DIY hydroponics

[Moontanman]

Lets work out a plan that would allow a person with limited space to grow a significant amount of vegetables and protein for their own consumption. I admit I have some but limited experience in this so those of you who have a better grasp of the idea please contribute. What I would like to be able to do is grow cool weather plants with hydroponics in the winter in a greenhouse and grow fish to fertilize the plants. How big and how much is two of the basic questions we need to answer. I'm sure there are many more questions and answers to be found here.

[Not half- but whole!]

I have no real experience with hydroponics, I have dealt with some bog/marsh plants as well as emergent aquatic plants. You may want to check out Ecology of the Planted Aquarium: A Practical Manual and Scientific Treatise for the Home Aquarium By Diana Walstad. (Not the most common book available in aquarium shops, but available from Amazon.com).It has some great charts and descriptions of specific nutrient needs for plants as well as average amounts of these nutrients in fish wastes and foods. May be a decent start to determine basic plant to fish ratios.

[Moontanman]

I have no real experience with hydroponics, I have dealt with some bog/marsh plants as well as emergent aquatic plants. You may want to check out Ecology of the Planted Aquarium: A Practical Manual and Scientific Treatise for the Home Aquarium By Diana Walstad. (Not the most common book available in aquarium shops, but available from Amazon.com).It has some great charts and descriptions of specific nutrient needs for plants as well as average amounts of these nutrients in fish wastes and foods. May be a decent start to determine basic plant to fish ratios.

 

It's a great book, a friend of mine has it. While I do a lot of what it discusses I move a little more by what feels right than what any equations say I should do. This might be a fatal flaw in my idea of aquarium keeping. But does it translate to a simple closed hydroponic system?

[Ahmabeliever]

Very simple. 1 kilo of fish will require 0.65 m2 - 30 cm deep porous gravel bed. In this you grow leafy greens and herbs as a ground cover with fruiting veg like peppers toms and cucumbers. Ignore planting recommendations, this will grow profusely in a small space better than most gardens you ever had.

 

If the garden is above the fish one small continuous flow powerhead pump and an auto siphon completes the working parts. One working part - the pump.

 

Pumped from the lowest point of your aquarium/pond up into the beds. These are either auto siphon ebb and flow beds, or continuous flow with plumbing to distribute water through the bed.

 

Aeration is provided by the waters return.

 

You need to cycle these up or you will have pea soup, a mean and ornery looking algae bloom. Use established (biological) tank water to greatly reduce the risk of this. Keep light off tank when you cycle up helps even more.

 

Use bacterial start-ups, caution and patience as if it were an aquarium you are cycling, and you will be rewarded.

[Not half- but whole!]

I too tend to work by "gut instinct" and simple observation of my inhabitants.

 

I think it could give you some ideas on what the stocking levels should be and allow you to not have to dose your system with commercial plant nutrients (or at least minimize the additives needed). As for design it won't do much for you.

 

My first thought for design would be essentially an inverted system, a sump with the fish and tiered rack system above.

You probably have some ideas, but here's a quick and dirty schematic that pops into my head for a system like you are talking about.

 

Being in a greenhouse may eliminate the need for lighting, you would still tier the growing trays for water movement though.

[Ahmabeliever]

For an extra effective (clean) aquaponic aquarium use an undergavel filter (plate) in the tank. Pump draws through this then up to the aquaponic bed. (that's what this is called, Aquaponics).

 

Seasol, or organic liquid seaweed (it HAS TO be organic) can be used to assist young plants as the system starts, it also helps balance micro-nutrients out a bit. One or two applications of 1/20th recommended strength, then you don't need this anymore.

 

Sometimes a system needs iron. I just let a couple of nails rust (oxidise) in part of the system. Other use a chelated iron product. I cannot recommend at what rate to supplement iron, seaweed is one of the only 'bottles' I own.

[freeztar]

What is DYI? Did you mean DIY?

[Moontanman]

What is DYI? Did you mean DIY?

 

No! I meant Do Yourself In:doh: Yes I got that one wrong from the getgo:hihi:

[Moontanman]

Very simple. 1 kilo of fish will require 0.65 m2 - 30 cm deep porous gravel bed. In this you grow leafy greens and herbs as a ground cover with fruiting veg like peppers toms and cucumbers. Ignore planting recommendations, this will grow profusely in a small space better than most gardens you ever had.

 

If the garden is above the fish one small continuous flow powerhead pump and an auto siphon completes the working parts. One working part - the pump.

 

Pumped from the lowest point of your aquarium/pond up into the beds. These are either auto siphon ebb and flow beds, or continuous flow with plumbing to distribute water through the bed.

 

Aeration is provided by the waters return.

 

You need to cycle these up or you will have pea soup, a mean and ornery looking algae bloom. Use established (biological) tank water to greatly reduce the risk of this. Keep light off tank when you cycle up helps even more.

 

Use bacterial start-ups, caution and patience as if it were an aquarium you are cycling, and you will be rewarded.

 

Has anyone tried putting freshwater clams in the fish tank, a few hundred edible freshwater clams should do the trick. I figure maybe a 2000 gallon tank but I don't know where to go from there.

[freeztar]

No! I meant Do Yourself In:doh: Yes I got that one wrong from the getgo:hihi:

 

Fixed. ;)

[Not half- but whole!]

Has anyone tried putting freshwater clams in the fish tank, a few hundred edible freshwater clams should do the trick. I figure maybe a 2000 gallon tank but I don't know where to go from there.

 

While vastly different creatures I know that marine clams can reduce nitrates, in you hydroponic system more than likely the plants (As most plants actually will) will actually pull the NH4 before it is converted to NO3, so you will have a reduced food supply for the clams probably. There may not essentially be a "need" for them if you are pulling biomass from the system in form of plant matter. The clams themselves will need infusions of particulate matter (daphnia, rotofers, etc.). I think your plants will perform much of the function that the clams would.

[Moontanman]

While vastly different creatures I know that marine clams can reduce nitrates, in you hydroponic system more than likely the plants (As most plants actually will) will actually pull the NH4 before it is converted to NO3, so you will have a reduced food supply for the clams probably. There may not essentially be a "need" for them if you are pulling biomass from the system in form of plant matter. The clams themselves will need infusions of particulate matter (daphnia, rotofers, etc.). I think your plants will perform much of the function that the clams would.

 

 

Actually the clams I have in mind eat the suspended particals in the water called mulm as well as greenwater and infurazoans. They don't photosynthisize like reef clams do. As long as you don't filter the water they really do great, they even have live young that crawl around immediatly and grow like gang busters. Cloudy water is all they really need.

[JMJones0424]

Since a spammer has resurrected this thread, in case others read it and are interested in an entry-level hobby aquaponics experiment, I highly recommend Travis Hughey's Barrel Ponics system. A google search will point you towards numerous discussion groups specifically devoted to this system, and the manual linked above comes complete with instructions, basic theory of operation, and a complete parts list. Even if you have no previous experience with freshwater aquariums or hydroponics, if you follow the directions, you will end up with a stable system with which to experiment further.

 

I also concur on the recommendation for Diane Walstad's Ecology of the Planted Aquarium.

 

For a general rule of thumb, stocking density should be one pound of livestock per 7.5 gallons of water per 15 gallons of biofilter. Can't weigh fish? Estimate by comparing them to butter, four sticks of butter equal one pound. There are about 7.5 gallons in a cubic foot.

 

I disagree that organic hydroponic nutrients are required in an aquaponic system. Most hydroponic salts and nutrient formulations do not have high enough copper concentrations to cause a concern for the fish, and if used correctly, they do not pose any problem to an aquaponic system. The plants of course do not care where the ions they need come from, so as long as it doesn't adversely affect the livestock, there isn't a problem.