Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I am officially in the process of setting up my indoor system. Recently I had rehung curtains by my patio door to allow space for the system between the window and and said curtains.


Today I purchased a 50 liter bag of Hydroton.

It was only $30 locally, so I am pretty stoked! It's size is not as consistent as I thought it would be, but I am really not worried. I put it into a mesh laundry bag to hose it off.

I then put the entire bag into my fishtank to try something new, I am calling it "Precycling." The idea is that the bacteria will colonize it early, that way the new system will cycle much faster. We shall see how it goes.

Looks like a good idea.

Ron I like the Precycling idea

You can never have enough AP systems.

So, things to do. First, there is no outlet where I intend to place the system. So I picked up a GFCI outlet, some 14/3 romex, amd a couple of old work electrical boxes. There just so happens to be an outlet in Miss Maggi's room right above where I need an outlet. So installing that is a priority. Next, there are some relatively inexpensive 5 tiered plastic shelves at Home Despot. The very top will be unused, the next two to the top will each get a mortar mixing tub for grow beds. Under that I am going to set up a wicking mat to propagate seeds on. Under that I am going to use a 27 gallon tote for my nursery tank. To keep it simple, I am going to run it constant flood. I also intend to pick up a white roller blind to put between the system and the dark colored curtains. They have inexpensive vinyl coated ones at Ikea. Hopefully I will not need supplemental lighting.

On my first indoor system i had it up against a window that got morning sun every day. During summer it was enough to keep the plants alive, winter not so much.

I hope you dont need supplemental light, but plan for it anyway. At least power wise.

What kind of fish are you going to use? Im sure Miss Maggi would love a tropical tank

It is for the tilapia fry.

Looking forward to the progress, Ron. Sure it's going to be nice.

Got some progress done. Pictures will follow when I can take some.

Here is an over all shot. Miss Maggi's attention is split between Fantasia and the system.

Here you can see a closer view of the fish tank and the seed propagation area. My first attempt to make the capillary mat work was a fail. I tried to cut a slit in the top if the PVC and stick the matting in the slit. It dripped too much, so I tried a larger size. It too dripped too much. So I picked up a dog crate liner from a pet store, and I have the water flow into it, then it drains into the fish tank below. My first attempt with the drain involved a uniseal. It was too high, so I removed it and used a heat gun to push a larger piece of PVC through the hole. The resulting hole is snug enough to just leave the PVC in it. It drops below the water level in the fish tank to help keep the noise down. The water coming out of it is full of bubbles, so I am not worried about aeration. The styrofoam is resting on the tray. It is 20" x 30" so I will be able to fit 6 seed starting trays. That is when I get enough cap mat to cover it.

I transplanted some basil from outside. It is starting to get too cold for it, so I thought I would give it a home inside.

This is how it looks from outside.

It might not be a bad idea to move my system to the the sliding door like you have (east facing door). Just don't want neighbors thinking I'm growing "Stuff" because sometimes I get these weird looks when I try to explain aquaponics to those that have not herd about it.

Right now it is just mint and a maple tree in my growbed.

If you were growing "stuff" you would not put it where everyone could see.

In the interest of remaining scientific about the Precycling idea, I measured the ammo, ites, and ph. Glad I did because the ph was low. I filled the system with water from the outdoor system. It needed a top up anyway, so I poured a couple pitchers of my high ph tap water in.
Ph before 6.0
Ph after 6.4
Ammonia .5
Nitrites 5.0
The nitrites look off the chart. Mrs. Maggi fed the fish once without asking first... I told her since that the fish are on a little diet. I should mention that I have 4 tilapia in the tank. One largish male and three smaller I assume females. It is not easy to identify the sex.

Took parameters again last night. All is the same except the nitrites look slightly lower than 5.0. At least it did not turn purple as fast...

The lettuce in the seed tray have peeked through. Man do they sprout fast. They will be put in the hydroton when I see some true leaves. Then they will be brought outside for their final grow out. I also put some tomato cuttings into the hydroton, along with two celery hearts. Hopefully they will take root, then outside they will go.

Keep an eye on the shelves. I have the same ones in my garage and they sag and twist under very little weight. I would hate to hear of you coming home from work to find your system strewn about your living room.