Show your Aquaponic system.

[ChadRamsey]

its looking good Tom. nicely done.

i hope your getting some rest and relaxation nowadays

[nalu86]

Originally Posted by ChadRamsey

its looking good Tom. nicely done.

i hope your getting some rest and relaxation nowadays

Thank you, chad!

Yes, got my rest, its time to go back at work.
I started my own private chef/catering company, working hard to get the website going and preparing dishes for pictures.

I saw your tank, it looks amazing, nice find those rocks!

I'm setting up 3 more grow beds for lettuce, kale, spinach and herbs, so I can use my IBC growbeds for tomatoes, cucumbre, zuchine, squaches beans, and other tall plants. Pictures will follow when its all set up.

[DogFish]

Started my Journal thread: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/sh...41#post2045541

[In.a.Box]

Building my 32 ft by 40 ft green house Aquaponic system in the spring.
Going to be spilt into 4x 8ft by 30ft with the other 10ft for space/packing room etc.

Aquarium plant
Fish room
Green vegg
Flower, herp. Tree.

All will be run by fish water.

[DogFish]

And the day after you build it you look at it and think...."Not big enough"

[nalu86]

Originally Posted by DogFish

And the day after you build it you look at it and think...."Not big enough"

Yeah, its never big enough, I'm seriously considering to sell my house and buy a farm or so with a lot of land for aquaponic farming.

[In.a.Box]

Lol I still have till spring so I will get some drawing done and see if I want it bigger.
I will probly go 40by40

[DogFish]

Originally Posted by nalu86

Yeah, its never big enough, I'm seriously considering to sell my house and buy a farm or so with a lot of land for aquaponic farming.

I've already come to the conclusion the proper way to do this is with Solar Support. I've been walking around my yard trying to figure out how to put a Greenhouse up.

[pandacory]

Originally Posted by In.a.Box

Building my 32 ft by 40 ft green house Aquaponic system in the spring.
Going to be spilt into 4x 8ft by 30ft with the other 10ft for space/packing room etc.

Aquarium plant
Fish room
Green vegg
Flower, herp. Tree.

All will be run by fish water.

Me=jealous.

Sun powered is the only way to go to get serious, ie beyond the "oh that's cool" phase. Otherwise heat, power, and lack of space get real too quick.

When the new camera arrives I'll post a pic of my frankenstein project.

[nalu86]

Originally Posted by DogFish

I've already come to the conclusion the proper way to do this is with Solar Support. I've been walking around my yard trying to figure out how to put a Greenhouse up.

yeah every time I go to Harbor freight tools, I look at those cheap solar panels... But I can't do Solar panels in my neighborhood. I can't even have a veggie garden in my own back yard with my association. I even had to get rid of my silkies. That's why I want to sell my house...

[DogFish]

Originally Posted by nalu86

.... That's why I want to sell my house...

That much control on my home would make my head explode. Are you far enough south to have a Green house without a lot of heating cost in winter?

I think up north here the ideal set up would be a two car garage with the roof and S.W side opened up with green house type windows i.e. Solar Support. Then supplement with electrical light Fall, Winter, Spring as we have a lot of over cast days and of course shorter days. Soild insulated walls on the North East sides would offer some relief from winter winds. I'd think some type of thermal radiant wall, maybe black plastic drums of water might help keep heating costs down.

[nalu86]

Originally Posted by DogFish

That much control on my home would make my head explode. Are you far enough south to have a Green house without a lot of heating cost in winter?

I think up north here the ideal set up would bee a two car garage with the roof and S.W side opened up with green house type windows i.e. Solar Support. Then supplest with electrical light Fall, Winter, Spring as wee have a lot of over cast days and of course shorter days. Soild insulated walls on the North East sides would offer some relief from winter winds. I'd think some type of thermal radiant wall, maybe black plastic drums of water might help keep heating costs down.

I'm not that far south (30 min North of Atlanta), but the winter is only 3-4 months, from Nov to Feb.

Sound like the ideal setup, go for it

[pandacory]

You could research commercial greenhouse design to see how the pros do it. I think many use retractable shades, hid lights on movers, and gas burning/co2 creating heaters. I had to stop researching that kind of stuff cause it makes me want to cry that I can't have.

Alternatively you could search for an operating greenhouse at a similar latitude and call and ask for a tour.

There was a pretty well publicized roof top farm in either Cleveland or Milwaukee(forget which) that had an aquaponics system going. I will see if I can find a link. I am pretty sure they give tours too.

[pandacory]

Couldn't find it right now, but you could check out plantchicago.com
They combine aquaponics with beer brewing and kambucha tea.

It is a pretty good model and I have seen many similar projects as they tend to compliment eachother. I have a ton of academic papers on my kindle that talk about alternative fish feed, winded corn based commercial feed has been shown to reduce the nutritional value of tilapia. Beer sludge among other things is on that list. (What is left over from brewing)

[zherico]

Hey yall,

Love all the enthusiasm about aquaponic systems. So I have a room in NJ with HUGE east facing windows which will provide light. I plan on setting up a 55 (fish) and a 30 (plants) tall (they are the same height) right next to each other. I will run both with two continuous siphons. The siphons will be at the same height (about halfway down) in both tanks and be "boosted" with a powerhead. The powerheads will be powerful enough to turn the volume of the 55 gal over a few times in an hour. It will be the same powerhead, same amount of piping in both tanks. The plants will sit in a sytrofoam floater with plastic mesh pots with gravel from an old fish tank inside the pots.

I am trying to keep this system as simple as possible and I don't want to have to tinker with it much except for top off's and feeding the fish.

Is this too simple? I would simply choose plants that are okay with their "feet being wet".

Please tell me what yall think!