Aquaponics anyone?

[paulrw]

I'm not sure were to post this really, so here it is in general discussion.

 

So i was recently asked by a friend what i new about hydroponics, aquaponics, or alternative gardening. she has a small porch on her second floor apt that gets a lot of light and wanted to set something up there to grow veggies and had heard of aquaponics. so me being a gardener and aquarist (i think i just made up that word) i was truly interested and started researching the subject. i have since then set up a small scale aquaponic "farm". it consists of 1, 38 gallon fish tub and 2, 10 gallon grow beds. i just put fish in it yesterday. it's been running for 1 month. i added a filter pad and some flourite from an established planted aquarium at the start and some duck weed, pond water, and an e.i. dose for a 40-60 gallon aquarium a week later. i just planted parsley, cilantro, beets. cucumbers, and 1 maple seed that flew in and sprouted.

 

i started this thread to find out if any one here has experience in this, is interested in, or has any questions on how i set up my mini aquaponics. if so any advice or talk on the subject is welcomed.

 

aquaponics, in my opinion has the potential to be a game changer in sustainable urban gardening.

 

i will post 3 crappy cell phone pics that were taken right after assembly. if anyone wants to see more pics of it up and running i will be happy to post them. also if you have questions about what products i used please ask.

[Halo_003]

Wow that is actually really cool. Great work. A few questions though...

 

1. Why not use a Y connector for the clear hose, I think that'd quiet it down a lot if it's loud.

2. Do the fish pose a benefit for the plants? My assumption is that the high nutrient water is good for the plants.

3. More pictures!!!?

4. More details on the setup would be cool, like substrate etc.

5. Why the rocks?

6. What kind of pump did you use?

7. How do you prevent the substrate from running down the drains?

Edit: 8. How do you regulate temperature for the fish?

[malady]

nice set up!

 

I have done a few bubble buckets and ebb and flow set ups but haven;t added any fish but I heard the plants love goldfish poop lol

 

you can even do a simple setup with perilite by drilling a hole at the bottom of the bucket and letting the water flow out when you water.

[gogo]

my lfs uses a coupla dozen tilapia in a 65, just clay pellets and plumbing. his basil grows like weeds.

[paulrw]

@ halo_003, yes a T connector an better plumbing would be much better but it's out side and the noise isn't bad. that being said my next task is to plumb a venturi on the down pipe. the fish poop and pee and over feeding is the way the plants get their nutrients. the fish are the start of the amazing cycle. thank you for asking i will post more pics asap.

 

@malady, Thanks! i wish i had more room and funds, people grow tilapia along with a plethora of veggies enough to feed a whole family. the area i live in is way to cold to harvest tilapia so i'm using comet gold fish. i know the can survive the cold winter. bubble buckets and other hydroponics set ups are really cool, any time you can think beyond the norm and create something that works and more importantly works for you is awesome.

 

i suggest everyone to experiment and try new things and grow amazing things. corals, plants,food. what can you grow?

 

i think people like us are the way of the future.

 

please add to this discussion.

 

thanks.

[MysterRC]

I have done a lot of research in to aquaponics. One thing, even in colder climates (I’m in northern WI), it still should be possible to grow tilapia. You just start with young ones in the early spring and harvest them in late fall. I’ve seriously considered doing it here, just have not gotten around to it.

 

For a huge load of information, check in to aquaponics using IBC containers. Super cheap and easy way to get a system going.

[Failnomicon]

I'm no expert but there are a few things i see right away that i know will be problems for you and a few things that may be problems.

1) The drain system you are using has 2 big problems. One it doesnt allaw for the grow tub to flood all the way and your plumbing will only result in the endged of the bed getting good water coverage. Over time as the root mass fills in it will wick the water to more parts of the grow bed but this will bottle neck your growth. This expanding root coverage is your next big problem. One day you will make up and the system will have flooded and the fist dried out. This is because the roots will travel the path of the water right into your drains gloggings them. These root ball are increadbly hard to clear out.

 

2) the media you are using i svery large and does not hold water so well. What kind of rocks are those? In the end those rocks will work but they dont help your water flow problem any and are IMO not small or absorband enought for a system.

3) keep an eye out on the water temps when the system is in full sun and consider building some shade for the fish if it is getting to hot.

 

hope this helps and enjoy its a great hobby.

[gogo]

i took some pics from my lfs, it's called 'living aquarium' in cambridge ontario canada. the aquaponics part of the store is called 'the living garden'

 

this is the tilapia tank that is plumbed into a pepper plant grow...

 

 

this is rick, the owner standing in front of the pepper plants.. i'm holding a pepper that they've grown

 

that's in the front of the store, in the back with the fw fish is a big beautiful garden of fresh basils, oregano, peppers and tomatoes.

 

 

i just thought i'd share that with you guys...

[paulrw]

@gogo, that place is sick. i would love to live near there.

 

@failnomicon, the rocks are a product called growstones they are recycled glass hydroponic media. the water absorption is great much better then hydroton imo. i am a little concerned as well about roots clogging up the system but so far so good. i will be breaking the setup down in fall. so i'm going to just run it for now.

 

in the left grow bin i have 3 cucumbers and 2 peppers in the back and a tiny dogwood shrub you cant see.

 

in the right grow bin i have 1 pepper plant 1 cucumber 1 beet 1 tomato plant.

 

there has been some problems certain plants didn't do well in certain spots, one of the problems of not having a flood and drain system like failnomicon had said. i was able to move the plants to areas they do well in but ultimately limits my grow space and held back vegetative growth for a period. the cucumbers in my garden which were planted at the same time have huge leaves and are probably 3 feet long have no fruit on them but two of the three plants in the a.p. setup have multiple fruits on them

 

my goal was to setup rowa small inexpensive aquaponics unit to show a friend who has a small porch and wanted to grow some food, have a neat conversation piece and keep some fish. my friend doesn't have tools or a whole lot of mechanical skills so i tried to make it as easy a possible to setup. with a couple of tweaks like a bell siphon and a venturi drain pipe this would probably be a productive little unit.

 

i do not do anything about the heat. it's not to much of an issue here in N.H. we did have a day that got to 94, the fish bin never broke 80. i would imagine because of the large evaporation. i top off the system every couple of days with well water that comes out of the tap at 50 degrees.

 

the pump is a "800 gallon an hour" pond filter/fountain kit i got on sale at home depot. i think it's probably more like 400 gph.

 

i used two aquarium bulk heads with strainer caps. the caps are on the inside of the grow beds and the growstone media is to large to pass through the strainers.