5 Common Aquaponic Mistakes That are EASY to AVOID
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 มิ.ย. 2024
- Here's 5 common mistakes I've seen folks make when first starting out in aquaponics & tips on how to avoid them.
Would like to hear from you in the comments below if you have seen other mishaps/mistakes made by yourself or others. 👍
Cheers all & happy growing. 🐟 🌱🍅👍
Rob
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I've been working through these videos before setting up a small system for my patio, and I'm realizing that this is basically a super-sized version of the biologically stable planted indoor aquariums I've kept for years (my largest has been self-maintaining for about 5 years now). That is very reassuring, as I was a bit worried I'd end up over my head. Fortunately, I'm already all stocked up with water tests and a working knowledge of the nitrogen cycle, and these videos have been the most clear and informative aquaponics how-to's I've come across on TH-cam thus far.
At this point, I'm giving serious thought to adding a small sweater-box grow bed over the top of my 60 gallon livingroom aquarium for an indoor herb garden since I have a couple extra full-spectrum grow lights that can be suspended over the top and a bag of expanded clay bought for potting my orchids, and it would give me a chance at a cheap trial run at rigging up my own pump and bell siphon before I run out an buy $500 worth of equipment.
Nice one Cristia.
Hope the systems grow some great tucker for you.
Happy growing. 🐟🌱🍅
My #1 Mistake was choosing small diameter pipes. Although in theory, my chosen diameters are fine and my system works well, I have no leeway for enlarging the system, and I am on edge in case of minor blockages. My most common problem is with the solids lifting outlet, if it gets even slightly clogged at the bottom of the fish pond the discharge is barely sufficient for the inflow and my fish pond can overflow (kicking off the refill valve of the system and wasting a lot of water...). Anyway thanks for the Video.
Hi Matan. Are you using a "T" fitting at the top of your SLO?
I've found that it allows the water somewhere to go if the base gets clogged at all.
The base in ours only blocked up when we had netting over the base of the SLO when fingerlings where in the tank. Having the "T" at the top worked a treat at allowing the water an alternate path out to the filters.
Hope you can sort yours out mate.
What diameter pipes are you using? I'm about to start building mine with 40mm...
I can't wait to put this to practice. As soon as we've found our perfect home I'm trying it!
Hope you find a suitable place soon Andy.👍
Happy growing mate. 🌱🌱
Another great video. As a wise man once told me... "if you start your day and your plan B won't get you there on time, you are already late." Same with being prepared. I am starting my system up and already have four pumps working in a system the uses only two but needs only one. I will binge watch your videos for advice before I go to far. Thanks.
Hope they help you out some Robert & the build is coming along well. 👍
Cheers mate.
Bob, You are great in your line, no matter how many time I repeat this video.
Thank you, because you never skimp on sharing your experiences.
Thanks Jason & I'm glad the videos have helped you out mate.
Cheers & all the best for 2021. 😁👍
@@RobsAquaponics I wish you and your family a happy new year 😁😁
Rob, this is one of the best videos I watched on aquaponics online - fairdinkum! By the end of the video, I feel like I could have a system running successfully by the tips you shared. No, I am not saying I will build one LOL. I am saying that you are a natural teacher. You explain the whole thing so well, that someone like me with zero experience about aquaponics gets it. Thanks for sharing your expertise in the subject matter. You rock, my friend.
😊Thanks for the glowing review Mary. 👍 I have been told I should go & get my certificate in training so I can take it on the road & do small courses. Not sure that's my cup of tea though.
Hope all's well with you & yours.
Great Information! I really appreciate all of the knowledge you share. I'd love to be able to try this out one day, in my growing adventures.
Hope the build goes smoothly when the time comes Stacey.
Happy growing.
Thanks rob bob, ur information is very informative. You’ve helped me out with my system a lot
Am glad I could help some Stewart.👍
Cheers & have a top one.
From St. Louis, Missouri. Thank you!!!! Incredibly informative and easy to listen to!
Glad I could help some Caleb.
Cheers mate.
Thanks Rob, it’s a good reminder to get some air sorted for my blue drum chop and flip in case of power outage
Good idea mate. 👍
Cheers.
Love ur enthusiasm ! Thanks for sharing. Have a great day.
Cheers Bud.👍🍻
Definetly helpful! Thanks for sharing!
Cheers Ivan.
Happy growing 🌱👍
Thank you Sir!
...From Missouri, USA.
Cheers Bob.
Happy growing mate.
Always love your stuff mate, Thanks for your content
Thanks & hope the clips have given you some ideas to play with. 👍
Cheers & happy growing.
I don’t have a aquaponic system and likely never will, but thanks for helping those who do and being interesting for those who don’t.
Thanks Vidalion. 👍
Cheers & all the best.
great! this is more informative. I want to start an aquaponic system of farming but still need to know more about. thanks!
Gald it helped you out some Abdul.
Have you checked out this playlist?
th-cam.com/play/PLBcWprMIwYYj8zCdbSzPJOR3HRXpxuBwf.html
You might find some useful information & ideas you could play with in the list. 👍
Bravo RB. Short and sweet but chocka with info!
Thanks Mr LoughliN 👍
Thank you ROB
Cheers Philippe.
Happy growing. 🐟🌱
More than extremely helpful!
Glad it was helpful Ahmad. 👍
Excellent points! The problem with over abundant waste is precisely what we are seeing in off shore fish farms. Massive dead zones are getting worse every day. Native species are becoming sick and dying. We have got to stop farming fish in the ocean.
It would be great to see more terrestrial fish farms where the "waste" is used in regenative farming. Am also hoping to see more insects being used to create fish feed to help take some pressure off the oceans as well.
Cheers John
Very practical advice
Cheers Sramctc. 👍
Very nice info sir and in great depth. Practical knowledge I am not having, which you have provided.
Glad I could help some.
Cheers.
Rob you’re videos are fantastic probably the best I have seen on this subject every potential pitfall is covered they will save a lot of disappointment and money for any new comer to aquaponics.
Thanks Robin. I hope they've given you a few useful ideas as well.
Happy growing.
Great video Rob, really enjoy them.
I built one of the 12V air pump backup systems you showed. Works like a champ, but one thing I did discover is that a diode is needed inline from the power converter, otherwise you will feed 12V power back into the electrical lines. Electric folks detected a good 12V about 100 feet down line at a transformer.
Hi Charles. Wasn't aware that would be an issue. Thanks for the heads up.
Hi Rob, greetings from the UK! I love your videos and you’re a real inspiration to someone just starting out!
I don’t know if you’re still checking comments on old vids, but thought I’d ask, do you have, or could you make in the future, a video just about the failsafes and backups that you have? Things like securing pipe work, how often you check it, what float switches or backup power supplies you are running, etc. It would be really useful as I want to get the safeguards into the design from the start! Cheers!
Hi Jono. Am having a few weeks off posting clips & answering FB & email messages just so I can catch up with you TH-cam comments. 😉
I have a clip on the air backup system but that's about it.
th-cam.com/video/21XgunEYhtc/w-d-xo.html
I run through other bits & bobs on the general update clips but will look at creating one on fail safes & the like in the future.
Thanks for the suggestion mate & have a top one.
Very knowledgeable person thanks for sharing.
Thanks & hope the clip has helped you out some.
Happy growing.
Thanks Rob really great info video mate.
Cheers Mike. 👍
Starting our own system with my boyfriend. We watch your videos religiously. Thanks so much for all these great instructions, tips and tricks!
Am glad they've helped you folks some Kaitlyn.
Happy growing.
great info...appreciate it .
Glad it was helpful!
Always enjoy your videos, been subscriber for a long time. Just setup my solar shed today (still have touchup to do), so my next big project will be IBC setup with perhaps an inground pond.
Glad to see you are safe from the fires
Nice one Michael. Would like to set up a solar system here once we have more roof space for panels.
Cheers & happy growing.
@@RobsAquaponics Start small and grow accordingly. Big learning curve, even with electrical experience. Make a setup to run one of your pumps and grow from there
Very good video full of very good lesson thank you👍👍👍
Thanks BB.
Cheers & happy growing. 🐟🌱
as usual another great vid, thanks man
Am glad you enjoyed it Johnathan.
Happy growing mate.
cool, thanks Jesse
Cheers Gazelle.
Thanks Rob. My system is now running. I'm using a 200 L blue barrel. Have no fish yet but I have a pet turtle with about 5 inches big.
Nice one Jether. 👍
Thanks a lot
Cheers Pradeep.
Best instructor ever!!
can u paint some different plans 4 different systems?
I have this clip if it helps any th-cam.com/video/0QQA5BpWKec/w-d-xo.html
Cheers
You're awesome mate thank you
Cheers Justin. Have a top one 👍👍
Very informative videos. I just subscribed. Thanks mate!
Glad you enjoyed it mate.
Cheers & happy growing. 🌱🐟
I enjoy your content appreciated you don't just ramble on about pointless things
Thanks Ryan.
Cheers and have a top one. 👍
Rob your knowledge on Aquaponics is very impressive and so is your plant. I am a beginner, studying the basics and looking at where I can get started. Any pointers for a starter like me who has absolute 0 knowledge about fishes and plants (of course, nil about Aquaponics too).
I have a playlist that includes a few clip that might interest you.
th-cam.com/play/PLBcWprMIwYYj8zCdbSzPJOR3HRXpxuBwf.html
Other than that, I just surfed TH-cam & checked out a few online forums for most of what I've learned.
Cheers & happy growing mate. 👍😊🌱🌱🐟
great advice mate
Thanks Mate 🙂👍👍
Cheers & have a top one.
i use a pc ups hooked up to deep cycle batteries for power outages works great
Have been keeping an eye out on a cheap unit here for our next build Robert.
Cheers mate.
what a great video!
Hope it helped you out some mate.
Cheers Owen. 👍
great video, thanks a lot bro!
Glad you enjoyed it.
Cheers. 👍
Rob bob put a new video? That's a thumbs UP!
Cheers mate.
My biggest problem was levelling the ground on bare soft dirt. The growbed is towards the back half of the sump tank and the hundreds of kilos has caused gradual compaction to the back left with the bell siphon on the front right. Results in hair-pulling frustration and continuous tinkering to get a non-level siphon to initiate and break reliably. And the only permanent fix is to slowly undermine one side of the foundation of this 1 tonne+ fixture with a trowel and hope it doesn't crush me.
Love your work m8...Jimboomba.
Cheers Joe. 👍👍
Just subscribed cobber. Looking forward to the rest of your work!
Welcome aboard Garry & hope the vid's help some.
Cheers. 👍
your a legend
Cheers Sharon. 👍😁
YOUR A TOP MAN
Cheers mate. 👍
Great video Rob, are you getting closer to re working your system? I hope all is well and Merry Christmas!
Am still cleaning out the old beds BWF.
It's just gone 6 past midday so time to stop replying to comments & head out there to work on it. 👍😉
Cheers mate & have a top one.
👍 i made the mistake of 100 fish, bought 100L k3 media which has sorted the ammonia nitrites but what i didnt think of was the amount of suspended solids, big learning curve made heaps of filters going well....definatly listen to what rob says otherwise learn the hard way
How are the raft beds growing Matt?
When i give them the time and keep on top of adding supplements they are ausome....but atm they look like a shaggy dog that hasnt been washed in 2 years, current focus is getting the fish to harvest at the end of summer then itll be shut down and revamp. I purged 12 bigger fish over christmas they were beautiful, because i had so many fish i had to grade them. I turned 1 600L raft bed into a 2nd fish tank which now has 32 small/medium and 66 big are in the 1000L tank, the 66 will be 500-600g by winter but i may need to keep the small/mediums over winter, as you know just gotta see how we go. I have been meaning to send you update photos for a while now
@@mattdawson7055 Nice one Matt. Will keep you in fish all winter long.
Crashed the ph in sys down to 4.6....hadnt been staying ontop of it with tap water top ups plus rain, the sides of tanks and bio media are super clean thats when i noticed it plus had heaps of foam ontop of water assuming that was dead bacteria. Have stopped feeding and bringing ph back up over a few days with tapwater, no deaths yet
@@mattdawson7055 Crap Matt. Hope you can get on top of it.
Dude, you rock!
Cheers Anthony 🍻
have a top one mate.
I'm really intrigued and I thinking about setting up one.
I'm from Trinidad
Don't forget to subscribe if you want to be kept up to date with the latest aquaponics system build clips,
► th-cam.com/channels/hz2QEbZECEzUih1DiqZTNA.html
Hope your gardens are booming. 🐟 🌱🍅
Cheers all,
Rob
This is fantastic Rob! Great informational video and the editing work is very nice. Something I'd like to mention in regards to beginner mistakes: water that is too pure (too little carbonate hardness) can lead to random inexplicable fish deaths! I had this problem myself. The solution is exceedingly simple: top-up the system with hard water occasionally to increase the carbonate hardness to around 3 or 4 dkh. This buffers and helps to maintain the pH from swinging while supplying needed calcium. That said, too much carbonate hardness will actually lock out calcium and iron and will cause plant issues. Using hard water to buffer the pH of my system keeps up with the carbonate losses that occur from nitrification.
Hey rob... I have small issue with my aquaponics system... its 2 week old system...I used an api test kit....Ph is 8.0, ammonia is 0.5ppm, nitrite is 2ppm, nitrate is 10 ppm.... I'm also adding readly available beneficial bacteria into the system.... what do I do to solve the ammonia and nitrite issue...or what am I doing wrong?
@@f5sal988 . Just give it a few more days... perhaps a week - to finish cycling. The nitrites and ammonia will drop in time just be patient. The presence of nitrites in your system indicates that nitrosomonas are feeding on the ammonia. The nitrobacter take a little longer to colonize the media but they will oxidize all of the nitrite into nitrate. Judging by your nitrate level already, it seems like they just got started. Let them continue to multiply for a bit and the nitrite and ammonia will suddenly drop to zero as the nitrobacter catch-up with the nitrosomonas :)
How is it running for you now mate?
@@RobsAquaponics heyy rob... how r you??... I have no nitrites problems now.... but my fish have got the ich 🙁.... treatment is going on... I think I'll lose the all the good bacteria now😔.... how do you treat problems like ich??...
These are very interesting videos. I'd like to implement some of these methods.
Aquaponics can be quite productive but is also a little bit addictive Tagiuk. 😉👍
Cheers mate & have a top one.
I'm a gold miner in Nome, Alaska; being off grid and having fresh food is important to me
@@TagiukGold Have a old TH-cam mate that grown in his basement up your way. Gets a decent amount of greens out of the system too. 👍
Excellent very thorough information. Ton's of great information in a short format. Bravo!
Glad you enjoyed it mate.
Cheers & all the best.
My favorite job
I hope that I can turn it into a commercial enterprise at some point too Jia Joe.
Happy growing.
@@RobsAquaponics Definitely Rob💪👊👏
Halo pop is also there in the event of water evaporation and continuous compensation will affect the height of the ph
Not really as the water is continually being topped up as required & most contain some form of alkalinity. Rain water can be problematic though as it is normally mineral deficient. 👍
Cheers & have a top one.
Very important safeguards, thanks.
They bring some questions to mind.
What is a good first system size?
Do you use sensors for alarms or routing?
Do you monitor 24/7 or can that be automated.? No holiday's?
I hope aussies get their NWO sorted out.
I cover some of those ideas scattered around other videos posted on the channel Daniel.
I will adding them to a list for future video ideas as well.
I think I'll let those that need rules to live play that game. I've got better things to do. 😉😁
Cheers mate & have a top one.
Hello Rob. Thanks for putting your heart into all these videos. I have a question about the back up: Are you familiar with the Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) that are used in offices to power their computers when the power drops? If there is a power interruption, the UPS automatically turns on and keeps their computer from losing their work. Do you think one of these UPS would be a good back up for when the power goes off in one of our systems? I mean to use one in my system to protect the fish from air pump interruption. What do you think?
Hi John. I was looking at getting one for my parents system but the batteries in most aren't large enough to run the pumps as long as I need them to. I know larger ones are available but out of my budget for the time being.
Cheers mate.
Thank you sincerely for all the information you put out in the world!!! You have inspired me to become self sufficient and try to grow all of my own food. I've watched almost all of your videos and have learned sssooooo much from you I feel like your apprentice. I started off last year with just one small one bed, 1 fish tank system but didn't use a filter or block out the sunlight from my fish tank or grow bed and the hot Florida sun grew me a giant algae bloom that decimated my entire system. Well that turned into a hot mess;) anyway this year you have inspired me to build a much bigger system (10 grow beds, 3 fish tanks, a sump tank and a solids filter) I triple painted all of my grow beds and figure to block most of the light out of my fish tanks with pallet wood siding. Can I get the filtration I need with a 5 gal bucket filter??? Is it possible to grow freshwater shrimp large enough to eat??? Can mussels be used in the system as a filter too??? If you and the family ever want to visit Florida, I have a airbnb in my backyard separate from my house that you could stay in;) i could donate the rental fees back to you for some personal advice;) it would be a dream to have rob bob walking around my back yard giving me pointers on how to be more sufficient and efficient!!! Anyway thanx again, your my hero,and have a wonderful day!!!
Hi ES & sorry it took so long to respond.
A 5 gal bucket would be suitable for a small chop & flip IBC style system but nothing much larger. Sizing for the filter body will depend on flow rates from the fish tanks as that will dictate the retention time of the water required in the filter.
The longer the retention time, the more solids will fall out of suspension from the water column.
I'm not sure on the shrimp varieties you have but folks here in Australia do use the native red claw crayfish, which I think you folks have over there as well. 👍 They might be a better option as they grow & reproduce well in aquaponics.
I have seen folks include freshwater muscles in their sumps. They are a bit like worms, they will consume some solids but will also produce solids that can't be taken up by the plants. I have also seen that the larvae from some muscles need the gills of fish to complete a stage of development but am unsure which varieties so you might want to look into that as well before selecting a variety to try out.
Hope that helps some & thanks for the generous offer as well. B & I would both love to visit the State at some point. The UK is first on the list as B wants to visit her ancestral homeland of Scotland first.
Cheers.
Hope you are doing fantastic sir!
All well here thanks. 👍😁😁
Hi, your are doing awesome work here, i plan to build the small barrel flip system . is it successful idea to start first aquaponic ?
I think the larger chop & flip IBC builds are a better way to start off. They will allow you to grow 10 or so table fish + the larger volume of water will make it more stable to run.
Cheers & all the best.
my random curiosity has turned into an investment in my family's food supply thanks to your videos
I'm glad they have helped some Anthony.
Do you have a video showing how you have set up and installed your backup power out or pump fail?
There's a link in the cards or you can use this one,
th-cam.com/video/21XgunEYhtc/w-d-xo.html
Cheers Greg
Thank you Rob ! Can you please help me with a detailed list on what I need to purchase to make a small simple aquaponic system? Thanks
This page from my site might help you out with a small system build,
www.bitsouttheback.com/chop-and-flip-aquaponic-system
Cheers.👍
I love it wanna try someday too, the only problem is budget in my country it will cost me $300, I don't have financial support so I'm just gonna save some money if I can
I hope you get the chance to create your own system. Do you have access to any second-hand tanks or equipment?
If your pump is in the same tank as your fish (no sump tank) you can elevate it off the bottom so even if it fails there is a minimum depth of water for fish to stay wet while you fix
I have seen folks do that. 👍 The only thing to keep an eye on is keeping the water regularly topped up & you may need to clean some solids off the base from time to time.
Cheers Eric.
Hello Bob, I would like to know how you do the filter with the media K1, how they have that movement and oxygenation?
Hi Amaro. I have a venturi in the base of the filter that supplies air along with water that spins the media. I don't have a clip that shows it in action sorry at the moment. There will be one posted once the large system is built in a few months time.
Cheers.
Good day sir,
Nice videos!
I wish to start a small aquaponic system. Just a common question.Do you reuse coolant or oil pods (ibc) for your garden?
Thanks
I try not to Raymond. I try to stick to IBC that have had food or mild acids in them that are used in the food industry. The one exception would be ones used to cart the urea based Diesel additive called Adblue. I would still give an Adblue IBC a good wash out or you may end up with ammonia readings that are off the chart.
Cheers.
Hi Rob, where do you get your beige tanks from and the larger one holding your fish? Thanks
They came from a company that has now closed down I'm sorry to say John.
Try searching for "aquaculture tanks" locally & a supplier may come up.
I'd also recommend that you look for a tank that has a height to diameter ratio of 1:2. That will give you better water circulation & solids collection from the centre drain than my taller tanks.
Hope that helps some.
I like aussie slang. I wish we would adopt it.
I won't stop you at all Casval. 😉👍
Cheers & have a top one.
When you have someone messing with your solar hot water system have the rainwater tank blocked off , while having our roofs replaced as part of hail damage insurance claim , they dumped the glycol into our rain water tank , hundreds of dead fish later on during the next day after the 10% daily topup
Wow mate. Did they offer any help pay for cleaning the system & replacing the fish?
Are you up & running again?
I am about to start an Aquaponics system for the fish pond using the using the water media to grow the plants. After looking at your video i have decided to use a solid media on the trays. We have access to perlite, Coconut coirs, even coral stones. What is best for my media?
Perlite could be an issue in a large bed as it's so small & light. It won't offer the best drainage. Coir would have the same issue in a large bed. They may work OK if y=used in individual post that sit in a try or trough that has a small amount of water flowing through the base though. 👍
I wouldn't use coral as it would have a high level of carbonates & will affect the pH of the water over time.
Hope that helps some.
I had made a blue barrel chop and flip aquaponics set up. I had bought the media and done a water tight test. I had set it up on my apartment east facing balcony. I had explained to my fiance that I had to cycle the system and then maybe get 3 goldfish. Then I took a nap. When I woke up from the nap my fiance had gotten excited and gone out and bought 6 plants and 24 small goldfish. Within a week we had lost them all. I still find naps somewhat dangerous but she hasn't done that to me again yet.
Ouch....
Have you popped more fish back in there?
@@RobsAquaponics oh yeah, after that I started with one goldfish and he made it quite a while. Once the nutrients had cycled we added a few more. We've had 3 fish going for over a year now.
@@juglore Good to hear mate.👍👍
Hey bob I need to set up a aquaponics indoors in my basement what type of system and how to set it up would I need I also am on a limited budget I’m mainly using it to keep my tomatoes growing during the winter
These videos might give you some ideas Darryl,
th-cam.com/video/nPXuEpyCfMg/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/0QQA5BpWKec/w-d-xo.html
All of these can be set up inside if you have the space & height for the lights.
Hope that helps a bit mate.
U are like liam neeson of hidroponics xd, awsome work mate
Thanks 😅
Take it easy Luke. 👍👍
Hey Rob really enjoy all your videos. Lots of helpfull information in them. I have a question about my very small system 38 gallons or so. The Ph has been high about 8.0 since i set it up 3 months ago. It cycled ok and nitrate/nitrite, and ammonia are good i have made adjustments to the air and water flow, added API Ph down, water changes, adding only RO filtered water, and finally switched out my grow media. I am using Lava rock and Hydroton. My system is a 17 gallon reservoir with 4 buckets 5 gallons each. My plants wont grow or they stay very small and yellow. I only have a few small Goldfish and they seem happy enough. Can you think of anything that might be affecting Ph this way im not sure what do. Anything you can think of would be great. Otherwise HAVE A GREAT DAY 🙂
Hi Vince. How much nitrate do you have showing up in the tests & how many fish do you have?
Sometimes the goldfish food just isn't nutrient dense enough to provide enough nutrients to the plants.
Top tip for aquaponics, water test kit. We don't want to kill our fish.
Is a must have in my book !! 👍🙂
How do you feel about compost worms in the grow beds to clean out the solids?
I have them in all the beds but they won't clean out all the solids as some will tell you, only some.
th-cam.com/video/kADgNTtZIqo/w-d-xo.html
They will do a great job at processing old roots & fallen leaves in a system though.
I & many others would recommend you try & keep the majority of the solids out of the grow beds as they can get out of hand in some systems. They can also cause fish to die in some cases.
Hope that helps some & have a top one.
Hey rob. Just been getting into the idea of aquaponics. I don’t have a place in my backyard with good light for plants. The spot i can put a ibc chop and flip system is in the shade. I was thinking about growing duckweed to the feed the jade perch I will have. Do I still need to have 25l of media per fish? I will be using gravel from the local hardware store.
Hi mate. It's best you stick to the 25L per fish when first starting out. 👍 Once you feel confident that the system is working well you can up the limit a bit but I wouldn't go less than 20L per fish in such a small system.
Hey Rob, I have an indoor pool pond set up in my basement (460g total, currently half-full) with a custom 50-gallon radial flow filter with multiple filtration phases. I've run aquaponics with bluegills in the past, but am now running 100% pure strain Blue Tilapia (Lakeway Tilapia Hatchery). I had no problems establishing a very active breeding colony, and have 150 juveniles I don't have enough room for (I've had to do daily water swaps on a 20g; it may be euthanasia time again) and I had to kill about 1,000 fish so far, though none have ever died from water issues - unless you count 2 jumpers before my tanks had lids and had established the nitrogen cycle in the beginning.
So, I have endless fish and I want to set up a DWC system for lettuces and a bell siphon media bed. Here's my problem. I have a rash of aphids from ordering some red wigglers that came with unwanted guests that I cannot seem to eradicate. I've kept their numbers down with sticky traps and am considering an indoor bug zapper. I started a bunch of seeds in rockwool for hydro/aquaponics (I am set up for stand-alone hydroponics as well), and have an outdoor organic soil garden. But, I am fearful of another rash of aphids, especially as my plants are sprouting.
The problem with putting the pool outside is that my backyard is not level at all, and I've put too much money into my setup already. Do you have any input on how you would deal with this if you were me? I'm very close to having a permanent food source that runs smoothly. Any input is appreciated! I tried neem oil as well and that didn't help much!
Hi Thomas. Are you seeing any ants on the plants as well? If so they might be farming the Aphids & if you can control then then you've won half the battle.
The most effective way I've treated outbreaks is by blasting them with a hose. Might not be very practical with your set up though. Manually squishing them may help reduce the numbers if the plant is large enough. Have heard of folks getting good results with food grade diatomaceous earth as well. It didn't do much on a large outbreak we had here but might be more effective on smaller ones.
Spot spraying with horticultural oils on a regular basis is a method others will use. CAUTION must be taken not to get it into the water though as the oil can coat fish gills & suffocate them.
Hope that gives you a few ideas to try out mate.
@@RobsAquaponics I haven't seen a single ant. Only aphids, spiders and the rare centipede. Sticky traps have proven most useful so far but since they survived an entire package of them, neem, soap and garlic spray, hand-crushing, manual plant removal, etc - I went ahead and ordered a $40 bug zapper off of Amazon but it hasn't arrived yet.
I may give diatomaceous earth a shot as I want to use some with my red wigglers anyhow, but for now I am thinking sticky traps and electricity are the winners.
Next issue: I need a purging tank for about 20-25 full grown blue tilapia..and I don't have one. Lol
Love your videos, by the way.
I'm building a smaller aquaponics system with a limited budget for a school project (I have a ~25L grow bed and a ~20 gal fish tank) and I plan to grow just a few gold fish and lettuce, cucumber, and spinach (since they grow faster). Because of the coronavirus I won't be buying the fish for a few weeks, or until we get back in school. Would you say I need to worry about many of these issues, especially dealing with fish waste? I don't have any kind of filter or bacteria to manage the waste, since they're only baby goldfish and not full sized table fish. Also if anyone has ideas about how to feed the fish on weekends that would be greatly appreciated.
Hey Nathaniel. The fish wast can be collected by placing a sponge under the inlets at the grow beds. easy to clean every day or 2.
Fish can go a fair while without feed so I wouldn't be too concerned that they don't get any for a few days over the weekends.
Sorry it took so long to respond. The comment sections have been very busy since lock downs started around the world.
Cheers.
Hey Rob do you do ICB aquaponics grow bed installations for other people? Would be interested to get some help with a system!
I might be able to help with some pointers. Whereabouts are you based?
Rob Bob's Aquaponics & Backyard Farm Toowoomba :)
@@Holodomor4.0 What size are you looking at building? Due to insurance I really can't work on others systems at the moment sorry but will help where I can with pointers. 👍
I saw some of the fish that can be used in aquaponics are Tilapia, Catfish, Trout, and Bluegill. The Catfish are good for cleaning the tank and keeping algae under control. Which of those I listed can live with Catfish and not eat each other?
Trout prefer cooler water so I'd probably keep them by themselves XP.
We don't have bluegill & can't keep tilapia here so I'm not much help sorry. You could try asking in a group like Aquaponics Anonymous on Facebook.
facebook.com/groups/245708769126433
Sorry I'm late to comment, but I hope you see this and get a chance to answer. In your explanation of overcrowding the system with too many fish, you gave a breakdown for the amount of media required to grow out a fish to one pound (6.6 gallons of media). If you were going with a larger fish that you wanted to grow to say 2 or 3 pounds, or maybe even larger, how would you convert the goal weight of the fish to determine the correct amount of media needed for your system?
You can use the 1lb of biomass per 6.6gal of media as a rough guide. 👍 From there you can also work backwards if you want to use smaller ornamental fish as well.
Cheers David.
If you have conical based fish tanks that collect the solids at the drain outlet, could i simply bypass my filters temporarily and direct flush a small amount of water and solids out into a compost bin to lessen the burden on the filters?
That would be possible Tom but it would need to be done without fail & at lest once, if not twice a day.
What do you feed the fish? Thanks
I feed them a commercial feed made here in Australia by Ridleys.
www.primo.net.au/shop/Ridley-AquaFeed/marine-float-range
gday Rob
i have coconut husk ground down to looking like a bag os soil its ph neutral is this ok to use
I probably wouldn't use it as a growing medium in a bed as it may stain the water some & also move around the system as the water flows through it. Best to stay with non organic growing mediums I think.
Would like to know how you go if you give it a crack though.
Rob Bob's Aquaponics & Backyard Farm thanks so much bob I got 5 bags for free I was told it would be good now I just dump it in garden
Sir pumice rock are good for grow bed?
I have seen folks use it as a grow media. Best to give it a was before adding it to the system just as you should with any grow media. 👍
Just a newbie question.... Can I create aquaponic system in a 2,5 gallon aquarium with one betta and a sponge filter filled with an airstone? Would it be problematic for the root system of the hydroponic plant, when water is moving only thanks to the sponge filter?
Sorry I missed this. I don't think a single fish will really provide enough nutrients for good plant growth.
I did a aquaponics course many years ago and saw a couple of set ups. My question is this, is it a cost effective way of growing food, as by the time you factor pumps, containers, media, plumbing bits and bobs, fish and testing kits etc, plus on top of that electricity, does it come out as a financially viable alternative to other methods of food production?
I'm about to get started in this as well, plan on having my first set-up built within the next weeks and inside this month it should be operational. I think you need to view the cost of the system as a "start-up" cost and you shouldn't really allow that to color your view of the whole system. Aquaponics is a self-contained, self-regulating system, in general, and while the cost is higher than more traditional in-ground gardening or farming, the flexibility and sustainability of the system needs to be taken into account. It's a down-payment on not really needing to have grocery bills anymore.
It definitely is if you're wanting to grow fish for protein in the backyard. They just don't grow well in soil.😉
There would be much more cost-effective ways to grow a few heads of lettuce if that's what you're focussing on.
I am wanting to set up a 55 gallon in my house. what do I need to do to cycle the water before adding fish? Has anyone tried just pumping water through a PVC pipe with net pots.? Or do you have to have the rock bed?
I'd suggest you cycle the system before adding the fish. 👍 The rock media acts as a bio filter which you'll need to process the ammonia from the fish.
Cheers.
I am just starting my chop and flip 250 gallon IBS aguaponics system. I have 2 questions. 1) I am using expanded clay pellets, do I need to put something in the water to help produce the bacteria to change the amonia to a nitrite-nitrate? 2) Can I use plant nutrients in this system, or do I even need to?
Hey Jax. The bacteria will turn up by themselves but you will need to add some form of ammonia for them to feed on. I have a cycling clip that walks you through the process if that helps at all,
th-cam.com/video/kmxfI_fkmtc/w-d-xo.html
Some folks will add fish friendly additives like kelp/seaweed extracts but generally speaking there is no need to add extra nutrients into the system if the fish are well fed.
The only exceptions being calcium, potassium & sometimes iron as they may not be present in a great amount on the fish waste.
I use calcium hydroxide to buffer the system & the kelp powder I add has a geed deal of potassium so they're covered. I will add some DTPA chelated iron from time to time if I notice deficiencies in the leaves.
Hope that helps some.
I have some old computer back up sytem I can add a new battery and that can keep thing going.
I'm thinking about getting a UPS for my parents system. Just need to find one large enough to run a 25w pump for 8-10 hours...
Cheers Ronald & happy growing mate.
@The Truth about Africa hurts I like to have the water run 24/7 & the main air line as well.
Have seen others run on timers but have also seen what happens when the timers fail or are not set right.
@The Truth about Africa hurts I'm lucky enough to have a live in house sitter when we go away but will be looking at setting up the next system with dual water & air systems. Cheers mate.
Could the waste be collected and used for plants outside the system? Maybe take some water from the system and replace it with new water. It seems like it could be calculated how much water needs to be replaced over a given amount of time. What are the problems with doing this?
I use the solids waste to feed other gardens & have at times used system water to water pot plants.
The water gets replaced during the weekly top up & as long as the fish are well fed there shouldn't be any issues with lacking nutrients.
If I have both a moving bed biofilter and a clay media bed, will that allow me to stock more fish than just with the clay media?
The extra biofiltration can help increase stocking densities. I would still only stock 1 fish per 25L/6.6gal of fish tank volume though. 👍
Rob, quick question. Why are you using the clay media over using gravel? The clay media is too expensive where I'm at and gravel costs literally nothing. I do not have an aquaponics setup as of yet (in the planning phase), however, I do have a small aquascape that I plant edible plants in the gravel bed. Is the clay media that much better, and how so?
Hi John. There's nothing wrong with rock other than the weight needing to be taken into consideration whjen planing the grow bed stands. 👍
I went with the clay as I had leftover from our old hydroponic days. We were a bit better off financially when I started the system & the Aussie $ was strong so I was picking up bags for around $20 each which also helped.
I would recommend you test the rock for carbonates so you won't have issues with spiking pH down the line.👍
Hope the build goes well for you.
Thinking I should try this. Is the long beard a requirement?
🤔 It might help if you need somewhere extra to hold a screwdriver while working on the build but not generally. 👍😁