How to Make Soil Wicking Bed & Dutch Bucket for your Aquaponics System

Hi folks. In this video, we'll look at an easy way to grow using a soil-based flow-through wicking bed in your aquaponics system as well as how to set up a basic DIY Dutch Bucket.
You can also check out how this system was initially built HERE,
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[@RobsAquaponics]

Learn about Aquaponics 🐟 🍓🍅 with my "Backyard Aquaponics for Beginners" Guide for only US$19.95. There's a discount code for 5 people mentioned in the video if you'd like a few💲bob💲off.😉👍 ► bit.ly/AquaponicsBeginnersGuide Don't forget to click the subscribe button if you enjoyed the video, bit.ly/Subscribe2Rob & share the clip around if you think it may help others too.👍 Cheers all & have a top one. 🐟 🌱🍅 Rob

[@mrdkoser]

It really is a great guide and I like that tou keep adding ro it as well! Where or how do I find the download able pdfs you mentioned? And it would also be nice to maybe download some of the guides video for offline viewing, maybe put a password protection on it just for owners or members.

[@Kangaroojumper]

Hey Rob did you live in the Illawarra ever?

[@RobsAquaponics]

@@mrdkoser Sorry I missed this Devin. The PDF's are on some of the modules in the more information section below the video. Let me know if you're after any further info as well as it helps me know what to add to existing or to create. I have asked Retrieve about off line viewing & they said it's not possible with the way they create the guides interactive components unfortunately.

[@RobsAquaponics]

@@Kangaroojumper I haven't lived down that way.

[@wilsondias3565]

This technique is great for planting potatoes

[@NeonblueIndustries]

No need to apologize for ANYTHING Rob, you are a Legend and we are privileged and grateful for the info you share with us!

[@XavierSage77]

i like this, cause if you move lots you can take it with you, set up, tear down....

[@RobsAquaponics]

We need to re stain the deck timber so part of it's design was so I could break it down & set it up inside while we work. 😉👍 Cheers & have a top one XS.

[@robjones2852]

G'day Rob. Hope all is well for you & family in 2024.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks Rob. Bit of a shaky start to 24 (Jack got tagged by a black snake but is OK) but it will be smooth sailing from here on in. Hope its a fantastic year for you as well mate.

[@sunilscorpy4594]

Jack sure is excited about this build ❤😂😊

[@RobsAquaponics]

😄 He's very easy to please & excite 🤣

[@gregoryarmistead3477]

Looks great Rob👍

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks Gregory.👍

[@jamielingenfelter5206]

You are amazing I’ve been watching you for years and because of you I fell in love with

[@jamielingenfelter5206]

Aquaponics systems I made quite a few can’t wait to make a really big one out of a large pond

[@RobsAquaponics]

Nice one Jamie. Hope the build goes smoothly when the time comes. Cheers mate & all the best.

[@survivalpodcasting]

Seeing you do a flow though wicking bed makes me happy. If you want to you can put it on a separate pump and have it run the pump once or twice a day for 15 minutes and it will be plenty to keep her topped and if you get any blockages it won't be as big an issue. That said I have some that have run trouble free continuous for 5 plus years. The reason I went to timed pumps in some of my systems is they last longer so if a primary pump fails you just flip the timer on and it is a back up while you get the primary fixed.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hey Jack. I only let it run in the morning now until around mid day as I figure that's long enough to replenish any moisture that's been used. I spend a lot of my time "in the house" on the deck so would catch any failures & sort them out quick smart. I played with timers a 20+ years ago doing hydro. Had loads of failures so never really used them again until we put the oyster mushroom misters on them. I think my main issue was I was working to a much tighter budget back then & bought crap. Have been missing the podcasts of late, life is getting busy around here while we're looking for a farm. Hope all's well mate. 👍

[@survivalpodcasting]

@@RobsAquaponics Interesting that you had failures. The simple century timers I use are dead simple and tend to last a long time. I keep a couple on the shelf for failures. It is usually the ones I can't truly shelter that tend to get stuck at some point. But as always everyone should do what works best for their situation. Just happy to see you with a flow though.

[@RobsAquaponics]

@@survivalpodcasting Like I said dollar stores aren't the best places to buy electrical timers. 😉 Cheers

[@edengardeningtowers4923]

Thanks for the shout out brother. Every bit counts. You cool with me talking your channel up? You are my inspiration to get all this started. Thank you for your content.

[@mikeslicker7569]

Yes

[@edengardeningtowers4923]

@@mikeslicker7569 thank you. 😊

[@starr_ship]

I recently picked up some Uniseals through your Amazon store and they are AWESOME! They are so cheap that I can make several quality of life upgrades that I otherwise would not be able to justify when having to buy bulkhead fittings. I've been searching for a good singular source of aquaponics information for some time and you are the first source I've found that really checks all the boxes. I do believe I'll be buying into your interactive guide, and thank you much for sharing your knowledge!

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks Starr Ship. Don't forget the discount code if you make the purchase. 😉👍

[@ozzypunk1]

Thanks mate Keep up the good work

[@RobsAquaponics]

Cheers Mark. 👍👍

[@dannagiddens2133]

Good day!

[@RobsAquaponics]

Morning! 😁😁

[@quentinwilliams3492]

Q from Wales UK you have inspired me to make a start and have a try 😊

[@RobsAquaponics]

Nice one Q. Hope the build goes smoothly for you. 👍🐟

[@NeilsBackyard]

Thanks Rob I like the idea of using the Aquaponics from the fish tank through to the wicking bed I'm thinking I might move my banana 🍌 tree over to this type of system

[@RobsAquaponics]

Nice one Neil. Would like to know how you get on mate. 👍

[@Shane_O.5158]

hi Rob , i like the dutch bucket for mint idea, we had mint take over a bath tub, it was a mess to controll, so seperate buckets it is. we also ( for comparison ) planted gotu-cola into a seperate bathtub and it never blocked the drain hole, ( constant flood of 1 inch deep )

[@RobsAquaponics]

Cheers Shane. Ever grown water cress in an aqua bed?

[@Shane_O.5158]

@@RobsAquaponics yes i have, it grows like mint, it's ok if you can continually cut it back. at least it doesn't have runners that go down under to the pipes and block them.

[@albertriibe6964]

Really enjoying the learning

[@RobsAquaponics]

That's great to hear Albert. Cheers mate.

[@adolfomoreno1771]

Good day

[@RobsAquaponics]

& a good afternoon to you Adolfo. 👍

[@timothyalanogrady]

Good day mate just checking out some old videos and I see we have the same grow bed the blue mop buckets 😂 looks great

[@RobsAquaponics]

🤣 Thanks Tim.

[@mikeslicker7569]

The great video

[@chaundrasimmons2163]

Beautiful job!!!

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thank you! 😊

[@kerryevans2038]

handy little set up.

[@RobsAquaponics]

🌿🌿🌿🌿🐟

[@Sue-ec6un]

Someday, when I get my farm, I'm gonna give this a try. A nice small scale just like this one. I'm excited to try it!

[@RobsAquaponics]

That's great to hear. We're hoping to have fish in the dam/pon once we find a suitable property to buy.

[@mikew642]

Rob thank you for all of this information... been watching for years, and you give humanity hope!

[@RobsAquaponics]

Many thanks Mike. I'm just trying to be useful mainly. 😉 Cheers & have a top one mate.

[@reinhardtras]

Thank for this video. So nice to get measurements in metric.

[@RobsAquaponics]

You’re welcome 😊

[@garethrhodes3594]

That's awesome Rob, Love the combination of wicking bed and aquaponics mate keep up the good work!

[@RobsAquaponics]

Cheers Gareth. 👍

[@jenniferjsaracino]

Really nice easy build

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks Jennifer. 😁👍

[@sweetwateragaquaponics1021]

Look forward to your videos every week rob . It's awesome u got jack helping u on your projects . I have 5 Australian blue heelers that work with me daily on my aquaponics system and rabbitry builds and maintenance best wishes to u on the new farm. Hope u and the Mrs find the right fit mate. God bless and keep up the good work

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks Mate. Our first dog together was a read healer. We're off again this weekend to look at 5 or 6 more places, couple have a lot of promise as did a large block we looked at on Saturday just gone. Cheers & have a top one.

[@sallyweiner4180]

What a fun system!

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks Sally. I'm thinking we'll end up with more hybrid system like this down the line. Hope you folks are doing well.

[@neverjabr8588]

Nice job mate

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks 👍

[@harrygrimley4352]

Very interesting.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Cheers 👍😁

[@TheRealMercyofGod]

Love your setup that's a great and simple setup 🙏🏼

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks 😁

[@ChuanfaBuddha]

Nice little system 👍

[@RobsAquaponics]

Cheers Stephan. 👍

[@ChuanfaBuddha]

@@RobsAquaponics Cheers Rob 👍

[@dawnt6791]

I've been wanting to do aquaponics with the pond I'm planning in my greenhouse, but I couldn't make up my mind whether to do the clay pellet or wicking bed with soil. After watching this, I realized, I can do BOTH. Thanks for this!

[@RobsAquaponics]

Glad I could help some. Have fun with the build.

[@jimparsons8440]

Thanks Rob. What is the purpose of the Dutch bucket?

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hey Jim. I'm using it to keep the mint contained. Have seen it take over whole grow beds in no time flat, just like water cress. 👍

[@joshadsett4835]

i like this system

[@RobsAquaponics]

Cheers Josh.

[@petermclennan9709]

Congratulations 🎉🤔

[@RobsAquaponics]

Cheers Peter.

[@idrisboungab4038]

Good

[@unspokenfishkeeping3100]

Legend

[@RobsAquaponics]

👍 Cheers mate.

[@NeonblueIndustries]

Right so the "dutch Bucket" serves as not just a constant drip planter but a Solids catcher as well nice. How long do you think it would take before you have to take out and clean the cloth and dump the solids on the compost?

[@Dongra-Adventure]

Nice

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks😁👍

[@asmziauddinahmed1764]

Many thanks Rob! I am Zia from Bangladesh and I am looking for getting such idea for long time which I want to introduce in aquaponic system at my rooftop garden. I have only one query- what's the thickness of geo textile you used there and can it prevents to pass through dirt materials from wicky bed to bottom except water to drain out?

[@HellDraGO]

For the Algo...

[@RobsAquaponics]

🤣 Thanks Kevon. 👍

[@redlineXX]

you make it look so easy lol, so can I put a row of dutch buckets one after the other for additional space and just have it drain back in to my sump?

[@RobsAquaponics]

That should work just fine Brett. 👍

[@mrdkoser]

Good day mate! The wicking bed looks to have constant flow instead of a timer... does it wash the sand wicking areas or over saturate the whole bed? Is it possible to not have aerobic zones in that bed with constant flow? I though we had ro have those types of bed on a timer or let them run dry or it would be a problem, but correct me if I'm wrong... look great though, nice set up! Cheers!

[@survivalpodcasting]

Both ways work just fine, I have both on my property. I have some constant flow that have run for 5 years now, they only get shut down in winter for a couple months.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hey Devin. Only the very base of the wicks are in water so they don't draw up a great deal. My soil wicking beds outside have a lot more water in them & as long as the soil mix is suitable (contains a decent amount of compost/organic matter) they done over wick & become saturated. 👍

[@gattamom]

@@RobsAquaponicsWhat soil mix do you recommend?

[@monkeypuzzlefarm]

Is there a particular spec for the Geofabric?

[@RobsAquaponics]

I just look for something that's used in veggie growing James. Some places here will sell it in small "off the roll" amounts.

[@GreenPond_aquaponics]

Hi Rob! Can I ask you a question about phosphate?? How do you add phosphorous to your system?? when I add phosphorous to my system, calcium deficiency has occured. because of the reaction between phosphate and calcium... please help..

[@RobsAquaponics]

There's generally enough in the fish waste so we don't have to supplement it. Were you getting purpling leaves?

[@dearlove88]

I know it late, but this really need some wood slats screwed in to keep the sump tank in shape. I walked out one day and the top grow bed had fallen into the sump

[@RobsAquaponics]

You have the same setup?

[@dearlove88]

@@RobsAquaponics yeah, had it for 6 or 7 years. It’s a good little unit, just flexes out over time. I screwed in 2 bits of wood and now the grow bed sits on that

[@RobsAquaponics]

@@dearlove88 Cheers for that. I'll be pulling it down for the move soon so will look at better support next time we set it up.

[@LK-3000]

Thanks for the video. Very nice setup. Do you ever have a problem with the heat causing an algae bloom in the fish tank portion? I'm in the desert and we've gotten awful algae blooms in anything that we've tried to set up as hydroponic. We've tried shade but that doesn't stop the algae from overtaking the reservoirs. I'm just curious if that happens to you.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Shading the tanks & using UV proof cladding on the bed & tank walls looks to do the job for us LK. I did use a UV water filter to get on top of a bad outbreak in a aquaculture system a few years back but it's not a good long term solution in aquaponics as it can mess with some of the nutrients plant availability.

[@danhammond5424]

I’ve always wanted to use those drip irrigation for Dutch buckets, but I feel that the drip end would clog easily with any solids in the system. What plans do you have for filtering in this system?

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hey Dan. I've had them clog on me in the past & find short sections like this are easy enough to clean using wire. Mind you, I've only run 4 at a time. Having a few dozen clog could cause much bigger issues. I'm still playing with the idea of sitting the pump inside a "filter bucket" but have no concrete plans as of yet.

[@skeets6060]

Rob greeting from the US, I have a question, since the last time I asked about getting a small set up for the grand kids to play with. The clay balls have gone out of sight here, if you can find them ,what other kind of medium might be a good alternative? I did set up a Dutch bucket system just to muck about with, and used pearlite in the buckets for tomatoes, but that aint cheap either. So any ideas would be grand :)

[@RobsAquaponics]

River rock or rock without carbonates (like limestone) is fine to use. It can be a bit rough on the hands though. There's also lava rock / scoria that many folks use & is available in the US. Also look up expanded shale. Rob from the Bigelow Brook Farm channel seel it if that helps any. www.bigelowbrook.com/products/Shale/Default.aspx

[@gwenjohnston-petrarch5071]

Hey Rob. Great video. Maybe a little off this subject but I was wondering if you knew what nutrient I can put in my hydroponic system to make my lettuces sweeter. I’m going romaine and Tom Thumb lettuces which seem to be tasting a bit bitter. I know there’s a nutrient that is responsible for the sweetness in plants but I don’t know what that is or how to use it in my hydroponics? I just thought you might have some wisdom. Thanks a bunch! Gwen

[@RobsAquaponics]

Hi Gwen. I don't know sorry. It might be a question to ask over on Hoocho's channel. There's loads of helpful folks in his comment sections normally. Sorry I'm not much help.

[@gwenjohnston-petrarch5071]

@@RobsAquaponics you are a tremendous help on so many things, Rob. I do really appreciate your taking the time anyway. Can I find Hoocho’s channel under the name’Hoocho’ , of is the channel called something else?? Thanks so much!

[@RobsAquaponics]

@@gwenjohnston-petrarch5071 Here you go Gwen, www.youtube.com/@Hoocho Hope you find the info you need

[@mrleeal]

do the birds drink the water or go after the fish?

[@RobsAquaponics]

We have water out for the birds so I haven't seen them down there yet. Jack had a slurp once that we've seen but that was it. We will be putting a wire grate over the top once the fish go in to protect them for the kingfishers & kookaburras.👍

[@gattamom]

What soil mix are you using?

[@RobsAquaponics]

I used a premium potting mix by Searls. . 👍

[@greghanson5864]

C4YT!!

[@RobsAquaponics]

Not sure what that means sorry. 🤔

[@greghanson5864]

@@RobsAquaponics Comment 4 You Tube. Adds to the algorithm without getting too wordy. 😃

[@RobsAquaponics]

@@greghanson5864 😂😂 Thanks Greg. I looked it up & it said something about crypto currency so was wondering. 👍

[@drrahilakurdi5943]

🍬🍬🍬🍬

[@RobsAquaponics]

🌿🌿🌿🌿🐟

[@hmt0939]

I see just a black screen

[@Moewenfels]

Its fine on my end.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Working OK here as well.

[@joeyspijkers9867]

Turn on your device

[@sunilscorpy4594]

Video is fine here too. Must be your PC or phone...

[@adrianzmajla4844]

​@@joeyspijkers9867Haha!

[@salmaboungab-rt4jz]

Good