aquaponics/sump turtle garden

[Kado]

I got the bug to start building something....

This is my first try at aquaponics so any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!


I always get so excited about building a new project that I forget to take pictures. Anyways here's what I got so far.

In the sump I'm going to grow anacharis and vallisneria spiralis for my turtle.

IMG_5128 by Ecopot, on Flickr


For a substrate I'm using the white rocks that are suppose to go in the bottom of planters. Still undecided on what to grow in here.

IMG_5129 by Ecopot, on Flickr

These were the plants that I had on the shelf. I would like to try them in the aquaponics pot, but I don't want to kill them either, so I may start out with some kind of hardy herbs or vegies.

IMG_5136 by Ecopot, on Flickr

[clau74]

Good job, buddy.

[Kado]

Originally Posted by clau74

Good job, buddy.

Thanks

Did a little more research and think I may try the pump/timer method to get the drain and fill effect.

Any advice on times? Was thinking to start out at 45min on 15 min off.

Also, with the size of the grow bed the water level in the sump changes by about 10%. Will this be a lot of stress on the fish?

I could build another sump to keep the water in the fish tank level, but I'd rather keep things as simple as possible.

I'm using a old hob filter pump and pipes to fill and siphon water.

[Kado]

I wanted to add some fauna that didn't require a heater so I went to the LFS and found these guys.

Rhodeus ocellatus or rose bitterlings.

The smaller one is a native Japanese species, and the 2 bigger ones is not native, but an Asian species. They are supposedly fish that can be found in the Japanese rivers and lake.

[clau74]

Hi,
Tank is down and filtering it up. I understand well?

[Kado]

Originally Posted by clau74

Hi,
Tank is down and filtering it up. I understand well?

Yes, that's correct. It filters through the gravel and plants on top.

My plants are just starting to grow.

[Green_Flash]

Are you going to grow edible plants?

[Kado]

Originally Posted by Green_Flash

Are you going to grow edible plants?

Yep, I removed the 2 dracaena plants, to make room for more edible plants. So far I have a bunch of different lettuces, radishes, mitsuba, and basil.

[clau74]

Hi,
Do two things, hobby and gardening. Pump you use is good, which is hourly rate?

[Kado]

Originally Posted by clau74

Hi,
Do two things, hobby and gardening. Pump you use is good, which is hourly rate?

The pump I'm using isn't that good. It's only 6 watts and is suppose to have a flow rate of 7~8L/m through a hang on back filter. But, with the grow bed up higher I'm sure the flow rate isn't close to that.

[Kado]

I was at the LFS today looking in the used section and I found these things..

Well just the glass planters. They were already drilled and had 16mm pvc bulk heads attached to them. I didn't even think twice before snatching them up.


To get the water flowing I used an air line and a little suction to get a nice trickle flow going.
I may have to cut down the bulk heads even more. The water is still a little deeper then I'd like it to be.




Next I stopped by the 100¥ store (kinda like a super 1$ store) and picked up some hydroton and plants. My house plant knowledge very limited, so I'm not sure if any of these plants will work.


Edit: lol Just did some research and found out that most of the plants I got will grow into huge trees.

[iter]

Great job on the plumbing! Everything looks organized and well sorted

Originally Posted by Kado

Well just the glass planters. They were already drilled and had 16mm pvc bulk heads attached to them. I didn't even think twice before snatching them up.

We need those in the USA.....


I also have a question: What do you use for lighting? Natural sunlight? Light fixtures?
Also enjoy those plants when they are still young


Anyways, がんばって! Keep it up!

[Kado]

Originally Posted by iter

Great job on the plumbing! Everything looks organized and well sorted



We need those in the USA.....


I also have a question: What do you use for lighting? Natural sunlight? Light fixtures?
Also enjoy those plants when they are still young


Anyways, がんばって! Keep it up!

ありがとう!
I think these were custom made, because when i took off the bulkheads the holes on the glass weren't the prettiest. They don't leak though so I'm happy.

The lighting for now, I'm just using natural sun light. This balcony window gets at least 4 hours of direct sun light a day. In the summer it gets a bit more.

[Kado]

Wanted to make the fish a bit more comfortable, so I added sump, cleaned, and redecorated their tank a bit.

Also the seeds in the grow bed are sprouting nicely.


Untitled by Ecopot, on Flickr

[Kado]

Update

These guys did a super job of cleaning all the algae off the glass. Clithon Retropictus or ishimaki snails.



Also added about 10 Medaka that I had outside in a plastic tub pond. So far I have fauna that can all be found in Japan.



A list of the house plants.

Hypoestes
Dracaena Marginata
Selaginella
Chamaedoreo
Ceiba Pentandra



The weather hasn't been the best recently so the veges aren't growing very fast. Still waiting for the things to warm up a bit.