Comment

Comment by Kate Mink on March 19, 2012 at 7:56pm

well, I like to maintain circulation 24/7. If you're getting aeration this way, as I am, you need it as much at night as by day, and it ensures that nutrients and O2 are always mixed. Turning pumps on and off can be hard on them, or they can lose prime. That said, some kind of short power-cycling to save electricity is worthwhile if your pump is good with that - many people do it. And if your pump can go low-high instead of on-off, that could be the best.The plants can be stagnant for a day or 2 with no harm; fish need O2 24/7.

As to top vs. bottom trays - I have long troughs, and I don't see any difference in nutrients between water fresh out of the fish tank and water going back in. Friendlys report the same.

Pontoons vs. rafts - seems like they both work well.

Comment by Rick Welland on March 19, 2012 at 4:39pm

sorry meant to add that my holding tanks are about 800 gallons so could use that daytime stored extra fish pond water to trickle flow thru growing trays at nite- at perhaps a slower rate?

another question?? How does it work re the top trays getting more nutrients than the trays lower down in the system? need to occasionally switch bottom trays to top? Rotate? Or? 

Comment by Rick Welland on March 19, 2012 at 4:32pm

thanks much Kate..will be pumping up from fish pond to holding tanks,then gravity feed thru trays back to (with areation) the fish ponds. Because I'll be solar pumping what will happen if I reduce the flow at nitetime so I don't need to use battery  power? Water needs to flow 24/7?

Like Giorgios idea re pontoons on the rafts rather than foam..Roots getting air should be a good thing -correct? 

Comment by Kate Mink on March 19, 2012 at 3:36pm

Rick, a good flow rate is 2 -3 gallons per minute. Pump sizing is going to depend significantly on how far you have to lift the water.  Many pumps will have more flow and less lift than you need. One piece of free advice - if you're pumping up to your fish pond (as I do to my tank), arrange the outlet so the water sprays or fountains up and then falls - this aerates it.

Comment by Rick Welland on March 19, 2012 at 2:47pm

Hi all..Am just getting started re AP. Want to do a raft system for lettuce/ greens. Have a good sized (thruflow) fish pond with over a hundred tilapia in it. Plan to solar pump the water up to holding tanks and then circulate it thru 24 growing trays which descend the hillside in a greenhouse situation. Looking at 4 rows of six trays-  (12" deep,16" wide, 24" long). My question (among many others) is what would be a good flow rate for the water- or what size pump is needed for a system this size?

Comment by Chris Smith on February 24, 2012 at 11:28pm

Chris, I am having a little trouble visualizing  what you are proposing. Could you elaborate or post a diagram?

Comment by chris taylor Swamp Creek Farms on February 24, 2012 at 11:44am

This may be off topic,  but I am setting up a DWC system in a GH.  My ideas are getting a huge pvc ditch drain,  soldering the ends up with plastic,  and doing it that way,  whats the difference if i fill it with gravel or just letting water flow ?   on one end i want to put three fittings above each other,  so i can raise and lower the water level  if needed. 

Comment by Maynhia Stott on January 24, 2012 at 4:03pm

Giorgio,

Thanks for sharing you're design. I was in Kauai not too long ago and toured the aquaponic center at the college there. The guy there, did something similar but he but the poxy on top of the styrofoam board and he said that it was healthier for the plants because of the air gap. I like your idea better I'm not a fan of styrofoam.  I was going to buy the foam boards last week, glad I didn't. 

I'm designing my raft bed at a 12" deep can I get by with a shallower bed?

Comment by Jerry Walsh on January 20, 2012 at 9:34am

My comment should have gone to disscusion, my bad.

 

Comment by Jerry Walsh on January 20, 2012 at 9:33am

Top of the day to you aquaponeurs. I have read many articles and have the aquaponics bible with Sylvia's contribution, I can not find what my tank water amonia level should be after cycling. My sytsom cycled a few weeks back, amonia and nitrites are almost non existing while my nitrates are high. I have read this is good sign, and that I need to add more grow bed vegetation. Sould I see signs of amonia after the pond cycled ?

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