I Have a question for you. Are you using any buffers, or do you plan on adding whatever to balance your water. The first year is the worst, since your new media will make the system drift until it is seasoned. After the first year, there are residual minerals left that help you out.

Yes I got a bag like this. “Buffer Bag” I will add this once it is cycled and I add fish.
Buffer Bag - Extra Large
and a test kit API GH and KH Test Kit to test it.
API GH and KH Test Kit

Jeff do you have a system running now?

A tiny one by any measure. Cheap and recycled.
http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8ekbgtjy.jpg
Day 2
http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...psvsv3wsi0.jpg
top view

My parents and the tenants in the farmhouse went to the local county high school greenhouse. They were asking 3 for a buck for plants in flats. 3 dozen plants per flat. Everyone came home with too many plants. I was given half a flat of petunias and marigolds.

The only thing I spent money on was knockoff pro-mix. Since we now live in a condo, I didn't want to use hydroton or rocks of any kind. Kids would find them and have a throwing contest with my media.

The only hitch so far was the old pump.
http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/...ps49dbmcuo.jpg

The impeller sleeve was frozen to the shaft and snapped off when I tried to free the impeller. Luckily, I have a few extra pumps this size. Some 2 ton epoxy will fix the broken sleeve, and then it may go in on the back porch.

The donors are still planting their vegetable dirt garden, we will see what won't fit. My wife is hoping for spaghetti herbs and Roma or cherry tomatoes.

For larger systems, I usually start off with rainwater, Epsom salt, and ag phosphate acid. It comes in bags like ag lime. Add some chalk or ag lime for calcium hardness. I mix up a bucket of tap water to around 1500 to 2000 ppm and balance ph to 6.0 with phosphate or lime. A gallon of this stuff will buffer 100 gallons or more rainwater and cost like 30 bucks for an Olympic swimming pool worth.

For small systems, I use tums and miracid to balance the rainwater. Yup, Kmart gro for acid loving plants is cheaper than solid ph down powder...After the water is buffered and balanced, nutrient is added at the prescribed "weak" rate and ppm is measured. If It's above 600, I add pure (rain or distilled) water to bring it down.

We planted some plants. I will show the results as they grow. Keep in mind we do not have fish yet and they recommend to only plant leafy plants the first four months. We did not follow this at all.

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...1&d=1431658238

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...1&d=1431651894

In the spirit of reduce recycle reuse here is a short list for this project.

The bottom of the grow bed has galvanized sheet metal from a roof over I took down a few years ago.

The sides of the bed have 2 X 6 PVC fence used for raised beds.

The screws were from the raised beds. I will also reuse the joist hangers from these beds.

I used IBC’s to catch the rain water.

The 55 gallon barrels reused form industry about ½ were free.

Sump tank was bought off craigslist as were the stands both repurposed.

For others thinking about this type of project and want to start smaller.
Find a couple food grade IBC’s you can even use a Harbor freight pump.

River rock and have close to an 8’ X 8’ growing area. You plant 3 to 4 times denser than dirt plating.

You can put out a lot food in that area and set it up at a very reasonable cost. Some people dress the beds up for better WAF factor.
(Wife Approval factor)

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...1&d=1431695886

Over to the right is a IBC all covered up.
http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...1&d=1431696130

Here are some creative ways to dress up barrels. These are for other peoples projects. These started out as blue barrels. I am not this creative.

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...1&d=1431696976

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...1&d=1431696976

Congratulations, you have just saved yourself thousands of thousands of dollars vs buying new products and kept a ton or so of trash out of the ever-growing stream. Looks great to me, but my wife may not concur.

Thanks. Keep in mind at the end of the summer this will all be in a greenhouse.
As always beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I painted the top of my sump tank so light can’t get in. I hinged the hole I cut into the sump tank. I finished up all the connections going into the sump tank.
Now I don't have to tarp that section.

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...1&d=1431954672

It really seems to be coming together.

So, for these next few months you just grow plants in the bed and use those additives you posted to give them nutrients?