elastic plastic sheet that can be used to line walls of the wooden growing bed. It is made of chemical and
UV resistant plastic, and is safe of the fish and plants that would be used for consumption.
The bed design may be altered easily to change the depth from 12” to 6”, to decrease the amount of
water required and also reduce the maximum load of the bed. The table below shows both variants of
the growing bed.
Dimensions Volume Gallons (water) Weight (water)
4x8x1 feet 32 cubic feet 239.04 1,994.8 lbs.
4x8x0.5 feet 16 cubic feet 119.52 997.4 lbs.
Table 19. Variant of Bedding DesignsFor this bed design a stand was required to elevate the bed to standing height, as well as above the fish
tank. The stand is made out of lumber because it is strong and inexpensive compared to steel or
aluminum. The legs are 3 feet tall. There are five feet. Four of the feet are on the corners of the stand,
and the fifth is on the center for added support on the base. The legs are held in place with 2x4s. There
are also 2x4 supports for added stability on the bottom half of the outer legs. This design is quite simple,
but it is strong enough to support the weight of a growing bed that is completely filled with water.
Overall this design is easy to manufacture from components that are inexpensive and easy to find at
almost any hardware store or specialized wood supplier. Many duplicate growing beds could be
manufactured for use in an aquaponics greenhouse. This type of bedding holds a large amount of water.
Due to the fact that they hold more water than smaller tanks, extra precautions must be taken to ensure
that the growing bed doesn’t fail and break. Schematics and renderings can be observed in the
Appendix P.
4.3.2.2 55 - Gallon Growing Bed
55 - gallon drums are in abundance. They are used to store many different types of liquids. While their
purpose was not to be used as a growing bed in an aquaponics system, they can be repurposed and
converted into a growing bed. These drums can be either purchased as new or used. Used 55-gallon
drums go from around 10-15 dollars. New ones are more expensive and go for around 60-80 dollars.
Used drums can easily be cleaned out and used in an aquaponics setting if the drum was not used to
store dangerous or toxic chemicals. Otherwise they would work perfectly fine.
Once the drum is purchased, it can be cut vertically in half. This allows the tank to be formed in the
shape that it will be used in the greenhouse. It can also be cleaned of any residue left from its prior use.
These drums are generally made of chemically resistant plastic that is a food grade plastic. Below is an
image of how these drums can be used in an aquaponics greenhouse.