Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi Guys,

Was just wondering, is there any difference to the plants that one can grow between the 2 methods for media filled grow beds? Constant Flow and Flow and Drain.

If there is a difference, what are the plants that you guys have tried and manage to get them to bloom?

Regards

Not too much difference between different styles of systems but you can decide for yourself after reading through this..

viewtopic.php?f=51&t=8621&hilit=trial%2A

Thanks Charlie,

Very informative, was wondering about root vegetables too, won't constant flooded be too much for them to handle?

Ive grown plenty of carrots and radishes in my CF beds. Im yet to find something that doesnt grow well in a CF system

I'll have to admit... carrots have probably been my only real failure in aquaponics...

Charlie do you aerate your grow beds in the CF( ie air stones or such) or do you have a good distance between the supply pipes and the GB to help with that? From that experiment that EB did the only thing that I can see is that with CF DO to the grow beds would needed to have been higher. But since it was a exact experiment you couldn't give it more DO just to help it out.

Virtually noboy aerates the grow beds directly... other than iin DWC raft systems.. and that's more a requirement due to length....

And the BYAP trials... were identical systems.... the CF system was not aerated any more than the others....

As long as there is sufficient aeration in the system.... there isn't a need to aerate the grow beds... regardless of configuration... (other than long rafts)

I currently have some beetroots that are doings we'll in my CF beds, they are about golf ball size ATM after about 6 weeks growing. My beds have the water level about 6-7cm (3") below the surface of the media.

Will

I have had success with onions in CF also.

Yea, I agree with Rupe. Simply, the retuning water from the GB to the FT.. 'splashing' provides more than enough aeration. Although, it would have been great if the trial included DO readings between the systems so we all had a bit better idea what levels were throughout the year.

I dont aerate the GB but I do have 3 forms of aeration in my FT. Firstly is the splashing water retuning from the beds, second is a Hailea ACO-318 70L/m and lastly I have a 2000L/H pond pump with a elbow connected to the outlet so that it swirls the fish tank water and I also drilled a hole in the back of it and fed an air line into it so it draws air through like a venturi.

Its a massive overkill but it gives me piece of mind when my FT temps reach 36 deg. They are all back ups fro each other too I suppose. I never had too much faith in the piston pump so thats when I decided to turn the 'swirling' pump into a venturi aerator as well. The piston pump has run perfectly for over a year now so Im quite happy with that, even through summer it didnt stop or burn out. When my raft bed is up and running the piston pump will be providing aeration for that.

I grew carrots but they were a bit retarded looking.

Yes I have grown carrots too but they had a less than ideal shape

BW published about this: http://120thingsin20years.blogspot.fr/s ... el/carrots