Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I'm not too worried about just the 4 towers on the frame on the rubbermaid. it's light enough that one person can move it when no water is in the tank.

The decision was mainly for those people who want an ultra compact system since that seems to be a major motivator for many people. I personally don't think a 100 gallon tank is really big enough to be a long term stand alone outdoor system but there seems to be demand for it so it was easy enough to put together.

For those with more space, I would probably add a 50 gallon tub as a sump next to the fish tank and make it into a CHOP 2 sort of tower system and have constant height in fish tank so the towers wouldn't need to be so high.

Now there are the 3 foot towers available which can hang over the tank on a much smaller frame but then you are really making the system tiny and limited.

As to rot, the frame on the big tower system has PT lumber as the bottom foot and if I were building a big set up that is out in the dirt, I would probably recommend Pressure treated vertical posts sunk in the ground.

I realize this may be off-topic, but I saw your other threads about the Pee Ponics, and the Duckweed Pee Ponics, and just wanted to congratulate you on your awesomeness!

I follow a thread on youtube called Peak Moment, you may be interested in it! They should interview you!

I have the humanure handbook, and am considering all sorts of changes to my lifestyle soon, but I currently live in a small one bedroom condominium apartment, so I would have to sell it, and buy a new house with some acreage or lots of indoor square footage for fish tanks.

Anyways, just spent the last two hours reading two of your threads, and I wanted to suggest that maybe you could write a book about your adventures with the Pee Ponics, and the Duckweed system as well.

One thing, I thought about was maybe with your duckweed system, you could have a buffer zone on the bottom of the tank, with a small layer of gravel (or however much you wanted, doesn't have to be small), but allow for some empty space underneath the gravel, maybe hold it up with a net or something to keep it off the bottom of the tank, and then use a pump or flush apparatus to easily clean underneath the gravel every so often. When I think about this idea, I think about a fireplace or barbecue grill, that holds the food about the charcoal, or holds the wood above the bottom of the fireplace, until it's burnt to ash, then it falls down. Something like that might help your tank? Maybe? not sure.

I am so inspired by your determination to prove, or disprove your own theories about Pee Ponics, that I don't know if I can stand living in this apartment any longer ! LOL

I am a bit experimental myself, as I currently grow wheatgrass on my balcony without soil. I use a simple tray lined with newspaper, and then filled with half completed compost, and newspaper, then topped with fresh fruit rinds (I have an abundance of these rinds almost daily....?) anyways, the wheat grass is doing great, and it didn't cost me anything to provide an adequate soil! (I get the newspapers free from work...I work at a local hotel).

later, and thanks again for your inspring threads,

jeff c

Incidentally, after cycling a system with Pee Ponics, how long before you can use it for fish?

It sounds like you were using Urine in the duckweed pond, with the fish in the pond at the same time, so I'm guessing, whenever you are ready?

just curious,

jeff c

p.s. Of course, it probably depends on a lot of factors....?

I cycle up systems using "humonia" or aged pee regularly or if I wind up with a fishless system for a while I'll dose with humonia to make sure the bacteria are still active.

As to how long after using pee can you add fish, I'd say as soon as you get to the "fishlessly cycled point" and let the ammonia and nitrite fall to 0 after your last dose.
Fishlessly cycled is when you can dose to an ammonia level of 1 and within 24 hours have both ammonia and nitrite fall to 0. So stop dosing with ammonia and check the ammonia and nitrite levels, when they are 0 it's safe for fish. I've gotten to the fishlessly cycled point in about 3-4 weeks before and then do a round of water tests before phoning the fish farm and going to pick up the fish.

The duckweed system and pee ponics system are not running anymore, they became parts of the large system last year. No, I was never actually dosing with pee when there were fish in the system.

I too would like to salute your awesomeness TCL

I love the little 100 gallon tub with the four towers, and the swirl action is ingenious, great for aeration too and pretty to watch.

Well the system appears to be still functioning. It didn't get dosed while I was gone last week but I dosed it the night I got home and then tested the next evening and the ammonia was down to 0 and nitrite was only a trace so the week off doesn't seem to have done too much damage. I'll dose and test a few more days here and then I'll need to decide which fish I want to move into the tank.

Hopefully I can get the rain water catchment and tank hooked up for this system for top up this week. I don't want to run a well water line to it and I have these new Rain Saucers.

TC: do you water your vertical gardens continuosely? Judging from the lush green shown on n8's site the roots get ample air. I have set up some NFT trays for strawberries with expanded clay and net pots. I think I need stop the flow periodically to let the roots get air. Vertical wont work with expanded clay.

Yes the water trickles through the Zipgrow towers continuously but it's just a trickle so there is air getting in there too.

For NFT, only the roots getting to the bottom of the trough should be in the water, most of the net pot, and clay should be above the water level and thus allow for plenty of air. However if your troughs are getting clogged or are bowing, you might have some deep spots that could cause issues. NFT can have issues with long runs getting depleted in dissolved oxygen or the nutrient heating up on it's way through the trough which can cause issues.

I won't comment much on strawberries as I haven't been successful with them in aquaponics yet. I think I need to find a good source of plants to start with since most of the ones I've tried just never grew in the first place.

Hi Tcl. I finally got to reading through your threads on the weekend. Took me hours! Really inspiring stuff. Thanks. Now I really know why you are always so spot on with the advice!

I have also not come right with the strawberries. I think they like a low pH and mine is anything but low! But I don't really know... Whenever I see them in the nurseries I buy one thinking this time its going to grow but they just kind of bomb out.

Btw.. How's the weather in your neck of the woods? Sounds a bit rough!?

Weather has been warm and pretty normal down here in FL. Other parts of the country are well into tornado season early it seem this year though.

Ok. Clearly my USA geography sucks! Good to hear you are fine.

This is my set up. The 10 ft. MFT tray is cut in half to fit the available space. Currently running the pump half hour on and half hour off. Strawberries planted last week.

looks like the water is way deep in those troughs. NFT is usually just a tiny bit of water in the bottom of the trough constantly flowing. Sounds more like you are using the troughs like Flood and drain trays in which case the strawberries are probably staying too wet and you could probably go to several floods a day for them. Or if you can reduce the water level to just a quarter inch flowing in the bottoms of the troughs then you could leave it as a constant flow.

afterreading your comment on Monday about running lower water level in NFT I changed the system. Now I run it continuos and bleed excess off to oxygenate the tank. The strawberry starts seem to like it better, Ican shut off the bubbler and do away with the soinoid. Cleaner, simpler....I like it. Thanks.
Next I am using some of these surplus trays to set up vertical gardens, using aspen cooler pads, for over the pond tank.