Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

umm nothing special about these Styrofoam. its the cheapest ones I found.. but the only negative is that it absorb water as it ages and sometimes you may get fungal problems.. but all in all it does the job.

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Pat -

There's basically two types of styrofoam produced. Either will work but one is extruded and the other is expanded (looks like a sheet of little beads joined together). The extruded version doesn't take on water but the expanded version does. Dow Blue board gets used a lot for hydroponics and is the extruded version (The Owens-Corning Pink foam is also extruded). Looks like cookie is using the expanded version and I think most packing material is probably the expanded version but I'm not sure . I think Dasboot also uses the expanded version.

The density of the styrofoam will also have an effect and I don't remember exactly how this works but probably the denser the version of the expanded version the less water will infiltrate into it - but I could be wrong on this.

#Scotty u are absolutely correct.. everything is exactly on point.. u really have a way with words.

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Thanks

Alrighty then! aerobic and anaerobic! That answers that question nicely. Thank you for this clarification. Bubbles and fish net in the first one, right? Is there netting in the anaerobic MT?

So hi there folks!!! I'm finally ready to revive my system thread!! So alot have changed since I last posted.. this has been neglected.. some destroyed but the love for Aquaponics never changes..
So for a long needed update. Currently I'm focusing on growing cucumbers to eventual expansion of a business in a few months.

Before


One week after.


I was getting some problems with ammonia and nitrite so I resorted to a previous filter build I made yrs ago out of 4" PVC pipe and sea sand.
I Made a fluidized sand bed!!



Sea sand was used as the media and has 800+ times more surface area than k1. And the best thing of all.. is that it's totally FREE!!!

Well it's great to be back and you can expect to hear from my more often.. and as always.. HAPPY GROWING!!!

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cookie, hope all is well

CHARLIE!!!! OMG you are here still?!?!

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So hi there again.. I'm on the 3 days after I had last posted and the cucumbers and cantalopes are really starting to take off.. it's amazing how much growth you get in such a short space of time in Aquaponics


More to come soon..

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So it's been 2weeks since I planted these cucumbers!! And they are looking amazing to say the least! I just love how everything is coming together.. and the addition of the fluidized sand filter (FSB) is really making a difference in my water clarity.. it the most clean I have seen. Well on to the pics?!?



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Holy cow Cookie, from neglected to this is three weeks. Amazing.

Yea man thanks alot.. well I'm trying my best to tie them up without snapping the vine.. it's a bit challenging when you have like 100 plant in an 4x8 sq ft bed.. but I'll get thru somehow

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Hi Cookie .

I'm not sure if it will work but a Horizontal trellis or trellis netting might work so you don't have to string them up individually - http://www.trellis-netting.com/technology/horizontal-trellis.html. You can do several of these over one area and just guide the plants through the openings as they grow.

Hi there Scotty.. nice seeing you again!! But I was like 1 day short in seeing this post that I already tied up all.. sigh.. but I will research on this to see how it works.. looks like a great idea.


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I love that horizontal trellis idea, Scotty. Seems like it will help the vines not get kinked where the string meets the stem.