Aquaponics

PD-Riverman · #1 05/27/10, 07:05 PM

Do any of you have a aquaponic set-up? Wanting to raise some fish in a tank to eat, led me into a small set-up----a 100 gallon tank for the fish and 3 small grow beds, but I already want to go bigger. I have been "Playing" with this for about 5 weeks and find it interesting and relaxing to watch and hear the water running. I have one bed of leaf lettuce, in the other two beds I have a few collards and cabbage, couple cucumbers hills and a squash as well as some blue gill fish growing in the tank. I am using the blue gill bream until "fish day" at the Farm and Garden store then I will get me some catfish.

Ed Norman · #2 05/27/10, 07:20 PM

We have a 50 gallon aquarium with some fish. The other day I grabbed some watercress growing in a spring. Some was left over after supper, so I cut a hole in a block of foam, glued a piece of fiber window screen under it, dumped in the watercress, and tossed it in the aquarium. Less than a week later the watercress has doubled in height with new sprouts showing. I'd like a bigger setup but it gets cold here too soon. It's still cold now, in fact.

Berty · #3 05/28/10, 09:27 AM

No aquaponics system yet but we'd love to set something up by fall. Thinking of adding a greenhouse to the side of our barn. I'd love to see any pics of your systems!

7thswan · #4 05/28/10, 12:20 PM

I had a set up last year in barrels, they got ick, maybe the barrels weren't clean enough and I have no idea what was in them. I use them in the greenhouse for heat sinks in the winter. Catfish. This year I have the water troughs and need to get fome catfish fry. Supposedbly they will grow to eating size in one summer. They like the hot weather. I'd like to know more about preventing them from getting sick again. Even my worm farm is growing worms for feed.

pancho · #5 05/28/10, 12:41 PM

I have an aquaponics system and a couple of small hydroponic systems.
It is more for enjoyment than anything. The vegetables are just a bonus.
At this time I only raise gold fish. A pet store gives me small feeder goldfish and buys back the large goldfish. My systems are enclosed and heated in winter. Supplies me with vegetables and greens during the winter and also feeds the birds, lizards, and turtles living in the enclosure.
It is nice to set out there in the middle of winter with green plants growing, water flowing, birds and animals playing.

fishhead · #6 05/28/10, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 7thswan

I had a set up last year in barrels, they got ick, maybe the barrels weren't clean enough and I have no idea what was in them. I use them in the greenhouse for heat sinks in the winter. Catfish. This year I have the water troughs and need to get fome catfish fry. Supposedbly they will grow to eating size in one summer. They like the hot weather. I'd like to know more about preventing them from getting sick again. Even my worm farm is growing worms for feed.

Ick would have been on the fish when you stocked them and stress is what allowed it to spread on the fish.

One non-chemical way of keeping your fish healthy is to use a UV sterilizer. They aren't too expensive to buy and very cheap to operate. I used them on some indoor tanks one winter and it helped a lot.

Space Cowboy · #7 05/28/10, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishhead

One non-chemical way of keeping your fish healthy is to use a UV sterilizer. They aren't too expensive to buy and very cheap to operate. I used them on some indoor tanks one winter and it helped a lot.

Where can I get a UV sterilizer?

There was a book a while ago, titled the "Survival Greenhouse" (I think???) Anyways, it was bout setting up a complete Aquaponics system. Interesting book. If you can't find it on Amazon, I'll try and track the book down.

SC

**highlands** · #8 05/28/10, 02:32 PM

There is a tremendous amount of info on this out on the web. Google. Lots of discussion groups and forums as well as books and publications both on the web and off. Fascinating topic, for me at least. I have both fresh and salt water fish aquariums as well as reef aquariums as well as having water plants. My goal is someday to build a 20,000 to 50,000 gallon reef aquarium. These past couple of years we've been experimenting with raising trout - outdoors.

Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
Pastured Pigs, Sheep & Kids
in the mountains of Vermont
Read about our on-farm butcher shop project:
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/butchershop
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/csa

fishhead · #9 05/28/10, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Space Cowboy

Where can I get a UV sterilizer?

There was a book a while ago, titled the "Survival Greenhouse" (I think???) Anyways, it was bout setting up a complete Aquaponics system. Interesting book. If you can't find it on Amazon, I'll try and track the book down.

SC

Most of the aquaculture equipment suppliers carry them. Stoney Creek Equipment is one. They are rated by your water flow rate and are a UV bulb within a tube that allows the water to flow past the bulb. Mine was good for 10 gal/min and only used an 8 watt bulb if I remember correctly.

Also, AquaNic and the RAC (regional aquaculture center) websites have lots of free info. Try NCRAC.org for starters.

Riverdale · #10 05/28/10, 07:50 PM

Google

Barrel-ponics
(a.k.a. Aquaponics in a Barrel)
By Travis W. Hughey
Photos by Travis W. Hughey
Copyright 2005
All Rights Reserved

A good set up

cnichols · #11 05/28/10, 10:28 PM

I don't have a set up but it's always been one of my "goals" ... time permitting...

A great webite for information & discussion forum is www.backyardaquaponics.com

PD-Riverman · #12 05/30/10, 07:14 AM

Don't have any pictures yet, but my system is pretty basic. I will try and get some pic's soon. My systen is a 100 gal tank 2/3rds in the dirt with a pump pumping water up into a 55gal barrel above the grow beds that when the barrel gets up to a certain fullness it dumps the water through 2" pvc pipe into the 3 grow beds then the beds flood, then drain through a home made Bell syphon back into the 100 gallon tank. I have pea gravel rocks in my grow beds. I use a 8" round air rock in the bottom of the 100gal tank, but I built a adjustable timer circuit that as soon as the 55 gal tank dumps into the grow beds the water pump in the bottom of the 100 gal tank cuts off, at the same time the air pump cuts on, then in a adjustable amount of time the air pump cuts off and at the same time the water pump cuts back on to fill the 55 gal barrel again. I did the timer to save "battery drain" because I am off grid and felt I did not need the pump and air pump running at the same time. When my grow beds drain, the drain is about 18" above the fish tank and the water going into splashes real good so it adds alot of oxygen.
To feed the fish I use regular fish food, but I also raise redworms, crickets and soldier fly larve to feed them. Its Just ALL about "PLAYING" and I LOVE to Play.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Berty

No aquaponics system yet but we'd love to set something up by fall. Thinking of adding a greenhouse to the side of our barn. I'd love to see any pics of your systems!

crtreedude · #13 05/30/10, 07:59 AM

I had a system that was about 3,000 liters of water (1,000 for sump, 2,000 for fish) with about 27 beds made from cutting barrels in half. It worked very well. It is currently disassembled waiting for me to reassemble down toward the ponds where I have power from falling water to drive a pump.

About the only issue I had was power failure - which killed my tilapia. I know have catfish in my ponds and langostinos (think giant crayfish) which I will use - especially the catfish since they are very tolerant of water issues.

The veggies were fantastic - I have had such great cukes!

7thswan · #14 05/31/10, 05:45 AM

Is this UV thing, the same kind that is in Hot tubs? If so that would be a good place to get one. Dead hot tubs are easy to find. Also at a local fish store, the owner raises Koi in his basement in poly tanks, he keeps a huge block of salt in the tanks said it helps the fish. I'd like to know more about this. Does anyone know?

fishhead · #15 05/31/10, 06:52 AM

I don't know what they use in hot tubs. If it's ozone than yes it is different.

Freeholder · #16 05/31/10, 01:27 PM

How often do the grow beds need to be flooded? Anyone know? Would they need flooded less often if they had more fine materials in them, instead of the fairly large pebbles? I'm thinking that if they could get by with being flooded twice a day, I could do it by hand until I could afford a pump for the system.

Kathleen

fishhead · #17 05/31/10, 01:52 PM

I used to flood mine 2-3 times per day but it depends on how much foliage you have taking up the solution off the gravel.

Freeholder · #18 05/31/10, 03:09 PM

I think I'll try something. If I can figure out how to join two barrel halves end-to-end without them leaking too badly (because the four barrels I have here have one end open), I think I have almost everything I'd need to make a barrel-ponics setup. I won't use a barrel for the fish tank; I've got enough pond liner to make a pond that's approximately 350 gallons. And I've got some PVC pipe (may need fittings), some spare lumber, and a gravel pile.

Navotifarm · #19 05/31/10, 04:41 PM

Will Allen of Grow Power has a very interesting highly productive aquaponics system where he has 50-gallon barrels plus two trenches under the tables in his greenhouse, raising tilapia and yellow perch. And earthworms. I've heard him speak. So interesting! He likes to do thinhs as simply as possible so "anybody" can do it. Well worth hearing him talk if he gets to your area!

Navotifarm · #20 05/31/10, 04:47 PM

Isn't the pH of the water a contributing factor to ich? Too alkaline?