Rush Creek

Aquaponics system, Brisbane, Australia

Where to put your system?

Before you do anything look for a suitable space to put your system. Some question to ask yourself:

  1. Is the ground reasonably flat?
  2. Can I get electricity easily and safely to the pumps?
  3. Can I easily cover the system where I am going to put it?
  4. Will the noise of the pumps and running water upset my family or my neighbours?

Is the ground reasonably flat?

Aquaponic systems use pumps but they also rely on water flowing by gravity. While it is possible to engineer them on sloping ground it adds a degree of complexity and we recommend that you avoid sloping ground as much as possible.

Can I get electricity easily and safely to the pumps?

This is an important consideration before you start building. You should not rely on running extension cords for long distances across your yard - it is dangerous and prone to failure. You need to make sure that you can plug your pumps into a safe power outlet.

Can I easily cover the system where I am going to put it?

The cover for the system does not have to be a solid roof - although that is what we did in one of our systems. The system should be covered adequately to prevent water from heavy rain flooding it if you are doing a flood and drain system. In our continuous flow system it has no cover and the rain does a great job in filling up the tank. So make sure if you want a cover either temporary or permanent then the area is suitable.

Will the noise of the pumps and running water upset my family or my neighbours?

No, the pumps are not that loud - however you would not want one outside your bedroom window. Yes, you do have to run the system all night long in order to make sure that ammonia does not build up and oxygen levels in the water does not drop.

But how much space do I need?

Well that depends on how big a system you want to build and what you make the system out of.  We are always being asked how big a system do I need to feed a family of four - the answer is how much does a family of four eat! Consider, how many fish do you want and how many plants do you want to grow. A 1,000 litre (264 US Gallons) tank in your aquaponics system will support between 50 and 80 fish. That will support between 1,200 (317 US Gallons) and 1,800 litres (475 US Gallons) of grow beds taken that the grow beds are about 300 millimeter (12 inches) deep.

A system made up of 1x 1,000 litre tank and two 600 litre grow beds will need at least 18 metres square (200 square feet). That is 3 m x 6 m (10 ft x 20 ft). It would support say 50 fish and a growing area of 4 square meters (44 square feet).

A system with a 2,000 litre tank (528 US Gallons) will hold about 120 to 240 fish. It will accommodate between 2,400 litres (634 US Gallons) and 3,600 litres (950 US Gallons) of grow beds.

A system made up of 1x 2,000 litre tank and four 600 litre grow beds will need at least 32 square metres (338 square feet). That is 4 m x 8 m (13 ft x 26 ft). It will support say 120 fish and 8 square metres (88 square feet) of growing area.


Photos are of aquaponic systems built and/or maintained by Martin and Kerri