You Can Grow Your Own Way
Growing food for your family is the best way to ensure you are eating the freshest and healthiest food possible. Taking control of your food production creates greater food security and self-reliance. Aquaponics is one of the most efficient and productive ways to grow nutritious food year round.
Aquabundance™ Modular Aquaponic Systems are designed to best fit your growing needs, your space and budget. Our systems are attractive, highly productive and easy to assemble. Our experienced team of growers and designers is proud to offer this best-in-class food production system. Your Aquabundance Modular system will produce a tremendous amount of food for your family, school or community for years to come.
Aquabundance™ Modular Aquaponic Systems
Learn about the Aquabundance System
Discover what fish and plants you can grow
Thoughtfully engineered for easy setup, comfortable gardening and a life time of abundant food production!
No plumbing experience, cutting or gluing is required. The system easily plumbs together with Quik-loc, Uniseal and Fernco fittings. 
Nutrient Rich Water For Your Plants, Clean Filtered Water For Your Fish
The fish tank, solids filtration and plant growing beds are integrated into a balanced eco-system providing excellent water quality for the fish, plants and beneficial bacteria. Water is continuously recirculated which allows the system to grow tremendous amounts of food with a fraction of the water. Nutrient-rich water flows from the 200-gallon fish tank to the Spiral Flow Filter. The filter collects the heaviest solid fish waste at the bottom of the cone for easy discharge into a 5-gallon bucket. The clarified water then flows through the scrub filter for additional solids capture and biological filtration before dropping into the sump tank below. A submersible pump at the bottom of the sump tank pumps water back to the fish tank and all of grow beds simultaneously. Each grow bed and the fish tank has its own independent flow control. A central air pump provides dissolved oxygen delivery to the fish, plants and bacteria.
Designed To Best Fit Your Food Growing Needs, Space and Budget
- Our Modular Framing System allows 3 to 8 beds in a straight or L-shaped layout
- Optional light and trellising racks are available for all systems
- Several DWC and Media bed combinations are available
- All frames are powder coated black for a beautiful rust proof finish
- The frame assembles with a hex key wrench provided with your system
- Systems can easily expand when connected to any Growasis Modular Raft System
Thoughtfully engineered for easy setup, comfortable gardening and a life time of abundant food production!
No plumbing experience, cutting or gluing is required. The system easily plumbs together with Quik-loc, Uniseal and Fernco fittings.
Nutrient Rich Water For Your Plants, Clean Filtered Water For Your Fish
The fish tank, solids filtration and plant growing beds are integrated into a balanced eco-system providing excellent water quality for the fish, plants and beneficial bacteria. Water is continuously recirculated which allows the system to grow tremendous amounts of food with a fraction of the water. Nutrient-rich water flows from the 200-gallon fish tank to the Spiral Flow Filter. The filter collects the heaviest solid fish waste at the bottom of the cone for easy discharge into a 5-gallon bucket. The clarified water then flows through the scrub filter for additional solids capture and biological filtration before dropping into the sump tank below. A submersible pump at the bottom of the sump tank pumps water back to the fish tank and all of grow beds simultaneously. Each grow bed and the fish tank has its own independent flow control. A central air pump provides dissolved oxygen delivery to the fish, plants and bacteria.
Designed To Best Fit Your Food Growing Needs, Space and Budget
- Our Modular Framing System allows 3 to 8 beds in a straight or L-shaped layout
- Optional light and trellising racks are available for all systems
- Several DWC and Media bed combinations are available
- All frames are powder coated black for a beautiful rust proof finish
- The frame assembles with a hex key wrench provided with your system
- Systems can easily expand when connected to any Growasis Modular Raft System
Healthy Food For A Lifetime
Media Beds – Great for Fruiting and Vining Crops
The media beds are filled with LECA (lightweight expanded clay aggregate) which is an excellent soil-less medium for all types of growing. The expanded clay media is 12″ deep in each grow bed and super easy to plant in. The expanded clay pebbles provide a stable medium for the roots to grow and absorb water and nutrients. Media beds are particularly great for growing a wide variety of fruiting and vining crops such as:
Tomatoes – Peppers – Eggplant – Pole Beans – Squash
Cucumbers – Nasturtiums – Strawberries – Dwarf Fruit Trees
Deep Water Culture Beds – Great for Lettuces, Leafy Greens and Herbs
Nutrient rich water constantly recirculates through the DWC beds. Raft boards are supported by the edge of the grow bed and sit just above the water line providing air to the plant roots. Each DWC bed has 32 planting spaces in the rafts. These beds are great for high density production of many types of lettuces, herbs and greens such as:
Lettuce varieties: Romaine – Bibb – Salanova – Butterhead – Baby Greens
Herbs: Basil – Parsley – Mint – Thyme – Rosemary – Cilantro
Cooking Greens: Collards – Mustard – Kale – Chard – Bok Choy
Edible or Ornamental Fish
Fish tanks are 200 gallons and can include an optional window kit for viewing of the fish. Filtered water for the fish continuously flows through the tank at a rate of 1 to 1.5 full exchanges per hour. A modest stocking density of .3 lbs of fish per gallon of water is typically recommended (equal to a 1.5 lb fish per 5 gallons). Stocking density can vary by species. A standard 200 gallon tank can therefore hold about 60 lbs of fish at the recommended stocking density. Tanks can be upgraded to 300 gallons for even more fish production. Several different species of fish can be raised such as:
Tilapia – Hybrid Striped Bass – Catfish – Trout – Koi
Features and Options
Comfort and Gardening Together at Last
Ergonomic Gardening – The words comfort and gardening don’t usually go together. Think about all the time spent on your knees, weeding and tilling in the soil. Our Aquabundance™ Modular Framing System puts your plants at a perfect height for a lifetime of convenient, pain free gardening. Oh yeah… there’s no weeding either.
Simple Setup – The modular framing system easily connects together with the supplied hex key or eyebolts. No cutting or special tools are required. Materials are pre-cut in our shop to match the number of grow beds you choose when you order.
Beautiful Finish – The entire frame is powder coated in a rust proof black satin finish. Custom paneling to cover the grow bed sides can be made in a variety of wood finishes, whiteboard or chalkboard panels which are great for schools.
The Light Frame – An optional light frame can be included with your system which easily connects into the main grow bed frame. The light frame has a center bar that supports light movers that allow the lighting system to move up and down the grow beds for maximum coverage. The light frame also serves as an excellent way to trellis up your vining crops!
Optimal Water for Healthy Fish and Plants
The Problem – Many do-it yourself systems do not have adequate filtration systems and some don’t have any at all. It’s common to see systems where the fish solids are simply pumped directly into the plant beds. This may work for a short period of time but eventually the media will become clogged with fish waste causing the beds to turn anaerobic.
The Solution – Our two stage Spiral Flow Filtration System is designed to provide optimal water quality and clarity for your fish and plants. The first stage captures the heaviest “settleable” solids along with any uneaten feed in the cone bottom tank. A bottom center drain allows you to periodically remove these solids into a bucket. The solids can then be composted or added into a mineralization tank to create a nutrient dense solution that can be added back into your system or used for your soil garden, lawn or house plants.
Clarified water (water that has the largest particulate matter removed) passes through the Spiral Flow Filter and then drains through a series of Matala filtration mats specifically designed for fish systems. The filter mats capture the lighter weight suspended solids and provide surface area for bacteria to further break down solids into inorganic nutrients that can be absorbed by the plants. Once the water passes through the filter mats it drains into the central sump where it is simultaneously pumped to the plants and back to the fish.
Self Cleaning Filtration is Here!
If you want the latest in fully automated filtration systems you’re in the right place. The AST Endurance 2000 is a patented self cleaning filtration system that provides excellent water quality with no maintenance. Your Aquabundance system can be upgraded to include an AST Endurance filter rather than the standard Spiral Flow Filter. You can select the Endurance Filter Option on the Aquabundance Product Page.
- Automatic pneumatic backwash enabling the filter to operate for extended periods of time without intervention, saving time and labor
- Large sludge storage chamber that concentrates the sludge minimizing servicing needs
- Superior solids removal and biofiltration in one filter, delivering crystal clear water
- Low profile design allows for “airlift” water pumping, minimizing energy costs
- Elegant, simple design with no moving internal parts and no replacement media ever required, guaranteeing trouble free operation
- Units arrive pre-filled with bead media which never needs replacement
Peace of Mind
Continuous oxygen delivery during a power outage. Power outages happen to everyone and are usually out of your control. Without continuous oxygen delivery your fish could die within hours or experience respiratory damage that could result in longer term health issues or fatality days or weeks after the outage.
As of August 2022, all Aquabundance systems now come standard with a Hydrus AC/DC air pump. The Hydrus 60 has the ability to run for up to 8 hours on backup battery power alone and is also equipped with variable flow control. More information and a data sheet can be found on the Hydrus ETAQ 60 Product Page.
Full Spectrum LED Lighting for Optimal Growth
One of the great benefits of aquaponic gardening is the ability to grow year round. If you are growing in your basement, a classroom or even in a greenhouse you will likely need artificial lights for optimal plant growth.
One of our most popular lights is the ARC 600 watt full spectrum LED. The ARC 600 can be easily connected to a light mover that mounts to the Aquabundance Light Frame. The light mover slowly carries the light back and forth across the plant canopy for greater coverage. This combination allows you the most efficient lighting system possible, minimizing the number of light fixtures you have to purchase and reducing the cost of operation.
- Efficient LEDs deliver more light using less power. Lower your energy costs or grow more with existing power
- Environmentally sealed fans, optics & drivers make the ARC ideal for both indoor and greenhouse environments.
- Designed with industry leading components, the ARC is rated for 50,000 hours of continuous use
- The ARC uses 4 active cooling fans, keeping fixtures cool to the touch and the LEDs operating at ideal temperatures
Ceramic Metal Halide and T5 Flourescent lighting options are also available.
Ready for More Food? Add a Growasis
How it works – Aquabundance systems can easily connect with our Growasis Modular DWC Systems to increase and diversify your food production. The Aquabundance sump tank links together with the Growasis sump tank creating a larger single sump. A gate valve between the sumps allows them to be paired or disconnected. The Aquabundance pump continues to provide water flow to the Aquabundance grow beds and fish tank. The Growasis system, using its own dedicated pump, supplies water to the plants in the Growasis system. The two sumps can be disconnected allowing the Growasis to operate independently.
Elevated Growasis Systems work particularly well when connected to an Aquabundance system so all of your plant growing beds are at the same comfortable working height. Many combinations and layouts of Aquabundance and Growasis systems are available. Please Contact our Sales and Design Team to determine the best configuration for your space and growing needs.
Seeing is Believing
Fish Tanks – Our Aquabundance fish tanks come in 200 or 300 gallon volumes ideally suited for raising edible or ornamental fish. Tanks are 33″ in height so they can easily fit through a standard door way. Tanks come in a forest green color and are pre-drilled to accept the supply and return plumbing that connects to the rest of your system.
Optional Window Kits – Seeing your fish is one of the most enjoyable aspects of aquaponics. Most fish are very social and will come to the window to see you especially because they know you are the person who feeds them! Windows are also a great way to observe the health of your fish and your water clarity. Our window kits come with all of the necessary stainless steel mounting hardware, a pre-drilled acrylic window and a water tight foam gasket. Watch the Installation Video on the Window Kit Product Page. Windows are not pre-installed on tanks to prevent damage during shipping.
Automatic Source Water Filtration
Source Water Filtration – Most aquaponic systems are connected to a municipal water supply and most water supplies contain chlorine or chloramine as a disinfectant. For this reason we recommend adding a dual stage sediment and KDF filter. KDF (Kinetic Degradation Fluxion) is a high-purity copper-zinc formulation that uses a basic chemical process known as redox (oxidation/reduction) to remove chlorine, chloramine, lead, mercury, iron, and hydrogen sulfide from water supplies. This filter media is also bacteriostatic which prevents microbes from breeding.
Auto Top-Off – While aquaponic systems are great at conserving water, you will still lose water naturally to evaporation and transpiration (the process of water movement through a plant). Keeping your system topped off can be one of those things that’s easy to forget until it’s too late and hauling buckets of water around isn’t much fun.
The auto top off filtration system combines the KDF filter with a float valve that is mounted in a pre-drilled hole in the sump tank. Once the filter is connected to your water supply you can connect it to the float valve using simple push connect fittings that come with the filter. The float valve will allow filtered water to flow into the sump when the water level is low and will stop flow once your system is filled to the optimum level.
No Cutting, Gluing or Special Tools Required
Installation is fun and fast. We have pre-cut and pre-assembled the frame and plumbing components so you don’t have to.
Framing systems come together with the supplied hex key wrench. The grow tubs drop right into the frames.
All plumbing connections are Quik-loc, uniseal or fernco connections so connecting the tanks and pumps is made as simple as possible.
All systems come with an illustrated easy to follow assembly manual.
Startup cycling kits and instructions come with every system so you can get growing right away.
Getting off to a Good Start
Aquabundance Systems come with the supplies (listed below) that you will need to startup and maintain a healthy eco-system. We carry a wide range of additional products for water quality monitoring, pest management, nutrient balancing, and plant and fish health. Visit our online Shop to see all of our supplies.
- API Master Test Kit – Test Kit includes pH, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate Tests
- AquaCycle – Startup Cycling Kit with instructions to establish your bacterial colony
- AquaUp and AquaDown ph Adjusters
- AquaIron 10% DTPA chelated Iron
- Digital Thermometer
- Aquaponic Gardening Online Course Code
- System Assembly Instructions
Your Success is Our Success
There is nothing more important to us than making sure you are happy with your Aquabundance system. While we’ve done our best to make the systems as user friendly as possible, Aquaponic gardening still takes time, practice and patience. Everyone’s results will be different with their system. Our goal is to make sure you have the resources and support you need to have a healthy vibrant aquaponic garden.
Customers who have purchased our systems are our number one priority. Call or email us anytime during business hours. We want to hear from you and we will help you however we can.
We also encourage you to browse and find answers to common questions in our large library of FAQs
Please also utilize our free Aquaponic Gardening Community Forum to talk with other aquaponic gardeners.
Comfort and Gardening Together at Last
Ergonomic Gardening – The words comfort and gardening don’t usually go together. Think about all the time spent on your knees, weeding and tilling in the soil. Our Aquabundance™ Modular Framing System puts your plants at a perfect height for a lifetime of convenient, pain free gardening. Oh yeah… there’s no weeding either.
Simple Setup – The modular framing system easily connects together with the supplied hex key or eyebolts. No cutting or special tools are required. Materials are pre-cut in our shop to match the number of grow beds you choose when you order.
Beautiful Finish – The entire frame is powder coated in a rust proof black satin finish. Custom paneling to cover the grow bed sides can be made in a variety of wood finishes, whiteboard or chalkboard panels which are great for schools.
The Light Frame – An optional light frame can be included with your system which easily connects into the main grow bed frame. The light frame has a center bar that supports light movers that allow the lighting system to move up and down the grow beds for maximum coverage. The light frame also serves as an excellent way to trellis up your vining crops!
Optimal Water for Healthy Fish and Plants
The Problem – Many do-it yourself systems do not have adequate filtration systems and some don’t have any at all. It’s common to see systems where the fish solids are simply pumped directly into the plant beds. This may work for a short period of time but eventually the media will become clogged with fish waste causing the beds to turn anaerobic.
The Solution – Our two stage Spiral Flow Filtration System is designed to provide optimal water quality and clarity for your fish and plants. The first stage captures the heaviest “settleable” solids along with any uneaten feed in the cone bottom tank. A bottom center drain allows you to periodically remove these solids into a bucket. The solids can then be composted or added into a mineralization tank to create a nutrient dense solution that can be added back into your system or used for your soil garden, lawn or house plants.
Clarified water (water that has the largest particulate matter removed) passes through the Spiral Flow Filter and then drains through a series of Matala filtration mats specifically designed for fish systems. The filter mats capture the lighter weight suspended solids and provide surface area for bacteria to further break down solids into inorganic nutrients that can be absorbed by the plants. Once the water passes through the filter mats it drains into the central sump where it is simultaneously pumped to the plants and back to the fish.
Self Cleaning Filtration is Here!
If you want the latest in fully automated filtration systems you’re in the right place. The AST Endurance 2000 is a patented self cleaning filtration system that provides excellent water quality with no maintenance. Your Aquabundance system can be upgraded to include an AST Endurance filter rather than the standard Spiral Flow Filter. You can select the Endurance Filter Option on the Aquabundance Product Page.
- Automatic pneumatic backwash enabling the filter to operate for extended periods of time without intervention, saving time and labor
- Large sludge storage chamber that concentrates the sludge minimizing servicing needs
- Superior solids removal and biofiltration in one filter, delivering crystal clear water
- Low profile design allows for “airlift” water pumping, minimizing energy costs
- Elegant, simple design with no moving internal parts and no replacement media ever required, guaranteeing trouble free operation
- Units arrive pre-filled with bead media which never needs replacement
Full Spectrum LED Lighting for Optimal Growth
One of the great benefits of aquaponic gardening is the ability to grow year round. If you are growing in your basement, a classroom or even in a greenhouse you will likely need artificial lights for optimal plant growth.
One of our most popular lights is the ARC 600 watt full spectrum LED. The ARC 600 can be easily connected to a light mover that mounts to the Aquabundance Light Frame. The light mover slowly carries the light back and forth across the plant canopy for greater coverage. This combination allows you the most efficient lighting system possible, minimizing the number of light fixtures you have to purchase and reducing the cost of operation.
- Efficient LEDs deliver more light using less power. Lower your energy costs or grow more with existing power
- Environmentally sealed fans, optics & drivers make the ARC ideal for both indoor and greenhouse environments.
- Designed with industry leading components, the ARC is rated for 50,000 hours of continuous use
- The ARC uses 4 active cooling fans, keeping fixtures cool to the touch and the LEDs operating at ideal temperatures
Ceramic Metal Halide and T5 Flourescent lighting options are also available.
Ready for More Food? Add a Growasis
How it works – Aquabundance systems can easily connect with our Growasis Modular DWC Systems to increase and diversify your food production. The Aquabundance sump tank links together with the Growasis sump tank creating a larger single sump. A gate valve between the sumps allows them to be paired or disconnected. The Aquabundance pump continues to provide water flow to the Aquabundance grow beds and fish tank. The Growasis system, using its own dedicated pump, supplies water to the plants in the Growasis system. The two sumps can be disconnected allowing the Growasis to operate independently.
Elevated Growasis Systems work particularly well when connected to an Aquabundance system so all of your plant growing beds are at the same comfortable working height. Many combinations and layouts of Aquabundance and Growasis systems are available. Please Contact our Sales and Design Team to determine the best configuration for your space and growing needs.
Seeing is Believing
Fish Tanks – Our Aquabundance fish tanks come in 200 or 300 gallon volumes ideally suited for raising edible or ornamental fish. Tanks are 33″ in height so they can easily fit through a standard door way. Tanks come in a forest green color and are pre-drilled to accept the supply and return plumbing that connects to the rest of your system.
Optional Window Kits – Seeing your fish is one of the most enjoyable aspects of aquaponics. Most fish are very social and will come to the window to see you especially because they know you are the person who feeds them! Windows are also a great way to observe the health of your fish and your water clarity. Our window kits come with all of the necessary stainless steel mounting hardware, a pre-drilled acrylic window and a water tight foam gasket. Watch the Installation Video on the Window Kit Product Page. Windows are not pre-installed on tanks to prevent damage during shipping.
Automatic Source Water Filtration
Source Water Filtration – Most aquaponic systems are connected to a municipal water supply and most water supplies contain chlorine or chloramine as a disinfectant. For this reason we recommend adding a dual stage sediment and KDF filter. KDF (Kinetic Degradation Fluxion) is a high-purity copper-zinc formulation that uses a basic chemical process known as redox (oxidation/reduction) to remove chlorine, chloramine, lead, mercury, iron, and hydrogen sulfide from water supplies. This filter media is also bacteriostatic which prevents microbes from breeding.
Auto Top-Off – While aquaponic systems are great at conserving water, you will still lose water naturally to evaporation and transpiration (the process of water movement through a plant). Keeping your system topped off can be one of those things that’s easy to forget until it’s too late and hauling buckets of water around isn’t much fun.
The auto top off filtration system combines the KDF filter with a float valve that is mounted in a pre-drilled hole in the sump tank. Once the filter is connected to your water supply you can connect it to the float valve using simple push connect fittings that come with the filter. The float valve will allow filtered water to flow into the sump when the water level is low and will stop flow once your system is filled to the optimum level.
No Cutting, Gluing or Special Tools Required
Installation is fun and fast. We have pre-cut and pre-assembled the frame and plumbing components so you don’t have to.
Framing systems come together with the supplied hex key wrench. The grow tubs drop right into the frames.
All plumbing connections are Quik-loc, uniseal or fernco connections so connecting the tanks and pumps is made as simple as possible.
All systems come with an illustrated easy to follow assembly manual.
Startup cycling kits and instructions come with every system so you can get growing right away.
Getting off to a Good Start
Aquabundance Systems come with the supplies (listed below) that you will need to startup and maintain a healthy eco-system. We carry a wide range of additional products for water quality monitoring, pest management, nutrient balancing, and plant and fish health. Visit our online Shop to see all of our supplies.
- API Master Test Kit – Test Kit includes pH, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate Tests
- AquaCycle – Startup Cycling Kit with instructions to establish your bacterial colony
- AquaUp and AquaDown ph Adjusters
- AquaIron 10% DTPA chelated Iron
- Large and small fish net
- Digital Thermometer
- Aquaponic Gardening Online Course Code
- System Assembly Instructions
Your Success is Our Success
There is nothing more important to us than making sure you are happy with your Aquabundance system. While we’ve done our best to make the systems as user friendly as possible, Aquaponic gardening still takes time, practice and patience. Everyone’s results will be different with their system. Our goal is to make sure you have the resources and support you need to have a healthy vibrant aquaponic garden.
Customers who have purchased our systems are our number one priority. Call or email us anytime during business hours. We want to hear from you and we will help you however we can.
We also encourage you to browse and find answers to common questions in our large library of FAQs
Please also utilize our free Aquaponic Gardening Community Forum to talk with other aquaponic gardeners.
Peace of Mind
Continuous oxygen delivery during a power outage. Power outages happen to everyone and are usually out of your control. Without continuous oxygen delivery your fish could die within hours or experience respiratory damage that could result in longer term health issues or fatality days or weeks after the outage.
As of August 2022, all Aquabundance systems now come standard with a Hydrus AC/DC air pump. The Hydrus 60 has the ability to run for up to 8 hours on backup battery power alone and is also equipped with variable flow control. More information and a data sheet can be found on the Hydrus ETAQ 60 Product Page.
Aquabundance™ Modular System FAQ’s
Our systems ship on pallets delivered by a freight company. If your property doesn’t have a forklift or loading dock, we can schedule a freight truck that has a liftgate to lower the system from the truck. After that, it’s your responsibility to store the pallet in a safe location indoors where it will be protected from weather or being misplaced.
Every system is different and the size of the pallet varies from project to project. Part of our quoting process is to provide an estimate for the freight delivery. We do not upcharge on shipping, so when we invoice for the system, only the exact amount is billed.
We include insurance on all freight shipments. If damage occurs during shipping, we will send replacement parts and file a claim with the freight company. Your job is to notify us immediately of the damage and send pictures of the damage so that we can make the claim.
The Aquabundance system can be installed in many places, however ,some are better suited than others. The AquaBundance system has been installed inside of classrooms, greenhouses, cafeterias, houses, and even outdoors.
Please read our Getting Started Checklist for a more detailed overview of space requirements. Here are a few key considerations:
A solid, level, and cleanable surface is ideal to support the weight of the system and to be able to clean the floor should it get water on it. Installing on carpet is not a good idea. The floor should be level and water resistant.
If installing inside your house, you want to adequate space to walk around all of the tanks and grow beds. Good air ventilation and circulation is important for plant health. Most basements and houses don’t have good outside air exchange which can create high humidity and potentially moldy conditions, so including extra equipment to address environmental controls is important.
You will want to have access to water and power.
Greenhouses can be great so you can have good air exchange and natural sunlight.
Aquaponic systems are extremely heavy when filled with water so don’t install these systems on floors or surfaces that are unable to support the weight. In some cases you may need a structural engineer to verify if your floor is capable of supporting the system.
Yes! If your system is large enough, we are able to travel to complete the install for you. We normally discuss installation during the preliminary quoting stage so that we can forecast installation dates and fees. Travel and lodging fees will apply including the day rate for labor.
If you would like us to install your system, please contact one of our sales and design team specialists. They will discuss your project and location to determine an installation plan.
Yes, you can use well water in aquaponics but we strongly recommend having your source water tested by a local and reputable lab for heavy metals, contaminants, pathogens and other factors that could require either pre-treatment of the water or use if a different water source prior to introduction into your Aquabundance system. A good resource for learning more about well and ground water testing is Wellowner.org
You can run the system hydroponically with a good full spectrum organic hydroponic nutrient solution such as Espartan. However, this is a more expensive way to run the system in the long haul as opposed to feeding fish who provide nutrients naturally and consistently. Fish feed is less expensive and nutrient delivery is more stable and consistent with fish than it is with periodic dosing of hydro nutrients. That said, you may find running the system initially with a low dose of organic hydroponic nutrients can help get your plants up and thriving until you are able to get your fish delivered. We do not recommend using conventional hydroponic nutrients in an aquaponic system because they may not be safe for fish. We have successfully used Espartan in certain instances in our aquaponic system without fish. Once you are ready to add fish, be sure to not add any more Espartan and test the ammonia and nitrite levels in the water to make sure they are at safe levels.
We do not sell fish or seeds.
Fish – We recommend reaching out to your local fish farmers or doing a web search for your local aquaculture association’s website to see if they can provide you with the species you are looking for. We find it’s best to support your local fish farmer who can usually help deliver your fish and understands their specific needs. There are also suppliers who ship fingerlings around the country that can be found online.
Plants – If you are purchasing seeds, we recommend Johnny’s Seeds. We have been successfully using their products since 2009 and they are a family owned business with a tremendous amount of resources on their website. We also recommend supporting your local nursery or garden center if you are looking for seeds or starts.
You can transfer soil plants into your aquaponics system. Make sure you rinse off all of the soil from the roots before transplanting into your aquaponic system.
Our standard Aquabundance systems come with several pieces of electrical equipment. There are water pumps, air pumps, monitors, heaters, and grow lights.
A small scale AquaBundance system with grow lighting can be expected to require around 25 amps and 42.1 KwH/Day.
Lighting electrical loads can vary significantly depending on the size of your farm, the types of crops you want to grow, and the building structure, and your location. Installing lights on light movers can help reduce the overall cost of fixtures and the operating costs of running lights. Our Aquabundance systems can be fitted with a light rack that allows you to mount light movers and grow lights directly above the plants. We recommend contacting us so we can design a lighting system optimized for your environment.
Yes! Our systems have been designed so people can install them without special tools, extra hardware or plumbing experience. All of the plumbing connections are Quik-loc, Uniseal or Fernco connections that don’t require any cutting, priming or gluing. The frame is assembled using the supplied hex-key wrench. We provide highly visual assembly manuals for the frame and plumbing systems. As always, we are here to support you the entire way and will be happy to assist if you have any questions during the installation.
Answering this question is like predicting the weather 3 months from now. Everyone’s growing results will be different because everyone’s environment is different. There are a variety of factors that will influence plant production in an aquaponic system such as but not limited to: Temperature, humidity, water quality, pH, nutrients, pest management, fish feeding, plant species, available light for plant photosynthesis etc. Most importantly, your ability to properly manage the system and environment and care for the fish, plants and bacteria will ultimately dictate your success. Managing a successful aquaponic garden does require that you learn about the fundamentals of plant and fish health as well as how to manage and adjust various water quality parameters to optimize the system. This is why taking an Aquaponic Class or purchasing the Aquaponic Gardening Book is a really good idea. Many of the most successful growers continue to stay active in our Aquaponic Gardening Forum to talk to other growers and learn about best practices, tips and tricks. The more knowledge you bring to your garden the more you will get out of it.
All of that said, here are a few tables that may be helpful for planning purposes. Please note that these tables assume that a single species of crop such as lettuce or tomatoes are planted per bed. The reality is most of our growers plant a wide variety of crops in each bed to diversify their food production. You will have to experiment with different species to determine plant yields and crop spacing in your system.
Table 1: Theoretical lettuce and basil production estimates
For the DWC beds, there are 32 planting spaces in each bed. Lettuce production estimates are based upon 32 planting spaces per bed with an average transplant to harvest time of 5 weeks (culture time). This table assumes that you are just growing lettuce and consistently rotating transplants from your nursery into the DWC bed as you harvest heads out of the bed. This weekly transplanting method allows you to achieve a very consistent harvest and yield which is what our larger scale farmers do to maximize production. To calculate heads per week, divide the total number of plant spaces by the culture time (5 weeks in this scenario) to get the number of heads you can theoretically harvest each week. This means that every week you need to replace the harvested heads with a new group of seedling transplants. In managing this rotation you would have 5 different weeks of growth in the system with a new group ready to be harvested each week. The key is to continue planting the same amount of seedlings each week so you are consistently replacing the harvested crop. Again, results will vary and these estimates are just for planning purposes. Annual lbs of basil is based upon an annual average yield of 5 lbs per sq ft. assuming the entire bed(s) was planted in basil.
For Media Beds which are great for growing a wide variety of crops, we have assumed tomatoes in this example. Tomato production is based upon an average planting density of 4 sq ft per plant and an average yield of 45 lbs per plant. Again, your ability to properly manage nutrients, light, temperature and humidity among other factors will strongly influence the results you achieve. Bell pepper production is based upon an average planting density of 1 plant per sq ft with an average yield of 5 lbs. per plant. These estimates are based upon growers in climates that may be much different than yours.
Fish Production – There are several varieties of fish that can be raised in aquaponics such as Tilapia, Catfish, Koi, Trout and Hybrid Striped Bass. Each species has unique temperature, feed and water quality requirements that will influence their health and growth rates in your system. For more in-depth articles and research on a wide variety of species please refer to the Fish Culture Section on the Regional Aquaculture Centers website.
For the purpose of illustrating some basic estimates of fish production we have chosen Tilapia in this example and are assuming a 12 month growth rate from fingerling size (5 grams) to an average harvest weight of around 1.5 lbs. Growth rates will vary significantly depending on water quality, temperature, daily feed rates and other factors. The stocking density for both size tanks is .3 lbs per gallon. Therefore 40 adult Tilapia weighing a total of 60 lbs would equal .3 lbs per gallon in a 200 gallon tank.
Tilapia Production Table for Aquabundance Systems
