Low-Cost Rain Barrel Aquaponics System
Materials & Tools
• Food-grade 55-gallon barrels (2); 1 whole, 1 with at least 12 inches of the bottom intact• Drill with 3⁄8-inch bit• Jigsaw• Plexiglass• Permanent marker• Tape measure• Box of 1⁄4-by-1⁄2-inch stainless steel carriage bolts• Box of stainless steel washers• Box of 1⁄4-inch stainless steel nuts• Aquarium-safe silicone• Wrench• ¾-inch hole saw• ¾-inch tap• ½-inch PVC male adapters (2)• ½-inch PVC female adapters (2)• 1 foot of 4-inch PVC pipe for media guard• Bell siphon and 1⁄2-inch ball valve• 10 feet of ½-inch PVC pipe, or scraps and fittings, for inlet pipe• Submersible aquarium or pond pump, 400 gallons per hour• Gravel or expanded clay
