Comment

Comment by Eric Warwick on November 22, 2011 at 6:02pm

Cool set-up. I think I'll build one sometime to act as a solids settler and growing area.

 

Comment by Patrick McKee on November 22, 2011 at 6:01pm

The sprayer inside the grow tower is just 1/2 inch PVC. I drilled tiny holes in the pipe. I tried many different irrigation spray heads including micro spray heads and even spinners that did not work. I think the problem is pond pumps do not have very much pressure. Pond pumps can have a lot of volume, if any one has any spray heads that work, please post

Comment by Patrick McKee on November 22, 2011 at 5:50pm

I am building a table to put the grow towers on using cement blocks and a sheet of plastic lattice. There will be about 16 to 24 net pots per grow tower. There will be 4 towers in this system connected to the 80 - 100 gallon fish tank stocked with 20 Tilapia.

 

If there are any questions please ask. The purpose of this group is to promote AeroAquaponics. I think one of the reasons more of us are not doing it, is because of the cost involved with the "Ready Made" systems. I have designed and built many NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) systems and a raft system over 150,000 gallons. The advantage of doing aeroaquaponics over NFT is the NFT systems are in pipes or small channels that get clogged up with roots, overflow and spring leaks. I have had NFT systems upwards of 4000 gallons...they get clogged up! The advantage over raft systems is oxygen, rather than having to pump oxygen into the fish tank and the hydroponic raft tanks the nutrient rich fish water will pick up oxygen as it passes through the roots of the plants in the grow towers. The volume inside the grow towers is more than enough for all the roots the plant wants to grow. Another advantage is the roots are not submerged where they are more susceptible to root born fungus and problems such as root rot.  

Comment by Patrick McKee on November 22, 2011 at 5:23pm

This is the beginning of my Aeroaquaponic system. The tank is about 80-100 gallons. I am using a trash can as my "Grow Tower". You can buy a grow tower like the ones at Green Sky Growers for about $500.00 each. My work is to be able to build inexpensive grow towers with components from Home Depot or the hardware store.I will be adding a filter tank this weekend and stocking the tank with Tilapia.I cut 1 7/8 inch holes in the grow tower, I then used a propane torch to heat the holes and inserted a 1 1/2 inch PVC pipe. I applied upward pressure to the hole until it cooled giving it about a 30 degree upwards angle. I siliconed plastic cups with the bottoms cut out into the holes and inserted the net pots.

Comment by Patrick McKee on November 18, 2011 at 6:30am

Welcome new members to Aero-Aquaponics!

Comment by Patrick McKee on November 16, 2011 at 3:06pm

Maybe we could get a group together to take the free tour!

Comment by Patrick McKee on November 16, 2011 at 3:05pm

I have been trying to take a tour of Green Sky Growers http://greenskygrowers.com/

in Winter Garden. They are doing some remodeling and not been giving tours. I will post when I am going to take the free tour. When they are up and running it is on Saturdays at 10:00. I have been to Winter Garden twice on Sat. and it is a beautiful town with an awesome farmers market, free music, great shops and food. They have a splash pad for the kids and bicycles for rent.

Comment by Patrick McKee on October 14, 2011 at 4:47am

Hi Eric,

Yes I agree, if you let the fish poopy solids get in the roots it creates a place for fungus to grow and oxygen won't be able to be absorbed, those two, are just the starters of the problems solids will cause in an aquaponic system. In the system I am working on there is a garbage can right next to the fish tank, the bottom is filled with window screen and/or some sort of mesh that will trap the solids then there is a milk crate on top of that with the pump sitting on the milk crate. There is a 2" siphon from the tank to the garbage can, the pump sends the water to the grow towers then by gravity back to the fish tank, clean and aerated. The siphon is on the bottom of the fish tank to suck up the solids and delivers it to the garbage can clarifier/filter. The water flows in the bottom with the screen above the discharge as to trap the solids in the bottom. Since the discharge is in the bottom and the solids are trapped in the bottom they will be able to gently move around but not get out. This moving action will help break down the solids and dissolve them in the process of mineralization. I want the valuable minerals/nutrients that are locked up in the solids; Manganese, Magnesium, Potassium, Iron, these are the minor or micro-nutrients, but they are no good in an aquaponic system until they become water soluble. You can also put a valve at the bottom of the can to release excess solids depending on the density of the fish.

Comment by Eric Warwick on October 13, 2011 at 4:57pm

Yes, one of the things TClynx has screamed into my head is solids-filtering the water before NFT. If fish poo gets directly on your roots you'll be in for a bad time. So what I've heard is filtering the solids through media beds. I'm not an expert, this is what I've heard. (this is my new slogan by the way)

Comment by Patrick McKee on October 13, 2011 at 1:38pm

Hi Eric,

 

Can you elaborate about filtering the water before a non media aggregate please.

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