Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi!
I was wondering if anyone would be able to give me some tips, I saw chookshits small set up over the tank and thought I could do the same sort of thing. The only thing is that my tanks have a cover built over the top, (there would be plenty of room for the pipes to sit on top of the tanks and still be well below the light) but would the lights for the fishtanks be enough for the plants?

Do you just pump the water in at one end of the PVC and let it drain out the other end?

I was thinking of having herbs in the holes in the PVC.

If I'm thinking all wrong could someone tell me, LOL

Thanks!

Pumping the water in one end of the pipes and other the other is fine Fraggle...

Not sure as to your question regarding light... given that you'll be doing things indoors... then light to the plants in the pipes will be an issue...

There is a thread in here by one of the US members that has done something very similar to what you're proposing to do... but with horizontal pipes by a window...

Jay (I think) does a similar thing with vertical towers.... and Hawiaannewbie has an indoor classroom setup that is similar... and highlights some of the problems...

(I'll find them for you)....

Here's "Jay's" system ... viewtopic.php?f=18&t=1348

Although the pictures don't seem to be hosted any more... try here ... http://brainright.com/projects/aquaponics.aspx

And here's another idea... viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1283

Still can't find the one I was thinking of... was it Gotfish???

Here's the classroom system ... viewtopic.php?f=18&t=4119

Thanks Rupert!

I kind of thought that if I got tubes in the lights specifically for growing the aquarium plants that they should be enough for the other plants too!

Now another question, do you have the water running through the pipe constantly, or on a cycle? And if on a cycle, how often and for how long? Do you just have it on til it fills up then it turns off to drain out (you wouldn't be able to have a siphon setup, so the "out" tube would just be just a little bit smaller so that it takes a while for the water to drain away or something I take it?)

Thanks heaps!

There are two ways to AP: continuous or cycle. How much is really up to you and the system... how big is it? how much sun/light does it get? how much can you spend on the electricity? etc etc.
The idea to leave it on till it fills and then turn off the pump is called "Flood and Drain" Cycle around here. Yes you could use that.

A rule of the thumb on AP is that the bacteria that converts the fish crap needs to have at least 20% of the time some kind of air exposure otherwise you'll only get bad bacteria growing in there. But other than that, there is no real conclusion as to whether more cycles or continuous run is better. Its mostly trial and error.

And apparently the bigger pipes you use, the better chances your system will last.

Fraggle

What sized tank and what sort of bio filter are you currently running? Can you take a pic of the current setup as I very much doubt you could grow between the top of the water and lid.

I have 2 four foot tanks which both have cannister filters on them. They are built in either side of a fire place

The "hood" isn't actually a hood as such, we built shelves above the fish tanks and hung a door on the shelf, there is about 50cm between the top of the tank and the bottom of the shelf where the light is mounted

It doesn't get any sunlight, it would get light from the fish tank lights, so it's not going to cost me any extra to run as the lights are on anyway, the only on going cost would be the minute amount for the little pump to pump the water up to the PVC.

I was thinking I would just mount the PVC on to struts from the bottom of the shelf so that it sits on top of the fishtank, but no weight on the glass, it would be supported by the struts. That way I can also take it down if I have to get into the fish tank for any reason too. (which hopefully I won't have to get into it as much with the plants eating the nitrates!!! Yay!)

Bugger just tried to look at the pic in larger detail and it offed all I had written, hate that. Ok shortened version:-
Use nft resting on the ft (see Rupes hydro) no probs at 4'.
Take some of the water from the cannister filters to do it.
Off the aquatic plants and replace them with plastic, to look good
Forget Flood and drain.
Can you let me know the specs on the fluro's, at that distance they must have been either over powered or doing very little.

Sorry if I sound stroppy, has a pisser of a day.

No probs Sleepe!

I don't actually have any live plants, I have silver dollars in one tank that will eat ANYTHING that is even remotely plant like, they polish off lettuce leaves, spinach, cucumber, zucchini, apple, pumkin, peas, banana (hey these guys eat nearly better than I do! LOL), and an Oscar in the other who just destroys all plants, so I have silk ones in there, just for asthetics.

As for the fluros, They are just standard 2' house fluros ATM (hubby only built me the shelves about a month ago, and coming up to Christmas didn't have enough to get the proper lights straight away), I've got 2 3' ones of these on order. (not sure when they arrive, they haven't got back to me yet)
http://www.aquathrive.com.au/product_in ... ducts_id=5

I'm not that good when it comes to putting up pictures, I'll see if I can put it in bigger

I was going to get the tubes for the lights specifically for plants.

Actually just reconfiguring some NFT above my hospital tank.... (excuse the pics... taken a few minutes ago with the flash) ...





OR you could just float some polystyrene on top, with holes for net pots... only thing is a lot of fish like to nibble on the plant roots...


.

and the polystyrene

Hi Fraggles, more civilised today

Perhaps the way to go would be to start with just one run of nft trays at the back of the tanks (running lengthways) This should still allow you access to the ft's.

Take a feed from the cannister filters, I assume they currently run to spraybars into the trays and along and just dump with a pipe back to the ft at the other end. Trick bit to start with is making sure you have an even thin flow along the bottoms of the trays. I have used gutter guard (thin black plastic mesh) before, sort of stops it running in trickles. Depends on the media used but you may have to water the plants from the top until they get their roots out.

Those lights say cool/blue so they should be fairly high kelvin, which will be good for growing leafy vegies. The lights should be over the plants and fairly close and be able to be raised as the plants grow, most people use chains and little hooks. It would be good if the inside of the hood could be painted with flat, brilliant white paint as its a good reflector.

You may get some algae in the tank before the plants can start pulling the nitrates so a few small lettuces (from a nursery) in a couple of the pots should give you a good start as they are fast growers.

Have had plastic plants in aquariums before Goldies would eat anything and I gave up with real plants in the same tank.

Looks like your hubby is good at making things, very neat

I have some lettuce growing in little yogurt cups filled with perlite or gravel that are sitting in holes cut in 3" pvc pipe. To get moisture up to the top of the cup and the lettuce seed, I use rayon mop strings as wicks. This makes getting the seeds started pretty easy as I don't need to remember to top water them. It also allows me to avoid the matting for the bottom of the pipe (using round pipe instead of flat gutters) The mop strings (wicks) hang down out of holes in the bottom of my net pots (yogurt cups) into the flow of water in the pipe. The rayon mop strings are the bright white mop head, avoid the cotton mops as they don't wick water very high up and they rot away quicker.

As to the lighting, you will be limited by the small space you have and the lights to rather compact green leafy plants. If you notice seedlings getting really leggy (scrawny and tall) it is a sign that there isn't enough light for them. Florescent lights need to be really really close to the plants to work (an inch or so from the leaves so you have to keep moving the light up as the plants grow and the smaller plants tend to suffer as you raise the lights to keep from burning the leaves of the larger plants.)

You should be able to grow something though it might be an effort to grow enough to avoid all water changes.

Good luck, hope to see pictures soon!

Thanks guys!

I'll see if I can get stuck into it this weekend.

The only problem I have with having stuff actually sitting in the fish tank, is keeping a lid on the tank. Some of my fish (and I have an eel in there too who is a real escape artist) are prone to jumping if they get a fright (which when my kids tap on the glass or throw balls inside and they hit the glass it happens, usually a couple of times a day) and I don't want them to jump out.