What is the best system for a newbie? - Aquaponic Gardening2024-03-29T07:30:06Zhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/forum/topics/what-is-the-best-system-for-a-newbie?commentId=4778851%3AComment%3A437438&feed=yes&xn_auth=noThanks Alex for the ideas on…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2013-02-13:4778851:Comment:4381582013-02-13T06:45:44.654ZGregg Boggshttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/GreggBoggs
<p>Thanks Alex for the ideas on everything. I like fresh basil, dill and oregano. But I think the smell of fresh mint would also be nice. I am going to do this indoors for now so it would be an added benefit.<br></br></p>
<p>I've been looking at material on tanks and systems. I think I like the idea of the system that uses a sump pump and tank to keep the water level constant for the fish tank. However, it is not clear to me how to use a standard tank for the fish tank, given that the flow of water…</p>
<p>Thanks Alex for the ideas on everything. I like fresh basil, dill and oregano. But I think the smell of fresh mint would also be nice. I am going to do this indoors for now so it would be an added benefit.<br/></p>
<p>I've been looking at material on tanks and systems. I think I like the idea of the system that uses a sump pump and tank to keep the water level constant for the fish tank. However, it is not clear to me how to use a standard tank for the fish tank, given that the flow of water depends the level of the water in the fish tank. How do I do this without cutting a hole in the glass near the top? See the diagram below for the type of system I would like to make.</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2772236806?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2772236806?profile=original" width="680" class="align-full"/></a></p> If you want something that ca…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2013-02-13:4778851:Comment:4381562013-02-13T04:45:03.255ZAlex Veidelhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/AlexVeidel
<p>If you want something that can be small and used often, consider an herb like rosemary or basil. Mint would be good. Stevia might be fun as a natural sweetener.</p>
<p>If you want something that can be small and used often, consider an herb like rosemary or basil. Mint would be good. Stevia might be fun as a natural sweetener.</p> Thanks Alex! I appreciate the…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2013-02-13:4778851:Comment:4381492013-02-13T04:26:58.752ZGregg Boggshttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/GreggBoggs
<p>Thanks Alex! I appreciate the information. I think I need to start at practically the desktop level to get me feet wet so to speak. I think I can work up to fish breeding and harvesting over time. I think at first I want to have ornamental fish that are cool to look at and grow just a few plants. Then I can work on something bigger as the weather improves. I have an enclosed porch that would be great 3 seasons out of the year, but right now I cannot heat it for the winter. I will check out…</p>
<p>Thanks Alex! I appreciate the information. I think I need to start at practically the desktop level to get me feet wet so to speak. I think I can work up to fish breeding and harvesting over time. I think at first I want to have ornamental fish that are cool to look at and grow just a few plants. Then I can work on something bigger as the weather improves. I have an enclosed porch that would be great 3 seasons out of the year, but right now I cannot heat it for the winter. I will check out you page and then I will likely have a few specific questions on how to set up a very small starter system. Can you think of a small plant or two that would be good to begin with? I am thinking some variety of goldfish or other tropical freshwater fish to get started with. Something I can buy at the local pet store.<br/><i><br/></i></p> Gregg, the thing about aquapo…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2013-02-13:4778851:Comment:4380532013-02-13T03:53:01.221ZAlex Veidelhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/AlexVeidel
<p>Gregg, the thing about aquaponics is that it is completely customizable to your own tastes. You can have a system that is thousands of gallons or a desktop aquarium with a houseplant. Both are considered aquaponics. You can build an system for $15 or $1,500. If you like, take a look at the system on my page. I have some pic's posted. It ended up costing me around $1,500 total. Including fish, media, feed, grow lights, etc. A good first step would be to calculate how much space you want to…</p>
<p>Gregg, the thing about aquaponics is that it is completely customizable to your own tastes. You can have a system that is thousands of gallons or a desktop aquarium with a houseplant. Both are considered aquaponics. You can build an system for $15 or $1,500. If you like, take a look at the system on my page. I have some pic's posted. It ended up costing me around $1,500 total. Including fish, media, feed, grow lights, etc. A good first step would be to calculate how much space you want to devote to the idea. For your system, you want to use a 1:1 or 1:2 ratio of fish tank volume to grow bed volume. If you are thinking about doing a media based setup, your growbeds will be approx. 1 ft deep. And Ian is right...read, read, read. Pick up a book or two and try to get an overview of the whole concept.</p> I haven't heard of any saltwa…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2013-02-10:4778851:Comment:4374852013-02-10T13:15:05.609ZGeorgehttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/Geoge
<p>I haven't heard of any saltwater systems - finding salt tolerant plants would be the challenge.</p>
<p>Cost - people do it on the cheap with scrounged/salvaged components but others buy systems practically off the shelf and spend a lot more. There are many ways to build a system. I thought about it for a couple of years before constructing mine and my main expense was a tank - don't know exactly how much I have in my system but, excluding solar, about $2000.</p>
<p>Strawberries have…</p>
<p>I haven't heard of any saltwater systems - finding salt tolerant plants would be the challenge.</p>
<p>Cost - people do it on the cheap with scrounged/salvaged components but others buy systems practically off the shelf and spend a lot more. There are many ways to build a system. I thought about it for a couple of years before constructing mine and my main expense was a tank - don't know exactly how much I have in my system but, excluding solar, about $2000.</p>
<p>Strawberries have started producing and my wife loves them = priceless.</p>
<p>good luck</p>
<p></p> Seems to me you can't go to f…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2013-02-10:4778851:Comment:4373502013-02-10T03:10:14.837ZIan Cameronhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/IanCameron
<p>Seems to me you can't go to far wrong buying Sylvia's book. By all means, read, read and read. I lurked here for almost a year before joining. No, I did not get everything from walmart. Its to far away. Most stuff came from my local building store, the hydroton and pump came from a friendly greenhouse supply store. Working part time in a hatchery did not hurt either. I gave me a good grounding in fish health. By golly, what I would not do for a shore lunch of walleye again. Its been years…</p>
<p>Seems to me you can't go to far wrong buying Sylvia's book. By all means, read, read and read. I lurked here for almost a year before joining. No, I did not get everything from walmart. Its to far away. Most stuff came from my local building store, the hydroton and pump came from a friendly greenhouse supply store. Working part time in a hatchery did not hurt either. I gave me a good grounding in fish health. By golly, what I would not do for a shore lunch of walleye again. Its been years and years. As far as fish are concerned, check out the fish topics, it has a lot of good info and knowledgeable folks posting there. I'm sticking with goldfish for now until I expand this spring, then will probably change to something else.</p>
<p></p> Thanks for the information. T…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2013-02-10:4778851:Comment:4371772013-02-10T02:24:35.090ZGregg Boggshttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/GreggBoggs
<p>Thanks for the information. This is definitely better than thousands! You didn't get everything at WalMart I assume. If I get the book recommended, will it help me to learn enough so I can make the right purchase decisions? I have no idea what kind of pump I need or where to get one. I am the true novice, never even had a fish tank of my own. Helped a little with one that belonged to a friend. When looking online it seemed like even the fish were expensive to buy when you add the shipping…</p>
<p>Thanks for the information. This is definitely better than thousands! You didn't get everything at WalMart I assume. If I get the book recommended, will it help me to learn enough so I can make the right purchase decisions? I have no idea what kind of pump I need or where to get one. I am the true novice, never even had a fish tank of my own. Helped a little with one that belonged to a friend. When looking online it seemed like even the fish were expensive to buy when you add the shipping costs. I was hoping to find a local source for the live fish. I do not particularly like catfish, tilapia or blue gill and I am wondering if there are other fish that work as well for aquaponics? Myself, I like Walleye for fresh water and orange roughy and salmon for saltwater. I imagine salmon would be difficult to raise in such an environment, but maybe there are other fish folks would recommend. I probably should go with freshwater to start with so as to not introduce added complication. Anyone out there agree? Disagree?</p> It depends on what size you w…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2013-02-10:4778851:Comment:4372632013-02-10T01:30:45.886ZIan Cameronhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/IanCameron
<p>It depends on what size you want. I started just over a year ago with 3 *20gal totes, 2 for biofilters and 1 for fish. $45 at WalMart. I already had a decent size pond pump, but was looking at another today 850gpm@5' head for $83. 1/2" ,3/4", and 1" piping cost $65. The hydroton I used was the most expensive item. $45/50L *3 bags. Bulkhead fittings @$4.50 ea * 2, 10 feeder goldfish @ .35 ea. . and the most important item was the API Master Freshwater test kit. about $35. Now I realize that…</p>
<p>It depends on what size you want. I started just over a year ago with 3 *20gal totes, 2 for biofilters and 1 for fish. $45 at WalMart. I already had a decent size pond pump, but was looking at another today 850gpm@5' head for $83. 1/2" ,3/4", and 1" piping cost $65. The hydroton I used was the most expensive item. $45/50L *3 bags. Bulkhead fittings @$4.50 ea * 2, 10 feeder goldfish @ .35 ea. . and the most important item was the API Master Freshwater test kit. about $35. Now I realize that prices differ considerably and up here we pay a premium for a lot of stuff, so I am prepared to scrounge and experiment. Been eating fresh swiss chard, lettuce, radishes and herbs since last May. Its all inside for the winter, under lights. In the spring it will all go outsjde again.Don't be surprised to have a great time doing this, and above all when a question arises ASK!</p>
<p></p> Thanks so much Alex! I will t…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2013-02-09:4778851:Comment:4374412013-02-09T22:52:50.982ZGregg Boggshttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/GreggBoggs
<p>Thanks so much Alex! I will try to pick up this book. After doing some research of my own, it is clear to me that the guy online is a modern day snake oil salesman. There is no way one could set up a functioning and productive aquaponics system for $250. It is absurd. I am hoping it will not be thousands to get started, but $250 is as unreasonable as it initially sounded to me. Thanks also for your warm thoughts regarding my sister and her new baby!<br/><br/></p>
<p>Thanks so much Alex! I will try to pick up this book. After doing some research of my own, it is clear to me that the guy online is a modern day snake oil salesman. There is no way one could set up a functioning and productive aquaponics system for $250. It is absurd. I am hoping it will not be thousands to get started, but $250 is as unreasonable as it initially sounded to me. Thanks also for your warm thoughts regarding my sister and her new baby!<br/><br/></p> Gregg, I highly recommend you…tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2013-02-09:4778851:Comment:4374382013-02-09T22:09:21.618ZAlex Veidelhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/AlexVeidel
<p>Gregg, I highly recommend you pick up Sylvia's book "Aquaponic Gardening". Its a great read for anyone interested in aquaponics. Plus it's pretty cheap, usually around $20. Tell your sister I said "congrats" on expecting her first child :)</p>
<p>Gregg, I highly recommend you pick up Sylvia's book "Aquaponic Gardening". Its a great read for anyone interested in aquaponics. Plus it's pretty cheap, usually around $20. Tell your sister I said "congrats" on expecting her first child :)</p>