Hydroponics in big water tank?

Not sure how descriptive this isâ?¦

In the bottom of the tank is the air and water pump and water and liquid fertilizer (none shown). Old table top goes on top of bricks, with pond liner on top of this to make top tank.


Perlite is about 10cm deap on top with water when full about 15-20cm
Green hose is from the water pump. Many holes in the hose to distribute the water.
hole in liner to drain back down after filling.

Fairly full.

Above in the greenhouse I dont have fish.
Outside on the other side of the house we have the pond with the fish.

In the little hut by the pond I have a box filter, forget what type, but with foam and brush and UV filters. It has drain outlets from the sump, so I'm wondering if what comes out when I drain it can be used as fertiliser.

Both the pond and the greenhouse tank are also treated with good bacteria.

 

It seems like you have almost everything in place. I wouldn`t water a perlite bed too often as it holds a fair amount of water. The perlite also it tends to float up with the water, disturbing the roots in the process, its widely used with drip systems but not so much with flood and drain.

With gravel or hydroton you could install a sink waste fitting or a tank connector in the growbed liner and fit a standpipe tube. Drill a 6mm hole near the bottom of the standpipe inside the bed (you may need a couple depending on your pump) and put the pump on a timer to run for 15 minutes per hour, assuming the bed can be filled in 15 minutes by the pump.
Cut the standpipe just long enough so it doubles as an overflow back to the tank below and put a larger diameter pipe (110mm is good for access) around it with lots of holes drilled so it keeps the roots and gravel from clogging the drain hole(s) in the standpipe. Don`t forget to make the outer pipe taller than the gravel height.
Timed flood and drain also uses less power than pumping 24/7.

You can use the gunk from the pond filter as fertilizer but you may find you need to supplement some missing elements..the plants will let you know which ones :wink:

Here`s some chilli plants i grew with using recirculating dwc aquaponics,( a 140L aquarium, 6 large fish and a 25L tub) they flowered and produced fruit but weren`t as good as the flood and drain system. Deep water culture is very reliant on oxygen levels in the root zone, with flood and drain its not a problem.

 

Hello - a very impressive system. Please tell me where did you get this tank?
thanks, jogo

 

There was an article in Sunday's Telegraph Magazine (p61) on this, about how a New York Restaurant grows food on the premises - literally, as it's done on the roof and not under cover:



Recipes from Bell Book & Candle, New York - Telegraph

 

The Farm Shop in Dalston Junction was shown on a recent Country Tracks programme on BBC1.

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