Mini Aquaponics -- Small in Size and Expense

This small and simple mini aquaponic
system is the perfect size for classrooms,
offices, or a sunny windowsill at home.

What I love about aquaponic systems is the versatility there is.  Really all you need for a successful system is water, plants, fish, oxygen (and maybe some worms).  This allows for creativity and flexability in construction.  Some systems are massive and produce as much food as a farm.  This system is little.  It's the perfect size to use as a demonstration of the concept of aquaponics.

A smaller aquaponic system works well near a sunny classroom window.  Students can use the system for experiments, and they can learn a lot about concepts like botany, symbiosis, the water cycle, the nitrogen cycle, and technology.  Aside from using the system to meet state and common core standards in lessons, the presence of plants indoors has been shown to increase productivity and reduce stress.  Having live plants in the classroom would benefit the students and the teachers.

Not a teacher?  Not a problem.  An aquaponic system is like a living piece of art.  It can beautify your workplace or residence, and stimulate conversation with coworkers and visitors.

What is an aquaponic system?

Plants are grown hydroponically without soil.  Instead of adding fertilizer for the plants, fish live in the water reservoir for the plants.  Through the power of the nitrogen cycle, when fish release waste into the water, they supply nutrients for the plants.  In return, the plants keep the water clean for the fish.

To build this mini aquaponic system, you'll need:

Depending on the scale of your new mini-aquaponic system, your components should come to somewhere between $15 and $30.

• "Critter Tote" aquarium, $4.99 to $15.99 from your local pet store or box store

  

  Your system can be modified as long as you include fish,
  plants, water, air, and even some worms

• An air pump to inject oxygen into the water
• 5-15 gal air pump (and check valve), $6.77
• 1 mini air stone, $0.99
• Connective tubing, $1.72
• Aquarium gravel - $3.74
• Plastic "strawberry basket" or a foam egg carton
• Scissors
• Plants -- grown free from rooted cuttings or division
• One betta fish
• One clay pot, jar, or other small container
• Optional: 5-15 red wiggler worms

Putting it all together

Day 1

Start by rinsing out the aquarium, gravel, and small container with clean water.  Put a layer of gravel on

Oxygen is important for a successful aquaponic system.
Add a pot or jar to protect your betta fish from the current.

 bottom of the aquarium, and add water.  Place the small container on the gravel in the aquarium.  This will provide a place for your betta fish to rest without getting pulled into the current of the air pump.

In the corner of the aquarium lid, there will be a little circle in the grating.  Use a nail to open that hole.  Put together your air pump, stone, check valve and connective tubing as per the manufacturer's instructions.  Run the connective tubing through the new hole in the aquarium lid.  This will hold your air stone in place.  Turn on the air pump.  You should see bubbles come out of the air stone.

Allow the water to cycle for 24 hours before adding the fish.  This should allow the chlorine in the tap water to evaporate.  If you are using water from a rain barrel, you don't need to wait before moving to the next step.

Day 2

Add the betta fish to the aquarium.  If you have worms, you can add them to the aquarium at this time.  They will tunnel in the gravel and consume the solid fish waste.  Don't be alarmed if your fish eats one or two worms while you're adding them to the aquarium.

Remove the plastic cover from the aquarium lid.  If you are using a strawberry basket, put it through the opening in the lid to make sure that it fits snugly.  If you are using a foam egg carton, use scissors to cut the carton to fit snugly in the opening.  Use scissors to punch small holes in the bottom of each section of the egg carton.  The basket or carton should touch the water of the aquarium, but should not fall in through the opening.

Add plants to the basket or carton.  Pull some of the roots out through the openings in the bottom of the basket or carton.  Add gravel around the plant in the basket or carton.  Check to make sure each plant's crown is not covered by the gravel.  Adjust as needed.

Place your planter snugly in the lid.  Check to make sure the bottom of the planter or the plant roots are touching the water.

Ongoing Maintenance

To feed the fish, you can pull up the side of the lid that does not have the air pump, or you can remove the planter and add food through the opening.  Add water to the aquarium as needed.  Replace dead plants as necessary (it may take a few tries to get a plant to thrive).

In conclusion...

Again, if aquaponics are anything, they are versatile.  If this system doesn't work exactly right for you, make modifications.  

Trial and error are an important part of
creativity.  I went through a bit of failure
before finding a system that worked.

For example, one of my good friends is a school teacher.  She attended one of our "Gardening in the Classroom" sessions where we showed teachers how to build one of these mini systems.  She already had an aquarium in her classroom and wanted to add plants without having to build a new, separate system.  She used a foam egg carton planter, but found that the planter was too small to fit snugly in the top of her aquarium.  So she used pipe cleaners to secure her planter to the edge of her aquarium.  What a great idea!

The idea for this mini aquaponics system spitballed after I built my Bare-Bones Aquaponic System late last year.  We built the bare bones system at the Hazlewood ECO Center at Paris Landing State Park and the "Every Child Outdoors" Youth Vegetable Garden at the Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum.  My boss and I came up with the idea to take that, make it smaller, less expensive, and easier to build.  Before Wendy's strawberry basket revelation, I absolutely destroyed an aquarium lid by trying to drill holes in it with a hole saw.  Then I got this idea to build a plywood piece that would fit on the hole in the aquarium lid.  That worked, but it was too much work.  In this case, simpler is better -- much, much better.

So feel free to get creative with this project.  Then, please check in and share what you've done.

To see more photos of building a raised bed garden, check out my flikr set.

If you have any questions, comments, ideas or suggestions, please leave a comment or shoot me an email.

What is your experience (victories or pitfalls) with aquaponics?  What would you try growing if you had this mini aquaponic system?

Favorite Pallet Planter

Benefits of vertical gardening

I strike a pose with a large pallet
planter that I built at work.

As an apartment dweller, traditional gardening is difficult for me for the simple reason that I don't have any space to plant.  Bending down to weed and dig in the soil can also be hard on the back, knees, and other joints.  A living wall, or vertical garden, is a great way for those with space or physical limitations to garden.  A vertical garden can be hung on or propped against a wall inside or outside the home, and when working with a living wall, there's decreased need to bend down.

Choosing the right system

Many vertical gardening systems can be difficult to construct, and kits can be expensive.  If Pinterest is any indicator, repurposing old pallets to create a living wall is gaining in popularity, and there are many different styles to choose from.  With so much variety to choose from, it's difficult to know which methods are solid designs for long term growth and what designs are just a flash in the pan good for a month or two before literally falling apart.

Earlier this year I built a couple pallet living walls using the steps outlined below.  It took only a few hours to construct and the materials were fairly inexpensive.  After nearly a year the planters are still solid and the plants are continuing to grow.

To built my favorite pallet planter, you'll need

A lovely living wall can be built from an old pallet.

• An old pallet, preferably a free one
• Plywood, 1/4 inch x 2 ft x 4 ft section $8.52 Lowes
• The store should be able to cut plywood to the size of the pallet.
• Lattice, 2 ft x 8 ft section $7 ea. Home Depot
• Landscape fabric, 3 ft x 50 ft section $10 Home Depot
• Topsoil, 40 lb bag $1.30 ea. Home Depot
• Plants
• Consider perennial Mediterranean herbs like thyme, oregano, and rosemary that can handle dry conditions.
• Look for plants grown in cell packs.

Some other tools that may be helpful:

• Staple gun
• Hammer
• Drill
• Hand saw
• Knife or other blade

Building the pallet planter

Attach landscape fabric to
 the planks inside of the pallet

Pick your favorite side of the pallet to be the front.  Use the hammer to pull the planks off the back of the pallet.

Save one of the planks and drill several holes across the bottom.  Attach the drilled plank to the bottom of the planter.  This will hold the soil in the planter and allow water to drain.

Landscape fabric will hold soil inside of the living wall.  Attach the landscape fabric to the planks inside of the pallet.  Be sure to secure the fabric across the front and sides of the inside of the pallet.  Staples may be the most effective way to secure the fabric, but nails or screws will work in a pinch.

Lattice will provide support and prevent the fabric and soil from spilling out of the planter.  Attach lattice with screws to the front planks of the living wall.

Fill the planter with topsoil or garden soil.  If possible, allow the soil to dry out before this step.  The drier the soil is, the easier it will be to lift the planter.  I wouldn't recommend using potting soil or seedling mix.  Potting soil will break down and compress over time, pulling plants down into the planter and requiring the addition of more soil to fill in.

Attach the plywood back of the planter with galvanized screws.  Your planter is almost complete!  

Have a friend help hang the planter on a wall, or secure over a ledge before planting.  This step is important because you do not want a heavy living wall to fall down on you.

Cut through the landscape fabric to plant.

Through gaps in the lattice, cut a hole in the landscape fabric.  Securely place a plant in the hole and make sure that soil is firmly packed around the roots.  Repeat this step until the living wall is completely planted.

Maintaining the vertical garden

As in any garden, water is a big consideration for your living wall.  Water daily until the plants are established.  Water from the top of the planter and into each plant's hole in the landscape fabric.  When designing your pallet planter, consider adding drip irrigation tape, soaker hose, or another sort of irrigation pipe inside of the planter with the soil.  In my experience, once the plants -- especially drought tolerant herbs -- are established, the planter will require less attention to water.

To see more photos of my pallet planter, check out my photobucket story.

If you have any questions, ideas, or suggestions, leave a comment or shoot me an email.

Have you or a friend built a living wall planter?  What did you do differently?  How is the system working for you?

Is there another type of pallet planter you're interested in trying?  Where did you first learn about it?  How is it different from this design?

'Tribute' strawberries bear fruit in a large pallet planter.