I want to make a system using the water from two heavily planted, fertilized and co2 infused tanks to feed into a hydroponic system reasoning is this, my tanks are heavily dossed with ferts and obviously contain fish waste which is a good fert in and of itself so it would stand to follow it (the water ) would be good for a closed hydroponic system .
has any one heard of doing this before >
can you point me in the right direction for information .
does it even sound like a good idea?
and any further questions I don't know enough to ask about??
Aquaponics, people do it all the time, google it. You don't need to add in any nutes to the water, the fist waist is plenty. Some people even grow edible food and then eat the fist too!
The aquarium forun I'm on suggested not to do it wen I asked. There's a high potential for disease and other sickneses you can pick up from the aquarium if not done right. And you can easily throw off the balance on both. They only recomend it to professionals or those with alot of money to waste getting it right. It's a very delicate system, with very high potential for failure.
I don't think I would discourage someone from trying it. It cant be to hard, you know those crazy fish that you have to keep alone cause they always fight, sometimes you see them being kept in a jar with a plant growing in it? That is a very simple aquaponics setup. If that can work without having to add in any nutes or clean it or anything on a small scale like that then I would think that someone, even a beginner, who was paying attention to what they were doing, and who had done plenty of research, would be able to grow successfully on a larger, but still non professional, level.
serial_killer wrote:you know those crazy fish that you have to keep alone cause they always fight, sometimes you see them being kept in a jar with a plant growing in it?
Betta's come from a region where the water is very dirty so they can handle more "abused" water conditions. The same aquarium forum said the having the plant there is actually bad for the Betta as it cuts serface area and Bettas actually breathe air and need a good surface area. The plant is also usually something like a Philodendren which can grow in a glass of water with no nutrients.
Two of the people on the forum, who've had aquariums for decades(and would be considered experts), got sick from trying aquaponics setups in their kitchen. If a fish gets a disease, it'll transfer to the plants. Just a warning.
Try if you want, just be careful and monitor things very very closely. Oh, and you'll mostly grow things that normally grow in water. Other plants won't survive, as their roots will rot. It's not like Hydroponics where water is sprayed on the roots, in aquaponics they're in the water at all times. This poses alot of problems for most plants.
serial_killer wrote: It's not like Hydroponics where water is sprayed on the roots, in aquaponics they're in the water at all times. This poses alot of problems for most plants.
I definitely don't want to seem like I'm trying to argue with you, as I'm not. And like I said I have no experience with aquaponics nor have I done much research, whereas it sounds like you have a good amount of knowledge on the subject so I'm not trying to discredit you at all but...
In addition to the aeroponics chamber I posted in this forum I also am currently grow plants in (and started out using only) a Deep Water Culture setup and in the past I have successfully used a modified NFT hybrid system, both of which leave the roots submerged all the time. As long as you keep the water well aerated being constantly submerged isnt a problem.
Another forum of aeration is H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide), since it is so unstable the extra O is quick to break off leaving one water molecule and one extra O atom that can either join another free O atom to make O2, effectively increasing the DO content of the solution, or attack harmful bacteria that can cause root rot, aka over watering in soil.
serial_killer wrote:In addition to the aeroponics chamber I posted in this forum I also am currently grow plants in (and started out using only) a Deep Water Culture setup and in the past I have successfully used a modified NFT hybrid system, both of which leave the roots submerged all the time. As long as you keep the water well aerated being constantly submerged isnt a problem.
This will work for some plants, if not a decent amount, but they never thrive like a soil grown plant.
Growing a plant with the roots in water, is different than hydroponics and is not what hydroculture is about.
Here's a good article about the difference in growing plants in water and hydroculture:
https://waterroots.com/hydrovswater.htm
"You have the option to choose between plants that are surviving and in water - and plants that are thriving and in hydroculture!"
I have raised and bred tropical fish most of my adult life. I was in a fish society for many years, while learning about the many types of fish, and earning my breeders certificates.
I have even raised discus, which are tough fish for beginners.
That said, I am also a gardener, I have always taken the fish water to the garden, it is fantastic for houseplants and the garden.
I had difficulty with starting seedlings last year. I would get them up to first true leaves, they would look fine then fall over dead.
I finally realized that I had water and nutrient issues. I was just giving them enough water to keep them alive, and then barely. And I didn't use any fertilizers... Well, 10 minutes late to water them and they were stressed until they died. So, I plan to go aquaponics this year.
Would I try it with a luxury set up of plants and Co2 system... no way.
I think that one of the hardiest fish of all is a South American Cichlid... perhaps even an oscar, jack Dempsey or simple convict. Something that makes alot of waste, isn't touchy about water quality, and would enjoy the water dropping back into the tank and not be frightened or intimidated by it. Would I use undergravel filtration with it, no, I would let my aquaponic plants do the filtering. I would add additional aeration for the fish will get less air from water that isn't exactly crystal clean. And until the plants grow a bit, they won't be able to keep the water clean.
I would be super careful of what I added to the aquarium or the plants growing above. I will be hoping to only need, light, heat, fresh water added as evaporation occurs, salt and go for it.
I recently read the secret of super sweet tomatoes is.... Saline water, like from the ocean at a 1/4 dilution. So, the salt added for the tropical fish sure won't hurt them. I may even set up an aquarium with about half dilution of aquarium sea salt for some puffers or something, and try growing some tomatoes in this light sea salt aquarium water.
I think that both sides of the above are right... Yes, you can grow aquaponically, yes you can raise fish there... but it will be touch and go and lots of adjustments, hard to get the balance of fish to plant ratio just right. But, you should not try this with a beautiful, lush super aquarium set up. That system is already balanced. Your garden plants would deplete it quickly... but you could use the water that you must remove in water changes anyhow, from them to add to the one set up as an aquaponic grow system.
Just my 2 cents worth, and what I plan to attempt in 2010. Oh my it is 2010.. oh my, I need to start that in a few weeks...
Oops, I didn't find an edit button.
I am setting up an ebb and flow system. Water will be pumped to the plant growing areas that are above the aquarium, and there is holes in the bottom of the growing trays, so the water will be draining back into the aquarium... this would make a lovely aquarium very cloudy at first. And you do need to wash all really prior to first use, to remove sediment etc. It will be set up on a timer, and not constantly with the plant roots in water. I found a similar set up on you tube. Of course, I will set mine up in the space, that I have and "do it my way".
I plan to start garden transplants, like tomatoes, peppers, tobacco, maybe even some cool season plants, but normally they don't need to be started inside for me... but it would give me a jump on the season. I do not intend to grow foods for raw consumption, straight from the set up.. Not due to any concerns, just I don't need to use it for that. My season is plenty long enough for that, I just want my own seedlings of heirloom plants and not the supermarket offerings for my garden.
Ozark Lady wrote:Would I try it with a luxury set up of plants and Co2 system... no way.
I think that one of the hardiest fish of all is a South American Cichlid... perhaps even an oscar
Oscars are Chiclids, but I disagree with the hardiest fish comment. Although Cichlids are very hardy, and do love dirty water, they do die very easily. Just ask my dad, and the numerous Cichlids he's had over the years(All he buys are Oscars). I'd take an African Cichlid over a South American one anyways. But like I said, they love dirty water but unless you pump in a decent amount of woxygen, check it weekly for disease and do water changes weekly, they die easily. Meanwhile, the one Plecostomus that shared the tank with them, still keeps growing and growing and growing. Those, are hard to kill, and absolutely love Cichlid waste(my dad never fed it!).
