Darryl Smith's Page

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If you found us through a search engine, what search words were you using?: google

If so, what type of system? (pick all that apply): Tank - 540 gallons
Plant space - 36' long, 18" w, 12" deep
Flood and drain/ ebb and flow
Medium - combination of lava rock, peat gravel, and Hydroton
Need to install liner, bell siphon, medium, water, fish, plants etc

Please tell us something else about yourself.: I have the capability of harvesting about 1500 gallons of rain water per inch of rain and a total capacity around 15.000 gallons.

At 9:27am on August 5, 2010, Sylvia Bernstein said…: Hi Darryl,

Let me see if I can give you a hand here, but you are also invited to through this out as a forum topic and get other opinions as well

1:1 tank vol to grow bed vol (12" depth ideal) - YES, ALTHOUGH YOU CAN GO TO AS MUCH AS A 2:1, BUT CUT DOWN YOU STOCKING DENSITY ACCORDINGLY
1 grown fish to every 3-5 gallons of water - UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A MAX IN A MATURE SYSTEM. YOU SHOULD GO WITH LESS THAN THIS IN A NEW SYSTEM. UNDERSTAND THAT YOU WILL ENCOUNTER MANY MORE PROBLEMS OVERSTOCKING THAN UNDERSTOCKING

What I need help understanding is how often do you ebb and flow a day, I GO FOR 15 MINUTES EVERY 30 - 45 MINUTES DEPENDING ON CONIDTIONS (IF IT IS HOT I RUN THE WATER MORE OFTEN FOR BOTH THE PLANTS AND TO INCREASE THE O2 LEVELS FOR THE FISH) how many inches of water should be left in grow bed once drained, AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE. LESS THAN AN INCH IS IDEAL, BUT THERE IS NO REASON TO HAVE ANY LEFT where does one buy live Jade Perch fingerlings in the US, I SURE WISH I KNEW THE ANSWER TO THIS ONE! MY SHORT RESEARCH TELLS ME THAT THEY AREN'T AVAILABLE HERE, BUT IF YOU FIND OUT OTHERWISE PLEASE LET ME KNOW! and where does one get a dc emergency kit switch that will switch on a back up aerator hooked to a 12 volt battery? AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS HAS SOMETHING LIKE THIS

At 8:06am on August 3, 2010, Sylvia Bernstein said…: Hi Darryl,

Thanks for joining the Aquaponic Gardening community! I hope you find it a fun place to explore aquaponics. There is a real blend of experienced and new aquapons in this community, so please don’t hesitate to get in there and start asking questions. Everyone is quite happy to help out new members – no question is too basic.

A great place to start is by checking out the forums, blogs and groups. If you are interested in a forum or blog topic, but don’t want to join in right away, just check the “follow” box to be notified whenever there is activity on that subject.

Here is a quick video that will guide you through some of the unique attributes of our Ning community http://creators.ning.com/video/getting-started. Please participate!

Thanks again for joining us, and I look forward to getting to know you.

Sylvia