Aquaponics

[RainMD]

That would be great! And be sure to report on how it works too

 

[Sill]

Hey, that is a good design. I was envisioning something similar.

I jumped back on here to share a video I found. What do you think of this filter? Would it do the trick ya think?

That can work, you will just have to play around with your set up to see of you need additional filters in case one like this fills up too fast.

 

[politicalcenter]

I went with the lava rock for two reasons.

1) The cost of the hydrotons (clay balls) and the heat-expanded shale was way too much for my budget considering I needed two+ yards of media.
2) All the extra holes in the lava rock vs the others means more places for roots to grab and hold as well as more places for O2 to get in there when the beds drain off every hour.

Oh and the weight savings was an added bonus as well.

Have you tried local rocks? Some you can get free from a stream bed or something? I use larger sandstone rocks for my fish filters. I have 350 channel catfish, some goldfish, bluegill, and Koi. I ain't lost any for a while now and they are growing....I also have some fathead minnows for winter time catfish food.

I'll have to get some more minnows...they keep coming up missing for some reason.

 

[RainMD]

Have you tried local rocks? Some you can get free from a stream bed or something? I use larger sandstone rocks for my fish filters. I have 350 channel catfish, some goldfish, bluegill, and Koi. I ain't lost any for a while now and they are growing....I also have some fathead minnows for winter time catfish food.

I'll have to get some more minnows...they keep coming up missing for some reason.

Are your minnows outside? Around here, any number of things would snack on those if they weren't properly covered (raccoons, cats, chickens, skunks). I think they eat each other too.

 

[HeritageGoose13]

I have a couple questions about aquaponics in general, if anyone could answer.

Could anyone show me some low-tech examples? With the cost of electricity, it seems like people would lose money to do all of this. Which may well be the case- I'm just wondering.

What are some cold-water species? I see lots of mention of tilapia, but what if you live in a climate where the water never gets that warm?

Do the fish need light? I've heard about indoor systems, but there was always light for the plants. What if you just wanted fish, no plants. I know that's technically not aquaponics but...

Any particular reason no one's rearing kokanee (land-locked) salmon? Or are they?

Any fish species that will breed in a backyard/home setting so you don't need to buy fry each year?

I'm not planning on doing this. I'm just curious and thought I'd ask.

 

[3goodeggs]

Some fish require current, you might want to do a local search.
The point of the plants is to remove the nitrogen waste that the fish produce.
Algae blooms can deplete the water of oxygen, So if lettuce or celery is using the nitrites and ammonia then it won't be there for the algae.
You can always feed it to the chickens.
Apparently water cress and celery have wonderful root systems that filter water very well.

I have seen you-tube videos of growing catfish in 50 gallon drums, but...

I dunno. I'd worry about them too much

 

[RichnSteph]

Have you tried local rocks? Some you can get free from a stream bed or something? I use larger sandstone rocks for my fish filters. I have 350 channel catfish, some goldfish, bluegill, and Koi. I ain't lost any for a while now and they are growing....I also have some fathead minnows for winter time catfish food.

I'll have to get some more minnows...they keep coming up missing for some reason.

How large of a system do you have for that many fish? I've read through some stocking rate information and have settled on about 1 fish for every 10 gallons of water. With our tank we could stock 70 hybrids and a few bass. I'm going to go with fewer fish though, probably 40 hybrids and a couple of bass so that I can put fat head minnows in there for them to chase and eat.

 

[politicalcenter]

Are your minnows outside? Around here, any number of things would snack on those if they weren't properly covered (raccoons, cats, chickens, skunks). I think they eat each other too.

Yes, the minnows are outside and I use them for other fish to snack on. They are not covered but the ponds are inside a chain link fence.

How large of a system do you have for that many fish? I've read through some stocking rate information and have settled on about 1 fish for every 10 gallons of water. With our tank we could stock 70 hybrids and a few bass. I'm going to go with fewer fish though, probably 40 hybrids and a couple of bass so that I can put fat head minnows in there for them to chase and eat.

I have a pond of cement that is about 2,000 gallons and two swimming pools that are about 1500 gallons each. The fish are split up among them. It is impossible for me to do an inventory so I watch the fish to make sure none are gasping for air at the top of the tanks. If they are action must be taken immediately. I also have about a thousand gallon cement tank that I am going to try to repair this weekend. It will be just for plants and emergencies. I will swap the water with other tanks no and then however.

Some fish require current, you might want to do a local search.
The point of the plants is to remove the nitrogen waste that the fish produce.
Algae blooms can deplete the water of oxygen, So if lettuce or celery is using the nitrites and ammonia then it won't be there for the algae.
You can always feed it to the chickens.
Apparently water cress and celery have wonderful root systems that filter water very well.

I have seen you-tube videos of growing catfish in 50 gallon drums, but...

I dunno. I'd worry about them too much

50 gallon drums to grow catfish is ridiculous. I have cattails, flag iris, water mint, arrowheads, and various other plants in my ponds. I am always on the lookout for more plants. I get them from the river, lakes and anywhere else I can. I do not put any soil with the plants. I usually put the plants in nursery pots and sink them with rocks in the pots over the roots. I have found that any kind of dirt in the pots makes the water nasty. Cat tails are real easy and they cost nothing.

Algae blooms IMHO are only dangerous after dark when the plants take in O2 instead of producing it. Make sure your pumps run after dark. Plants also eat the stuff that feeds the algae and after a while it is less of a problem... Plants are best...you can't beat nature with all the expensive pumps and filters in the world. Besides, plants give a pond character.

 

[RichnSteph]

Ran into a bit of trouble with our system this weekend. It's been raining like crazy down here almost every day for the last few weeks, bad enough that our neighbors next door have lost 80% of their traditional garden to root rot and fungus. I noticed our plans have some yellowing at the leaves and some blackening at the edges. They were yellowed before and I added iron to the system and it went away, now it's back with a vengeance. We don't have any fish yet (this week I hope) and just on a hunch I tested the water for nitrites, nitrates etc. Here is what I got.

Ph. 7.2
Nitrate <.01%
Nitrite <.01%
Ammonia < 10%


I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that with no fish and only the one duck providing nutrients to the system and all the rain we've had means that my poor little plants are getting nothing to eat out of the water we're pumping past them. I know it'll take a while for the system to get back up to good nutrient levels once we put the fish in there. Any ideas on what I can add to get the levels up and help fight the yellow/black leaves on the plants until all the fish are established?

 

[stasichick]

wow! that is truely amazing! how does one get started with such an adventure?