Here are some pictures of the growbed frame I built for my aquaponics system. I changed the dimensions on the fly because I wanted to minimize the number of cuts I had to do. The bed is bigger than I had originally planned, and too big for the 5′ x 10′ pond liner that I ordered. (3″ too big). These pictures represent it still unfinished. It is missing a 2×4 along the bottom and bolts on all the supports. I’m not sure the external 2×4 supports are actually needed, but I wanted to make sure it doesn’t bust apart with 1000 pounds of water in it. Lumber list and size information are below the pictures.
Inside dimensions: 93″x 38″ x 13″
24.54 sq-ft, 26.58 cu-ft, 199 gallons. Filled to 10″ depth, 20.45 cu-ft, 153 gallons
Height is 38″.
Legs: (4 )
- treated 2×4-48″
- (2) 2×4-38″ (angle cut on one end)
- 2×6-48″
Tie support – bottom of legs
- 2×4-96″
Bottom:
- (11) 2×4-96″
Long Sides (2):
- 2×8-96″
- 2×6-96″
Short Sides (2):
- 2×8-38″
- 2×6-38″
I realized that the pond liner I bought is too small because I enlarged the growbed dimensions over my original design.
I added 1″ foam insulation to all the inside surfaces, so now my dimensions are:
36″x91″x12″
area: 22.75 square feet or 2.1 square meters
volume: 22.75 cubic feet or 170 gallons or 644 liters
The foam will help keep the heat in the bed during the winter months, and cushions the pond liner from the sharp edges too, so there are a couple of benefits to it.