Another Simple System

In the “A Small Aquaponic System” post you saw how you can make aquaponics with a common fish tank and some other easy to find materials. However, there are not many fish that you can grow to edible size in a small fish tank, so maybe you will want some other options.

Fortunately, the fish tank aquaponic system can scale up with the same principle, just with a bigger pump and more plants. In this case, I used a 50 gallon tank that you can get cheaply in many places and some PVC pipes. The white tank has the disadvantage that it encourages algae growth, but I have Tilapia and those guys eat the algae, so no harm done. You can get the blue also. There are black ones, but most of those are used with some chemicals, so you better stay away from them.

The PVC pipes are easy to get and install in your wall. There a lot of other aquaponic ideas that work on this principle, but I will stick to the wall, since is the one I have installed. This system is just the small fish tank scaled up.

In one of these you can have 6 to 10 medium size fish without problem, if you take care of things properly. This is a pure hydroponic system that uses no substrate, so your biological filter must be at peak condition. For that amount of fish you can start with a bucket with a good substrate.

These plants are melons and some cabbage. This aquaponic system is easy to set up and costs like $100 US, probably less if you know where to buy. As you can see, it occupies very little space and is very easy to do.

PVC pipes and the tank can be cut with any cutting tool you have available, even with a hot knife. I prefer power tools, but it is your choice. Some of the places where you buy the tanks and piping will make the cuts for you. As with the other system, I used newspaper to isolate and cover the pipes, since heat is a problem around here.

Other than that, a power drill and your imagination are the basic tools. Remember to plan ahead a little, so you have everything within reach when you start. Aquaponics is easy, so give it a shot.

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