A Community and Forum For Aquaponic Gardeners

changing to PP system

As I continue to research and evolve my planning, it looks like I'll be changing my original AP plan to a fishless PP system! Lots of good reading about Bio/Peeponics over on the fishless systems group.

I hope I'll still be welcome in the Michigan AP group, because MI is my home and there are lots of similarities in the recirculated grow beds of AP and PP.

The main reason I switched is I realized I'm more interested in harvesting fruits and veggies than fish! Secondary reasons are: less expense, easier to control nitrate production and should get close to the same results for gardening.

After learning the PP system this year, I may add fish next year with have half of the learning curve behind me.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jeff S on January 23, 2015 at 9:11am

Makes perfectly good sense Gene. Growing the veggies would be much easier when there aren't fish involved as far as modifying the water. I'm all for diversity. We all learn from it so by all means keep us up to date on your progress. I wish I had learned more about growing veggies before I jumped in head first and tried to learn everything at once. Aquaponics is a fun hobby mainly because there are fish involved. Given the area you have to work with you might want to set up a separate aquaponics tank (like the basic stacked IBC system or smaller) just to entertain yourself. LOL

Permalink Reply by Gene Parbst on January 23, 2015 at 11:12am

Thanks Jeff, I appreciate your support! I've got a lot to learn about growing veggies with home brew nitrate water. Once I get a handle on that it would be easy to add fish.

Permalink Reply by Rob on January 23, 2015 at 11:38am

Where are you located Gene? I'd be curious to see your system once its up and running. We're doing an AP system, so I'd be interested to see other iterations of the same idea.

Permalink Reply by Gene Parbst on January 23, 2015 at 1:14pm

I'm between Fennville and Saugatuck. I'd be happy to show others my system once its up and running, like end of April?

Currently I'm doing an 25 gallon nitrogen cycle startup in my home using pure 10% ammonia hydroxide from Ace Hardware. Once it starts cycling NO3 I can determine how much nitrate water I can take out daily and replace with well water. The 250 gallon tote I plan to use will be 10x that amount. Check out the Fishless Systems Group, lots of good reading over there!