I was finally able to make another trip to Home Depot and purchased some more 2”x4”s. As you can see in the above picture I needed to incorporate some supports for the grow bed in order to make a safer stand. I believe the bed is just to much weight for just the screws to hold up on their own when fully flooded, especially since I will have my hands under it trying to get access to the fish. The supports rest on the frame for the aquarium which sets directly on the cement floor. This should be the last of the lumber needed for the frame, though I am thinking about adding a diagonal cross brace in the back to better stabilize the system once the grow bed actually has weight to it. An alternative would be to anchor the frame to the cement wall.
I added a 2”x2” to the top of the grow bed. Why did I add the 2”x2” to the top of the 2”x12”? The reason can be found in the bell siphon I bought. The siphon works in grow media between 11”-13”. I plan to operate with 11” of expanded clay pebbles, which with a 2”x12” only leaves a 1/2” rim above the flood level. I was not comfortable with how close to the top of the grow bed the water would be when fully flooded. Adding the 2”x2” allows for there to be 2” of a rim and will also give me space to build in an emergency overflow. This is a perfect example of a change I would make in the design. If I had to do it over again I would just buy 2“x14” and not worry the additional costs for the board, if there are any. For those who do not already know, when designing your frame it is crucial to take into account the actual size of your lumber, for example a 2”x4”x8’ is actually 1.5”x3.5”x8’.
I also purchased a half inch bulkhead fitting to use for the emergency overflow piping at the top of the grow bed. I thought this would be an easy solution for an emergency drain back to the aquarium, but the washers are too large, so it is back to the drawing board for this part of the system.
I have been debating on whether to seal the wood or not. Since I am working in the basement and I am reluctant to use anything toxic to breath or flammable. If I remember correctly from my high school wood shop classes there are some nontoxic oils I could use. As with the emergency overflow part I will need to do some research here. I am hoping with my next post I will be able to show a sealed stand and the grow bed liner installed.
Johnny’s Words of Wisdom – Networking: In order to maintain excitement and drive on an idea I find it helpful to connect or network with people who have similar interests. I know I have talked about this in the past, but I think it is very important to talk about your ideas and dreams with other people. They do not necessarily need to share the same excitement as you do, or even know about the topic beforehand, but I feel discussing it with others helps to maintain your own enthusiasm. I was reminded of this last week while I was sharing my aquaponics project with a colleague. So wether it is with a friend, family, colleague, or online in some social platform, keep dreams and ideas alive by talking about them, which will eventually lead to action.
Traveling Through The Ages 