The Nexus tank is a project to incorporate all previously built Aquaponic component prototypes into a single, compact, easily accessible unit. Grow beds are not included in these plans, but any style of grow bed can be attached to the system as long as it’s lower than the Header (1) and higher than the water…
Category: Fish Tanks
Gravity Header Manifold prototype #2 tutorial
This article covers the creation of the 2nd prototype Gravity Header Manifold – designed to route water for Aquaponics or Hydroponics, at low pressures. This will only be a brief tutorial, as Prototype #3 is better in many ways. It’s been a while since I’ve posted something, so here’s and old project! Prototype #3…
$20 DIY Aquaponic Fish Tank from Recycled Pallets
Project goals: Build a small Aquaponic fish tank for under $20. Integrate a Swirl Filter. Integrate a Bio Filter. Use recycled materials whenever possible. NO complex timber joints – keep it simple. Leave space for easy insulation installation. Use simple hand tools whenever practical. Materials Required: 6 timber pallets. You can often get these for free, look in…
Spray bars: designs & DIY
Spray bars aren’t just for aerating your water, they also control the direction and flow of water currents in your fish tank. This article covers DIY spray bars, and some basic design options. The actual act of building a spray bar is easy, it’s just a pipe with a row of holes in it (see below). The hard bit is…
DIY swirl filter #1
Here’s the tutorial on how to make a swirl filter out of a bucket, some garden hose, 4 zip-ties, a piece of pipe, and some silicone! This filter was made for the Timber Prototype Tank #1 project. It was fed intermittently from a reservoir that pooled water that had drained from 4 prototype grow beds, totaling around 110L…
‘Bottle top’ your pipes! Sustainable pipe caps.
Pipe caps are common in Aquaponic and Hydroponics systems, and are used in almost every Practical Sustainability project that involves water. This article will cover our methods for crafting the cheapest practical pipe caps. Commercial pipe-caps Basically, your commercial cap options are either; A simple cheap cap that is glued on – but cannot be removed for cleaning…
Timber Tank Prototype #1
The timber tank prototype was the fifth tank added to our prototype Aquaponics system in Sydney, Australia. It was originally going to have a vertical frame integrated to support grow beds directly above it, but this was abandoned since we had no space available for the tank with sufficient direct sunlight to make it practical. Weight was…