How to build an indoor Aquaponic System

[Daniel]

I wrote a couple of blog posts describing how I built my indoor Aquaponic system, and thought some of you might be interested in reading:http://www.whatisaquaponics.co/how-to-build-an-indoor-aquaponic-sys...

This is part one. Part 2 will be up tomorrow.

If you have any questions, please ask. I'll try to pass along the things I have picked up from fellow aquapons!

[Jon Parr]

I'll stay tuned, and thankyou. If you are not too far to reconsider your layout, you may want to consider reversing your layout to have the fish tank high in the system. Why? Always pump from the cleanest water for pump longevity and maintenance, and never pumping from the fish tank is another good practice, because in the event of failure, your FT will stay full. Just some thoughts...that I learned the hard way. You will love those pangasius catfish, btw. They eat and grow fantastic, and good to eat.

[Daniel]

Thanks Jon - my outdoor system pumps from a sump tank, and feeds the grow beds from the fish tank - because I am aware of the dangers of pumping from the fish tank. A couple of times my sump tank has been pumped dry, so this is a very real consideration. Since this system is inside, if I have any leaks - the water in the fish tank is my least concern! However, with the grow bed directly above the fish tank, draining directly back down into the fish tank, any small leaks are likely to be caught by the fish tank anyway.

I had not considered how pumping clean water would be beneficial to the pump, so I'll keep this in mind.

Not sure if these are the same catfish called by a different name, but the fish in this tank are Iridescent Sharks (a tropical catfish?) that came with the tank. They may be edible, but I'm not sure I could tell my friends that gave me the tank that I ate them ;-) Eventually, I would like to get rid of these and use this tank for fingerlings before transferring the fingerlings to my outdoor system.

[Jon Parr]

Yes, same fish. Pangasius is an alternate name that I find easier to remember. I will be growing some commercially in Aquaponics this year. If not stunted from the aquarium trade, these do grow fast and big, just keep them above 80 F. They are air breathers, and damned near impossible to kill if the water is above 80. If below 80, they will succumb to Ich or most anything else, and die. Good luck.