Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I've technically done aquaponics before since I've run planted tanks, but anyway, here goes my first attempt at a real system.

My 55g is a bit overstocked with discus, geophagus tapajos, and some tetras, and overfiltered with a Fluval FX5. I plan on moving the geos in the next few months.

My plan is to build a shelf straddling the current stand that will hold the media bed(s), with a sliding drawer built in, and hanging some LEDs from the ceiling.

I don't want to retire the FX5 until I have enough plants, so I'm planning to use a spare Eheim 2217 to run the water up to the media bed right on top of the tank, with just a basic standpipe draining directly back to the tank.

Are there any problems with this idea? My concern is that, if I want a flood/drain system, won't the water level in the tank fluctuate?

Also, is using Prime to condition the water only harmful if I'm eating the fish? Or would it be best to get the chlorine out naturally for top-offs even if I'm just eating the vegetables?

[img][IMG]http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu355/ayhamnahhas/20160510_133501_resized.jpg~original[/img][/img]

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Natural is clearly best..

Hobby Aquarium chemicals have no place in producing food..

The likely biggest issue is devising a means of getting sufficient sunlight to the plants ..

Its a good start to what becomes an obsession..
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After shopping for materials for my setup, I realized I might have to modify my plan. I decided against LED lights due to the extremely high startup cost for my first system. I bought wood to build my shelf and two large mixing tubs (2ft x 3ft each) for grow beds, giving me 12 square feet. However, I realized HO T5s only seem to come in 4ft lengths.

Any recommendations for grow beds that would only be 2ftx2ft? Or is there a better way to light the area?
I'm assuming a 4ft fixture would not be enough, but could I use it and put plants with lower requirements on the outside, like lettuce?

Ok, so I finally finished constructing the stand for the growbeds, drilled the drains, and rinsed the Growstones, but I just realized something. I followed the hydroponics store guy's advice and bought these drains with extensions, but I'm seeing now that these will allow only for constant flood since the water won't drain until it's way at the top.

I want to do flood and drain, so if I take a few extenders out and keep it, say at 4" instead of 8 (Below the media), will it get clogged up? Should I just put a PVC pipe around it and drill some holes to be safe? I don't want to mess with siphons, just have my pump on a timer.

I also moved my south american cichlids to my larger office tank and re-stocked with African Cichlids since they are better suited for overstocked conditions.

So it's been 2 weeks since I finished building my project and planted my seeds. I decided that the top part of my stand that holds the lights had to be separate so I could easily remove it if need be, so I used bed frame brackets to attach it to the rest of the stand, and I have to say it worked pretty well.



I also decided to keep one tray as an ebb and flow and the other as constant flood to reduce water fluctuation in my main FT since I don't have a sump. I planted my seeds in the constant flood tray: tomatoes, lettuce, swiss chard, peppers, and spinach. I had two tomato plants, one spinach, 3 swiss chard, and a ton of lettuce sprout and things seemed good the first few days...

But after the first week or so of growth, it seems like things have totally slowed down and most of my lettuce is yellowish. The swiss chard plants are the only ones that are flourishing.

I thought my 15 small fish might not be sufficient to provide nutrients for the plant beds, but I do have 80ppm of nitrates, so I doubt that is it. As far as lighting, I have 8-bulb T5 grow lights about 10" from my plants. Any tips?

I also noticed that there appears to be algae all over my growstones, is this normal?


My guess is that there is not enough flow from my canister filter. It is an Eheim 2213 (no media) which has a maximum flow rate of 116 gph and is pumping the water up 4ft. I have a spare Fluval FX6 but I'd have to re-do all the tubing to use it instead of the Eheim.