Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I don't recall the size, but you need to make sure you get a pump that is able to have flow up to that height. For example, if the pump specs say max head-5' that's how high it can pump and then nothing will come out. If you're towers are going to be 6' tall, you want a pump that has at least 10' of head. The flow should be a slight stream into each tower. They don't need a lot...just enough to keep it damp.

Ok thanks, that makes sense.

Having some fun this year growing a few odd things in the rafts.

I tried the growgrips with celery, I don't think I'd ever seen them so flattened against the walls of the raft. Was almost a complete circle flattened.

The basil also seems to get a little heavy for them and they fall in, but by that stage, there are enough branches shooting out to keep it at bay.

They're really designed for the leafy lettuce.

They work quite well for that.

As long as you're stringing them up, the tomatoes work well with them too.

Colum, did your celery recover & stand up, or did it stay flat? I have some in the growgrips at the moment that are exactly as you describe.
I didn't want to put them in the GBs as previously celery was very invasive.

I have been using growgrips to start off strawberry runners. I have found that they work best if initially the leaves are supported out of the water & the base of the plant is submerged - I had them too high in the growgrip & the growing roots invaded the growgrip causing damage.

They seemed to hold up to the weight, and when they got big enough, the base of the plant was too big to fall thought. I probably wouldn't use them again for it though, the net pots seems to work better for it.

The roots in the DWC were huge though, I had to cut them from the water outlets a few times.

If you need some net pots, let me know, I bought them in bulk, and have more than I'm likely to ever use.

Hey Rob, is there any particular reason that you choose to use koi for your fish? I've been going nuts trying to figure out what type of fish to use.

(if I recall correctly from his earlier vids) It's because he doesn't really like to eat fish, so he got goldfish/koi because they are hardy and pretty hard to kill.

Yup, that's the reason!

Ok, thanks guys! I think I'm going to do the same. I have a similar climate to you Rob, so I like the idea of them being hardy, and hard to kill.

hard to kill, but not impossible. LOL

lol so true! I saw your video on the "smoke out". That must have really sucked. I'm glad that you are back up and running again.

I'm going to be building a rocket mass heater this year, in hopes that I can run all winter. I'm a little further north then you are, but my GH is a whole lot smaller.


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Yeah, that smoke out was hard to predict; just painful. Last season was my last for aquaponics because I couldn't afford supplemental heat for my FT; all my bluegill and catfish would die one by one over winter but I never lost of any of the goldfish.