Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I just finished cleaning out the tank for the first time this weekend. I left the growbed on and used a long brush...holy crud I was not prepared for the amount of scrubbing. Anyway I got it done and reconditioned the water over a few days and am ready to show off my system!


Here it is in my greenhouse. My greenhouse was made out of free stuff from craigslist, so its nothing fancy but its great. It used to be wrapped in plastic but that was a bad idea with the scorching San Diego sun. I have an old sheet covering the tank to control the algae. Again, not worried about aesthetics here. You can see my solar inverter on the bottom left of the photo.


Here is a better view of my growbed. I just took out all the old plants that were in there and am starting fresh. I have some new cucumber plants in the corner so far. I am also experimenting with a duckweed growing section to make my system self sufficient. I used a plastic pot with holes on the bottom so the water can circulate. The other container with duckweed is just temporarily placed there.


A closeup of my faucet which fills the growbed. You can see my valve to control the flow. BTW I am using Growstones as my medium.


Here is my new aeration system. I added a section of PVC to the hose which is suspended under the growbed. There are small holes in the pipe which spray down into the water.



I hung my net under the bed as well for 2 purposes. first to keep it handy, and second as a debris catcher. You can also see my golden tilapia here.


A photo of my solar panels. The system automatically turns on when it has enough power in the morning and will run until a few hours after the sun goes down. The water has sufficient aeration to last the night, and the growstones maintain enough moisture to keep the roots wet.


Another look at my duckweed growing pot. I am still unsure about keeping this. I have to see if it is going to create too much muck in the water.


I am planning to create a video about my system and post it on my new blog (http://www.getnativ.com) as well as youtube. If you guys have any feedback or suggestions I would love to hear it.

Thanks!

Diego

Hi G.N.
Can you tell us a bit more about your solar set up.

I personally would put another 2-3 inches of media into that GB if nothing else it will increase your filtration capacity. (just a thought)