Aquaponics

[Bubu]

As we are currently living in the city with not much space for gardening I am planning to do an aquaponics system for high yeld per unit area. I think this one is an improvement to hydroponics in many ways. Hydroponics needs to be sterile and there is a need to mix chemicals for plant nutrients which is non organic. Hydroponics nutrients are also expensive compared to fish feeds And if you culture omnivorous fish you can feed them with table leftovers. But its not that simple particularly to a newbie like me. I am planning to do a vertical aquaponics to maximize the space use . My biggest concern is how to keep the water clean for fish and nutritious for plants. In the areas of converting amonia to nitrite and nitatre and to convert fish poop and feed leftover to a mineral rich solution. preferably everything is incorporated in a micro natural ecosystem.

This group of people seems to be a success.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAeJ5RwqPFQ

at 2;34 mark explains how the system works. still this is the tip of the iceberg for wannabes like me.

been to forums but still Avalon always surprise me with out of the box ideas. Any tips will be much appreciated.

thanks

[Daozen]

Seems like a good idea. Ozone can clean water... I use a small Enaly generator, costs 70-100USD IIRC. Don't know if it's OK to use an ozone generator with fish.... Activated chacoal is also a good purifier, as is Iodine. Povidone iodine should be OK if it's not for human consumption, but please check this info out elsewhere.

[Baby Steps]

I think you just need a gravelly type of medium - bacteria grow , that break down the fish waste into simpler molecules. The bigger systems incorporate this.

I have found a brilliant natural fertiliser this year - 'liquid seaweed concentrate' - which I hope will charge my tomatoes with a bio-available dose of micro-minerals. Certainly the plants are the biggest and happiest ever!

Good luck with it-and it would be great if you share your findings!

[EFO]

Use hydrogen peroxide 35% food grade as follow:
- for seeds (faster germination: 30 ml for 500 ml water and let them over night),
- for sick plants (150-250 ml HP for 5 l water for spraying plants.Same treatment for almost any fungus.),
- plants watering (same as above 150-250 ml HP for 5 l water),
- water purifying (5 ml HP for every 5 l of heavy contaminated water).
Above treatments must be applied once a week or any time when necessary,depending of containing nutrients from soil/water.

This info is from my HP supplier.

[Baby Steps]

Use hydrogen peroxide 35% food grade as follow:
- for seeds (faster germination: 30 ml for 500 ml water and let them over night),
- for sick plants (150-250 ml HP for 5 l water for spraying plants.Same treatment for almost any fungus.),
- plants watering (same as above 150-250 ml HP for 5 l water),
- water purifying (5 ml HP for every 5 l of heavy contaminated water).
Above treatments must be applied once a week or any time when necessary,depending of containing nutrients from soil/water.

This info is from my HP supplier.

Hi,
I looked into this before, as I had tomato blight. It may have been caused by spraying the plants with tap water. The reason is that slight amounts of peroxide occur naturally in rain water, it is enough to help reduce fungal infections of the leaves. The amount in rain is rarely more than ONE PART PER MILLION.

The other help that small amounts of peroxide provide is it reduces the metabolic effort that a plant needs, to defend itself from SOIL FUNGUS, so it improves growth. But that would not be relevant here, as we are talking aquaponics (no soil).

Are you suggesting benefit for peroxide in aquaponics? Can you vouch for those very high concentrations? You are suggesting 1% peroxide. Many mouthwash products are 3%.

[EFO]

Use hydrogen peroxide 35% food grade as follow:
- for seeds (faster germination: 30 ml for 500 ml water and let them over night),
- for sick plants (150-250 ml HP for 5 l water for spraying plants.Same treatment for almost any fungus.),
- plants watering (same as above 150-250 ml HP for 5 l water),
- water purifying (5 ml HP for every 5 l of heavy contaminated water).
Above treatments must be applied once a week or any time when necessary,depending of containing nutrients from soil/water.

This info is from my HP supplier.

Hi,
I looked into this before, as I had tomato blight. It may have been caused by spraying the plants with tap water. The reason is that slight amounts of peroxide occur naturally in rain water, it is enough to help reduce fungal infections of the leaves. The amount in rain is rarely more than ONE PART PER MILLION.

The other help that small amounts of peroxide provide is it reduces the metabolic effort that a plant needs, to defend itself from SOIL FUNGUS, so it improves growth. But that would not be relevant here, as we are talking aquaponics (no soil).

Are you suggesting benefit for peroxide in aquaponics? Can you vouch for those very high concentrations? You are suggesting 1% peroxide. Many mouthwash products are 3%.

I spoke by phone with him 4 hrs. ago and he confirmed based on his own low scale experiments on aquaponic and fishes.I didn't try it yet,because I'm in the middle of the agricultural season.This season I only used liquid Atonik (http://www.atonik.cn/cpzs-en.asp), fresh and composed rabbits and chickens manure and water for plants and trees and no chemicals.

On the other hand he advised me to be careful with HP on fishes because it destroys some beneficial microorganisms from water and it would be better to ask a specialist.

Would be better to try the concentrations on some lettuce and/or cabbage seeds and plants in some recipients to see the results,before starting on a larger scale hydroponic culture,or on some seeds/plants you want to cultivate in your future vertical aquaponics system.

[meat suit]

I have built an aquaponics system years ago.. still got it now but gave up raising fish in it for the benefits of the fish...
they didnt have enough space and the poop wasnt enough to feed the plants.
its now a peeponics system where I supply the nutrients myself. its a CHOP system made fro 3 IBC tanks.
it wont really feed me, but I use it to grow roots on cuttings for transplanting and bayleaves and aloevera etc

http://www.affnanaquaponics.com/2014/07/chop-2-revised-chop.html

[Bubu]

[QUOTE=Baby Steps;1166899][QUOTE=EFO;1166897]U

On the other hand he advised me to be careful with HP on fishes because it destroys some beneficial microorganisms from water

.

My thoughts also. But I will try HP on leaves provided it does not go into circulating water.

[Bubu]

I have built an aquaponics system years ago.. still got it now but gave up raising fish in it for the benefits of the fish...
they didnt have enough space and the poop wasnt enough to feed the plants.
its now a peeponics system where I supply the nutrients myself. its a CHOP system made fro 3 IBC tanks.
it wont really feed me, but I use it to grow roots on cuttings for transplanting and bayleaves and aloevera etc

http://www.affnanaquaponics.com/2014/07/chop-2-revised-chop.html

How about supplementing with excess feeds that can be converted by bacteria's into nutrient rich solution . I am planning to have catfish or mud fish so they can be feed with kitchen leftovers. And instead of the usual swirl filter I will use a modified biosand filter with large surface area but shallow. this will allow more bacteria to thrive. Dissolve oxygen in water will be maximize by using a series of plant troughs stack vertically wherein water will be supplied on the top most trough and make its run down in the series of through and back on the fish tank.

[meat suit]

I have built an aquaponics system years ago.. still got it now but gave up raising fish in it for the benefits of the fish...
they didnt have enough space and the poop wasnt enough to feed the plants.
its now a peeponics system where I supply the nutrients myself. its a CHOP system made fro 3 IBC tanks.
it wont really feed me, but I use it to grow roots on cuttings for transplanting and bayleaves and aloevera etc

http://www.affnanaquaponics.com/2014/07/chop-2-revised-chop.html

How about supplementing with excess feeds that can be converted by bacteria's into nutrient rich solution . I am planning to have catfish or mud fish so they can be feed with kitchen leftovers. And instead of the usual swirl filter I will use a modified biosand filter with large surface area but shallow. this will allow more bacteria to thrive. Dissolve oxygen in water will be maximize by using a series of plant troughs stack vertically wherein water will be supplied on the top most trough and make its run down in the series of through and back on the fish tank.

I have compost feeders in the system, these are 100mm diameter perforated pipes that are situated in the gravel growbeds. they can be filled from the top openings.. earthworms who are crucial occupants of the system make their way into the pipes and munch thru the kitchen scraps that are in them...

have a play with all youer ideas.. its great fun.. like a mini planet enviroment.

I am planning on a large 'seaweed' basket that will feed the system too... easy to collect from the beach at regular intervalls and added to the system for mineral rich compostation...

[Bubu]

I have built an aquaponics system years ago.. still got it now but gave up raising fish in it for the benefits of the fish...
they didnt have enough space and the poop wasnt enough to feed the plants.
its now a peeponics system where I supply the nutrients myself. its a CHOP system made fro 3 IBC tanks.
it wont really feed me, but I use it to grow roots on cuttings for transplanting and bayleaves and aloevera etc

http://www.affnanaquaponics.com/2014/07/chop-2-revised-chop.html

How about supplementing with excess feeds that can be converted by bacteria's into nutrient rich solution . I am planning to have catfish or mud fish so they can be feed with kitchen leftovers. And instead of the usual swirl filter I will use a modified biosand filter with large surface area but shallow. this will allow more bacteria to thrive. Dissolve oxygen in water will be maximize by using a series of plant troughs stack vertically wherein water will be supplied on the top most trough and make its run down in the series of through and back on the fish tank.

I have compost feeders in the system, these are 100mm diameter perforated pipes that are situated in the gravel growbeds. they can be filled from the top openings.. earthworms who are crucial occupants of the system make their way into the pipes and munch thru the kitchen scraps that are in them...

have a play with all youer ideas.. its great fun.. like a mini planet enviroment.

I am planning on a large 'seaweed' basket that will feed the system too... easy to collect from the beach at regular intervalls and added to the system for mineral rich compostation...

Great Idea . although I am curious as to how do you get the scraps to the horizontal feeder when you feed it from the top, I am imagining a vertical tube that makes a bend with the .. well maybe I just put a Tee instead of elbow and have a pusher on the side of the tee opposite the horizontal feeder. How big are your holes for the little wigglers to come in or is okay for the scraps to come out from it provided the gravel does not come in of course.
what is your grow media? Is it possible for some unwanted insects organism to breed in those feeders.

[TargeT]

A bit of a rambling talk on permaculture and aquaponics...
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I think it's a bit too gimmick based. Why not regular old farming?

I've been watching a lot of this guy's stuff, it's all about time management ;)
-KpZ5wX47ok

[Bubu]

Been reading about permaculture for quite sometime but just cant wrap my head what makes it so unique with other types of farming except for the name perhaps. I am kind of lazy so if ever I get a chance to own a patch of farmland I will do nature farming. " comprehend and copy nature" comes to mind. any patch of barren land will soon become a forest by simply bringing in the seeds, by wind insect birds rodents and animals. Every creature that feed on the forest plant (poop) the seeds back. we humans however threw it to the garbage dump. So my idea of a nature farming is to bring in the seeds. and starts cutting off the old forest as my food forest grow. My idea of farming is not "rows" or grow beds. When you plant tomato side by side if one gets infected by any tomato pest the pest will spread very quickly. planting randomly will makes the forest resilient to pest. farming is quite easy just observe adapt and guide nature. no need for a complete or whole scientific design.what makes it difficult is when farmer farm for money. I farm for food.

[Sarah Rainsong]

I'm reviving this thread in hopes that some of y'all are still doing aquaponics and can offer some insight.

Dh and I started a small NFT aquaponics system off an established goldfish pond. He, being the engineer, designed the system. I, being the more agriculturally minded, pretty much take care of everything else. ;)

My pond looks a.m.a.z.i.n.g. :sun: It was such a mess when we moved in. But most of my plants in my aquaponics are not happy. :( I think they need more nutrients, so I've started upping how much/how often I feed my fish as well as adding in some additional food. Hopefully, they'll perk up soon.

The main problem I'm having is that our chlorine levels keep rising.

I always treat any water before adding to the pond, but even without adding water, the levels seem to get higher. I've found myself treating for chlorine in the pond in addition to treating water when I add it.

We're using PVC and I'm thinking that the pipes are leaching chlorine in my water! But it's not supposed to be doing that. And it's the most recommended material for NFT systems. Any thoughts?

Here's some pics of my system:
434774347543476