Want to learn more about Aquaponics? 🐟 🍓🥬🍅 Now you can with Rob's "Backyard Aquaponics for Beginners" Guide for only $9.95. You can see the guide in action on my website, ► www.bitsouttheback.com/aquaponics-guide Or, buy directly here, ► robbobaquaponics.retrieve.com/g/XL0J6T2P#/content/90525
I've been researching like a madman for months now, I've watched so many of your videos, all delightful btw, as well as quite a few others. I've even purchased a book or two and have been drawing and redrawing schematics to make something work within my small NYC apartment. This latest video of yours is EXACTLY what every new person needs. Out of months worth of video watching, this is great for beginners. People never do the whole run through of requirements, they only show what they have and their preferences. Once I have more experience with the systems and some variances, I'd like to take a page out of your book and make some videos as well, going over components and their varieties and applications [ like Fixed bed Filter/Moving bed Filter(K2)/Drip Filter]. Thank you again for the great content.
Rob I've been a follower for a long time. I don't leave comments very often on TH-cam but I just wanted to let you know that my wife and I always enjoy your videos. They are always filled with plenty of knowledge to soak up. Thanks for spreading that knowledge around the world. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the info Rob, I have only recently found your channel. You have been very insperational and easy to understand, plus its great to have an Ausie perspective. keep up the good work
This clip will be followed up with further design & build clips over the coming months so hit that subscribe button if you want to be notified when they get posted. Share this clip around with family & friends if you think they'll enjoy it too. 🐟 🌱🍅 Cheers all & have a top one. 😊 Rob
Do your aquaponics systems go through nutrient deficiencies??... if so how do you deal with it... ??...can you please suggest me any online aquaponics and hydroponics courses I could take... love from India
@Faisal a h I will be posting a clip on this soon. The common ones are calcium & iron. Some will add extra potassium if growing fruiting plants. Calcium can be added to help buffer the pH in the form of calcium hydroxide or carbonates. Iron is bet added as a chelated powder & potassium can be added as a hydroxide (when buffering pH), bicarbonate & I use a potassium-rich seaweed powder. There are no courses I'd recommend sorry as I haven't taken any. A lot of the popular ones are over priced from the feedback I have had from past students I've spoken to. Sorry I'm not much help there.
I successfully ran a simple kratky system this year and now because of your videos I'm going to try an aquaponics system. Mine will be a much much smaller than the systems you've talked about but your info has helped so much in the design process. The seeds are germinating right now and the system will be fully running in a month or so. Thanks for the boost of confidence and great videos!
Man, great vid, you have definitely grown in both wisdom and beard-dom, I've watched many of your videos and have found lots of useful information but this has been definitely the most consise and direct one yet. It's great to see your love for your path grow, you are doing a good thing for humanity. Thanks and keep on growing, all puns intended
@@RobsAquaponics We're moving out towards Fernvale. Our own 2.5 acre patch so plenty of room for diy and giy 👍 If you're ever out that way (after we've moved in lol) you'll have to come critique my work. Cheers bud
Your videos are always top notch! Thank you for providing such a robust resource for education! As amazing as Aquaponics is, it can be a very intimidating subject. I'm glad channels like yours exist to help take some of the mystery out of the process and provide us newcomers the advantage of years of experience! Keep up the great work!
Long time follower. This is a great overview. I have watched hundreds of videos and this one was organized, cover all areas and wasn't trying shove some product at me. It also gave me a path for further research. Thank you.
@@RobsAquaponics good luck rob, i have decided to not have silver or jade perch, my 10 silvers died over 1 week, ( my mistake i added 1 cap full of some "organic" plant food, wierd thing is the 10 goldfish in a different tank plumbed into the same system are fine 1 month later. thinking of doing trout or ell tail catfish.
@@Shane_O.5158 Sorry to hear than mate. I've wanted to have a crack at the catfish myself at some point. Will be interesting to see how they go for you. Cheers Shane.
Great brief summary of aquaponics! Have you ever considered doing a Q & A session on aquaponics? I would love to hear also some mistakes you made early on to avoid me doing the same! Keep up the good work mate.
The Bule if you scroll through Robs videos there are several where he points out his mistakes, and things to avoid. Also the hows and whys of aquaculture.
Thanks. 👍 I've done a few as Me Meme mentioned & you can find them in the playlist I set up for this clip. 👍 th-cam.com/play/PLBcWprMIwYYj8zCdbSzPJOR3HRXpxuBwf.html There's also a recent clip looking at what I'd do different with our current system if I had my time again. Cheers & happy growing.
Thanks Rob, you’re always reliable in answering what comes next in my plans. Currently finishing my greenhouse. Got 16000 liters of rain water captured and have been measuring water temperature in the spare garage right next to the greenhouse where the fish tank(s?) will reside. Thinking of bluegill or trout. Planning on sizing the pump and where the sump tank will be placed. You’re clips are essential for planning! 👍
Am glad they are coming out when you need them Joe. 👍 Have had 2 folks say over on FB that they wished I'd posted this a few months back to help with theirs. :/ Have a top one Joe. 👍
Gardeners are always named Rob. even me! Enjoyed your video thank you , subscribed ! setting up my first aquaponics tank now. Got a small 200l tank to start with
You want to know something Rob, I started veggie gardening by helping my pop, Bob Williams, in his small patch that he used to feed himself & extended family. 😉👍 Hope your system is doing well mate. Cheers & happy growing 🌱🌱👍👍
Thank you for this amazing video.... I have been researching about aquaponics for the last 3 months... got a lot of info after watching your videos...love from india...😊
You have been very inspirational and easy to understand, plus its great to have an unique perspective in single video . keep up the good work thanksn regards
@@RobsAquaponics it's an honor for me to recieve reply from you sir , n iwrote really truth n you truly deserve lot of respect n much more for sharing your knowledge with people across world (Y)
Nicely done Rob Bob! I don't know if anyone else could have explained all of this quite this well and as detailed. I couldn't agree more with everything you mentioned. I've been fiddling with Aquaponics for nearly 5 years now and its almost all your fault sir, and I've loved every minute of my own discovery and experimentation through trial and error and learning from what you had accomplished here on TH-cam. Thank for sharing and as always keep building👍
@@RobsAquaponics Since I live in the Arizona Desert in the states we go from summer to fall and skip winter and go straight to spring lol so my system does fantastic all year, I do have to plant cool weather plants this time of year though and keep an eye on the water temps and have had to add heaters once in a while our just turn off the sump tank pump at night.
@@ToddLarsen For some reason I thought the temp dropped a fair bit there. Might have been someone living elsewhere that said they got below freezing through winter. 👍
@@RobsAquaponics there are areas that freeze but they are far north and south in the high desert, I will see some snow on the distant mountains but that's about it 👍
@@hansrajseechurn9249 No sorry mate. I get loads of requests which stops me from doing other work. Feel free to join our members site though where I do spend time helping those out that support us. farmyourownyard.podia.com/ Cheers
Am glad you've enjoyed the clip mate. I ave a number of other aquaponics clips that might interest you if you're new to aquaponics, ► th-cam.com/play/PLBcWprMIwYYj8zCdbSzPJOR3HRXpxuBwf.html Cheers & happy growing. 🌱🐟
What I am looking for is a system that will monitor everything and automatically add what is needed. I travel extensively for work and want my system to be pretty much able to keep balanced while I'm away.
Thanks Rob. The essential elements is a great reference. I've slowly been moving forward towards setting up my own aquaponics system and this has been a terrific refresher video. I'm excited. Thanks for your tutelage.
Just posted a clip on the radial flow yesterday. 👍 th-cam.com/video/sBCC9tMsleY/w-d-xo.html Radial flow settler is much better than the swirll. Cheers.
Excellent video... Really covers everything. I've decided to start small as a test, so I built a small 24x18x18 aquarium with a grow bed on top. I plan to do a small kitchen garden and house this in my kitchen. Some celery, thyme, eshollets (green onions). Once I feel like I've got the handle on not killing fishes or plants... I'm going to do 4 chop and flip IBC containers a large fish tank and filters. My question is, right now on the aquarium system I have, I'm using a single 400gph pump in a sump behind a radial filter that uses two 3/4 pipes with a venturie in each... This supplies the oxygenated water to the fish tank. It's got loads of bubbles, tiny ones, and the idea was a minimum use of power - 1 pump. Now I don't plan to use this in the bigger system, unless I can really get good performance. What are your thoughts on this? And I know that you already did a video on this, I've watched it several times. But I don't think you've convinced me either way...
I would still use an air pump in the FT even if you have a venturi. 👍 If a water pump fails (other than power outage) the fish get no air but would be fine if there was an air stone in there. If you're going to buy a venturi, look for a proper aquaculture one as they work a lot better than the cheap liquid injections ones you can buy for a few bucks off amazon or ebay. Cheers Peter.
Hi Rob, do you have any videos where you go into the aerated mineral tank? I'm doing a small build where i'd like to use water from an aquaponics system to manually water nearby plants. Plan is: Fish tank -> SLO -> Bio-reactor -> sump tank. Nozzle from sump to water plants. An aerated mineral tank would be icing on cake since i won't be growing plants in a bio-media bed. Thanks! & Thanks for all your videos they've been extremely helpful!
I don't at the moment sorry. They are basically an aerated compost brewer if that helps any. You just need to turn the air off & let the solids settle out before decanting the clearer water back into the system, if that helps any.
@@RobsAquaponics that helps tremendously. thank you. the part about turning the air off to let them settle was exactly my main concern and question at this point. gotta have healthy water for the fish! thanks man looking into compost brewer now
Great video only one thing I wanted to touch on a mineralization tank is also known as a settling tank It is a anaerobic process Meaning dont add oxygen until the mineralization process is completed it takes a few months to actually complete but after it does that's when you add oxygen to bring the anaerobic environment to a aerobic environment so it is healthy for plants and now minerals rich thanks for the video keep up the good work
As I understand it, adding a carbon source for the microbes & supplying them with air. is a faster way to achieve the same results without the off gassing of nitrogen & production of methane. From memory it was Paul Van that explained it to us at a small Q&A gathering we had here a few years back. 👍 Cheers.
@@RobsAquaponics check out this link I just found it's on point with this conversation aquaponics.com/ufaqs/what-is-the-difference-between-nitrification-and-mineralization/
@@RobsAquaponics what your talking about is 100% right but is the process of only mineralization of nitrogen but in the aquaponics world a mineralization tank is generally referred for a mineral tank with more complex minerals in it not just nitrogen. just wanted to clear that up im not trying to dis-credit you in front of your subs. this is a great learning channel
@@420niles More elements than nitrogen are released from waste in an aerobic mineralisation as well. I mentioned the nitrogen off glass as that occurs more in anaerobic decomposition from my understanding.
Hi Rob thanks for the info... One question, If my fish tank is 1000L what capacity my water pump should have? Considering a sump tank and grow bed volume. cheers
Is a bit hard to say sorry as it depends on what style of system you're building. If it's a single loop you only need enough to exchange the water in the fish tank 1.5-2 times an hour. Our oirigional single loop had a 4500lp hour pump running it & I had just over 2500lph going through the 1000L tank. 👍 If it's split flow you will need to go larger as you'll also be delivering water out to the grow beds as well. This clip might help you understand the different ways to plumb a system if you're not already familiar with them. th-cam.com/video/0QQA5BpWKec/w-d-xo.html Sorry it took a while to get to your comment.
Hi rob after years following aquaponicks i have created a split system with 5 grow beds. We run +- 3000 liters. We started in the middel of winter. We are very happy with our growth. The talapia are still less than 70mm 26 off so untill they reach maturity we are supplementing the nutrition. We have 50 fry +- 25mm in our indoor tank. Question what would the water replacement be acceptable per day.
Sorry I missed this. I would look at adding a small aquarium filter in with the fry & let that process the ammonia. As for water changes, We used to change about ½ the water in the aquarium tank every second week when we kept fish inside. Hope that helps & sorry again for taking so long to respond.
Do you think I could do an decent aquaponics system in a one car garage without sunlight? I'm really intrigued by this idea and would love to give it a go. I'm assuming you can't do any salt water fish like whiting. I'm assuming it has to be fresh water.
You can set up inside but will need to add in some sort of lighting for the plants. There's a load of LED lights on the market now that are a lot cheaper to run than the older hydroponic lights which helps some.
We live in the subtropics so popping them in a sunny spot in the yard helps. In colder areas, you might want to look into running a small aquarium heater in there barrel system to bump the water temp up over night.
You could if the plastic liner was food grade Sara. You may have a few issues with lack of nutrients though if it's a large pool as you'd need a lot of fish to create enough nutrient to grow plants, otherwise it will be too dilute. If you did stock to a base level of fish, you would have the issue of needing a lot of grow beds/biofiltration to be able to process the waste from the fish if it was stocked at 1 fish per 25L/6.6gal of water in the pool. Hope that helps some.
Love your videos. I am just starting to build a small unit. Thinking an IBC tote and cutting a 55 gallon barrel in half for the beds. Going with a radial flow filter and sump as well. If I have to move 250 gallons twice an hour, would that be too fast for the bell siphon to work?
Hi I am a hobby aquarium keeper. The air pump is useful but it does not supply the dissolved oxygen to the system. What it does is break up the surface of the water allowing it to exchange gasses. So the more you have the bubbles spread out around your tank the better.
I had some in mine originally & they did OK until they played highlander & there was only one at the end. 😁 They would have done better if I offered them more hiding spots like pipes or crates.
Some folks will have fingerling tanks set up like a refugium in their system. Helps to stop them becoming fish food for their older relatives. 😉 The only time you might have too much filtration was if you had more grow bed area than the fish waste could support. Hope that helps some & sorry for taking so long to get back to you.
I would have it all up & running before you add fish. It's best to "cycle" the system first as well so any ammonia produced by the fish can be processed straight away. The video linked below goes through that process, th-cam.com/video/kmxfI_fkmtc/w-d-xo.html Hope that helps some.
I wouldn't use coir myself in a large grow bed but it may be fine in net cups if you're growing using the NFT or DWC methods to grow fast turn around crops. I have seen a number of folks use recycled rain water tanks for fish tanks. 👍 The only ones I would not recommend you use are the galvanised metal ones as they will cause issues with the fish if they're not lined correctly.
I am building my first system. I cut two totes in half so four beds. How many IBC beds can you put on one 55 gallon filter? I enjoy your videos. Thanks
It comes down to flow rate from the fish tank as that will be determining the filters retention time SS.👍 This playlist has a few videos that may help, the first one in particular, th-cam.com/play/PLBcWprMIwYYgQdUQ86FjdC7w1GOP8_woc.html
Hello. Just recently found your channel and im inspired to start one on my own. In a year or two do you think its ample time to do it in a commercial scale able to feed a small town? Any pro and cons if doing aquaponics commercially?
Hi Jon. I'm probably not the best person to ask as I haven't built or run a commercial aquaponics farm. I have seen folks that have done so in less than a year but the capital outlay can be quite a bit. Might pay for you to get in contact with someone like Ryan Chatterson from Chatterson's Farms. www.chattersonfarms.com/ As far as I know he's still designing commercial systems & has a very long background in the industry. Hope that helps some
Have you considered using a standalone solar/battery/inverter setup to isolate your garden from the power grid entirely (and how that'd affect costs long term)?
We have a back to grid system on the house so the system is partially run by solar. I would like to set up a decent sized 24v system but don't have the space for the panels at the moment. Cheers.
Hi Zates. Just a few minutes most days I'd say. All you'll be doing is checking/feeding fish, walking once around the system to make sure all is shipshape & then picking the veggies. I recommend maybe that you test the water levels at least once a week to see how the pH & nutrient levels are travelling. Hope that helps some mate.
Hi Rob could you incorporate an old 27000 L inground pool into a hydroponic system and what function would the pool itself serve in the system. Thanks Rob D (I love your videos!)
It's easy enough to work out. Take the wattage from the spec label on the pump & multiply it by 24 (hours). Then times that by the kW charge you get from the power company. We also have a solar system on the house so our running costs are subsidised a bit. 😉 Cheers. 👍
Hey Troy. Try searching for "Montana fish hatcheries" & see what pop's up. I also know folks that go out & catch wild fish & add them in. You would need to know what local species would take & thrive on fish pellets. Good luck mate. 👍
Thanks for the info sir Rob. I've searching and studying about aquaponics thus past few months and I really enjoy all your videos I'd watched. I'm planning to build my own awuaponics system. May I ask rob, do I need to put airstones to my grow bed (floating raft) if I already oxidise the water on moving bed biofilter? Hope you could notice my question. Thank you and more power to your channel
Am glad the clips have been helpful mate. 👍 The air in the DWC raft beds is more for the plants as most will need air in their root zones to thrive. 🌱🌱 Cheers mate & happy growing.
Hi Rob we have been following your U Tube videos and trying to get all are duck in a row but have a have time trying to find the fitting to go with the 1inch flex tubings ball valves Ts elbows Ys ect we are in southern az having no luck🤔. Is there a website to order from? Thank so much.
Sorry I missed your comment Lonnie. We get the barbed fittings from irrigation shops here. I found this mob online that ate based in CA if that helps & it looks like they stock the 1" barbed fittings, www.dripworks.com/drip-irrigation/fittings/barbed Hope that helps some.
Would be worth looking into. 👍 I think ours cost between AUD$1.50-2.50 per litre but I could be wrong. I do think that you'd been to disinfect them before use in your system as they may be carrying pathogens. Cheers.
Of course you can for instance if you have such a massive pump going to a small tank with a a small over flow it will over flow the tank not only from the over flow drain but from the top of the tank as well spilling everywhere. everything is about balance! So if you balance the flow to drain size your off to a good start but to much turbulence could also be an issue for fish. Again balance.
There is a point that they will start to cause issues with water backing up in parts of the system if the drain pipes are undersized. This issue is if you over size the pipes now to take the flow it may well cause you problems when you expand later. I have used oversized pumps here & installed a bleed off line in the sump to redirect some of the flow. The added bonus is that it helped to add more O2 to the water. Hope that helps.
Hi Rob. I Really enjoy your videos. However, with 1.5 years of flood and drain mini grow bed experience with 20w pump, I never have reliable cycle. It always change few hours after configured properly, either it become constant flood or constant drain. Do you have any suggestion for me? Thanks in advance.
@@WeirdlyChosen Does the drain from the base of the bed tilt downwards or upwards? Also, how long is it? If the drain is too long it can cause issues as well sometimes.
As far as I can tell from what I've read, PVC should be fine as long as it's not heated. It also pays to use the PVC pipe that's made to move potable water. I do think it's a good idea to try & shield the pipe from UV rays if you can as that will help stop any contamination from the outside of the pipe breaking down. Not sure if it's needed but better to be safe than sorry.
For along time I have been wondering exactly what is the point of using complicated bell siphons (more work & expense & often fail) when a simple siphon with no moving parts (as septic tanks have) will do the same???
Never had any issues with our bell siphons that couldn't be fixed in 5 minutes.😉 Not sure what you mean with the septic siphons as ours never had one. Cheers.
There can be a few different issues. You may have too many plants for the amount of food you're feeding the fish or your pH could be too high for some plants to take up nutrients. A basic rule of thumb that originates from the UVI folks is 60-100g of feed per M² of grow bed if that helps any.
@@sankarkayamkulam You can add some phosphoric or hydrochloric acid to the top up water before adding it to lower the pH. Never drop it too far though. Also, NEVER PUT ACID DIRECTLY INTO THE SYSTEM! You will find that over time the pH of the system will fall & you won't need to adjust the top up water. It's high pH will help to keep the system balanced. Hope that helps a bit
I think you're better off to use the proper biomedia M H as it's been designed with more biological surface area for the bacteria to colonise. The lids will work though in a pinch.
Want to learn more about Aquaponics? 🐟 🍓🥬🍅
Now you can with Rob's "Backyard Aquaponics for Beginners" Guide for only $9.95.
You can see the guide in action on my website,
► www.bitsouttheback.com/aquaponics-guide
Or, buy directly here,
► robbobaquaponics.retrieve.com/g/XL0J6T2P#/content/90525
U are my inspiration
A bit quick and simplistic...but a lot went into my noggin. Thanx.
Best I could do in under 15 minutes 😂😉
Cheers mate
Best video on aquaponics on the web. Cheers!
Glad it was helpful Jort. 👍😁
Thank you very much. You help me a lot
Happy to help 👍
This is the single best overview of aquaponics essentials I've seen. Amazing stuff!
Glad the vid's have helped some Ryan. 👍
Cheers & happy growing mate.
I've been researching like a madman for months now, I've watched so many of your videos, all delightful btw, as well as quite a few others. I've even purchased a book or two and have been drawing and redrawing schematics to make something work within my small NYC apartment. This latest video of yours is EXACTLY what every new person needs. Out of months worth of video watching, this is great for beginners. People never do the whole run through of requirements, they only show what they have and their preferences. Once I have more experience with the systems and some variances, I'd like to take a page out of your book and make some videos as well, going over components and their varieties and applications [ like Fixed bed Filter/Moving bed Filter(K2)/Drip Filter].
Thank you again for the great content.
Hope your build comes together smoothly John.
Thanks & Cheers mate
One of the best overviews of aquaponics available!
Thanks Shaun & hope it helps you out with a few ideas.
Cheers.
Rob I've been a follower for a long time. I don't leave comments very often on TH-cam but I just wanted to let you know that my wife and I always enjoy your videos. They are always filled with plenty of knowledge to soak up. Thanks for spreading that knowledge around the world. Keep up the good work.
I'm glad you're enjoying them folks. Do you have an aquaponics system on the go>
Cheers.
Thanks for the info Rob, I have only recently found your channel. You have been very insperational and easy to understand, plus its great to have an Ausie perspective. keep up the good work
Glad I could help some CPK. 👍 Whereabouts are you based?
@@RobsAquaponics hey Rob, I am based in Plainland Qld :)
@@cosmicpromking-1870 Just down the road then. 😉👍
Cheers & have a top one.
Simple easy to follow explanation. Great.
Cheers Carl 👍 👍
This clip will be followed up with further design & build clips over the coming months so hit that subscribe button if you want to be notified when they get posted.
Share this clip around with family & friends if you think they'll enjoy it too. 🐟 🌱🍅
Cheers all & have a top one. 😊
Rob
Thanks Rob
Do your aquaponics systems go through nutrient deficiencies??... if so how do you deal with it... ??...can you please suggest me any online aquaponics and hydroponics courses I could take... love from India
@Faisal a h
I will be posting a clip on this soon. The common ones are calcium & iron. Some will add extra potassium if growing fruiting plants.
Calcium can be added to help buffer the pH in the form of calcium hydroxide or carbonates. Iron is bet added as a chelated powder & potassium can be added as a hydroxide (when buffering pH), bicarbonate & I use a potassium-rich seaweed powder.
There are no courses I'd recommend sorry as I haven't taken any. A lot of the popular ones are over priced from the feedback I have had from past students I've spoken to. Sorry I'm not much help there.
i have it in the pipe but it does not grow what can i do and the weast of the fish stay on the bothom and and does not come out
@@gabrielmartinez1881 I'm not sure what you mean sorry Gabriel.
I successfully ran a simple kratky system this year and now because of your videos I'm going to try an aquaponics system. Mine will be a much much smaller than the systems you've talked about but your info has helped so much in the design process. The seeds are germinating right now and the system will be fully running in a month or so. Thanks for the boost of confidence and great videos!
That's great to hear BB. 👍
Happy growing mate. 🥦🌱🍅
Hi Rob, you are a great guy. Keep up the good work. Thank you.
Glad I could help some mate.
Cheers & happy growing. 🌱🌱
Today I learnt something new 😃. I never even knew such a thing. This seems amazing. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful & it helps you understand some of the concepts H M.
Have a top one mate.
The content of your videos is amazing!! So much information, delivered in a concise, easy to digest manner.
Thanks mate. 👍👍
Man, great vid, you have definitely grown in both wisdom and beard-dom, I've watched many of your videos and have found lots of useful information but this has been definitely the most consise and direct one yet. It's great to see your love for your path grow, you are doing a good thing for humanity. Thanks and keep on growing, all puns intended
😄 Thanks Paul. Hope to have a few more posted like this over the coming months.
Cheers & happy growing mate. 👍
Some great information from a fellow SEQ'r thank you very much.
We're moving in a month and we'll be looking to start our own soon so this is gold.
Nice one Steve. Where are you moving to mate?
Cheers.
@@RobsAquaponics
We're moving out towards Fernvale.
Our own 2.5 acre patch so plenty of room for diy and giy 👍
If you're ever out that way (after we've moved in lol) you'll have to come critique my work.
Cheers bud
@@mrbrown3546 You may drive past our place on the way into Ipswich depending on which way you come. 😉
Cheers neighbour & have a top one.
Your videos are always top notch! Thank you for providing such a robust resource for education! As amazing as Aquaponics is, it can be a very intimidating subject. I'm glad channels like yours exist to help take some of the mystery out of the process and provide us newcomers the advantage of years of experience! Keep up the great work!
Am glad the clips have helped you out some CWN. 👍
Have a top one mate.
Long time follower. This is a great overview. I have watched hundreds of videos and this one was organized, cover all areas and wasn't trying shove some product at me. It also gave me a path for further research. Thank you.
Am glad it's helped you out some Thomas.
Cheers mate & happy growing mate. 👍
I love your t-shirt and i have found your videos very helpful.
Glad you like them Matt. Cheers mate.
Thanks for explaining this so well and sharing your experiences
Excellent. Thanks Rob.
Cheers Julian. 👍
Would you provide a pdf of the diagrams you reference in your videos? Those schematic drawings are incredibly helpful!
That is something that will be offered in the future via my different guides Daniel.
good to see you back into it.
Still no fish here Shane but hope to be changing that by the end of the year. 😉
Cheers mate.
@@RobsAquaponics good luck rob, i have decided to not have silver or jade perch, my 10 silvers died over 1 week, ( my mistake i added 1 cap full of some "organic" plant food, wierd thing is the 10 goldfish in a different tank plumbed into the same system are fine 1 month later. thinking of doing trout or ell tail catfish.
@@Shane_O.5158 Sorry to hear than mate. I've wanted to have a crack at the catfish myself at some point. Will be interesting to see how they go for you.
Cheers Shane.
Thank you so much Rob! What an excellent video. I honestly consider you my aquaponcis mentor. Cheers from Los Angeles, CA.
Am glad the clips are helping you some Edward. 👍👍
Great brief summary of aquaponics! Have you ever considered doing a Q & A session on aquaponics? I would love to hear also some mistakes you made early on to avoid me doing the same! Keep up the good work mate.
The Bule if you scroll through Robs videos there are several where he points out his mistakes, and things to avoid. Also the hows and whys of aquaculture.
Thanks. 👍 I've done a few as Me Meme mentioned & you can find them in the playlist I set up for this clip. 👍
th-cam.com/play/PLBcWprMIwYYj8zCdbSzPJOR3HRXpxuBwf.html
There's also a recent clip looking at what I'd do different with our current system if I had my time again.
Cheers & happy growing.
@@mememe5231 thanks very much I will go down the rabbit hole and search them out. :)
Very useful info! Thank you Rob!
Cheers G U. 👍
Thanks Rob, you’re always reliable in answering what comes next in my plans. Currently finishing my greenhouse. Got 16000 liters of rain water captured and have been measuring water temperature in the spare garage right next to the greenhouse where the fish tank(s?) will reside. Thinking of bluegill or trout. Planning on sizing the pump and where the sump tank will be placed. You’re clips are essential for planning! 👍
Am glad they are coming out when you need them Joe. 👍
Have had 2 folks say over on FB that they wished I'd posted this a few months back to help with theirs. :/
Have a top one Joe. 👍
one of the best Acuaponic videos i ever seen . great job mate!
Thanks Sy Tux.
Cheers & happy growing.
Thanks for sharing this. Great simple info for a newbie
Very welcome Mitchell 👍👍
Gardeners are always named Rob. even me! Enjoyed your video thank you , subscribed ! setting up my first aquaponics tank now. Got a small 200l tank to start with
You want to know something Rob, I started veggie gardening by helping my pop, Bob Williams, in his small patch that he used to feed himself & extended family. 😉👍
Hope your system is doing well mate.
Cheers & happy growing 🌱🌱👍👍
Nice work.
I came here looking for grey water treatment systems. Still good.
Am glad you enjoyed it.
Cheers.
Thank you for this amazing video.... I have been researching about aquaponics for the last 3 months... got a lot of info after watching your videos...love from india...😊
I'm glad the clips have been helping you out some Faisal.
Happy growing.
You have been very inspirational and easy to understand, plus its great to have an unique perspective in single video . keep up the good work
thanksn regards
Thanks Sunil.
Have a great week.
@@RobsAquaponics it's an honor for me to recieve reply from you sir , n iwrote really truth n you truly deserve lot of respect n much more for sharing your knowledge with people across world (Y)
Nicely done Rob Bob!
I don't know if anyone else could have explained all of this quite this well and as detailed.
I couldn't agree more with everything you mentioned.
I've been fiddling with Aquaponics for nearly 5 years now and its almost all your fault sir, and I've loved every minute of my own discovery and experimentation through trial and error and learning from what you had accomplished here on TH-cam.
Thank for sharing and as always keep building👍
😂 Feel free to share the blame around Todd. 👍
How's your system going now you're moving into winter?
Cheers.
@@RobsAquaponics Since I live in the Arizona Desert in the states we go from summer to fall and skip winter and go straight to spring lol so my system does fantastic all year, I do have to plant cool weather plants this time of year though and keep an eye on the water temps and have had to add heaters once in a while our just turn off the sump tank pump at night.
@@ToddLarsen For some reason I thought the temp dropped a fair bit there. Might have been someone living elsewhere that said they got below freezing through winter. 👍
@@RobsAquaponics there are areas that freeze but they are far north and south in the high desert, I will see some snow on the distant mountains but that's about it 👍
Very knowledgeable, well-articulated and information is well communicated.
Thanks John.
Have a top one mate.
Most help ful video . Thanks brother
Happy to help DK.
have a top one.
Hi Rob,
As usual another great video for peoples needs. Keep up the good work.
Best regards,
Jarrod
Thanks Mr Jarrod.
have a great one mate.
I wish you could upload everyday, loving the videos. Good work
Not sure the quality would be anywhere near as good as this one though if I did. 😉
Cheers Wes. 👍
I have a canister filter in mine used them big car wash sponges as filter material as well as some shade cloth
Nice one nk. 👍
Cheers & have a great one.
@@RobsAquaponics hi rob..can i have your email plz..thanks
@@hansrajseechurn9249 No sorry mate. I get loads of requests which stops me from doing other work.
Feel free to join our members site though where I do spend time helping those out that support us.
farmyourownyard.podia.com/
Cheers
your explanation is very detail, this is my first time i click the bell youtube channel, thank you to share your experience
Am glad you've enjoyed the clip mate. I ave a number of other aquaponics clips that might interest you if you're new to aquaponics,
► th-cam.com/play/PLBcWprMIwYYj8zCdbSzPJOR3HRXpxuBwf.html
Cheers & happy growing. 🌱🐟
What I am looking for is a system that will monitor everything and automatically add what is needed. I travel extensively for work and want my system to be pretty much able to keep balanced while I'm away.
There are dosing tools & meters out there that could help. I've not tried any myself sorry.
Thanks Rob. The essential elements is a great reference. I've slowly been moving forward towards setting up my own aquaponics system and this has been a terrific refresher video. I'm excited. Thanks for your tutelage.
Hope the build goes smoothly Rudy. 👍👍
Which is more efficient in filtering, Radial flor or swirl filtration?
Just posted a clip on the radial flow yesterday. 👍
th-cam.com/video/sBCC9tMsleY/w-d-xo.html
Radial flow settler is much better than the swirll.
Cheers.
Another awesome video! Top job! Have a top one
Thanks Tim. 👍
Have a top one mate.
Excellent video... Really covers everything. I've decided to start small as a test, so I built a small 24x18x18 aquarium with a grow bed on top. I plan to do a small kitchen garden and house this in my kitchen. Some celery, thyme, eshollets (green onions). Once I feel like I've got the handle on not killing fishes or plants... I'm going to do 4 chop and flip IBC containers a large fish tank and filters. My question is, right now on the aquarium system I have, I'm using a single 400gph pump in a sump behind a radial filter that uses two 3/4 pipes with a venturie in each... This supplies the oxygenated water to the fish tank. It's got loads of bubbles, tiny ones, and the idea was a minimum use of power - 1 pump. Now I don't plan to use this in the bigger system, unless I can really get good performance. What are your thoughts on this? And I know that you already did a video on this, I've watched it several times. But I don't think you've convinced me either way...
I would still use an air pump in the FT even if you have a venturi. 👍 If a water pump fails (other than power outage) the fish get no air but would be fine if there was an air stone in there.
If you're going to buy a venturi, look for a proper aquaculture one as they work a lot better than the cheap liquid injections ones you can buy for a few bucks off amazon or ebay.
Cheers Peter.
@@RobsAquaponics I actually made the venturi based on your video and some others on TH-cam.
yet another great video. just when one thinks it couldnt get any better...you break out the animations. =)
Thanks Rowdy. Am glad I didn't rush this one the other week when I was crook.
Cheers & have a top one.
great video Rob!
Than ks mate.
Have a top one.
great clip well done with everything going on with the house etc
Thanks Brett.
Hope all's well with you mate.
Wow great and thorough!!!
Thanks Sal. 😊
Hope you're having a great weekend.
Hi Rob, do you have any videos where you go into the aerated mineral tank? I'm doing a small build where i'd like to use water from an aquaponics system to manually water nearby plants. Plan is: Fish tank -> SLO -> Bio-reactor -> sump tank. Nozzle from sump to water plants. An aerated mineral tank would be icing on cake since i won't be growing plants in a bio-media bed. Thanks! & Thanks for all your videos they've been extremely helpful!
I don't at the moment sorry. They are basically an aerated compost brewer if that helps any. You just need to turn the air off & let the solids settle out before decanting the clearer water back into the system, if that helps any.
@@RobsAquaponics that helps tremendously. thank you. the part about turning the air off to let them settle was exactly my main concern and question at this point. gotta have healthy water for the fish! thanks man looking into compost brewer now
Great video only one thing I wanted to touch on a mineralization tank is also known as a settling tank
It is a anaerobic process
Meaning dont add oxygen until the mineralization process is completed it takes a few months to actually complete but after it does that's when you add oxygen to bring the anaerobic environment to a aerobic environment so it is healthy for plants and now minerals rich thanks for the video keep up the good work
As I understand it, adding a carbon source for the microbes & supplying them with air. is a faster way to achieve the same results without the off gassing of nitrogen & production of methane. From memory it was Paul Van that explained it to us at a small Q&A gathering we had here a few years back. 👍
Cheers.
@@RobsAquaponics
check out this link I just found it's on point with this conversation
aquaponics.com/ufaqs/what-is-the-difference-between-nitrification-and-mineralization/
@@RobsAquaponics
what your talking about is 100%
right but is the process of only mineralization of nitrogen but in the aquaponics world a mineralization tank is generally referred for a mineral tank with more complex minerals in it not just nitrogen. just wanted to clear that up im not trying to dis-credit you in front of your
subs. this is a great learning channel
@@420niles More elements than nitrogen are released from waste in an aerobic mineralisation as well.
I mentioned the nitrogen off glass as that occurs more in anaerobic decomposition from my understanding.
Hello Rob
What do you think about an airlift pump rather that the normal water pump?
I have seen them work well for some folks in their systems. I prefer to use the water pump as it moves the water around at a higher pressure. 👍
@@RobsAquaponics Ok, thank you!
Comprehensive and great information!
Thanks Punky. 😊
Hope all's well with you & yours. 👍
Hi Rob thanks for the info... One question, If my fish tank is 1000L what capacity my water pump should have? Considering a sump tank and grow bed volume. cheers
Is a bit hard to say sorry as it depends on what style of system you're building. If it's a single loop you only need enough to exchange the water in the fish tank 1.5-2 times an hour. Our oirigional single loop had a 4500lp hour pump running it & I had just over 2500lph going through the 1000L tank. 👍
If it's split flow you will need to go larger as you'll also be delivering water out to the grow beds as well.
This clip might help you understand the different ways to plumb a system if you're not already familiar with them.
th-cam.com/video/0QQA5BpWKec/w-d-xo.html
Sorry it took a while to get to your comment.
Hi rob after years following aquaponicks i have created a split system with 5 grow beds. We run +- 3000 liters.
We started in the middel of winter. We are very happy with our growth. The talapia are still less than 70mm 26 off so untill they reach maturity we are supplementing the nutrition. We have 50 fry +- 25mm in our indoor tank.
Question what would the water replacement be acceptable per day.
Sorry I missed this. I would look at adding a small aquarium filter in with the fry & let that process the ammonia. As for water changes, We used to change about ½ the water in the aquarium tank every second week when we kept fish inside.
Hope that helps & sorry again for taking so long to respond.
Thank you so much for your videos.
Hope they help you out with a few ideas CK. 👍
Happy growing. 🐟🌱
Do you think I could do an decent aquaponics system in a one car garage without sunlight?
I'm really intrigued by this idea and would love to give it a go. I'm assuming you can't do any salt water fish like whiting. I'm assuming it has to be fresh water.
I'm sure everything will be answered by watching enough videos. Sorry if it is :P
You can set up inside but will need to add in some sort of lighting for the plants. There's a load of LED lights on the market now that are a lot cheaper to run than the older hydroponic lights which helps some.
hey Texan here just wondering on cold days if I use those blue barrels how do you keep the fish and plants from freezing????
We live in the subtropics so popping them in a sunny spot in the yard helps. In colder areas, you might want to look into running a small aquarium heater in there barrel system to bump the water temp up over night.
Would I be able to make a long term Aquaponics system out of an above ground pool?
You could if the plastic liner was food grade Sara. You may have a few issues with lack of nutrients though if it's a large pool as you'd need a lot of fish to create enough nutrient to grow plants, otherwise it will be too dilute.
If you did stock to a base level of fish, you would have the issue of needing a lot of grow beds/biofiltration to be able to process the waste from the fish if it was stocked at 1 fish per 25L/6.6gal of water in the pool.
Hope that helps some.
great vid filled with good info for people thinking starting up such as myself, Thanks
Cheers Brendan. Hope the build goes well for you.
Happy growing. 🐟🌱
Love your videos. I am just starting to build a small unit. Thinking an IBC tote and cutting a 55 gallon barrel in half for the beds. Going with a radial flow filter and sump as well. If I have to move 250 gallons twice an hour, would that be too fast for the bell siphon to work?
I think it may be Popee. Sorry it took so long to get to your comment. How did the build go?
Nice Rob 😘
Cheers GR. 👍😊
Hi I am a hobby aquarium keeper. The air pump is useful but it does not supply the dissolved oxygen to the system. What it does is break up the surface of the water allowing it to exchange gasses. So the more you have the bubbles spread out around your tank the better.
Can only put sop much in a 13 min TH-cam clip.
Thanks Earl. 👍
Hey Rob, could you have a sump separating your solids that has red claw or something similar in it to clean up the muck?
I had some in mine originally & they did OK until they played highlander & there was only one at the end. 😁
They would have done better if I offered them more hiding spots like pipes or crates.
I have a question. Can you use a refugium on aquaponics? Is there such thing as too much filtration?
Planning to use the refugium for the fish poop not the sump tank
Some folks will have fingerling tanks set up like a refugium in their system. Helps to stop them becoming fish food for their older relatives. 😉
The only time you might have too much filtration was if you had more grow bed area than the fish waste could support.
Hope that helps some & sorry for taking so long to get back to you.
So, basically get a working fish enclosure first, then add plants? I'm I understanding that correctly?
I would have it all up & running before you add fish. It's best to "cycle" the system first as well so any ammonia produced by the fish can be processed straight away. The video linked below goes through that process,
th-cam.com/video/kmxfI_fkmtc/w-d-xo.html
Hope that helps some.
@@RobsAquaponics ok, gotcha
Thanks
this is my dream. u re amazing sir. thank you for share
Cheers RS. 👍 Hope your build goes well when the time comes.
Can coconut coir be used for growth media and can a water tank/vat that is used for collecting rain be used for the fish tank?
I wouldn't use coir myself in a large grow bed but it may be fine in net cups if you're growing using the NFT or DWC methods to grow fast turn around crops.
I have seen a number of folks use recycled rain water tanks for fish tanks. 👍 The only ones I would not recommend you use are the galvanised metal ones as they will cause issues with the fish if they're not lined correctly.
Planing one right now I'm gonna have the fish in my shop and pipe the water outside to the grow bed
Nice one Percey. 👍
Hope the build goes smoothly.
Thanks Rob.
Cheers Kenneth.
I am building my first system. I cut two totes in half so four beds. How many IBC beds can you put on one 55 gallon filter? I enjoy your videos. Thanks
It comes down to flow rate from the fish tank as that will be determining the filters retention time SS.👍
This playlist has a few videos that may help, the first one in particular,
th-cam.com/play/PLBcWprMIwYYgQdUQ86FjdC7w1GOP8_woc.html
Wow, great video Rob (as always). Very thorough overview, delivered in a very clear and concise way. Love your work, keep it up mate👍
Thanks Jude. 😊
Cheers & have a top one.
Hello. Just recently found your channel and im inspired to start one on my own. In a year or two do you think its ample time to do it in a commercial scale able to feed a small town? Any pro and cons if doing aquaponics commercially?
By the way, i just want to grow tilapia and lettuce - if that matters
Hi Jon. I'm probably not the best person to ask as I haven't built or run a commercial aquaponics farm. I have seen folks that have done so in less than a year but the capital outlay can be quite a bit.
Might pay for you to get in contact with someone like Ryan Chatterson from Chatterson's Farms.
www.chattersonfarms.com/
As far as I know he's still designing commercial systems & has a very long background in the industry.
Hope that helps some
Superb content as always, I was curious if you were going to have a water test kit or not when the video started. You never disappoint. Cheers
Cheers Tony. 👍
Have you considered using a standalone solar/battery/inverter setup to isolate your garden from the power grid entirely (and how that'd affect costs long term)?
We have a back to grid system on the house so the system is partially run by solar. I would like to set up a decent sized 24v system but don't have the space for the panels at the moment.
Cheers.
Nice video! What is a good amount of time I can expect to tend to a aquaponics system? Meaning workload. Maybe two - four grow beds (4x8) Thanks sir
Hi Zates. Just a few minutes most days I'd say. All you'll be doing is checking/feeding fish, walking once around the system to make sure all is shipshape & then picking the veggies.
I recommend maybe that you test the water levels at least once a week to see how the pH & nutrient levels are travelling.
Hope that helps some mate.
Hi Rob could you incorporate an old 27000 L inground pool into a hydroponic system and what function would the pool itself serve in the system. Thanks Rob D (I love your videos!)
Good job as always sir, will be setting my bigger scale soon and learned a lot from your channel.
Nice one Ron.
Have fun with the build mate. 👍
Great video👍🏻
Thanks Dave.
Cheers mate 👍
Such a great channel.
Really not sure about the power usage of a system
It's easy enough to work out. Take the wattage from the spec label on the pump & multiply it by 24 (hours). Then times that by the kW charge you get from the power company. We also have a solar system on the house so our running costs are subsidised a bit. 😉
Cheers. 👍
Hi Rob. I have a container that measures WxLxH = 80 cm x 100 cm x 40 cm. Do you think it is high enough for a fish tank?
Not really for larger table fish. Might be ok for smaller ornamental varieties though.
Hello friend
I've very much enjoyed your vids ..I'm planning one soon but having difficulty finding fish (edible) to stock in Montana...
Hey Troy. Try searching for "Montana fish hatcheries" & see what pop's up. I also know folks that go out & catch wild fish & add them in. You would need to know what local species would take & thrive on fish pellets.
Good luck mate. 👍
Thanks for the info sir Rob. I've searching and studying about aquaponics thus past few months and I really enjoy all your videos I'd watched. I'm planning to build my own awuaponics system. May I ask rob, do I need to put airstones to my grow bed (floating raft) if I already oxidise the water on moving bed biofilter? Hope you could notice my question. Thank you and more power to your channel
Am glad the clips have been helpful mate. 👍
The air in the DWC raft beds is more for the plants as most will need air in their root zones to thrive. 🌱🌱
Cheers mate & happy growing.
Good on yer Rob, cheers
Cheers DC. 👍
So good, thanks!
Cheers Ted. 😊👍
Thanks Rob, hope you got all your heavy lifting done before summer kicks in Brisbane.
Still got a load to do around the yard John but a lot of the hard lifting will be done with a Dingo hopefully.
Cheers mate & have a top one.
Hi Rob, or should it be g’day? Where do you get your moving bed bio reactor from?
I made it myself GT. Am looking at making one up for the new system soon & will film a clip for that when the time comes.
Cheers.
Hi Rob we have been following your U Tube videos and trying to get all are duck in a row but have a have time trying to find the fitting to go with the 1inch flex tubings ball valves Ts elbows Ys ect we are in southern az having no luck🤔. Is there a website to order from? Thank so much.
Sorry I missed your comment Lonnie. We get the barbed fittings from irrigation shops here.
I found this mob online that ate based in CA if that helps & it looks like they stock the 1" barbed fittings,
www.dripworks.com/drip-irrigation/fittings/barbed
Hope that helps some.
There is a heap of those face shaped beads in an IBC at our local tip. Is it worth grabbing them?? If they are cheap??
Would be worth looking into. 👍 I think ours cost between AUD$1.50-2.50 per litre but I could be wrong. I do think that you'd been to disinfect them before use in your system as they may be carrying pathogens.
Cheers.
Can you oversize the pumps? Meaning, can they be too big? Thinking about system expansion down the road.
Of course you can for instance if you have such a massive pump going to a small tank with a a small over flow it will over flow the tank not only from the over flow drain but from the top of the tank as well spilling everywhere.
everything is about balance!
So if you balance the flow to drain size your off to a good start but to much turbulence could also be an issue for fish.
Again balance.
There is a point that they will start to cause issues with water backing up in parts of the system if the drain pipes are undersized. This issue is if you over size the pipes now to take the flow it may well cause you problems when you expand later.
I have used oversized pumps here & installed a bleed off line in the sump to redirect some of the flow. The added bonus is that it helped to add more O2 to the water.
Hope that helps.
That’s a great explanation 🍻🍻
Cheers Bradley.
Have a top one mate. 👍🍻🍻
Hi Rob. I Really enjoy your videos. However, with 1.5 years of flood and drain mini grow bed experience with 20w pump, I never have reliable cycle. It always change few hours after configured properly, either it become constant flood or constant drain. Do you have any suggestion for me? Thanks in advance.
Have you got a reducer fitting at the top of the standpipe WC ?
@@RobsAquaponics Yes I do. It was 1" to 0.5" pipe reducer.
@@WeirdlyChosen Does the drain from the base of the bed tilt downwards or upwards? Also, how long is it? If the drain is too long it can cause issues as well sometimes.
Brother can you please tell me the name of that fish in the video? Very good video good luck .keep it up.
The spotted ones are the Aussie native Jade perch & the others are their cousins, Silver perch.
Cheers & have a top one.
thnks
👍 No problem Rahila.
What's your take on pvc in Aquaponics? I've read a lot of conflicting information about toxins leaching from pvc into the water and plants over time.
As far as I can tell from what I've read, PVC should be fine as long as it's not heated. It also pays to use the PVC pipe that's made to move potable water.
I do think it's a good idea to try & shield the pipe from UV rays if you can as that will help stop any contamination from the outside of the pipe breaking down. Not sure if it's needed but better to be safe than sorry.
@@RobsAquaponics Thank you for your input. Great videos by the way.
Is there a program/website that I can use to to design my aquapontics system like in these videos?
A lot of folks use sketchUp Dylan. www.sketchup.com/
I'd like to have a crack at using at some point as well.
Cheers mate.
For along time I have been wondering exactly what is the point of using complicated bell siphons (more work & expense & often fail) when a simple siphon with no moving parts (as septic tanks have) will do the same???
Never had any issues with our bell siphons that couldn't be fixed in 5 minutes.😉
Not sure what you mean with the septic siphons as ours never had one.
Cheers.
HI I STARTED aquaponic one year before and now realize the deficiency of nutrients . My inspiration was your videos. How did you supply nutrients
There can be a few different issues. You may have too many plants for the amount of food you're feeding the fish or your pH could be too high for some plants to take up nutrients.
A basic rule of thumb that originates from the UVI folks is 60-100g of feed per M² of grow bed if that helps any.
@@RobsAquaponics Thank you Rob. my ph is 8.well water and rain water. how can we bring ph to neutral.
@@sankarkayamkulam You can add some phosphoric or hydrochloric acid to the top up water before adding it to lower the pH. Never drop it too far though.
Also, NEVER PUT ACID DIRECTLY INTO THE SYSTEM!
You will find that over time the pH of the system will fall & you won't need to adjust the top up water. It's high pH will help to keep the system balanced.
Hope that helps a bit
Do you still recommend water bottle caps for the bio filter? I only ask because I've been collecting them from your video.
I think you're better off to use the proper biomedia M H as it's been designed with more biological surface area for the bacteria to colonise.
The lids will work though in a pinch.