New Floating Aquaponics Raft Bed

So, yesterday I installed a third growbed for my Aquaponics system, this is the one on the left, with the black pond liner hanging over.  This was for two reasons, primarily because the growbed on the far right has sprung a leak, and secondly, to give me the chance to try making a floating raft bed.

The styrofoam only cost six francs, and the plastic liner, which is really the tray from a rabbit cage cost me ninety francs. ( It is really difficult for me to find plastic growbeds here!) 

The liner is inserted in the growbed on the pond liner, and the sides have been filled with gravel. The sides will collect some water when it rains, and will serve as a seed bed. The styrofoam has been drilled with a hole cutter, leaving space for 29 plants to grow, and one corner cut out to allow space around the outflow pipe.  The inflow is via a second pump in the fish tank, which I was already using to supply the spraybar in there.

 

All in all, it took around around an hour and a half to complete. 

I have planted one water melon, one courgette , six celery, and twelve lettuce.  The empty holes have been left empty ready for pak choi, which I will sow in few days time. 

The photo below shows the other two growbeds, which are looking a bit depleted, however this is because I have been harvesting the globe lettuce that were in there, and now this leaves space for other plants, which again, I will sow in a few days.

I am not too worried about the number of plants right now as the trout are still small, so nitrate levels will be low anyway, and also the growbeds are only three months old, so nowhere near mature. 

That's it for now, when the plants have grown on, I will add to the blog.  Please feel free to comment. 

I Love Aquaponics.