Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I'm casey, I live in Minnesota with my wife and four children. I've been learning about aquaponics for a while now and decided to get started. I'm in the middle of the process finishing my growbed, 8'x3'x1', 3/4 ply and pondliner. I'll be picking up a 100 gal. polly livestalk trough soon, and about 20 more bags of lava rock and pebbles, (will that be a good media if i rince it first?) and about a dozen minnows. I'm going to get an old filter and some aquarium water from my dad for a biological starter. Can i rince the rocks with tap water, can I use tap water to fill my tank if I let it rest a day or two before I add the bio starter? does flouride dissipate the same as chlorine? My pump is 330 gph, but I'm worried that my growbed will drain my tank too low before the bell syphon kicks in, How much of the water will be displaced by the lava rock? Sorry 'bout all the questions, but I appreciate any help. Looken forward to some fun gardening with you all.
peace/shalom

Hi Casey. Welcome to the forum (Can I do that not being an administrator?)

As you have been waiting a little while I will try to answer and sit back and listen to the howls of rage from the more experienced readers.

Lava rock and pebbles (provided they are ph neutral) make great grow bed material if a bit harsh on your hands. Me, I am a wimp, and use the expanded clay.

You can certainly rinse your lava rock and pebbles in tap water. Here in Perth the water is both chlorinated and fluoridated and have experienced no issues in cleaning my grow bed material, filling up the system nor topping up the system with scheme water. Provided you wait a couple of days before introducing your bio starter all the chlorine will have off gassed or been used up in random oxidation. What happens to the fluoride I do not know, perhaps the fish get brighter teeth.

As to the amount of water that it will take to fill your growbed when it is fulled with the lava and pebbles, I recall reading 60%. ie a 100 gal grow bed will use 60 gal of water. I am sure I am wrong on this but by posting it here some do gooder will get so agrivated with the incorrect information that they will be forced to write a correction.

Enjoy the experience and leave room for expansion.

Jeff

Welcome Casey...

Hi

Hello Casey.
I am also a newbie but think that the proportion of water displaced by your growing medium is around the other way to what was mentioned, ie ~60% medium, 40% water. This will vary in accordance with the type of medium used, its average diameter/size and how well it packs together.

Peter

Absolutely !