How to to make your own Aquaponic Dutch Bucket style system

Are you considering growing some of your own food?

You can grow both food fish and vegetables in the same system. This system is called Aquaponics. Aquaculture is growing a food fish. Hydroponics is growing plants in a soil less system. Aquaponics is doing both at the same time.

No dangerous chemicals to mix, no nutrient rich waste water to dump...

And totally Organic

2-10gph drippers enough for 2 for each bucket

3/8 inch outer diameter black tubing

tubing punch

inline connectors to fit low pressure irrigation tubing same number as your drippers

low pressure irrigation tubing

T connectors one for each bucket

elbow connectors to fit low pressure tubing, 2 for each bucket

craft iron

low output water pump

fishtank with fish

air pump

airstone

All purpose or Pea gravel enough to fill all of your growbeds.

With your craft iron you will burn 3 holes into each bucket. 2 near the top one at each end of the same side (back of tub) and one near the bottom on the front of the bucket zbout 2 inches from the bottom. The holes need to be just large enough for you to force the low pressure irrigation tubing into.

Cut 3 pieces of the low pressure irrigation tubing for each bucket, make each one about 2 inches long. Press each one into the holes you made in each bucket push them in about half way for now.

Place your low irrigation drippers onto the inside ends of each bucket into the tubing at the top of each bucket. There should be 2 for each bucket on the same side near the top.

Insert 1 elbow connector on each side of the front of your dutch bucket. You want it to form an upside down U Place a short piece of low pressure tubing onto outside of the upside down U and attach it to a T connector. so that the T appears to be upside down.

Using short pieces of low pressure tubing attach each bucket to the next until all buckets are connected to each other. place a long piece of low pressure tubing into the bucket closest to your fishtank and put the free end of the tubing into the fishtank. On the far end you are going to bend the tubing and tie a piece of twist tie wire around it so that it won't leak water.

Using your hole punch you will line up your 3/4 inch tubing along your dutch buckets. fold over one end and tie shut using some twist tie wire. This is the outer end of the tubing. You will punch a hole where the tubing lines up with a dripper, install an inline connector from the hole to the tubing and press in place firmly.

Once all the buckets are connected together through the 3/8 inch tubing you will connect that tubing to your water pump and drop pump assembly into fishtank. Leave the other end of the low pressure tubing hanging into the fish tank.

Set your timer to run for the shortest possible time 3 or 4 times a day. When the timer turns the pump on the drippers will place about 2 gph of fish water into your buckets and the upside down U shaped tubing will siphon all the water out of the buckets each time the water level gets higher than the upside down U. Since 2 drippers put water in the low pressure tubing on the front will not be able to catch up as it is only 1 line. The growbed will slowly fill and drain repeatedly until the pump shuts off.

fill your buckets with washed gravel or pea gravel to about 3/4 full then plant with your vegetable seeds of choice. Place buckets on level surface above the level of the fish tank.

Attach timer to pump. feed fish 2-3 times a day. Place in filtered sunlight to avoid over heating the fishtank. Or place floresent lighting over planters.

Do weekly water quality checks and partial water changes as needed

dutch buckets need to be higher than the fishtank or water will not siphon back into the tank