Does anyone have an aquaponics system?

[justmeinflorida]

Would love to meet others that have Aquaponics systems. Here's ours, it's only 2 1/2 months old. We did a lot of research before putting our system together. We're hoping to expand either this fall or next spring after we've got our feet wet.

The whole system



Fish tank with 26 4" channel cat, pump and thermometer.



Tank covered and fish tank buried half in the ground for temp. control.



(on the right) black hose up to pvc to grow beds. Left and right pvc drain water back to fish tank 24/7.



T feeds both grow bed at the same time



Water going in to the beds



Nice growth...Grow bed #1 Kidney & Bush Lake beans, Sumter Cucumber, Small Watermelon, Radish, Cherry and Brandy Wine Tomatoes. Grow Bed #2 Roma Tomatoes, Sweet Basil, Orange King Peppers, Lettuce, Yellow Peppers and Jalapeno. We also have Devon Carrots, Red Onions, Sweet Onions and Parsley growing out in peat pot with worm castings in the windows sill in the kitchen, can't wait to put them in the beds.




Lets see yours?

 

[JSossong]

Living in PA its almost impossible to have fresh produce year round. Which drove my boyfriend and I to build a small scale hydro garden in the basement under grow lights using 4" pvc piping. It was so so simple to build and the hardest part I've found is keeping up with the nutrients. It's unreal how much faster and how much bigger the plants are vs. just growing in soil (we started our seedlings for the outdoor garden in the same place just in dirt). So far we've grown some lettuce and a few tomato plants. We're restricted as to what all we can grow since it's a small, shallow system and the roots from the tomato plants are getting quite tangled. I'd like to mess around with the idea of an outdoor hydro garden once the weather starts to cooperate. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures at the moment to share just yet. Once I take some i'll post a few. It's crazy how simple it was for us. I can't believe we didn't try it sooner!

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Would love to meet others that have Aquaponics systems. Here's ours, it's only 2 1/2 months old. We did a lot of research before putting our system together. We're hoping to expand either this fall or next spring after we've got our feet wet.

Well done! It's a lot of work to get set up but now you're off and running with good times ahead. The plants already look like they are thriving. What is the blue material you have covering your buried tank? I have an aquaponics system too; I posted about it yesterday over in the Water Management thread in DIY, you can see it here.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Living in PA its almost impossible to have fresh produce year round. Which drove my boyfriend and I to build a small scale hydro garden in the basement under grow lights using 4" pvc piping. It was so so simple to build and the hardest part I've found is keeping up with the nutrients. It's unreal how much faster and how much bigger the plants are vs. just growing in soil (we started our seedlings for the outdoor garden in the same place just in dirt). So far we've grown some lettuce and a few tomato plants. We're restricted as to what all we can grow since it's a small, shallow system and the roots from the tomato plants are getting quite tangled. I'd like to mess around with the idea of an outdoor hydro garden once the weather starts to cooperate. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures at the moment to share just yet. Once I take some i'll post a few. It's crazy how simple it was for us. I can't believe we didn't try it sooner!

That sounds cool! I'll be looking forward to your pictures. There's a place up in Milwaukee, WI called Growing Power that uses aquaponics indoors with electric lights and they use trout for plant nutrients. You should add a little fish tank to some of your system and see if you like it. You could use just about any freshwater fish.

 

[justmeinflorida]

Living in PA its almost impossible to have fresh produce year round. Which drove my boyfriend and I to build a small scale hydro garden in the basement under grow lights using 4" pvc piping. It was so so simple to build and the hardest part I've found is keeping up with the nutrients. It's unreal how much faster and how much bigger the plants are vs. just growing in soil (we started our seedlings for the outdoor garden in the same place just in dirt). So far we've grown some lettuce and a few tomato plants. We're restricted as to what all we can grow since it's a small, shallow system and the roots from the tomato plants are getting quite tangled. I'd like to mess around with the idea of an outdoor hydro garden once the weather starts to cooperate. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures at the moment to share just yet. Once I take some i'll post a few. It's crazy how simple it was for us. I can't believe we didn't try it sooner!

I agree with the nutrient issue, even with fish we were having an iron and potassium issue. It was suggested to me to get some Maxicrop + Iron and use it as a foliage spray once a week. You wouldn't believe how fast the plants are growing.

Check out these pictures, look back at last weeks pictures and look at these...amazing!

Well done! It's a lot of work to get set up but now you're off and running with good times ahead. The plants already look like they are thriving. What is the blue material you have covering your buried tank? I have an aquaponics system too; I posted about it yesterday over in the Water Management thread in DIY, you can see it here.

Thanks for the encouragement and yes the plants are GROWING quickly. The blue material is plastic sheets that cost $1.00 ea, we picked them up when we got the IBC fish tank. BTW I'm jealous, you're system is fabulous.

 

[cstronks]

Nice system! I have a small aquaponics system going for fun, however I haven't put a lot of effort into it because it cannot stay outside year round. I have found that tilapia is an incredibly easy fish to grow in aquaponics systems due to their tolerance to any water conditions and fast growth. I have had many fish tanks in the past with very, very rare fish, and these tilapia are a breeze. I am keeping the water in great shape for now, and the tilapia are responding extremely well. They should be ready for "fish and chips" in august. Largest is about 8 inches right now, and they are harvestable at 12.

 

[kglazier]

Nice!!!! I've been planning a hydroponic garden. I'll start with that for now. But I'll be adding some fish. I think the left over fish will make a nice protine and calcim supplement for the chickens.

 

[RustedOak]

I'm a newbie to aquaponics so I'm interested to see how/where this thread goes... I'm currently in the process of putting together a small test set up based on "shelfponics". I've got some bluegill fingerlings in a 30 gallon tank feeding several shelves that gravity feed to each other after pump feeds the first. Depending on it's results, I'd like to move up to a larger greenhouse/ibc setup. Just didn't want to make a major investment at first. No pics as of yet, but once I get it together completely, I'll be sure to share some.

 

[carnivore]

I have a 26' x 12' greenhouse with 2 ea 330 gallon IBC's for fish tanks, 4 ea 4' x 8' grow beds, and a 300 gallon sump tank buried underneath one of the grow beds. I keep koi in 1 tank, tilapia in the other, and a prehistoric monster plecostomus in the sump tank. One of the grow beds is set up as a wicking bed, where I grow onions, garlic, and melons. The other 3 beds are growing tomatoes, tomatillos, herbs, chilis, squash, grapes, corn, and tobacco. I am trying to get some coffee trees started, but no luck so far. Here is some pics.....



This is the wicking bed for root crops


This is grow bed #1



Grow bed #3, mostly tomatoes and tomatillos



Here are the fish tanks with covers. They are mostly overgrown now!



This is the sump tank going in. Lot of dirt to move!



Some Hungarian Wax chilis

 

[Syl in Tucson]

Wow! That is an impressive set up!