A Community and Forum For Aquaponic Gardeners

Aquaculture Vs. Hydroponics What To Start First?

Carey: Get you fish going and when things stabilize, add your hydroponics side of your system. The biggest problem most beginners face is rushing into things before the system is ready.

To which a sicko thread jacker replied: Carey, I think I should disagree with the aquaculture first side; the plants are the main attraction. So, I'm copying this over to the threadjackers page for future discussion.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by TCLynx on February 24, 2012 at 3:42pm

Hay Eric, can you provide a link back to the original thread since I'm feeling a bit lost without context.

Permalink Reply by Eric Warwick on February 24, 2012 at 4:11pm

Sorry, here's the link.http://aquaponicscommunity.com/profiles/blogs/im-new-to-it-all-let-... It wasn't a huge thread either.

TCLynx said:

Hay Eric, can you provide a link back to the original thread since I'm feeling a bit lost without context.

Permalink Reply by TCLynx on February 24, 2012 at 4:41pm

Well for whatever reason you choose to do aquaponics, that will be the main attraction.

I disagreed with the comment about setting up the fish first and doing the hydroponics later but the reason I disagreed has more to do with the need for filtration that is likely to be missing when thinking of aquaculture and hydroponics as separate yet put together.

Permalink Reply by Growitright Aquaponics on May 26, 2012 at 12:56am

I have only cycled without fish once. Every tank after that has recieved "start-up water" from the big demo system or my smaller home system. I've found that if you add 1/4 or more of the initial total system water with established tank water there is no need for anything but to feed the fish until it's time to buffer or add iron. I always add fish to the completed system with no plants for a few days to a week to build nitrates, then when I plant there is fast growth immediately.

Permalink Reply by Raychel A Watkins on May 26, 2012 at 2:46am

I do the same I call it old water. I just add a 5 gal bucket of water from one of the other fish tanks put the fish and the plants in. Some times I cycle it over night and add the fish the next day. I have never had a problem or had to deal with Ammonia spikes unless I had too many fish. I always give my friends a bucket of old water. I know that my fish do not have any diseases so I feel right about giving them the old water. The fish seem to do well,.
Growitright Aquaponics said:

I have only cycled without fish once. Every tank after that has recieved "start-up water" from the big demo system or my smaller home system. I've found that if you add 1/4 or more of the initial total system water with established tank water there is no need for anything but to feed the fish until it's time to buffer or add iron. I always add fish to the completed system with no plants for a few days to a week to build nitrates, then when I plant there is fast growth immediately.

Permalink Reply by Jon Parr on May 27, 2012 at 2:43pm

Hi Nick and Raychel. If I have the foresight, I have a dozen five gallon buckets already plumbed with auto siphons, that I fill with fresh gravel and add a circulation loop from a seasoned system. After about a week, or more if I have the time, each 5 gal bucket will seed a new system, by dumping it in first when I fill a growbed. I've installed new systems; water, fish, plants, gravel, and a seasoned bucket-o-rocks and achieved an instant biofilter without a spike.