Top Three

[Aloha Don]

There are so many very nice looking and different designs for AP that we have seen on this forum.
They are located in so many diverse areas (basements, backyards, condos, garages, greenhouses, etc.....)
For those who have now built a system and are reaping the benefits (good eats :D ) what would be Your specific Top 3 bits of advice, based on your experience, that you would offer someone just starting out or thinking about starting AP...

[bsfman]

For those who have now built a system and are reaping the benefits (good eats :D ) what would be Your specific Top 3 bits of advice, based on your experience, that you would offer someone just starting out or thinking about starting AP...

Good question! Here's my take. Anxious to hear what others have to say too!

#1 adequate light: If outdoors, choose a location that will maximize sunlight. If indoors, more artificial light is better than less.

#2 Choose a pump much larger than you think is necessary. You can always divert the surplus flow back into the FT for aeration.

#3 Balance your FT size, GB size and Bio load. Oliver's sticky posts on designing an AP system are an excellent source of info on this. Regardless of your starting size, you will always wish you had more GB space. Most people focus on the fish when they start out. (I know I did.) After a while, the produce you grow tends to become the primary focus of your efforts and the fish are relegated to a secondary concern - mainly as the nutrient engine that drives the plant growth rather than as a crop themselves.

[Waterboy]

Your growbed is ALOT heavier then you think once you finish building it. I had to get three friends to help me put mine in place.

Use Recycled things as much as you can. You can find alot of scrap wood, election signs for insulation, PVC piping from scrap piles in construction, etc.

Last and most important, USE TILIAPIA! I am really wishing I did instead of Crappie and Catfish. They wont eat the food I give them, no matter what it is, and it sinks and falls apart in my tank leaving quite a mess. They are not pellet training like I thought they would. They need some kindergarden classes or something!

[Roger L.]

What I have found out the hard way is;

1. Research the subject well before beginning your project. One source of information is not enough, unless you hit this forum first, to make informed decisions about how to make a system that fits your needs and/or desires. Get 2, 3, or maybe more sources until you understand the project fully.

2. Do it right the first, DO NOT take the short cut, the cheap way or the easy way out. Take the extra time to do it right the first time. Trust me, it is harder to undo and repair than to do it right the first time.

3. When you begin to plant you grow bed, factor in as much lighting as you can. Again in this category do not go the cheap route and buy substandard lighting fixtures. Get the T8 fluorescents and some spots to use for the plants that need more or are lower than the other plants under the fluorescents.

I believe these are the 3 biggest lessons I have learned in my short time involved with Aquaponics.

[JCO]

One source of information is not enough to make informed decisions about how to make a system that fits your needs and/or desires. Get 2, 3, or maybe more sources until you understand the project fully.

Not to toot my own whistle, but I don't think you actually need another forum than DIY Aquaponics. If you read every post contained in every thread on this forum plus all the articles of the main site and in http://Aquaponicsmagazine.com you will find that most everything has been tried at one time or another by one of the members here.

The thing you have to look for is what works where you live and how you are trying to set up you AP; in the basement, garage, carport, backyard etc. Seek out information from experienced AP people in your area and see what they have done "SUCCESSFULLY".

There are members on the DIY forum from Africa, Israel, Australia, Canada, Sweden, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, England, Philippines just to mention a few in addition to all over America.


Balance your FT size, GB size and Bio load.

As for FT size, go as large as you can even if you only have a 5 gal. bucket for a grow bed.

The sump to remove particulates and the bio-filter are of the utmost importance.

Cycle your system before you begin anything else.

Once you have had the system running for about 3 - 4 days, add you fish (do not over stock the FT) and let it peculate on it's own...keep you fingers out of it.

You can run all the water tests you want, but don't do anything. Nature, if left alone will find its' own balance without any help from you.

My system has been up and running for over 12 years and I don't own a water test kit and have never tested the water. I can tell if the fish are in trouble and what to do, usually it's aeration if anything. (never overfeed...what they can eat in 5 min. in the morning and again in the evening is sufficient.)

As for the plants, get a book on growing veggies, one that tells you what is wrong if a tomato leaf is yellowing or if they are blooming and the blooms fall off.

All I have ever added to my system is prosperous, calcium (in the forum of crushed egg shells) and chelated iron and only in small amounts over a period of time until I see a change in the plants.

The major thing about AP is to learn what it is, how it works and add in a huge helping of patience.

You are putting together the components of an ecosystem and you must allow it to find its own way without you trying to hurry it of force it. :mrgreen:

[Roger L.]

JCO, I do believe you can find it all here, but I did not find "here" until it was mostly built and did not stop my plans to get things read. I have changed my story to reflect that point. My meaning was that there is a lot of incomplete, to downright wrong information out there. I hope I have not offended you for your DIY Aquaponics book or Oliver's Aquaponics 101 articles. If I did offend, you both have my sincere apology.

[JCO]

Roger, don't give it a second thought, no offense taken and I guess I was pushing for people to stay here to learn about AP, knowing that the amount of "HAWKERS" & "MIS-INFORMERS" and "AP GURUS" are out there parroting what they think they know from what they read from someone else just like their self.

It's like the childrens' word game, where you start off with a word and whisper it to the next kid and so on then at the end you see what it has turned out to be and it's usually something outlandish compared to what it was when it started. :mrgreen:

[Corey B]

Well I have never built a system yet but I will add the two areas that have given me the most head ache. Lighting. Just because every where you look some one is always either saying this is better or this is just as good but half the price. And plumbing. I can not find the parts I need nor does it help to ask the guys at Menards. The look at you like you are an idiot and say why in the world would you even want to try and do that, when you tell them what it is for.

[Aloha Don]

LOL...I had that experience once with a local store here....I was just trying to find a better connector between my pump and supply line...I think that is why we need to plan, write it out. This way we stay focused on what we need with out relying on some of the "help" found in these places...

[Aloha Don]

For those just starting out:
1. Plan for the space you have - I had dreams of some crazy big system but I only have a porch of 50 Sq ft...
2.research - learn- ask everything you can about the system you plan to build. Learn about many systems but choose the one you think will work for you.
3. build according to your plans and BE PATIENT -
One of the things that has caused me the most trouble is....ME...I seem to think if I tinker then I can help the system cycle/mature faster or help mother nature grow the plants better....
give it time.....
Your new system needs time to cycle. This take about 6 weeks
Your system needs time to mature - from all that I have read and seen on this site, this could take a year.
In the mean time, grow leafy veggies, get used to caring/checking the system and be patient.
I started growing tomatoes right away before my system was fully ready. The tomatoes are smaller than usual but the biggest problem is that they seem to be taking the nitrates that my other plants need....others are not producing...
Just my observations