Hydroculture/DIY

Here are common tools, instructions, and observations for hydroculture gardening.

Common tools

• drill bit
• hole saw with guide drill (short guide drills can easily slip, while using a hole-saw)
• cutting utensil: gardening clippers (with proper care and measurement could also be used in place of a hole-saw)
• drill
  • hex bit screwdriver: fits on end of drill bit or hole-saw to function as a hand-drill (impractical for use with large diameter hole-saws)
  • or electric (not recommended with adjustable hole saws)
• pipe cutter
• pvc primer and cement

Water tight seals

• Materials: 2 o-rings; 2 threaded pvc or metallic connectors

Put one o-ring on the male connection, place through hole in plastic material. Then add another o-ring, and screw on the female connector. Corresponding components must be of the same size. Connection must be snug. Check for drips.

Threaded fittings with o-rings can reduce or eliminate the need for pipe cement. If the desired threaded fitting is not available in pvc form, galvanized or brass fittings will connect to pvc fittings. Any metallic connector should be non-lead.

Commonly used method

Pipe thread, or pvc primer and cement.

Adding containers

Adding a second plastic container. Obviously both containers are to be at about the same level. Run a tube with required o-rings and threaded connectors between totes. Place halfway between bottom and water level, in case of a failure, not all of the water will drain out. Make sure this setup is watertight and ready before adding fish or plant setups. Water will transfer passively. A second air pump connection and an aeration stone is required in this setup.

Connecting two aquatic containers together

This is a fancy setup for fish room and for fish to travel between containers. For this to work, the containers must be sturdy. If this aquaponics system is in a permanent spot, two cylindrical bins can possibly be connected together, side by side. Use 3" or wider diameter threaded coupling, four o-rings and two more threaded connectors. This setup must be watertight and safe from damage. Again, make the connections halfway from the bottom, in case of a leakage or damage failure.

Electrical

Having separate timers for pumps, water pumps, and lighting.

Running DC made components on solar power.

Constructing a dc voltage timer in place of an expensive specific interval timer.