Aquaponic Grow Beds

Aquaponic grow beds are very versatile.  With a little imagination, you can convert just  about any container into a grow bed.   There are three main components of a grow bed. They must be able to contain water, have a  mechanism by which to empty the water, and media in which the plant is rooted.  Typically in a aquaponic system, the water transports the nutrients from the fish tank or the sump tank to the grow beds.  In order to prevent root rot, the water must be emptied once it fills the container. This is achieved by the use of a siphon.  The  grow media provides a base for the plant roots.  There are a variety of grow media types available depending on where you live. The most popular type of grow media is clay rocks. They are popular because they are light and porous. The porosity of the rocks promotes the growth of nitrifying bacteria which helps in breaking down ammonia and nitrite  to nitrates.  River rocks are cheaper and also a great choice. Other methods of growing are floating rafts, wicking beds and Nutrient Film Technique(NFT).



I used 55 gallon food grade plastic drums to make my grow beds.  The drums were cut in half longitudinally and bolted to a wooden frame then fitted with plumbing to enable the siphon process.  This has worked out very well so far although I have learned a few things I would like to incorporate in my next batch of grow beds. I discovered that the combination of gravel and water weighed down the wooden frame in the middle causing the frame to bend a little. This affected the siphon process because the beds were no longer level. This observation made for reinforcements in the middle of the frame. The frame is now level again. I had to use a car jack to lift up the frame, and then apply reinforcements to keep the frame from bending with the weight. The next time around I will ensure to include the reinforcements where the the two halves meet each other.  As you already know, hindsight is  20/20.