jestep Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Finally getting around to starting my NFT aquaponic build. Figured I'd track it here in case anyone else is interested in doing something like this. This is my first hydro/aquaponics build and is more or less something to play around with and decide if I want to set up a larger system on the backside of our property. Sort of a pipe dream at this point, but would really like to eventually be able to grow vegetables year round. Starting small initially. Going to be a 4 channel 8ft NFT system, with a 100 gallon stock tank. An NFT type system is basically a set of shallow plastic or metal troughs where plants sit in an inert growing medium and water slowly flows over the roots of the plants providing nutrients. Since the growing base is shallow, NFT is suitable for smaller plants with limited root structure, like herbs, lettuce, and spinach. Will probably add on a small dutch bucket or ebb and flow containers so I can grow tomatoes and peppers at the same time, but initially starting with NFT. The benefit of NFT over just growing in the ground, is that water consumption is reduced by about 90%. Each channel will have 12 spaces for plants, so the entire setup will allow growing 48 plants at a time. Currently planning on several species of lettuce, spinach, arugula, and basil, oregano, thyme, and dill. Summer heat may prevent growing lettuce but there's a few species that are supposedly more bolt-proof than others, so will give those a try if needed. Can also grow more robust leafy vegetables like kale, collards, mustard greens, but they need to be harvested before they get too large. Instead of using a water and chemical nutrient mixture like traditional hydroponics, I am using a stock tank which will be stocked with bluegill or another native fish. Tilapia are essentially illegal in Texas and the ones that are legal can't survive water temperatures lower than about 70 degrees, so trying a native fish as an alternative. The fish waste contributes the nutrients to the plants which continuously filter the water. Ideally, the fish can be eaten as well once they are mature. Picture of a large NFT system at epcot. NFT channels are ordered and picking up a stock tank in the next week. Using pressure treated 2x4's for the stand to hold the channels. Will post pictures as the project progresses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo662 Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Very cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard L Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Excellent! Following along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemoon Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Ditto what jim said. please keep us updated! Im not sure how sourcing them goes, but maybe try some white bass. I've heard they're pretty decent for ponics, and are a lot more tasty than bluegill! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted April 2, 2015 Author Share Posted April 2, 2015 Ditto what jim said. please keep us updated! Im not sure how sourcing them goes, but maybe try some white bass. I've heard they're pretty decent for ponics, and are a lot more tasty than bluegill! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Was looking into other fish. If I am able to do the larger one, I will definitely be looking at a larger / tastier fish species. 100 gallons is definitely limiting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+olaggie01 Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Very cool. Would love to do this in our back yard as well. What are the light requirements? Full sun ok? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted April 2, 2015 Author Share Posted April 2, 2015 Very cool. Would love to do this in our back yard as well. What are the light requirements? Full sun ok? Going to find out. Most of the ones I have looked at personally were in greenhouses, so will be interesting to see how it performs in full sun. The biggest worry is the water temperature might get really high, and generally, if it is too warm, lettuce is going to go to flower way too fast. The other herbs should be fine in full sun though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted April 2, 2015 Author Share Posted April 2, 2015 Here's the spot where this is going to be. After cleaning up the rotting wood (bonfire time!), will dig out a 4 x 4ft space and lay sand and some pavers for a solid surface. NFT trays are here already so just need to plumb feed lines and make a common drain line that goes back to the sump. Planning on taking an extra canister filter from my FW tank so I don't need to cycle the stock tank. With this type of system, the incoming water to the NFT needs to be free of debris to prevent clogging the channels and gunking up the roots, so will probably just feed the channels straight from the canister output. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+olaggie01 Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 I'd like to put mine behind my raised garden. I'm assuming I'll need power however to run the pump. How shallow are the channels? They look pretty shallow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted April 2, 2015 Author Share Posted April 2, 2015 I'd like to put mine behind my raised garden. I'm assuming I'll need power however to run the pump. How shallow are the channels? They look pretty shallow. Actual dimensions are 1.625" x 4.75" so definitely shallow. There's quite a few ways to do channels using drain pipe or PVC pipe, but these were the cheapest I could find including making my own from PVC or something else. These come out to about $20 per channel including the top plates and the end caps. 3" PVC came out to about 2 times that plus a lot of work drilling holes and more work plumbing into a smaller drain. Circular pipes aren't ideal either because they are too deep for most of the growing pots. Will post prices and parts sources in another entry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted April 2, 2015 Author Share Posted April 2, 2015 Rockwool cubes. Seeds are planted directly in these. A single cube sits in the channel in the square hole in the lid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted April 2, 2015 Author Share Posted April 2, 2015 Overhead plan. Orange are dutch buckets for peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes. Theoretically this can all be run from the same tank, assuming it has sufficient nutrients for the plants and assuming there is sufficient volume to prevent the tank from running dry when watering the non NFT plants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bige Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Following. I'm gonna do something similar soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted April 3, 2015 Author Share Posted April 3, 2015 Anyone know what kind of conduit this is? This line runs out to my shed across the yard (buried). I want to wire a 4 plug outlet on this so I don't need an extention cord. I've never messed with flexible conduit so not sure how to approach this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted April 3, 2015 Author Share Posted April 3, 2015 Following. I'm gonna do something similar soon Awesome. I've been wanting to do one for a long time, but haven't had the space until last summer. This one is pretty small, but a lot can be grown much denser than traditional planting. Really hoping for some sort of success without need a climate controlled greenhouse. Not quite ready to make that purchase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted April 3, 2015 Author Share Posted April 3, 2015 Posting prices and sources for equipment. There is a local hydroponic supply store that a lot of this can be purchased from. http://www.texashydroponics.com/ My NFT channels are from crop king. They also offer other supplies, but shipping can get expensive. https://www.cropking.com/catalog/nft-system-components Cost so far is about $120 for the 4 complete 8' channels. McCoys is the cheapest source for stock tanks that I can find. $70 for a HDPE 100 gallon tank. I may just go for a 350 gallon right out of the gate, which is quite a bit more at about $260. https://shop.mccoys.com/farm-ranch-yard/farm-and-ranch/stock-tanks-and-accessories/poly-stock-tanks I can also get 300 gallon IBC tanks on craigslist for about $150 delivered, so that may be a better route overall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reburn Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 That conduit is just electrical flex conduit. Its commonly referred to as liquid tite conduit. It's probably 3/4". Any Home Depot or lowes should have it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted June 25, 2015 Author Share Posted June 25, 2015 Sloooooooooooowly coming together. Ready to go outside as soon as I get my brick platform finished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 dude sweet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bige Posted June 26, 2015 Share Posted June 26, 2015 That looks sweet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted July 24, 2015 Author Share Posted July 24, 2015 Go my platform finished this week. Nothing like digging a hole when it's almost 100 degrees out and finding a 200lb rock the first time the shovel struck the ground... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bige Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Looks cool so far. What's next? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted July 24, 2015 Author Share Posted July 24, 2015 Looks cool so far. What's next? Pretty much move it outside, fill it, and add fish. Filter is pre-seeded on my FW tank, so I shouldn't need to cycle it. Probably going to make sure the fish are doing well and are established before putting the channels online. It's so hot right now, I have to be really selective in what I'm growing. Most lettuce is going to bolt pretty quickly in this temp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted February 25, 2016 Author Share Posted February 25, 2016 Been forever since I updated. Fully built and leveled the stand and had the water setup back in October. Got fully finished a few weeks ago with cementing the PVC and plumbing the feed lines into the channels. Sort of trial and error on what was water tight and how to not leak water out of some space that I wouldn't have thought could leak. Had to put off working on it for a while due to a personal injury then it was a bit cold and took longer than I planned to plumb and seal everything. But finally, it's in operation. Currently have all 32 spaces filled with various leafy vegetables, tested with a few of arugula and all sprouted quickly, so we filled the rest this weekend. Have butter lettuce, red lettuce, spinach, arugula, red basil, sweet basil, mustard greens, and some cilantro. It doesn't look like it's going to ever freeze here again, so took a chance that planting season begins in February now. As mild as this winter has been, I probably could have planted back in January. Starting on an 8 bucket, dutch / bato bucket add on this next week. Trying to get as much out of the NFT channels as possible before it gets too hot and difficult to grow anything, early July or so. I already have a traditional garden bed in the back prepped for tomatoes and some root vegetables, so might do some eggplant and various peppers in the buckets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bige Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 For some reason I thought this was going to be covered. That setup looks easy and relatively inexpensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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