aquaponic gardening

7 Steps To Building An Aquaponic Gardening At Home

aquaponic garden at my back yard

In part one of aquaponics information for beginners, we talked about  how Aquaponics 4 you helped me to design & build my own system at home.

In this article, we will talk about the actual steps to building aquaponic gardening and some sources to find the parts you need.

Follow the given instructions carefully, and you'll know how to make a fully functional aquaponic system. How to assemble it may seem tricky at first, but it's relatively simple once you get the hang of it.

A video on Aquaponic Gardening

My recommended 7 steps on aquaponic gardening for growing fish & plant together

Step 1: The fish tank will need to be placed in the ground, partly submerged in the soil, as this will help maintain the optimal temperature for the water and the fish. So you'll need to dig a hole for the tank to be placed in. Place the tank in a shaded area, as too much sunlight will cause quicker evaporation and the tank will require more frequent refilling.

Step 2: Now take the waterproof cable and connect it to the water pump and the air pump and attach them to the power point. (Make sure it stays Switched OFF!) Remember to cover up the electric parts with a waterproof container, and keep it away from the fish. Burying it into the soil is the safest.

Step 3: Closely place the plant-grow tank diagonally above the fish tank. This will help the water pump and circulate between the tanks more easily. The grow-tub should also have tiny holes drilled at the bottom at its tip, which faces the tank below so that the water penetrates and returns back to the fish tank. The tiles can also help by creating a slanted roof, over which the water will slide into the tank below.

Step 4: Connect the pond pump with the garden hosepipe and the automated surge protector.

Step 5: Now de-chlorinate the water by leaving it be for an hour. Then add the fish.

Step 6: Add the grow matter, such as clay or gravel into the plant tank and place your plants into the tank as well. You can also plant seeds, which will germinate without any problems.

Step 7: You will need to keep a check on the water level and the fish. Keep them well fed, as that is directly related to the growth of the plants. Also giving the plants regular vitamin supplements will be very beneficial for their general well-being. Make sure that the tanks are not contaminated by feces from birds and insects. 

Always remember to clean your aquaponics system at least once a month.

I’m excited after seeing my success in growing up the system at my backyard with little effort and some initial investment.

Are you interested to set up your own garden?

Diwnlaod Aquanponics 4 you PDF manual. This is a step by step guide on how to build a  diy Aquaponics garden at your backyard.

Aquaponics: Bringing Organic Gardening to Cities And Drought Stricken Regions

Now I’m working with NGO to use this break-through organic gardening secret in cities and drought-stricken regions in Maharsatra. I am taking help from GrowHaus — co-founded by Adam Brock,who works in partnership with JD and Tawnya Sawyer of Colorado Aquaponic. I'm planning to use rainwater harvesting and an Aquaponics systems together. I'm planning to use a flood and drain system instead of a nutrient film system or a deep water raft system.

This NGO provides consulting on aquaponic food production. Finally, we want to build commercial aquaponics, because this is a good investment strategy with high ROI.

We are building aquaponics design software like Clear Flow Aquaponic Systems, but this will be more focused for farmers on the Asian subcontinent.

The prime feature of our design will be an integrated heat exchanger that will dramatically improve both energy and water usage efficiencies.  The typical aquaponics system requires between a 6% to 8% water change per day, while our system averages about a 2% water change per week, due to the extra water added through the dehumidification process.

If you would like to contribute to this project, which is not only good for India, but also good for the sustainability of the planet, please send us help with your generous contribution. I thank you in advance for your support.

Please click the link to donate $5 to help us deploy the pilot in villages 

We are also planning to create a project self-cleaning fish tank that grows food in  crowd funding platform like Kickstarter. Here is another article on how we are using aquaponics system to support feeding the hunger program in India & Africa.

Share your best tips on aquaponic gardening below.