Barrels in the greenhouse?

jayendra

I'm going to start a second system in my greenhouse because I feel aquaponics will help with the following:
reason 1 = no watering (things dry out in the hot greenhouse)
reason 2 = no soil born diseases
reason 3 = overwinter veges grow well in the greenhouse
reason 4 = Some fish like the extra heat

The idea is to put blue barrels into my greenhouse which is 3.6m x 2.4m (minus framing inside)

What height should I have the barrels? - trade off between vertical growing space and space underneath for tanks.
The floor to wall is 1.68m and the total to the apex is 2.42m

In these pictures we are looking west - so the left side (south) will get shade from the right side (north) in winter.

My proposed plans: (not sure how to put in fish/sump tanks without digging)
Design 1

Design 2

My current greenhouse with wicking pots

phyregold

Hey I like the design, my question is this. What program did you do the graphics with? I want a design program so bad!

What I would personally do is elevate your grow beds to 3 feet and then create a plywood rubberize tank, customize it to fit underneath those supplies, move those supplies somewhere else, and then have a natural flow to drop the water back into the tank to airate it. So have a pvc return that is just slighty downslope, just have one pvc downflow on each side of the house

IMO.

It will shrink your verticle grow height but not sure how you would handle that unless you wanted to pump the water up.

Badger1972

Google sketch up is the program and its free from google.

Ronmaggi

What is wrong with digging? You feel super buff afterwards, women compliment your muscles, and your sense of accomplishment is immense. At least that was the results I got...

jayendra

Thanks for your replies

Ronmaggi wrote:

What is wrong with digging? You feel super buff afterwards, women compliment your muscles, and your sense of accomplishment is immense. At least that was the results I got...

A.S. 'More Energy' - yes I should get into this some day. The greenhouse has tiles down with mild slurry of concrete inbetween the gaps - would be a pain lifting them. I would have to put a tank/sumptank outside and have a walk over lid as my backyard is small.

Badger1972 wrote:

Google sketch up is the program and its free from google.

Yes and you can search for models like the barrels - (FILE - 3D warehouse - Get Models)

phyregold wrote:

What I would personally do is elevate your grow beds to 3 feet and then create a plywood rubberize tank, customize it to fit underneath those supplies, move those supplies somewhere else, and then have a natural flow to drop the water back into the tank to airate it. So have a pvc return that is just slighty downslope, just have one pvc downflow on each side of the house. It will shrink your verticle grow height but not sure how you would handle that unless you wanted to pump the water up.

"Supplies"? you mean the growbeds? Or the white grow towers in design 2?
Yes thats the idea to have a return pipe but if I had it the tank in a U shape around the greenhouse I could just drop the returns straight into the tank.
The water will be pumped up from the tank below.

I was initially thinking a wooden tank with pond-liner or 2 long rectangle tanks down each side and a shorter rectangle sump tank at the end. This would enable both tanks inside the warm greenhouse - IS THIS A GOOD THING?

Probably better off having 2 IBC's buried outside, that way I can lower the blue barrels and get more growing height.

phyregold

Quote:

"Supplies"? you mean the growbeds? Or the white grow towers in design 2?
Yes thats the idea to have a return pipe but if I had it the tank in a U shape around the greenhouse I could just drop the returns straight into the tank.
The water will be pumped up from the tank below.

I was initially thinking a wooden tank with pond-liner or 2 long rectangle tanks down each side and a shorter rectangle sump tank at the end. This would enable both tanks inside the warm greenhouse - IS THIS A GOOD THING?

Probably better off having 2 IBC's buried outside, that way I can lower the blue barrels and get more growing height.

Sorry in your third picture it looked to me like you had some barrels and buckets that wasnt used for growing (in the back far from where the picture was taken). What I was saying is to customize a tank to put underneath of that.

mantis

I dug the fish tank into the ground a bit in my greenhouse system and just have the growbeds drain into it. Pump in fish tank to all growbeds

jayendra

mantis wrote:

I dug the fish tank into the ground a bit in my greenhouse system and just have the growbeds drain into it. Pump in fish tank to all growbeds

So is it an advantage to have the fish tank in the greenhouse?
If I did it I would have to pull up the big tiles.

jayendra

I bought 3 IBC's today which are pretty new and had sugar syrup in them.

mantis

Start digging man

Charlie

Dig J-man..... DIG!!

jayendra

I'm diggin the replies

But should I dig IN the greenhouse? or Outside?
Should I have a ground level fish tank?
Should I have a ground level sump tank?
Should I make both in the greenhouse? one out one in?> which one?

I'm still unsure

jayendra

1 for greenhouse
2 for outside (possible fish or just water tanks for garden (or both)

What do you think about this spot for x2 inground IBC's with a decking lid. Going to act as a seat also.
I can then plumb it into the garden beds behind or the greenhouse to the bottom left.

jayendra

ahmmm... I just realised that they won't fit through the opening to the greenhouse. 6cm too big
I'll have to take off a front side panel.

mantis

I didn't have room outside the greenhouse for the fish tank but if you have then put them outside for sure :thumbright:

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