Can aquaponics be turned back into two seperate systems?

[Avarial]

In aquaculture, the main drawback is having to "waste" 10% of water, cycling in fresh water while removing high nitrate water.

In hydroponics, the main problem is creating nutrient solutions.

In aquaponics, it is almost impossible to make a system that properly accomodates both fish and plants.(PH and water temp being the 2 bigest clashes)

My thoughts: Have 2 seperate, yet connected systems.

PART A: Aquaculture system, minus any biofiltration.

http://www.aps.uoguelph.ca/aquacentre/files/research-publications/OSAWG%20Report%202%20Fecal%20Waste%20Chemical%20Co mposition%20(Jun2007).pdf
Check out the overflow setup on pg 6, Figure 1. If I were to stagger the height of each of those tanks by 6 inches, the overflow of first tank would flow into second. The wastes of each of those tanks would be able to settle into the clear portion of the overflow setup.

Benefit is that you would be able to run this system at a PH and temp optimum to the fish you are raising.

PART B:

At the bottom of the overflow assembly, install either a gate valve, or quarter turn valve to manually empty wastes into another pipe that connects to hydroponic system. These wastes would flow directly into a media bed(or possibly a bio chamber) filled with expanded clay balls, red worms, and high nutrient load plants such as tomato or watermellon.

Benefit is that you would have the waste being broken down in a system where the nutrients could be immediately put to use in the flowering of the plants in the bed. Additionally, since the waste is being broken down in a system outside the fist tanks, there really isnt much worry about having to change out fish water to remove the high level of nitrates in the water.

[Avarial]

PART C:

The hydroponic system could be set up in any fashion you wish after the initial media grow bed. The important part is that the beds to flow into a sump tank which will also feed back into the fish tank.

Benefit is that you can run this system colder, and with a lower PH to suit the plants needs. Additionally, nutrients could be added to the water to raise pottasium levels for flowering plants as needed. Also, as another forum member noticed, the addition of CO2 into the water wouldnt be a problem(would not kill off all the fish).

PART D:

The sump would fulfill 3 duties. First, and most importantly, would be used for cycling water throught the hydroponic beds, first dumping water into the same media bed the fish wastes accumulate in to move those nutrients on in the system. Second duty would be to house a sump pump which would send water back to the fish tanks during the waste dumping cycle. As waste is entering one end of the hydroponic system, cleaned water would be raising the sump level(height of sump pump would have to elevated to leave water for cycling) to a point of triggering the sump pump. I would also think it important to include a backup sump pump just in case. The third portion of the sump would be some sort of float valve to add in more water when levels drop too low.

Benefits include having all waters tied together in the sump, and the sump being setup for 3 differant water levels(low triggering a fill valve, normal level for water circulation, high sending water back to fish tanks).

Complete system drawbacks would be that the entire system now requires 3 pumps(4 if counting the backup sump). More work is involved when considering the manual discharge of the waste, adding chemicals to the water in the hydro beds to help induce flowering, and doing parameter checks on 2 systems instead of 1 complete system. I am sure there are more things that I am forgetting, but that is what I hope will come out during this discussion contemplating this setup.


OK.....Have I missed any drawbacks/benefits to a system like this? Are there any parts that dont seem feasible? Please post any questions, comments, or concerns, as you will probably bring up something I never even considered.

Thank you,
Rick Lindsey

[JCO]

Don't know if this will help or not but take a look at this thread

NOW YOU'VE GOT DUCKWEED...! (http://www.diyaquaponics.com/forum/showthread.php?1837-NOW-YOU-VE-GOT-DUCKWEED-!)

[foodchain]

What you are suggesting has already been done. With mixed results. It's easier, and more productive to simply match the ph/temp requirements of the fish to that of the plants. This only eliminates a small portion of the edible plant world. And the same with aquatics. There's simply some of both types that don't play well with AP.