A Community and Forum For Aquaponic Gardeners
Aquaponics For Beginners
Information
This is a place where Beginners can post questions and find answers.
Advanced Users are welcome to help the Beginners out.
Please KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) .
Members: 672
Latest Activity: Feb 2, 2019
Discussion Forum
A few fish for sale or good home
Started by Linda Logan. Last reply by Linda Logan Feb 2, 2019. 1 Reply 0 Likes
I need to shut down my indoor system for a few months. I have 2 mature Shubunkin, 1 albino Hypostomus to clean the aquarium. There is another small fish living in the sump.I live in SE Portland and…Continue
Aquaponics system as filter for swimming pool
Started by John Wilson. Last reply by Wade J Rochelle Jan 25, 2019. 3 Replies 0 Likes
Hi all, we've just purchased a property with a large indoor swimming pool. Around 80,000L with a greenhouse roof and plenty of room around it for grow beds. However, this is far too big for us to…Continue
Not for human consumption!?
Started by Nichelle Hubley. Last reply by Nichelle Hubley Jun 30, 2015. 7 Replies 1 Like
Well, I think I messed up big time. I've been feeding my precious tilapia koi food (I like in a small place and it was all I could get... :( ) for about 2 months and last night I read on the back of…Continue
Help!! Help !!! with new filtration and set-up.
Started by Henrique Miguel. Last reply by Wayne Mcbryde May 14, 2015. 2 Replies 0 Likes
Hi,I have a set up of 2 55 gal blue barrel with Tilapia and guppies separate. I have young ones and they are growing well. Issue of overcrowding and feeding. 1. I would like to use a water…Continue
Comment Wall
Comment
-
Comment by MikeH on February 12, 2015 at 8:50pm
-
What we have done to fix the problem with floating LECA is this:
We pour a couple bags into a kiddie (3' dia) pool, the. Fill with water to rinse them we off. Any floaters are put into a bucket for our net pots in the raft bed. We are finding that about 7-10% are floaters.
The other "sinkers" went into the grow beds.
-
Comment by Vlad Jovanovic on February 12, 2015 at 7:35pm
-
Yeah, I have some like that too...while some of the others float the plants right out of the GB...even if only flooding 2-3 inches below the surface...
-
Comment by Michael Osman on February 12, 2015 at 6:54pm
-
I have expanded clay in mine...it floated at first due to the high water level, now I keep it about 2" below the top & it works great.
-
-
The floating LECA certainly is problematic. I've tried3 different brands, and they float...never becoming water logged and sinking. 5 different types of expanded shale, from 5 mines...and none were acceptable. All of them jacked EC/TDS way up, and pH way down...After looming at the AASHTO Lab test numbers, it was no wonder. Most shale deposits in the US are VERY high in sulfur content (as we as some things like sodium). Good luck.
-
Comment by Jeff S on February 12, 2015 at 3:54pm
-
Hydroton (expanded clay) needs a 1"-2" surface layer to hold down the under layer. I have one tank with an over the side aquarium filter filled with these rocks and they don't float over the top overflow.
-
Comment by Leo White Bear on February 12, 2015 at 2:09pm
-
Ted-
I have heard from many that their Hydroton doesn't sink or get waterlogged, and as you can see it does become a problem. You may want to find another media that is pH neutral such as lava rock or LICA, expanded shale. It is a bit more heavier than the Hydroton but you will be more pleased with the results.
On that note... a 2-gallon water capacity aquarium is very difficult to work with as things can go south very quickly. Testing at LEAST weekly (sometimes every-other-day) may be in order. There is not enough water to give you a time buffer if something SHOULD happen. I always recommend nothing smaller than a 10-gallon aquarium for anyone insisting on going small.
-
Comment by Ted Titus on February 12, 2015 at 12:05pm
-
Anyone have experience with the 2 gal aquaponical system w/ black sump on the botton and black gb on the top and 2 gal aquarium in the middle?
It came hydrotron which floats. I thought it would get water soaked but after 3 weeks still floats. Spread seeds on gb and with action of water and floating gb I think most seeds ended on bottom of gb. Did get some sprouts but they plugged siphon and a few found their way into the aquarium. The gf must have eaten them. I do have a few plants in the gb but will I ever be able to use seed. (Seeds were small.)
Another thing: the hydrotron is within 3/4 - 1" from top of gb when full. Not enough room for a 1 -2 " dry area that I read I needed. If any higher the hydrotron would roll into the overflow and into the aquarium.
I started small to see if this was something I could do or wanted to do. Aquariums can be beautiful. (I used to grow tropical fish.) But a beautiful aquarium with plants growing out of the top is even more so. That would be my goal for now.
Thanks for any thoughts you may have for this new-be.
-
-
I'm trying 2 cycle my system now. I've got the amonia levels up to .5 ppm with pure amonia. I've added bacteria (microbe lift) from pet co... (stinky stuff)....any further advice? I have to keep it at .5 ppm untill nitrites show up, right?
-
-
There can be a bunch of reasons why you would actually want to add more salt to your system...
-
-
You'll be fine. Many Aquapons salt there tanks to 1 part per thousand (that's 1,000ppm) once a year. The bacteria and plants will be fine...unless your drinking water is outrageously saline...
You might do yourself (plants) a small favor by switching to a potassium salt instead of a sodium based one. They will both work the same (since they are both +1 cations) in a water softening system that is based on an ionic exchange principle.
© 2024 Created by Sylvia Bernstein.
Powered by
You need to be a member of Aquaponics For Beginners to add comments!