Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Ok so I wanted to start with a small AP system so I can get the main principles down before I go big. I have planted 2 types of lettuce, onions and spinach. When I planted the seedlings they took off in the first 4 days shooting up from 1 inch out of the grow bed to almost 4 inches. Today is the one week mark. Since day four there have been no changes in growth. I am now also losing fish. 3 in the last 2 days. My high range ph is 7.4 because of the grow media I used. My ammonia is between .50 and 1.0ppm. My nitrite is 2.0ppm. My nitrate is between 0 and 5.0ppm. I have approx 16 gal tank for fish. and approx 9 gallon grow bed with blue stone and river pebble on top. I used Rubbermaid bins from home depot. I now 5 gold fish down from 8 (cheap feeder fish). I have a pump and a heater in the tank. The temp stays at 73 degrees. I did not use a bell siphon because when I built the system I knew nothing. I have 2 drains t the top of the grow bed. So the water is constantly coming in and going out at a rate that would fill a drinking glass a bit faster then a normal kitchen sink. Any suggestions? I would like to not start over for now. I will be building a new one in the future. But I would like to make this one work and see it to the end. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Did you put a standpipe in or is it just running through the beds? That flow rate seems too fast to me. Maybe put a ball valve in to cut the flow rate back quite a bit.
Your ammonia is too high. Stop feeding for a couple of days.

You said they were feeder fish, so it is very likely they were sick to begin with from the pet store. Were there any signs of fin rot, or ick, or anything really on the fish when they died?

I have a higher ammonia reading than 1.0 and I have three koi fish about 4 inches or so each in a 10 gallon tank. I consider myself highly overstocked, and the system is not in prime condition at the moment but the fish are doing great.

The pump in and out lines on the growbed are far apart right? You want to make sure the water runs through as much media as possible before exiting.

They could also possible need more oxygen in the water, try adding a bubbler if you do not already have one. Or possible a spray bar(pvc pipe with small holes drilled in it) to shot the water back into the tank causing bubbles.

I would suggest in your next design to go with a sump tank and a bell siphon for maximum efficiency.

I have the water set to flow through the bed with no stand pipe. I have a ball valve but I keep it high to oxygenate the water. So between the two of you it seems I need to slow the water down and buy an air pump for the fish. I know these fish thrive in good oxygenated water.

Now do I need a small filter in the tank? if I slow the water transfer from the tank to the bed and visa versa will that be enough filtration through my grow bed to keep the fish tank clean?



I did not notice any ick on the fish when I got them or while discarding them. I have not had fish since I was 11. So I don't remember what fin rot is or what it looks like?

I did a water cycle of about 3 new gallons and they seem much happier. The plants are the same.

Yes I have 2 return lines on each end with the input pvc pipe run down the middle as to have as much distance as possible.

Now what does the sump do? I have seen the bell siphon and I got that. Well except if I siphon where does all the dirty water go? Is that the reason for the sump? lol Sorry real new at this. But I am extremely determined to get the hang of this.

I found the book "Aquaponics Gardening" very useful if you are fine with reading. I googled a good sum of what I read, but it would have been very nice to read first as a reference on what to look up. You seem like you could benefit from the book extremely.

Anyways, an air pump would help. You can get a filter, but that's kind of a sign that you aren't doing things right. As in a well running aquaponics system, like in nature, the fish and plants both benefit from each other and not an external crutch.

A sump is used mainly for bell siphon systems. For example, I have a grow bed, a fish tank underneath, and a sump tank on the bottom. The grow bed takes water from the sump via a water pump. This is what the sump does, it allows you to fill the grow bed without taking water from the fish tank directly. Taking directly from the fish tank will lower and raise your water level constantly and that may stress the fish. Sooo, your grow bed fills up with sump tank water, the growbed drains into the fishtank, and the fishtank spills over into the sump tank via overflow tubes or boxes. This way the fish tank maintains a constant water level leading to happier fish.

Your issue might be the 9 gallon grow bed, and 20 gallon fish tank. It probably takes very long for all your fish tank water to be filters through the rocks. I have a 20 gallon grow bed, and a 10 gallon fish tank. Just to give you an idea of what I am doing. Not to mention, when you have rocks in the grow bed, it's not really a tank that holds 9 gallons of your fish water anymore. It is a 9 gallon tank, with rocks taking up say 8 gallons, with 1 gallon of water flowing through at any given time.

Maybe take some pictures of your system, and do some water tests to get better advice on what you could do to fix it?

Ok great!! I'll look up that read. I'll take some pics too. You are exactly right with the amount of rock and water in the bed. I need a bell siphon and a sump to make this work I think. I'm hoping not. I'm hoping the bubbler will do the trick and that my ph will come down on its own as I get further along. I am about to put tomato seedlings in tomorrow. Thanks again for all the info!!

Ok here are a few pics of the system. The basil was from a pot that I transplanted. It has not really grown at all.

P

I don't run a sump. There has been a lot of debate on weather water levels stress fish. With the size of the growbed vs size of tank I don't think you need to worry about that at the moment. Add some composting redworms in your growbeds to take care of any solids buildup. The worms waste is very benefecial to your plants also.
Put some bracing around that growbed. When your plants get bigger it will add weight to the GB and may cause the side to spill.
With the size tank you have and the way your drains dump you don't need an air pump but it never hurts to add more oxygen to the water.

Ok great!! I was researching red worms and worm farms. Wont they drown though? lol Where do they go as the water level is only 1 inch below the surface of the grow media. Not sure if that's a stupid question.

I was just thinking that this morning: That the grow bed is starting to bend a bit and needs some reinforcement!

Thanks for all your input JR!!

Worms breathe through moist skin, they will be fine in your beds. I ordered mine from Amazon.

There's plenty of oxygen in the water for the worms to breathe.

[quote="IRONMAN79"]I have the water set to flow through the bed with no stand pipe. I have a ball valve but I keep it high to oxygenate the water. So between the two of you it seems I need to slow the water down and buy an air pump for the fish. I know these fish thrive in good oxygenated water.

Your water is going through the bed so fast that it isn't having time to be filtered properly. Slow it down quite a bit. You can also drill several holes in plumbing caps, and put them over your drains, this will cause the water to come out in several places instead of one, giving you more aeration from the drain. Remember, the more you can break the surface of your tank water the more air it is getting. This will also help you maintain the water level you are trying to keep with no standpipe as you are slowing down the drain to match the slower input from the pump.

Nice setup JR!! I'll get there.. lol

I forgot to ask if anyone knows. Is the grow light I have sufficient? And is a 12 hour day light period enough or too much?

Thanks! I almost have everything I need for my winter upgrade! Going from 2 beds to 8, maybe 10. Have started the digging for my tanks already!

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