Aquaponics

[RichnSteph]

@politicalcenter The "lake effect" is when solids or moss or something clog up the area just below where your water enters the grow bed. Basically a small lake forms there since the surrounding substrate (hyrdrotons, gravel, what-have-you) is packed with waste.



@Sill What I've done is essentially a small swirl filter between the pump and the grow bed. After looking at it last night it seems to be doing well catching solids and other heavier waste. I'll have to stir the tank this week and do some manual cleaning with a net to get it prepped for fall/winter.

 

[knjinnm]

Is anyone using soil in their grow beds?

 

[RichnSteph]

Is anyone using soil in their grow beds?

I don't know of anyone that is. The main benefit to aquaponics is that you don't need soil for the plants.

 

[knjinnm]

A few days ago I noticed the "lake effect" happening in my grow beds and decided it was time to install some sort of solids collection system. I was going to do the 5 gallon bucket swirl filter, and still might later on, but I don't have a lot of flow or a lot of room for a pair of buckets to hang off the side of the beds. What I did was sink a 1 gallon jar into one of the grow beds and put the outflow from the pond into it. It's already caught a LOT of heavy material and solid waste that would have ended up in my beds. It'll be a pain to clean out since there's no way to drain it with out pulling it out of the bed so I'm thinking a couple of freshwater shrimp in there to eat the yucky stuff might be the way to go.

Thoughts?

Try this, put a one gallon plastic nursery pot (Perforated with holes) lined with fine mesh used for french drains inside a slightly larger plastic pot buried in your grow bed as you described. You can remove the gallon pot clean the fabric material then replace the one gallon for further filtration.

 

[politicalcenter]

Is anyone using soil in their grow beds?

I have several fish ponds and I use the water for plants. Does that count?

I just started doing it and my plants are going crazy. But everything seems to be doing pretty well in my fall gardens.

I ahve also been using a lot of manure in them...pig, cow, and goat manure.

 

[lazy gardener]

I've thought it would be neat to try some floating styrofoam rafts in the lake, with screen bottoms. And load them with some peat muck from the bog, and water plant debris, then plant greens in them. The foam would keep the plants up out of the water, but they'd have constant wicking available, high nutrient, lots of sunshine. Would probably have to put netting/fencing over and around the perimeter to keep ducks/geese out of it!!!

 

[RichnSteph]

I think we're done with aquaponics. Two years and we've seen very little return on the $$ and time we've put into it. Our fish are just now getting big enough to eat. Last night our primary pump died and the DWC reverse-siphoned itself bone dry. 500 gallons of water on the ground in July is a bitter pill to swallow. We'll most likely dismantle the system and convert it to raised beds out front for some plain in-ground gardening for the remainder of the year. I'll figure something out to keep the pond going so that the water plants that my wife loves so much can remain and flourish.

We'll probably try again in a few years once I've gotten some land cleared and a good sized greenhouse built.

RichnSteph

 

[politicalcenter]

I have been hauling in horse manure. I get a pickup load a day when I want to load it. I have two large piles out back heating up. I plan to use it in the spring. I have been growing plants for sale this year and my garden is weeds...but...I have a bed two cement blocks wide and one block high that has a sunflower ten ft. tall. It is growing in soil 8 inches deep over rock. PS...glad you are posting again. I put my water plants in my pond and just add water now and then. The pond does have some fish in it but they are on there own

 

[politicalcenter]

Oh yea...I use my pumps and ponds to irrigate. It is good water for plants. Just make sure to beak the siphon when you finish watering.

 

[RichnSteph]

I have been hauling in horse manure. I get a pickup load a day when I want to load it. I have two large piles out back heating up. I plan to use it in the spring. I have been growing plants for sale this year and my garden is weeds...but...I have a bed two cement blocks wide and one block high that has a sunflower ten ft. tall. It is growing in soil 8 inches deep over rock. PS...glad you are posting again. I put my water plants in my pond and just add water now and then. The pond does have some fish in it but they are on there own

Thanks PC, glad to be back.

Our neighbor at the back of the property has a horse and a huge pile of manure sitting back there, probably need to go talk to her about hauling it off for her and using it in the garden. I'd not considered it until now.