Aquaponic Gardening

A Community and Forum For Aquaponic Gardeners

Aquaponics For Beginners

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Aquaponics For Beginners

This is a place where Beginners can post questions and find answers.

Advanced Users are welcome to help the Beginners out.

Please KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) .

Members: 672
Latest Activity: Feb 2, 2019

Discussion Forum

A few fish for sale or good home

Started by Linda Logan. Last reply by Linda Logan Feb 2, 2019. 1 Reply

I need to shut down my indoor system for a few months. I have 2 mature Shubunkin, 1 albino Hypostomus to clean the aquarium. There is another small fish living in the sump.I live in SE Portland and…Continue

Aquaponics system as filter for swimming pool

Started by John Wilson. Last reply by Wade J Rochelle Jan 25, 2019. 3 Replies

Hi all, we've just purchased a property with a large indoor swimming pool. Around 80,000L with a greenhouse roof and plenty of room around it for grow beds. However, this is far too big for us to…Continue

Not for human consumption!?

Started by Nichelle Hubley. Last reply by Nichelle Hubley Jun 30, 2015. 7 Replies

Well, I think I messed up big time. I've been feeding my precious tilapia koi food (I like in a small place and it was all I could get... :( ) for about 2 months and last night I read on the back of…Continue

Help!! Help !!! with new filtration and set-up.

Started by Henrique Miguel. Last reply by Wayne Mcbryde May 14, 2015. 2 Replies

Hi,I have a set up of 2 55 gal  blue barrel with Tilapia and  guppies separate.   I have young ones and they are growing well. Issue of overcrowding and feeding. 1. I would like to use a water…Continue

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Comment by Leo White Bear on September 2, 2013 at 11:51am

I agree with TC, without the bio-filtration you are looking for trouble.  Through my research and experiments with different types of setups, I have come to the conclusion that I am not only an aquaponicist in the sense of the hobby but my main part is a "culturer of bacteria".  Fish feed the culture and the plants clean their waste and grow edibles or ornimentals.  The bacteria is the main power function of a healthy aquaponic system no matter what design is used.  As long as this is kept in mind your system will remain balanced and will grow healthy fish and plants.

Comment by TCLynx on September 2, 2013 at 10:44am

If you use pipes with holes for plants in cups, you have to design in additional filtration for your system.  Pipes with plants and fish water flowing through it without additional filtration before the pipes will cause problems as the roots of the plants will begin to gunk up with waste from the animal tanks (it may seem to work at first but eventually you have a stinking mess.)  Think of aquaponics as a triangle and the most important part (the base of the triangle) is the Filtration, both bio- and solids.  If you remove the base, the other two sides will fall flat.  A bio-ponic system can run for a time without fish or aquatic animals, and it can also survive a time without plants but neither the plants or animals will survive long without the filtration.

I so hate it when basic descriptions of Aquaponics just describe it as the "plants" filtering the water for the fish or as just fish and plants.

Comment by Craig Shevlin on September 2, 2013 at 10:30am

Bob,

I know that it is a disaster waiting to happen under the right conditions.  Everything is indoor, so I do not have to worry about freeze.  The Arboretum is totally enclosed with 4 skylights on a slopped roof facing east and I am installing 5ea. 14" sun-tubes facing due south.  I know I have to have an additional water storage downstairs besides the fish tanks.

Tom,

The room was originally set up for my citrus trees, but I like the idea of growing the veggies in the house.  Also I am going to use Red Claw Crayfish for my fish tanks.  They are not cannibalistic, grow relatively fast and are good to eat.

Craig

Comment by Jim Fisk on September 2, 2013 at 10:27am

Hey gang, in defense of the bell siphon method don't let Bob's dislike of the bell siphon turn you off. They are simple, trouble free and require a smaller continuously running pump. Mine have been absolutely trouble free for well over a year with no timers involved (except to feed the trout:-) They work day in and month out unattended if designed properly. I have sold nearly 200 now on Ebay with great feedback from all. If you want to make your own check out my photos and feel free to ask questions. They should be of the Affnan style (Bernoulli) with no traps and sized to your growbed dimensions.

Comment by Tom OBrien on September 2, 2013 at 10:19am

Craig, That does sound like an interesting setup. I have had better luck with bell siphons in the grow beds and pumps always on than I did with a timer on the pump, but I like Bob's airlift pump idea. I don't know how well it would work if you are lifting water from the basement though.

Comment by Craig Shevlin on September 2, 2013 at 9:30am

Hi Bob,

I am going to install 8ea. X 14' L horizontal 4" pipes with the plants growing out of cups inserted into the pipes every 7 inches.  My fish will be in the basement below the Arboretum area.  The Arboretum which is above is totally inside with the roof area open to the outdoors.

Craig

Comment by Craig Shevlin on September 2, 2013 at 8:57am

I have a question on your water flow.  You said that your pump flows continuously,  and I have read others that said they time their flow and let the plants stand for a couple of hours and then start all over again.  What do see as your reason to have continuous flow?

Craig

Comment by TCLynx on August 31, 2013 at 7:19pm

Ah, yea, the plants may eventually reach a point where the roots could completely clog the channel then.  That is the problem with using pipes or channels this way and I don't know of any good FIX other than occasionally pulling the plants out and pruning the roots and if they are getting way too over grown, it is time to have new plants ready to replace the old ones, try to do it in a staggered fashion so you don't have to go without your chard while waiting for new plants to grow.  I've had basil get so big that it clogged the pipes and caused overflows so at least weekly checks and regular pruning is important.

Comment by John Cubit on August 31, 2013 at 7:15pm

TCLynx, Thanks.  Unique setup.  Made it from PVC fence post so the space below each pot is about two inches.  Flow is fine and no draining issues but based on what you are asking, I would suspect that is why they continue to grow together.  Not a big issue here as we eat a lot of chard ( a lot).

The whole design was more of how to utilize space inside and grow the most, and this design works.  Except with the roots.  Thanks again TCLynx.

Comment by TCLynx on August 31, 2013 at 6:54pm

John, that is an issue with plants that remain too long in a raft bed.  Probably would need bigger pots and more space but if you are leaving the plants in really long term, the roots are going to grow together.  I would say if you want to keep the plants growing, just do the harvest of the outter leaves right there at the bed and don't try to remove the net pot from the raft until you are ready to place a new plant in the bed.  How deep is the bed, in a 1 foot deep DWC bed I wouldn't expect the roots to actually block the flow and overflow the bed unless it is just the drain area you are having trouble keeping clear.

 

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