter.

The last issue I had to tackle was with the drain plumbing on the setup. In the summer I was able to come down with a 5 gallon bucket every few days and fill up with the swirl filter waste and take it out to the garden. In the winter here in Michigan I don't have enough indoor plants to keep up with the waste. Although I don't like wasting perfectly good fertilizer I had to implement some plumbing to take the swirl filter waste straight to a nearby floor drain (this goes to our sump pump and is pumped outside). So now I can either fill up a small watering can with the rich fertilizer for some plants or drain it off to waste just to keep the filter clean.

The system overall has been working great and with these fine tunings I can now easily clean the filter as well as keep it clean from algae and too much buildup on the bottom.

 

 

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Aquaponics System Design: Adding Fish Tanks

Check out this episode of the suburban aquaponics series to see the addition of a new fish tank. I had one more barrel left from my original Craigslist find and though it would make a perfect addition. I am getting close to the addition of some "real" fish into the system and needed a separate place for them to hang out away from the gold fish. I will be moving the goldfish out the an outdoor setup in the spring but for now they will be staying in the system. I think I have found a good supplier of tilapia at a fair price and I am hoping to get them to breed once established so I will not have to buy them again. This will be an exciting time over the next couple of months!

 

The fish tank is just made from another 55 gallon drum with the top cut off. I have found it easiest to use a circular saw or skill saw to cut the tops off. This gives you an easy guide to follow(the top rim) and gives you the straightest cuts. I have used a reciprocating saw and a jig saw with mixed results so I would recommend the circular saw for the best cut. The bulkhead adapters that I am using are the same ones I have used throughout the system with one exception, I went with 1 1/2" instead of 2" like the rest. I wanted to get a bit more velocity with the solids lifting overflow in the second tank as I will eventually have larger fish with larger food and waste. The smaller piping with the same amount of water being pumped into the tank should give me a faster flow and have more solids lifting power.


The solids lifting overflow is a standard and common design among aquaponics hobbyists. It consists of a pvc tee with one pipe going tot he bottom of the tank to collect the water and solids and another pipe going to the top of the tank to prevent any siphon from forming if water drains from the system ( a leak). The water outlet in this case just goes to the primary tank and then gets lifting out to the swirl filter.

  

 

 

 

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2" Bulkhead Adapter                       1 1/2" Bulkhead Adapter

 

                             

 

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Suburban Aquaponics - A Focus on Production

I have been preparing for some better production in our aquaponics system. Over the past nine months I have been having a lot of fun trying new things and trying to plant just about everything I could think of; now it is time to get more serious about producing as much food as we can. We have learned a lot about spacing, which crops grow and taste best, and what we tend to use the most and will apply this going forward. We have also learned a bit more about which vegetables tend to get treated with he most chemicals during production. We want to focus this year on producing as many of those fruits and vegetables on our own between the aquaponics and our outdoor gardens. So it is out with the old and in with the new! New crops and also less varieties so that we can focus on producing and maybe even storing some of the extra.


I have also been making some adjustments to the lighting system to improve overall efficiency. I have widened the lights and also added some reflective material to the back and sides of the system to try and reflect as much of the light back as possible. I have noticed and realized that I am losing a lot of the light due to not being able to contain it in each grow bed.


I have built the last supports on the system so that I have each grow bed completely contained on all sides. This also provides a place for my "supporting growing plants without strings" system. I have previously done a video on that but updated here in this post.


The next step is to add my last fish tank and start getting ready for some tilapia or perch. I think I have found a good supplier of tilapia that is much cheaper than what I have seen thus far so that may help make my decision about which fish to purchase.


To purchase the emergency blankets to use as reflective material please use this link - http://amzn.to/12TnJYO

 

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Aquaponics System Design - Setup and Maintenance Costs

This aquaponics project has been one of the most interesting and rewarding things that I have ever built and I never could have imagined how it would have turned out over a year ago when I got the idea. My wife and I were looking for ways to be more sustainable and wanted to get more into gardening and growing our own food in the upcoming year. We had watched a few documentaries on food production, organic food, sustainability, and a few other related topics and were becoming more and more interested. We also kept finding it hard for us to eat healthy foods on a budget when it seems like the healthier you try to eat the more and more expensive it becomes. That is when we decided to start into this aquaponics adventure and let me tell you, it has been an adventure!

I have been running the system in the basement now for coming up on a year now and have recently completed all of the grow lights and grow media needed for full production. I have had a lot of questions surrounding the various costs and upkeep of the indoor aquaponics system and so I thought I would provide as much detail as possible on that. There are two categories of cost to set up something like this, maintenance costs and the one time setup costs to build the system. I will start with the setup costs listed below. I have also included links to many of the items on Amazon that I used in the system.

Setup costs -
Here is a list of the components and their costs -
55 Gallon Drums - 5 @ $10 - $50
Wood and Screws - $40
PVC pipe and fittings - $50
Aquarium heater - $12
Float valve for automatic top-off - $15
Air stone and air pump - $15
Aquarium water pump - $40
Bulkhead adapters 2" and 3/4" - $50
Light fixtures - 4 @40 - $160
Grow media - $70
Bulbs - $90
Misc - $10
Giant bucket of fish food - Priceless

Total system build cost - $602

When we originally planned to build this system we had budgeted about $400 and thought I could have it all setup in a couple of weeks. Well, as my wife always tells me "figure twice as much and twice as long". It wasn't quite twice as much but it surely took twice as long to build it! Now, many of you are saying "$600, that is a lot for growing some lettuce in your basement!". At first thought, you are right, it is a lot of money. However, if you are looking to build something similar you do not have to be as elaborate as this setup, there are many ways to cut costs as I discuss in the video further. There are cheaper bulkheads, lights, and other components that you can choose from and if you put this in a greenhouse you can cut that cost in half. This setup has been such an amazing experience for me though, I would have paid twice that to do it again.

 To justify the cost think of it like this, how much do you pay for organic vegetables? How much do you spend on other hobbies such as golf, bowling, sports, games, and other things that you probably don't need. What is it worth for you to have year round vegetables available for you to pick right off of the stem? For us it is a no brainer, it is worth every penny! Once the system is setup the running costs are minimal and the production is just getting started here so lets see how much food we can produce!

Now, on to the matter of running costs. Many people have asked about the lights and what they cost to run as well as the rest of the system. I have  made some estimations here and attempted to calculate an accurate monthly cost to run this system. The calculations are based on 12 hour run times on the lights at .13 cents per kwh (kilowatt hour).

Running costs -

Lights - There are 32 light bulbs combined between all four lights. Each light consumes 23 watts of power for a total of 736 watts. This can be converted into kwh by first converting 736 watts into kw (kilowatts) 736/1000 = .74 kw. this can then be converted into kwh (kilowatt hours) by multiplying by the number of hours the lights are run. I normally run the lights for 12 hours so that makes .74 X 12 for a total of 8.8 kwh's. I currently am paying about .13 cents per kwh with my power company so to calculate the total cost per day I take 8.8 X .13 = $1.14. For one month that is about $34.

Pumps - I have one small air pump and a small water pump, both are estimated at less 12 watts combines power consumption. Using the same calculations as above (((12/1000 * 24)*30) it comes out to about $1.13 per month.

Aquarium heater - This is estimated at about 300kwh per year based on running it at about 70 degrees. Using the same calculations as above ((300 X .13)/12) that comes out to $3.25 per month.

Total month costs - $34+$1.13+$3.25 = $38.38.

 So for just over $1 per day you can have fresh produce growing right in your home 365 days a year! When you relate the monthly cost to so many of the other things that we pay monthly for, Netflix, cable bills, cell phones, data plans, XM radio, hobbies, and other unnecessary things you can easily justify growing your own food indoors. In the end it comes down to what is important to you and your family, yes we can go out and buy fresh produce in the winter. But, where does it come from? Mexico, Brazil, some other far away country? How long has that been frozen or in a truck or airplane? What chemicals were put on it to make it look nice for you at the store? The ultimate goal for us here is to grow enough in the summer to get us through the winter through preserving and canning our fresh food. However, this system will always have a place in our home producing fish and produce for us year round! I hope this info has helped you in your own aquaponics build, happy building!

 

 

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