What is the best system for a newbie?

[Brian Watson]

So I am considering a continuous flow or a Ebb and Flow system.  To all of you experienced in aquaponics, what is the best system for a rookie like myself to get into?  And do waterfalls help oxygenate the water for fish?

[George]

I haven't heard of any saltwater systems - finding salt tolerant plants would be the challenge.

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.

Strawberries have started producing and my wife loves them = priceless.

good luck

[Alex Veidel]

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.

[Gregg Boggs]

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.

[Alex Veidel]

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.

[Gregg Boggs]

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.

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.