Southern Regional SRAC Publication No.

5010
Aquaculture Center August 2016
VI
PR

Building a Simple
At-home Aquaponics System
Matthew Recsetar and Anita Kelly1

Many people are becoming concerned about the source and bio-filter, although the media will need to be cleaned
of their food and would even like to grow their own food periodically as solids accumulate in the growbed. If you
if they had the means. Growing your own produce and want to build a larger system, and especially if you plan
a protein source can be a daunting task limited by space, to grow a lot of fish, a clarifier should be added to the
time, input costs, and environmental factors. Aquaponics system to prevent excessive clogging in the growbed. The
attempts to solve this problem by using fish waste to grow clarifier will allow larger solids to settle out and be removed
vegetables and other produce. While the concept is fairly from the system before being pumped into the growbed.
straightforward, the difficulty lies in balancing the system A small clarifier can be made from a 5-gallon (19-L) bucket,
and devoting adequate time each day to feeding fish, main- although it is best to use a 32-gallon (121-L) plastic garbage
taining the system, and caring for plants. can or 55-gallon (208-L) plastic drum.
To supply a significant portion of your food year- Any container made of polypropylene, polyethylene,
round, it will be necessary to have a greenhouse with or fiberglass can be used as a fish tank so long as it was
supplemental lighting and heating. The easiest system for not previously used to store harmful chemicals. Galvanized
growing a wide variety of produce is a media bed system
in which water from a fish tank is pumped to a growbed Table 1. Tools required to construct a simple aquaponics
system.
where fish waste fertilizes the plants.
Tool Size Notes
The recommended growing media for aquaponics
Circular saw For cutting side widths
media beds is expanded clay pellets or medium gravel or
Power drill For screws and drilling holes
rock (3/8 to 5/8 inches; 10 to 16 mm). The size of the media
Drill bit ¼-inch For drilling holes for drain guard
is important for both root growth and water movement. If
Driving bit For screws
the media is too small, it can take a long time for water to
Hole saw 1-inch For drilling holes in bell siphon
move through it; media that is too large won’t have enough
Hole saw 23/8-inch For 1½-inch bulkhead
surface area for nitrification by bacteria to occur. While
Teflon tape For threaded fittings
expanded clay media is preferred, it is also quite a bit more
Rafter square For checking right angles
expensive than river rock or gravel. On the other hand,
Tape measure For measuring lengths and widths
gravel or rock is much heavier and can also contain lime-
Chalk For aligning liner
stone, which will raise the pH of the system above optimal
Old paintbrush For application of glue for liner
levels. Some rocks can also leach various metal salts into Utility knife For cutting out hole in liner
the water, which can be harmful to fish. PVC cutter For cutting 1½-inch pipe
In smaller media bed systems of less than 200 gallons Hacksaw For cutting 3-inch PVC pipe
(757 L), the media bed itself can serve as the mechanical Metal shears For cutting hardware cloth
Painters tape For holding liner in place
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
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tanks also can be used but are not recommended. Examples of your growbed at the maximum water height, you can
of containers suitable for fish include Rubbermaid ® stock estimate that water will account for roughly 35 percent of
tanks, IBC totes, and water storage tanks. These range in that space. If the growbed is filled to 1 inch (2.5 cm) from
price from $75 to $300. Used tanks, costing much less, can the top with media, then your standpipe should be at least
sometimes be found. A nearby farm or business may even 3 inches (7.6 cm) from the top to allow for a 2-inch (5-cm)
give you one free. The more things you can repurpose for dry zone. In the system outlined here, the maximum water
your aquaponics system, the more money you will save pumped to the growbed will be roughly 50 gallons (189 L),
building it. so your fish tank will need to be at least 150 gallons (568 L)
for small fish and at least 200 gallons (757 L) if you are
Simple aquaponic system growing larger fish or fish for consumption. Large fluctua-
tions in water levels can stress the fish, so it is usually best
The simplest aquaponic system uses one grow bed and
to scale up if you can, especially if you want to add an addi-
one fish tank. Water from the fish tank is pumped up to the
tional growbed in the future.
growbed where it is then filtered through the media and
After gathering the tools and supplies you will need
plants before returning to the fish tank. The media displace-
from the supply list (Table 2), you are ready to build the
ment in a growbed is about 65 percent of the total volume
growbed. Make sure you are working on a level surface
when filled with water. So, if you calculate the volume
when building and setting up your aquaponics system.

Table 2. Components necessary for assembling a simple aquaponic system.

Specs Price Unit Quantity Total1
estimate
Growbed
Pond liner 7 foot × 10 foot $35.97 Liner 1 $35.97
Silicone sealant Food grade (or aquarium sealant) $4.57 Tube 1 $4.57
Growbed sides 2 inch × 10 inch × 8 foot $9.21 Board 3 $18.42
Growbed bottom 4 foot × 8 foot × 23/32 inch (min. thickness) plywood $39.97 Sheet 1 $39.97
Bulkhead fitting2 1½ inch (slip × slip) $6.99 Fitting 1 $6.99
Media option A Expanded clay $28.50 50-L Bag 11 $313.50
Media option B3 3/8-inch to 5/8-inch gravel/river rock $285.60 Cubic yard 1 $285.60
Gorilla Glue® 8-ounce bottle $10.97 Bottle 1 $10.97
Bell (auto) siphon
Standpipe 1½-inch PVC pipe $2.68 2-foot length 1 $2.68
Cover pipe 3-inch PVC pipe $5.79 2-foot length 1 $5.79
Cover pipe cap 3-inch PVC cap $4.39 Fitting 1 $4.39
Drain guard4 ¼-inch × 2-foot × 5-foot hardware cloth $8.97 Roll 1 $8.97
Underneath drain pipe fitting 1½ inch slip × slip 90° elbow $1.45 Fitting 1 $1.45
Fish tank
Tank >200 gallons $250.00 Tank 1 $250.00
Pump Submersible pump (>350 gallons per hour) $44.98 Pump 1 $44.98
Miscellaneous supplies
Air pump 1.34 cfm $59.99 Pump 1 $59.99
Air stones Medium (3 inch × 1 inch × 1 inch) $15.99 3-pack 1 $15.99
Airline tubing 1/8-inch i.d. $2.82 10 foot 1 $2.82
Screws 3-inch decking screws $9.37 1-pound box 1 $9.37
Water pump hose Garden hose 5/8 inch diameter $15.47 25-foot hose 1 $15.47
Cinder blocks 16-inch × 8-inch × 8-inch concrete block $1.19 1 block 30 $35.70
PVC cement 8-ounce container $4.67 Container 1 $4.67
PVC cleaner 8-ounce container $7.48 Container 1 $7.48
TOTAL High: $900.14
Low: $574.39
1
Prices do not include taxes.
2
Bulkhead fittings can be ordered online or purchased at a local hydroponics store.
3
It is important that gravel is inert and does not contain limestone or any salts; prices may be much cheaper than listed above if purchased locally.
4
Drain guard can be made from anything that can keep space around the auto siphon pipe with holes smaller than ¼ inch (6 mm); e.g., PVC-coated wire mesh,
6-inch (15-cm) PVC pipe.

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Growbed Step 6
Place the plywood sheet on top of the frame you just
Step 1 built. (If you did things right it should line up perfectly.)
Using a circular saw, cut one of the 2-inch × 8-inch ×
8-foot (2-cm × 20-cm × 2.4-m) boards into two equal 3 foot Step 7
9 inch- (114-cm) boards. These will be your end walls. Two Measuring ¾ inch (1.9 cm) in from the edge, begin
of the full length 2-inch × 8-inch × 8-foot (2-cm × 20-cm × driving in your 3-inch (7.6-cm) screws every 4 inches (10
2.4-m) boards will serve as the side walls. cm) all the way around the frame to attach the plywood
sheet.
Step 2
With all pieces standing up on their narrow edges,
assemble the boards as pictured below. (Use the rafter
square to check your right angles.)

Step 8
On one end of the bottom of the growbed, you will now
use a 23/8-inch (6-cm) circular saw to create the hole for your
Step 3 bulkhead fitting. The hole should be drilled in the center of
Measuring in ¾ inch (1.9 cm) from the ends of the your bed about 8 inches (20 cm) from the edge (as pictured
long boards on both sides, put a mark half way up from the below).
ground. Flip your growbed over and you are now ready to put
in your liner.
Step 4
Using the spots marked in step 3 as guides, drive a
3-inch (7.6-cm) screw through each long board and into the
butt ends of the adjacent (and perpendicular) short boards.

Step 5
Drive in four more 3-inch (7.6-cm) screws above and
below the center screws in each board. Use the rafter square
to maintain your right angles.

Step 9 (optional)
As an added protection, you could paint the inside of
your growbed with a two-part epoxy and put silicone in the
cracks, but that is not necessary if you do a good job apply-
ing the liner.

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Step 10 Step 18
Place the liner in the growbed and smooth out along With the utility knife, cut out the portion of the liner
the edges of the growbed. covering your previously drilled hole.

Step 11 Step 19
Once the liner is positioned where you want it, use Measure out and set up five stacks of cinder blocks on
chalk to outline the liner along the bottom edges of the level ground, as pictured below.
growbed so it can be easily realigned in step 13.

Step 12
Remove the liner and apply a non-toxic adhesive to the
bottom of the growbed. Use an old paint brush to smooth
out the glue all over the bottom of the growbed.

Step 13
Put the liner back in the growbed, aligning the chalk
outline with the inner edges of the growbed and smoothing
it out with your hands so there are no creases other than at
the edges.
Step 20
Step 14 Place the growbed on top of the cinder block stacks so
Place flat objects such as books in the corners and along the edges are perfectly aligned.
the edges of the growbed and let the glue dry overnight.

Step 15
Apply glue along the sides and smooth the liner into the
corners, folding the surplus liner at an angle to one side as
pictured below. (You could use clamps to hold the liner in
place while it dries.)

Step 21
Screw the bulkhead fitting into the hole you drilled in
step 8 (threaded side down), making sure a gasket is on the
inside of the growbed.

Step 16
Glue the liner to the tops of the boards and hold it in
place with painter’s tape.

Step 17
Using a utility knife or razor blade, cut off the excess
from the liner and discard.
Congratulations, your growbed is complete. Proceed to
building and plumbing the bell (auto) siphon.

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Bell siphon Step 8
Glue a 1.5-inch (3.8-cm) PVC elbow to the piece you
Step 1
glued in step 7, facing it in the direction where the fish tank
Using pipe cutters, cut an 8-inch (20-cm) piece from will be located.
the 2-foot (61-cm) section of 1½-inch (3.8-cm) PVC and
insert it into the bulkhead fitting in the growbed. This is Step 9
your standpipe. Glue the remaining section of 1.5-inch (3.8-cm) PVC
pipe into the elbow. Optionally, attach a 90-degree elbow to
the end facing downward (not necessary to glue) to direct
water down into the fish tank (not pictured).

Step 2
Using a hack saw, cut a 9-inch (21-cm) piece off of your
3-inch (7.6-cm) PVC pipe.
Your bell siphon is complete.
Step 3
Using PVC cleaner and PVC Finishing the system
cement, glue the 3-inch (7.6-cm) PVC
cap to one end of the pipe you cut in
Step 1
step 2. Place the gravel guard around the bell siphon, making
sure it is flat against the bottom of the growbed.
Step 4
On the end opposite the cap, draw a
Step 2
line 1 inch from the bottom all the way Once the gravel guard is in place, fill the growbed with
around the pipe. media to about 1 inch below the top of the bed.

Step 5 Step 3
Using a 1-inch (2.5-cm) hole saw, Position the fish tank underneath the growbed drain
drill four holes centered on the line and place your submersible pump in the tank.
you drew in step 4 and evenly spaced
around the bottom of the pipe.

Step 6
Place the bell siphon over the stand-
pipe in the growbed.

Step 7
Cut a 3-inch (7.6-cm) piece of the 1.5-inch (3.8-cm) pipe
and glue it into the underside of the bulkhead fitting.

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Step 4 Step 8
Connect the water hose to the water pump using the Connect the airline tubing and air stones to the air
appropriate fitting (will vary based on the pump you have). pump and place the air stones in the tank as soon as it is
filled with water.
Step 5
Run the hose to the opposite end of the growbed from Step 9
the drain and place the hose 2 inches (5 cm) down into the If your water source contains chloramines, it is advis-
media so it stays in place. able to add a dechlorinator, which can be purchased at any
local pet store. Or, simply place a pantyhose filled with
Step 6 (optional) activated carbon in your tank for a few days.
It is highly recommended that you fasten the hose in
place so it does not fall out of the tank and inadvertently
drain your fish tank.

Step 7
Fill your fish tank with water and let it circulate for at
least 48 hours so any chlorine it contains will dissipate and
the water will oxygenate.

Congratulations, your system is ready for fish!

This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, under award number 2010-38500-21142. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in
this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

SRAC fact sheets are reviewed annually by the Publications, Videos and Computer Software Steering Committee. Fact sheets are revised as
new knowledge becomes available. Fact sheets that have not been revised are considered to reflect the current state of knowledge.

The work reported in this publication was supported in part by the Southern Regional
Aquaculture Center through Grant No. 2010-38500-21142 from the United States Department
of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture.