First Step in Designing Your Aquaponics System

There is no magical way to design an aquaponics system; the best approach would be to design a system that will meet your goals and your skill level. It would be easy to expand into a more complex system once you have your basic system performing smoothly.

Common Methods in Aquaponics System

Some of the commonly used methods are the flood and drain method, the continuous flow method and the stand pipe timer method. You would have to take into consideration how much maintenance would be required and the time you have to dedicate to your project and the space you have to work with.

Some Points About the Continuous Flow Design

As the name implies the water is continuously flowing, it is pumped from your tank with the fish to the grow beds, flows through the growing bed media and plant roots and back into the fish tank. The downside to this method is since the water is flowing less nutrients are absorbed by your plants.Some Points about the Flood and Drain (Ebb and Flow Design).

This method is similar to what takes place in nature by way of waves, since the media is flooded and then completely drained oxygen can penetrate the root zone of your plants. This will also limit the buildup of solids in the grow beds because of the surging.

The Constant Height in Fish Tank - Pump In Sump Tank Design

This type of system features a pump in a sump tank that pumps water into your fish tank, the overflow pipe (in fish tank) causes the water to flow out of the your fish tank, after it reaches a predetermined height, and in your grow bed where it drains back into the sump tank.This type of system has an advantage over other methods, and they have a few disadvantages. The main advantage of this type of system is there is no pump in the tank for your fish; the fish tank stays at a constant height, so if the power goes out your fish tank will stay full.

A Very Simple Flood and Drain System Design

This is as simple as it gets because your grow bed is sitting above your fish tank, the water is pumped into the grow beds and gravity feeds it back into the tank for the fish.This is by no means all the system designs, if you are new to aquaponics it would be advantageous to invest in a guide that would give you some design ideas you could adapt to your situation.