July 25, 2017 | ProgressTH This is the latest indoor system we are working on. It is a small tabletop aquaponics system using a 350mm tall by 220mm diameter cylindrical glass container (14.5 liters/3.8 gallons), a modified 6 liter water bottle planter with pumice (volcanic stones), a small aquarium pump, and a 3D printed support and cover.

Since there is not enough light indoors to grow anything of significance, a 30W LED floodlight is used above the first unit (left image, right side), and a 50W LED floodlight above the second (left image, left side). All of this is placed within a modular metal shelf designed for supporting a lot of weight.

The containers host platy fish, freshwater shrimp, and common aquarium snails, all of which have been successfully reproducing, creating a sustainable micro-ecosystem.

Growing above is arugula.

The files for this project, including the SketchUp file, are already up on Thingiverse here.

It's probably unlikely you will find the exact glass container we are using, so the SketchUp file will help you see how we designed our project and give you a starting point for customizing your own system.

Even between the two containers we used, despite being almost identical, the diameter had to be adjusted by between 2-5mm.

Something similar is also possible for small rectangular tanks.

Since this is a larger project, the casing and platform are pretty big and need to be printed out in pieces and friction welded together. For an overview of this process, please see this post (with video) from Hackaday.

Significant warping occurs when printing the side halves of the case. In order to friction weld them together, a length of filament must be inserted into the gap and then welded over. The process is explained in more detail here.

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