Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

LOL, gonna get our own language here.

Just a quick pic to document how things are going. The mint has pretty much taken over the top tank. I have had to replace the fishing leader when the old one broke. Cleaned out most of what was in the lower beds but the tomatoes are wandering all over the place.

Quick FYI, pee ponics still functioning just fine.

TC, have to say that I'm continually amazed and inspired by your work ethic and attitude to AP.

You've combined so many admirable traits:
- trust in your ideas and implement without needless nitpicking
- think through options and do things right first time
- following up with continual dedication (I'm impressed that you're still running the peeponics; many would have dismissed it as a proof of concept now proved and no longer necessary)
- provide advice and experience to others
- document and keep learning from yourself and others
- stay humble and be prepared to be wrong.

"flattered"
Thank you. I must admit that for a short time there were a few fish lodged in the pee ponic system after I got the tilapia and they were still in quarantine from the other fish. I must say that the barrel ponic fish tank was difficult to see into to check on the fish. That is probably a big reason I haven't put it into service for fish really.

However, I think a test of a pee ponic system should run for several seasons since we all know that a real test of an aquaponic system should really run for several seasons to get it's full maturity.

I will note here that the Pee ponic system has needed the same supplementation of Iron and potassium that the main system has needed though if I replaced the shells in the top tank with something else, that might change.

Pee Ponics is being temporarily hijacked for some other experiments.
There are now three tilapia in the tank and I will be seeing how they respond to a grow bed filled with wood chips hooked to the system.

This experiment is for a couple of reasons.
1-I have been told not to use wood mulch in a system with fish but when I asked what was bad about it, the only answers I got were that cypress pine would be bad for plant growth. I've done a little searching on the subject and I know that some woods contain resins that could be bad for the fish. Hardwoods would be safer for the fish. I do know from experience that cypress mulch does not inhibit plant growth since I have used it as a hydroponic medium. I have also used our run of the mill random wood chip mulch as hydroponic growing medium. I will run some wood chips in this system and report back how the fish respond.

2-I expect that wood chips will have an acidifying effect on the system. I have too many shells in my systems and would like to see if there is a reasonable way to bring my system pH down closer to 7-7.4 rather than the 7.6 and up I currently have.

If the wood chips turn out to be safe for the fish and can help bring the pH of the system down just a little bit, I might try using them in moderation to grow things like sweet potatoes.

Expected drawbacks of the wood chips, they will rot and need to be replaced regularly. This could also be thought of as a benefit since the rotted wood chip muck out of a half barrel will likely make really nice compost and soil amendment. Wood chips will stay really wet so only certain plants will want to grow in them. They are pretty coarse so probably not well suited to much direct seeding or tender small seedlings. Wood chips will tend to tint the water a tea color but the maxicrop does that too. The fish don't seem to mind a bit of black water so I guess I shouldn't either.

Anyway, we will see how it goes and I'll let everyone know.
My basic wood chip mulch (free from local tree trimming companies when they are chipping in the neighborhood and need to dump) is mostly live oak (and other similar southern oak varieties) along with some palm, palmetto, occasionally some other trees mixed in. Leaves and fronds shredded too. If there is a section of pine in there, it is usually easy to avoid as the pine needles mark those piles pretty well.

Here is the link to the thread where I will be posting about the wood chips as media trials since it isn't really pee ponics and simply hijacking the system for a time.
http://backyardaquaponics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=4089



we will return to the pee ponics experiments at a later date once we see how fish and plants respond to wood chips as media for a while.

Oooh, good experiment. I have access to lots of woodchips, too. Are you worried at all about pesticides/herbicides that might have been on the trees?

The pee ponic system had been returned to pee ponic for a while. It still has wood chips in the one bed. The sweet potato vine has produced some potatoes even though the weather cooled off quite a bit for sweet potatoes.

The onions and garlic seem to be doing well. The mint in the top bed has come back very well with cool weather. There is still an original basil plant surviving along with one strawberry plant.

Water is still a rather dark color from the wood chips.

I know I haven't updated this thread much. I guess that is simply because this system requires very little attention. It can often be left quite a while without dosing and since there are no fish in it, there is little harm if it has to cycle up again when dosing is started back up. Truth is, very little pee is needed to keep the nitrates up for such a small system.


So!!!!!! The system is gonna expand!
I have plans to move the original barrel pee ponic system to a location where I can hook it up to a duckweed pond.
So hopefully I will be able to report on pee ponic duckweed growing in the next several months. I have chickens and tilapia that would both appreciate the duckweed I think.

Cool, do it!

Will do, have already started the frame for the duckweed pond. But project might stall a bit here as I seem to have come down with the flu or at least a bad cold. Hopefully I can get over the illness before we leave town for a week on a job. The move of pee ponics will have to wait till we get back the end of the month.

Check for strep - my little boy has that right now, lots of fever. I got strep when I was ten and it migrated to my kidneys. If your pee turns brown go to the doctor, and don't use it in the peeponics system!

I've got an isolated duckweed barrel with an air stone in it. When the duckweed slows I add a little humonia and it keeps going. Top up with AP water when the level gets too low. Wonder if it could be set up to process a lot of waste. Add some gravel and an airlift pump to keep the water moving. Even if the duckweed was used as mulch.

I'm experienced with strep, luckily this isn't that. This is more like and allergy induced head cold.
Anyway, haven't been bottling the pee this week in any case. My brother had strep get to his kidneys once when he was younger.

So, here are some pics of construction of the duckweed pond area.