Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hey guys. I'm Lippy and I live in Wisconsin USA so unfortunately all my aquaponic adventures will have to be indoors. (At least until I can move to some place that doesn't suck as bad as Wisconsin!) Anyway, I know I'm not technically the "backyard" aquaponist but I was hoping it would be OK that I ask for advice here because it looks like there are a ton of knowledgeable people here! So, my interest in aquaponics was recently sparked by my early civilization class. Our professor focuses his lectures around "sustainability" of the human race. As you may have guessed, after looking around on the net for sustainability topics I came across aquaponics and immediately became fascinated! So I started reading and reading and reading and finally decided to start my own, small scale, indoor system. I currently have a 29 gallon tank with 8 small gold fish in it. I germinated some lettuce and cabbage seeds and planted them in my grow bed (actually just put the seedlings in last night so hopefully I'll see them popping up in a few days). My grow bed consists of rubber maid container filled with pea gravel. I use a flood and drain system on a 30 minute flood and 1 hour drain.

(Having trouble getting it to post my pictures. Hoping to get them up ASAP)

I was also curious about how high I should flood during the flood stage? I have 150 mm of pea gravel and I'm currently filling it to 130 mm of the medium. Just wondering if I should be filling it to the top? or lower? or what? Any advice or criticism would be greatly appreciated! I am truly amazed at all of your outdoor systems!

Welcome welcome There is no escape now, this addiction has got you! And you are not the first or only person to do aquaponics indoors. All aquaponics is welcome here.

An inch or a couple of cm below the surface of the gravel is the right height to flood the bed.

Do you have any experience with fish keeping? Do you have a test kit?

Tie that tubing to the 2x4 next to the grow bed so you don't risk it falling down and pumping all the water onto your floor instead of into the growbed.

Welcome again

Yay someone commented! I am quickly realizing that aquaponics could easily become an addiction! I don't currently have a test kit. Is that something I could purchase at Wal-Mart? I've read about the importance of monitoring the pH but I haven't got the kit yet.

As for the tube, I just had it sitting there for the picture. Once I started cycling the water I had duct taped to the the side so I don't wake up to a wet floor

I've had fish before but was a complete novice so I didn't do too well. So the levels I need to watch are pH, ammonia, and nitrates?

Welcome Lippy... a test kit is essential when first starting a system... most of us use the API Freshwater Master Test Kit...

I'm sure the US members can point you to a source....

I highly recommend reading the Basic Information and Useful Information sections of the forum pretty completely, they are not so long. Should help you understand the nitrogen cycle and how bacteria help support the fish and plants.

Then yes a test kit is something you should get though I don't know if wal-mart would have a good one.
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/199591/product.web
ouch, The price is up a bit now though.
You want to test pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, and sometimes nitrate, temperature is also a good one to note though indoors it might not be as critical. These kits use test tubes and drops and are more accurate than test strips.

Do you have an air pump and and air stone going in your aquarium, If not, I strongly recommend adding those.

Alright. I see I have much more reading to do! Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I have an air pump aerating the water and as the water drains from the flood bed it also helps aerate. As far as that kit, how many tests can you do with one kit? 22 bux wouldn't be bad if you get quite a few tests out of it. If you only get one that would be pretty steep! Thanks again for the input. Heading to the basics section .

That kit should last you a while.

I'm on my 3rd kit and I've been testing as many as 4 systems at a time over the past year and a half +. And I have done extra testing at times, like two or three times in a day when running some of my crazy experiments. Most people only test daily as they cycle up a new system. Then for the first several months after cycling they might test weekly or so. After that most people will only test monthly or whenever something seems not quite right or when the increase fish load. Also, certain tests will likely run out faster than others. You can get replacements for each individual test when needed. You can also probably find these kits and individual tests at a local aquarium shop but their prices are probably a little higher than the mail order company.

I recently bought a test kit but Petsmart and others will test your water for free on an unlimited bassis. If you have any of those stores it will really stretch the life of your kit.. when you start testing it will also give you confirmation that you are reading the color correctly.

Could also be handy until your test kit arrives, but only if you are likely to be driving by one of those stores daily with that morning's jar of system water.

Welcome!

Walmart has one. See link below.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product. ... ductDetail

Cheers,
KM

Excellent! Thanks knowmore. Heading down to Wal-Mart to pick up a test kit.

Here's my first test results for my system.

Ammonia = .25
pH = 7.2
nitrite = 0
nitrate = 0
alkalinity = 120

Had my first scare today. My wife called me at work and was freaking out because my grow bed was about to overflow! Figured there must be some blockage building up on my draining system so I had her unplug it. When I got home I fiddled with the drain and cleared it off so I'm thinking I should be back to normal.

One question I have is, it would be better for me to leave the light on the plants 24 hours a day right? I've had it on the same timer as I do for the light for my fish, but I'm thinking of leaving it on 24/7. Any thoughts?

Best way to keep the gravel out of the drain is to put a guard around it. You can glue in a stand pipe larger in diameter than the drain and over it - tall enough to be above the gravel with holes punhed / drilled into it for the water to pass thru.
Lights: 16-18 hours for the should do the trick. Specially for Cabbage and lettuce that you have planted.. Fish do not need 24/7 light either. There is a thread going around on that somewhere. Also search for indoor systems.