NFT Aquaponics system setup!

Make your own design:

January 31, 2019 by Christopher
I will explain how to make your own NFT aquaponics system.
Let’s discover the secrets of an NFT aquaponics system.

First of all, what does NFT mean? N.F.T. is an abbreviation meaning Nutrient
Film Technique.

But why nutritional film?

The nutrient film consists of the nutrient-laden water that flows through the
culture tubes. This water is called the nutritive film.
Here is what the system I propose you to make in this tutorial would look like:

View from above:

Cross-section view / Water flow diagram:

Description of the diagram above:

 the water in the fish pond flows by gravity through the vortex filter and
biofilter
 water is pumped using the submersible pump from the biofilter to the
fish pond (80% of the flow) and NFT pipes (20% of the flow)
 the water flows through the return pipes to the biofilter.
List of the elements necessary to manufacture this system (the quantity on
the right):
 Tank IBC :1
 Bucket (20 litres) :1
 200-litre barrel or barrel (blue) :2
 Medium biofilter (BioBall or bottle caps) :40-80 litres
 Submersible water pump (min. 2,000 litres / h): 1
 Air pump (10 watts / hour) with 2 outputs :1
 Air pump hose :3 m
 Bubble stone: 2
 Block blocks :32
 Cleat (8×1 cm) :8 m
 Shading material :2 m 2
 Fish net :1
 Teflon tape (plumber’s tape) :1
 Cable clamp :25
 Electrical box (waterproof): 1
 Pots :80
 Gravel, volcanic stone or expanded clay (4-20 mm) :30 litres
 Ecological soap or lubricant: 1
 PVC pipe (110 mm) :16 m
 PVC T-connector (110 mm): 4
 PVC elbow (110 mm) :2
 PVC coupler, straight (110 mm): 1
 PVC plug / stop (110 mm) :5
 PVC gearbox (110-50 mm) :1
  Rubber sealing washer (110 mm): 20
 PVC pipe (50 mm) :5 m
 Wall pass (50 mm) :5
 PVC elbow (50 mm) :6
 PVC coupler, straight (50 mm) :4
 PVC end cap / stop (50 mm) :1
 Wall passage or rubber sealing washer (50 mm): 8
 Polyethylene pipe (25 mm) :8 m
 PVC connector, T (25 mm): 2
 PVC elbow (25 mm x 3 4) female :2
 PVC adapter (20 mm x 3 4 in.) male :1
 Polyethylene pipe (20 mm) :2 m
 PVC connector, “fast” T (20 mm) :4
 Fast PVC elbow (20 mm): 1
 Quick PVC tap (20 mm) :5
Preparation of the mechanical separator and biofilter:

Take two 200-litre blue drums (Figure 1) and cut out the shapes marked in the
numbers below (Figure 2-4) using an angle grinder. Then wash the two barrels
with hot water and soap and let them dry well in the sun for 24 hours.

The cut pieces of both barrels can also be used as barrel covers. They can be
attached to the top of the barrel as shown in Figures 5-6.

Barrel n° 1 – Mechanical separator: input/output:

 Pipe of the fish pond.

 Drainage pipe at the bottom of the mechanical separator.
 Outlet pipe in the biofilter.
Exit pipe from the fish pond

Drill a 50 mm hole using the forest at the top surface of the barrel and place
the fish pond outlet pipe in it. (Figure 8-9).
Push in the fish pond outlet pipe, leaving 30 cm above the bottom of the
mechanical separation container. Attach a 50 mm PVC bend to the end of the
outlet pipe so that the water flow forces a tangential flow. (Figure 10)

Drainage pipe at the bottom of the mechanical separator

Then take a 50 mm length of PVC pipe and cut 2-3 mm horizontal notches
along the entire length of the tube using the angle grinder. (Figure 11). Then
drill a 57 mm hole outside the cylinder, 5 cm above the bottom, and insert a
50 mm Uniseal seal. (Figure 12). Slide the drain hose, the one with the notches,
through the joint and connect a 50 mm PVC elbow to the end of the hose
outside the barrel. Finally, attach another 50 mm PVC pipe for a length of 60-
70 cm from the elbow and make sure that the end of the tube is above the
maximum water level of the barrel. (Figure 13). The notches on the drainage
pipe will allow solid waste to enter and be rinsed by tilting the other vertical
pipe attached outside the barrel.

Transfer pipe connecting the mechanical separator to the biofilter

Take a length of 65 cm of 50 mm PVC pipe and make the same horizontal cuts
as above on 25 cm of the tubing using the angle grinder. (Figure 14). Close the
split end of the 50 mm tube with a PVC stop plug. Then drill a 57 mm hole
with the hole saw 70 cm from the bottom of the barrel and insert a Uniseal ®
seal into the hole. Insert the 50 mm transfer line through the joint, making
sure that the 25 cm notches are entirely inside the mechanical separator.
(Figure 15-16).

Drum n° 2 – Biofilter inlet and outlet pipes

Description of the diagram (Figure 17):

 A-The mechanical separator inlet pipe

 B-The water outlet of the water pump
 C-Drain valve
  25 mm drain valve
Drill a 25 mm hole at the bottom of the biofilter barrel and insert a V-type
barrel connector into the hole and tighten it firmly. Attach a 25 mm tap to the
outside of the barrel and make sure the connector is well wrapped in Teflon to
form a tight seal as shown in Figure 18. The valve is used to empty any
accumulation of solid waste at the bottom of the biofilter container.

 The mechanical separator inlet pipe

Drill a 57 mm hole using the hole saw 70 cm from the bottom of the cylinder
and insert a Uniseal® seal into the hole. (Figure 19). Place the biofilter barrel
adjacent to the mechanical separator barrel. Take the 65 cm length of PVC
pipe that is already attached to the mechanical separator and insert it into the
joint. Now the two barrels are connected by this transfer pipe. (Figure 20).

Preparation of the solid recovery bucket

Drill a 50 mm hole in the 20 l bucket, 5 cm below the top rim. (Figure 21).

Drill at least 20 holes in the bottom of the bucket using the 8 mm drill to allow
water to drain into the biofilter. (Figure21)

Insert and slide the bucket along the 65 cm transfer line into the biofilter.
(Figure22-23)

Drill a 20 mm hole in the transfer pipe and insert 6-10 cm of PVC (Figure 23) to
prevent solid waste captured in the bucket from slipping out of the transfer
pipe.

Place the filtration substrate inside the bucket to capture any solid or
remaining suspended waste. (Figure24)

Fill the biofilter with bottle caps or bioballs®.

Position the NFT system hoses
The material requirements for this section are as follows:
 48 concrete blocks
 length of wood 1 m (30 mm thick) x 1
 length of wood 1 m (20 mm thick) x 1
 length of wood 1 m (10 mm thick) x 1
Place the blocks according to the distances described in Figure 25. There are
eight blocks: 2 columns, and four blocks per column with the lengths of wood on
top.

You will start by placing the 3 cm thick length of wood from the farthest pile
and then come back down one centimeter each time. This arrangement will
create a small slope allowing water to flow smoothly through the pipes and
back to the biofilter barrel. (Figure 25)

Connect the NFT pipes and the common drain

The material requirements for this section are as follows:
 3 m PVC pipe (110 mm) x 5
 PVC elbow (110 mm) x 2
 PVC T connector (110 mm) x 4
 PVC plug/stop (110 mm) x 5
 rubber washer (110 mm) x 15
 natural soap
Connect the piping system as shown in Figure 27. Make sure that each hose
and hose fitting has a lubricated rubber seal mounted inside using natural
soap as a lubricant. (Figure 26).

Place the NFT pipes on top of the blocks and lengths of wood and mount the 5
110 mm nozzles at the end of the fish pond pipe. (Figure 30).

Mark the holes of the plants

An effective method for marking plant holes is to stretch a small piece of rope
along each pipe to mark distances evenly and accurately. Make a mark every
25 cm along the line. (Figure 29). This will be the starting point for the holes in
the center. Drill the holes (Figure 33) according to the size of the pots.

To optimize the optimal growth space for plants, follow the triangular model
as shown in Figures 28 and 31.

Finally, drill holes 20 mm to 7 cm from the far end of the fish tank pipe to
allow water to enter the NFT pipes. (Figure 34).

Attach NFT pipes to wood lengths using plastic clamps. (Figure 35).

Connect the end of the growth pipes and return to the biofilter:

Take a 110 mm straight PVC coupler and add a PVC elbow as shown in Figure
27. Then attach a 110-50 mm PVC reducer to this coupler. This common drain
must connect to the biofilter. Drill a 50 mm hole outside the biofilter, 10 cm
lower than the bottom of the growth pipes. Mount a 50 mm PVC elbow in this
hole. Use a 50 mm PVC pipe to connect the 50 mm angle to the 110-50 mm
reducer. This will allow water to circulate through the NFT pipes and return to
the biofilter barrel.

Installation of distribution pipes for each NFT pipe

The material requirements for this section are as follows:
 Fast” PVC valves (20 mm) x 5
 Fast” PVC T-connectors (20 mm) x 4
 Fast” PVC angled connectors (20 mm) x 2
 Polyethylene pipe (20 mm)
 PVC adapter (20 mm) x 1
 PVC elbow female connector (25 mm) x 1
 Plumber’s tape (Teflon)
  Connect all hoses and fittings as shown in Figures 39 and 40.

Addition of the submersible pump

For our configuration, the submersible pump is placed at the bottom of the
biofilter. (Figure 41a and 41b). The water is pumped from there to two places:
the NFT pipes and the fish pond.

80 to 90% of the water flows into the fish tank while 10 to 20% flows into the
NFT pipes. Taps are used to control the flow of water at each location.

Pumping for the fish pond

Connect the submersible pump to a 25 mm length of polyethylene pipe using
a female PVC adapter or any connection that matches your pump. The
polyethylene pipe must be at least 1 m long. Place a 25 mm T-connector at
the end of the tube to allow water to flow into the fish tank and NFT pipes.
(Figure 42-43).

Attach a 25 mm PVC pipe to one end of your T connector (Figure 42). This
pipe must be long enough to reach the fish pond (Figure 44). Use a flexible
hose to eliminate, if possible, the need to add additional connectors, which
would reduce the pump’s pumping capacity. Attach a 25 mm tap to the end of
the tube to control the flow of water into the fish tank. (Figure 44).

Then take about 4 m of 25 mm PVC pipe and connect it to the other end of
the T connector from the water pump pipe inside the biofilter. Attach this pipe
through the female PVC elbow seen in Figure 40 which will provide water for
each NFT pipe. (Figure 44.)

Electrical box and air pump

Place the electrical box in a safe place higher than the water level and the
shade of direct sunlight. (Figure 45). Make sure it is always waterproof after
connecting the air and water pump outlets. (Figure 46.)
FINAL CONTROL
All parts of the system are now in place. Before adding ammonia to cycle the
system, fish or plants, you must fill the fish tank and both filters with water and
run the pump to check for leaks. If leaks appear, you must correct them
immediately (Figure 47-49). The following steps show this process .

I am checking the mechanical drainage separator. Figure 50-52

 Fill the biofilter with substrate and water (Figure 53a and 53b).
 Fill the mechanical separator with water (Figure 54).
 Mechanical separator and biofilter (Figure 55).


 Tighten the plumbing connections.

 Check all faucets and Uniseals® for both filters.
 Apply Teflon for threaded connections.
 Make sure that all valves and taps are in their ideal position.
Finally, check the flow rate of the water flowing through each NFT pipe. The
flow rate can be measured with a stopwatch and an empty one-liter plastic
bottle. A flow rate of 1 to 2 liters per minute is the standard for NFT pipes.
Water should fill the bottle in one minute (1 l per minute) or 30 seconds (2 l
per minute) (Figure 56).

Once all leaks are eliminated and water flows gently through all components,
it is possible to start cycling the system using ammonia.

 Planting
For planting, follow the steps shown in the following Figures. Make sure that
the pots have enough holes to allow the plant’s root systems to develop in the
pipe but also to prevent the media from falling out. Here is an example of a
cup made from a pot and 10 cm of 50 mm PVC pipe. (Figure 57-59). Then you
will find a system based on paper cups and plastic bottles. (Figure 60 and 61).
The roots of the plants are visible. (Figure 62-66)