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evanj
01-03-2010, 03:56 PM
I started this project a few weeks ago and have been making slow, but steady progress.

Here's where I'm at:

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_aOxtVgEOxqE/S0BNHLYpVwI/AAAAAAAADc4/FE8l_u_rQqw/s512/P1020001.JPG

It's two layers of 45 gallon sterilite containers for the fish tank and two halved 30 gallon containers for the grow beds.

The pump is a mini jet 606 and the beds drain through bell siphons. There's a large air stone in the tank for aeration. System is a bit loud, however it's in a spare bedroom, so it's all good.

Next step is to get some hydroton in the beds, then put gravel and clay pots in the fish tank and let it cycle some more...

stucco
01-03-2010, 05:02 PM
Looks cool! What will be your light source?

wolfracer
01-03-2010, 08:09 PM
Nice start! Thanks for the pics

evanj
01-03-2010, 10:26 PM
Looks cool! What will be your light source?

There will be a waterproof LED strip light in the container for the fish.

Then hanging from the PVC, a few florescent grow light fixtures that I found at wallyworld for $10 each for the plants. I also have the system near a south facing window which should help a little with light.

Any input on the lighting? Not too sure what I want to grow yet but I've read if I do tomatoes, I may need HPS lights.

evanj
01-04-2010, 05:09 AM
Nice start! Thanks for the pics

No problem, I really like to look back at my progress on projects like this and see photos of what I did for comparison. This will be especially useful when the fish and plants find their way into the system :)

For livestock:
I have a hatchery that is relatively close to me that sells bluegill and hybrids.. I'm not sure, but I think I would also like to do clams if possible and snails too.

I don't plan to stock the fish too densely, in fact I may only purchase 10 fingerlings if the hatchery lets me.

In some of the readings I've done people recommend a 2:1 ratio on the grow beds, I'm sure that depends on a lot of factors i.e. fish type and stocking densities. If my nitrates do start to rise too much I might add a satellite bucket system where I want to try and grow some sort of dwarf fruit tree - haven't been able to find too much info on this yet, but it sounds fun.

davidstcldfl
01-04-2010, 07:02 AM
Hi Evan....your off to a great start... :D

jackalope
01-04-2010, 04:24 PM
Looking good Evan ..... thanks for the pics!

evanj
01-06-2010, 12:21 AM
Tank is running well, no leaks and everything seems to be in order.

I will be getting some crappie minnows from the bait shop tomorrow. They will only be in there for a few days as I plan on going ice fishing soon. The waste created in that few days should jump start the cycle of my system though. :D

Quick question: I just recently started a vermicomposting bin and was wondering if the red wriggler worms that are typically used for composting, would make a good feed for my fish? I will be stocking either perch or bluegill depending on what I can get from the hatchery.

If I can feed these worms to the fish regularly, would it mostly be supplemental or could I use this as a main food? I was origionally thinking of using this as the main food: http://www.tractorsupply.com/livestock/livestock-feed/fish-pond-food/feed-nutrisource-farm-pond-diet-5060063

evanj
01-06-2010, 11:07 PM
Got some crappie minnows today from the bait shop:

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_aOxtVgEOxqE/S0V4kpaxgPI/AAAAAAAADfY/rYEnWfvgvAU/s640/P1060029.JPG

I will probably remove at least half of these from my fish tank to use ice fishing and will then leave the rest to complete the cycle.

I talked to a guy from ebay today that sells yellow perch fingerlings and I think that's the route I'm going to go. He said that the red wriggler worms I'm using in my vermicomposting would make great feed for the fish. Once the perch are added, they'll find some tasty little minnows to snack on too.

I give the worms my scrap food and paper - I give the fish worms - the fish gives the plants food - and I get to eat fish and fresh veggies with little to no cost/effort :D hopefully it all goes as smoothly as planned.

evanj
01-08-2010, 12:07 AM
Well, I've lost a few minnows, but there's still a lot left...

I was looking through all of my aquarium stuff and found an old florescent light aquarium fixture. I was unsure if the spectrum would be right for plants. After researching the bulb that was in there, I found that it's meant for plants and aquariums like many of them are.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_aOxtVgEOxqE/S0bU02DKJHI/AAAAAAAADg8/ufCP_JTQzhQ/s512/P1070001.JPG

Now I just need to get some hydroton in the grow tubs this weekend. I also plan on getting some rockwool cubes to start the seedlings in.

What do other people like to start their seedlings in?

stucco
01-08-2010, 04:18 AM
[quote="evanj".

What do other people like to start their seedlings in?[/quote]
home depot. :lol: Most stuff I sprinkle straight in the hydroton.

evanj
01-08-2010, 04:36 AM
home depot?

stucco
01-08-2010, 04:05 PM
Sorry if you didn’t get my joke :oops: , but the home depot is a large hardware/ home store that has a garden center where they sell bonnie brand seedlings. I just buy these and rinse the dirt off the roots and plant. I have also used a “kitchen crop” sprouter used for bean sprouts to make sandwiches and whatnot. This works great except the sprouts get a bit bunched up and pulling them apart without breaking them and putting them in the hydroton is not easy. Sprinkling the seeds directly into the grow bed is easy. The problem with this one is that it is hard to get the seeds spread out evenly and it’s easy to add too many. Good luck dude. :mrgreen:

davidstcldfl
01-08-2010, 04:51 PM
Hi Evan, One advantage to buying plants started, like Stucco does......Is you can try differant varietys. Then you get to see first hand, which ones do better and taste better.

Instaed of buying, say, 6 differant packs of tomatoe seeds......just buy 6 differant plants already started.
Of course, this applys if you only want a 'few' plants. I dislike using 1 or 2 seeds out of a pack, then trying to store the rest.

evanj
01-08-2010, 05:57 PM
Sorry if you didn’t get my joke :oops: , but the home depot is a large hardware/ home store that has a garden center where they sell bonnie brand seedlings. I just buy these and rinse the dirt off the roots and plant. I have also used a “kitchen crop” sprouter used for bean sprouts to make sandwiches and whatnot. This works great except the sprouts get a bit bunched up and pulling them apart without breaking them and putting them in the hydroton is not easy. Sprinkling the seeds directly into the grow bed is easy. The problem with this one is that it is hard to get the seeds spread out evenly and it’s easy to add too many. Good luck dude. :mrgreen:

No problem, I was just wondering what you were referring to - I have purchased a fair amount of my supplies from Home Depot.

The seedlings sounds like an easy way to get started.

evanj
01-08-2010, 05:59 PM
Hi Evan, One advantage to buying plants started, like Stucco does......Is you can try differant varietys. Then you get to see first hand, which ones do better and taste better.

Instaed of buying, say, 6 differant packs of tomatoe seeds......just buy 6 differant plants already started.
Of course, this applys if you only want a 'few' plants. I dislike using 1 or 2 seeds out of a pack, then trying to store the rest.

I'm with you on that one.. I have some seeds left over from my garden this last summer, I hope they still germinate.

I don't know if there's any local stores that sell seedlings year round. I'll have to look into that.

Also, aren't the seedlings in soil? How well do soil plants transfer to hydroponics? Is there any special steps, or do you just drop in as is?

stucco
01-08-2010, 06:47 PM
The smaller plants transplant better (6 and 9 pack sizes). Use water from your system in a bucket and carefully dip the roots until all dirt is gone. One special step is to flood the bed when putting the seedling in, it’s easier to adjust the depth of the plant and safer for the roots. :mrgreen:

davidstcldfl
01-09-2010, 04:56 AM
I don't know if there's any local stores that sell seedlings year round. I'll have to look into that.

Hi Evan....I read your statement ...then I looked over to see where you were located.
Thanks for the chuckle... :lol: ....Stucco and I live in central FL. We are spoiled as HD always has plants in the outdoor garden center.
Well, except maybe for this week... :? It's actually 'sleeting' here this morning... :shock:

I have stored my seeds, where they stay cool.....and have had them come up a year or so later. Of course the germenation rate drops with time. My problem is 'with time', I forget I have them and buy more...lol... :oops:

wolfracer
01-09-2010, 10:01 AM
I have managed to start a few bean and califlower plants from seeds in my growbeds in the last month, but they are growing very slowly. probably the short days and the freezing temps outside. -5 last night.

evanj
01-09-2010, 03:58 PM
I have managed to start a few bean and califlower plants from seeds in my growbeds in the last month, but they are growing very slowly. probably the short days and the freezing temps outside. -5 last night.

Yeah, we have had some -20° F days recently. It's been around 3° or 5° F during the days though.

I think I will do rockwool and try to start whatever seeds I can find leftover. I don't know if buying seedlings would be smart for my indoor garden with pests and all. :shock: I hope I don't run into problems with pests anyways..

I found four minnows stuck to my pump this morning :| I'm going to put the pump in a clay pot.

evanj
01-10-2010, 09:17 PM
Decided to make a pre-filter for my pump:

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_aOxtVgEOxqE/S0qkAKjYpfI/AAAAAAAADj0/JNz4Y9cpE3o/s640/P1100016.JPG

jackalope
01-10-2010, 09:48 PM
Good idea! It's great to see there's more than one Redneck around here besides me :lol: :lol: I use whatever I have around, so if that works well , it'll be on my mind next time I see one of those flowerpots in the thrift store ;)

evanj
01-10-2010, 10:02 PM
:D I was gonna add the terracotta planter anyways to give the beneficial bacteria more surface to grow on. I was getting dead minnows stuck to my pump, so it had to be done..

I also cut my own filter media for my aquarium, so I have lots of scraps. Seems to work well.

This whole project is mostly born upon stuff I had laying around, and the odd run to Home Depot and WallyWorld.

davidstcldfl
01-11-2010, 07:12 AM
I also cut my own filter media for my aquarium, so I have lots of scraps. Seems to work well.

Hi Evan, I like your idea. :)
I already have my pump sitting in a plastic 'pond plant' basket....the kind with slots. I don't have any fish yet, but I do get an ocassionally leaf stuck to the intake. So, I'll add some filter medium to it also.

evanj
01-11-2010, 01:03 PM
Made some changes, I added a small rock to the top of the filter pad to keep it from floating away. I was also worried that minnows might get sucked up through the hole in the bottom so I placed an identical filter pad in the bottom of the flower pot.

evanj
01-17-2010, 08:55 PM
Got my dashboard up and running.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_aOxtVgEOxqE/S1PW6Q1OVKI/AAAAAAAADms/iUMEUdxcTt0/s640/P1160045.JPG

A few minnows are still alive and swimming. Should have the hydroton by next weekend.