DIY Aquaponics Systems

Why I Thank John Fay For his Guide For Diy Aquaponics Setup? 

In Jan’12, I attended a seminar on " DIY Aquaponic Systems" by FAO, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations on sustainable agriculture.

Aquaponics systems

The agenda of the session was how to use technology & sustainable agriculture in rural parts of countries to increase farm productivity to meet the demand of food for 9.1 billion people by 2050.

 3 Top Reasons For Global Food Crisis 

1. Lack of water 
2. Farmable land to feed the world
3. Climate change 

These are currently interfering with steady food supplies  which triggered spiraling staple food prices around the world.

I really liked the presentation and demonstration of a new food producing system called Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems that is far less dependent on water and land than conventional agriculture. It is not affected by climates or seasons, and provides pesticide free and locally grown food as a business investment in commercial aquaponics to solve the possible food crisis in near future. 

Click here to download Aquanponics 4 you

One of the seminar, I met with Mr. John Fay. He is an aquaponics expert and certified organic farmer. He authored a best selling ebook Aquanponics 4 you.I downloaded the book online and build one in 2 months by following the step by step process of organic gardening as explained by John in his book.

Are you interested to grow vegetables at your backyard?

Click the link to down load do it yourself Aquaponics manual  for step by step instruction.

In this article, aquaponics information for beginners, I will discusshow you can set up aquaponics system at home. I also share my experience on Tilapia farming  which is one of the most famed fishes with high
commercial value.


Aquaponics is a sustainable food production system that combines traditional aquaculture (raising aquatic animals such as snails, fish, crayfish or prawns in tanks) with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) in a symbiotic environment.

Aquaponics 4 you - a step by step guide to build the system at your back yard

In the aquaculture, effluents accumulate in the water, increasing toxicity for the fish. This water is led to a hydroponic system where the by-products from the aquaculture are filtered out by the plants for vital nutrients, after which the cleansed water is recirculated back to the animals. The term aquaponics is a portmanteau of the terms aquaculture and hydroponic.

The whole aquaponics system is a biofilter. To know this system is working you need to check the levels of ammonia, nitrite & nitrate in the water. Visit  Aquaponics Journal to learn more about  the biofilter. I personally prefer to use trickling bio-filters because you get much more nitrification than a grow-bed of a similar size, it is cheaper to build and it works well for limited space.

What is amazing in Aquaponics is that, once the system is initialized, the water stays Ph balanced and remains crystal clear.

What You Need To Create Your Own Aquaponic System For Your Home

Here is a video on How To Build A Desktop Aquaponics System For Indoor Gardening, which helped me a lot initially along with the  Aquanponics 4 you book. You can easily download aquaponics 4 you pdf  at your computer. It costs $37 only and comes with money back guarantee.

DIY Aquaponics video

To build the system at home will require some basic items. First, you’ll need a small pond and a Grow-Tub with a Grow-Bed that is to be kept above the fish tank.

Here are the following parts you'll need to purchase ( at least I purchased) in order to Do It Yourself Aquaponic

Kit & Supplies diy aquaponics setup

1. Pondmaster PMK1250 Pond Filter with 250gph Pump
2. MT99 HD Oval Tank, 140-Gallon -a  heavy-duty, smooth edges, impact resistant with industrial endurance. 100-Percent recycled LDPE flexible plastic which gives a rubber-like quality.
3. AquaBundance SpaceSaver Aquaponics Grow Bed
4. Hydrofarm CK64050 Germination Station with Heat Mat
5. A 1000-1500 liters Pump for the pond that is powerful enough to pump the water up towards the plants’ tank, which is usually situated at a height of 1 meter or more.
6. Aquaponics Bell Siphon
7. A waterproof extension cable that is about 10-15 meters long
8. An Air Pump with dual outlets that are at least 15 meters in length.
9. EHEIM Everyday Fish Feeder Programmable Automatic Food Dispenser
10. An Automated Surge Protector that will pump water into the system every 2 to 3 hours.
11. A Water Purifier Pump for constant circulation, purification and oxygen supply.
12. You'll need Tiles or Slaps of Brick to make a roof for the fish tank.
13. A Wire Gauze Or Bird Wire to protect the aquarium fish from prey.
14. A long Garden Hose Pipe
15. A pH level testing kit like Poolmaster 22260 Basic 5-Way Test Kit with Case
16. API Freshwater Master Test Kit
17. Electric Tape, a Drill and a Pair Of Scissors.

Last but not the least, some aquaponics fish, the type you like to eat or keep as pets such as:Angelfish, guppies, gold fish or the Betta fish, as well as aquatic plants (as vegetables or as decoration).

You can get everything you need from Amazon.com, like I did, and you can read other people’s reviews before you buy to make sure you are getting the best products for your needs.

The whole DIY aquaponics setup for home costs me a total of $165 (without grow bed).


Now, initial success of  aquaponics systems, motivated me to create a large non profit commercial project in rural areas of India. In my next post, aquaponics gardening, I will share you my idea in more detail related to business plan, investment etc. along with detailed instructions on how to build an aquaponics system at home.

Please visit my article on  aquaponics kits & supplies from various stores with various price ranges.


Related tutorials which you can follow to expand your commercial aquaponics business

(1) How to solve food crisis problem in Africa using simple solutions


(2) A business with multiple revenue streams is a more viable, resilient business model because alternate revenue streams can self fund aquaponics farm growth and expansions.

Here are excellent guides on Tilapia , Koi , Mushroom & Shrimp farming which can work as additional revenue stream for your aquaponics farm.

I thank John for teaching me these simple system which is really helpful to rural villages where water & farmable land is an issue. With little effort & guidance villagers can solve their food crisis problem for ever.

Also, small business owners can do good business by marketing organically created environment friendly vegetables, fishes & mushroom  in local and international market. 

About the author : Alex Zorach is biodynamic certified organic farmer. He co-founded and editor-in-chief of RateTea .

Biodynamic & organic agriculture aim to promote sustainability by reducing the use of synthetic, chemical inputs which can potentially be harmful to the environment and to human health.Click the link to know ho we are using aquaponics systems to support feeding the hunger to eradicate world hunger.


Alex has an M.A. in statistics from Yale (2008), an M.S. in applied mathematics from U. Delaware (2007), and a B.A. from Oberlin College (2002). He has worked as a consultant in statistics and information technology, and also has experience in operations research,  ecology, and accounting. He is helping Kunal to set up commercial aquaponics along with  Nile Tilapia  fish farming at Pen area, Maharastra.

Please note some of these links are affiliate links. I personally read them or use them.This means if you click the link & subsequently buy, I might be compensated. This money will help me to expand our project to other villages.

Share your experience with  DIY Aquaponics systems or any other relation information below as comments.