Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi! Im new here and new to Aquaponics in general. I live in Makati Philippines. This is currently my system and I wanted to ask some advice.

TANK:
I have a 20Gal (high) tank and 16x12 inches.

GROW BED:
I have a plastic container about the same width and length of my tank it's around 5" tall. I dont have a Drill (cz it's expensive for me and I know i might not use it a lot) so I burned a hole with a tealight candle and used a screwdriver to sculpt it to a perfect circle. Well it worked, I used a regular hose for the drain and I used a plastic bottle as a bell siphon, which turns to an Affnan siphon at times. The Growbed is seated in a wood frame thing I created (first time I did this kind of thing, it's pretty sturdy)

MEDIA:
I filled it with Pea gravel (like the ones u buy for construction), i rinsed it very well. It looks nice actually kinda like a river or beach with water going in and out.

FISH:
I currently have a pair of convicts that has been cycling the tank for a year haha they breed a lot but not enough so imma buy some goldfish soon. but I think there's enough bacteria stuff in there since it's a mature tank and I do have aquatic plants growing in there (no carbon whatsover)

PLANTS:
Im pretty ambitious I wanted kale! because I have a home gym and I want some greens I can pick anytime. But Im not sure given my Tropical climate here. So For now I will go with Bok Choy and/or Spinach and I will try to plant a few kale there (the seeds i purchased has purple leaves cz it's d only thing available here). I have them germinated, just waiting for them to grow tall enough.

Okay so my questions:

Siphon: My bell siphon works okay but the flood and drain cycle is super fast. I just have the smallest pump (idk how strong it is because i purchased it a long time ago, dont have box) but it fills the grow bed within a minute or less which the bell drains within like 10 secs. Timer thing seems expensive for me. Another problem is it sometimes becomes an Affnan siphon where the water level gets stuck in a certain level and d bell siphons it out continuously. Sometimes after 5 mins it goes back to bell siphon mode and stays like that. Then when it's all quiet again it means it's an affnan. Sounds funny I know LOL but yea idk if it's gonna be a real problem. It goes back to bell siphon mode too if i manually turn off the pump. Any advice on this?

Lighting: I just rent a room in a building so no terrace whatsoever only a window with not enough sunlight but it gets warm. Anyway, I think T5 light would be the perfect size for my system and I do intend to DIY this too. But how many T5 lights do I need? I see in the internet they do 4? do I really need 4 T5s? (but it's expensive) Again the dimension is 16x12 inches.

Worm: This is funny. I found a 4inch worm in a sidewalk and I adopted it like a little kitty. It's doing it's thing in a container with some soil and seedlings. It looks reddish but im not sure if it's an earthworm or a red wriggler. If it's an earthworm will it harm my system if I put him there? (assuming he wont drown LOL).

Plants: I think my Spinach bolted even by planting it in soil, probly cuz of the heat. It's a Chivas F1. Would it make a difference if i put it in my system?
Also, will I be able to grow these purple Kale?

I thnk those are my questions for now. Sorry for the long post. Hope someone replies.

Thanks in advanced!

I'd suggest either going to a Constant Flood system or using Timed Flood and Drain - just avoid the siphon problems rather than try to solve them since you don't need one anyway .

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Can't help much with this but you don't have to have T5 bulbs. Compact fluorescents and Power Compact Fluorescents would also work and might be cheaper. Consider that the upfront cost of better equipment might save on electricity used if you pay the power bill.

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If the worm doesn't like your system it will leave but it's unlikely that it will harm your system.

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Once the spinach has bolted it's too late and moving it won't help.

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Not sure about the kale

Yay. Thank you for replying sir I appreciate your help since everyone I know are either computer people or social people, no one with interest in plants unless it's selfie-worthy. LeL


I'd suggest either going to a Constant Flood system or using Timed Flood and Drain - just avoid the siphon problems rather than try to solve them since you don't need one anyway .

~I was reading a discussion about CF vs FD and I always see them say that FD is better for better oxygination of roots and bacteria. I am actually considering turning it to just CF because well, it's hassle free and I dont have a timer which is definitely not in the 3 hardware stores I checked. And the ones I see online seem expensive. Is there a major difference in plant health for these two?

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Can't help much with this but you don't have to have T5 bulbs. Compact fluorescents and Power Compact Fluorescents would also work and might be cheaper. Consider that the upfront cost of better equipment might save on electricity used if you pay the power bill.

~I checked the prices for T5 LED and I think I can go with this. I just don't know how many lights should I buy for a 12 inch wide grow bed. What would you recommend sir?

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If the worm doesn't like your system it will leave but it's unlikely that it will harm your system.
~I often see it's poop on the surface of the soil so I hope it's the good kind of worm. If I go with CF type, would he be okay with that? I would ask him but I think he's busy LOL

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Once the spinach has bolted it's too late and moving it won't help.
~I was thinking of restarting a fresh batch since I still do have seeds. Would they do better in the aquaponics or will they just suffer the same fate eventually?

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Not sure about the kale [/quote]
~I have the Redbor kind. I'd definitely try this in my system, I hope it will flourish cz it just looks to pretty to not try and make it work.

See the BYAP Trials thread for a comparison of the three types of systems over a one year period (link below).

http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=8621



I'm not sure. I would probably just go with a 4 bulb setup and make sure the LED's emit the right wavelengths for plant growth (that might up the price out of your range if you're on a tight budget).



I'd try it but it's tough to say. Probably all varieties will bolt as the temperature gets higher but If the variety you have bolts there may be other varieties that do better at withstanding heat without bolting.

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Good luck with the Kale

I'm not sure. I would probably just go with a 4 bulb setup and make sure the LED's emit the right wavelengths for plant growth (that might up the price out of your range if you're on a tight budget).

This is one area im lost at. Just a simple question. What is best for indoor aquaponics? Is it the white "Daylight" light or the yellow "warm" light or maybe a combo of both?