Hello from Boston

[natethegreek]

Hey guys I am a hippy from Vermont that has found himself in a apartment just north of Boston, I am looking for a way to grow fresh herbs year around. I have an old 30 gallon aquarium that I intend do use for my fish tank, and I have a plastic grow bed that will fit on top. I have a timer from hydrofarm and I small aquarium pump.

I kinda made a mistake I put a drain in the side of my plastic grow bed but I didn't make it all the way to the bottom. It is probably 1/2 an inch from the bottom. Is that going to be a problem?

I have no drill or saw as I am a city kid, so I am going to use a loop siphon in hopes that that will work.

I hope to have some pictures up shortly after I get the aquarium clean, it has been sitting outside for at least a year. Anyway I just wanted to say Hi, and I am so glad I found this forum.

[stucco]

Howdy and welcome. Checkout wolfracers thread, he drains from the side with loop siphons and it certainly doesn’t look like he has any problems. You have defiantly found a good way to grow fresh herbs year round and a good place for info ;) or showing off photos of your system.

[davidstcldfl]

Hi Nate... :D ....interesting sounding set up. Looking forward to some pictures.

[JCO]

Welcome to the show....pull up an easy chair, relax and stay awhile. New voices are always a welcome addition to our family..! Whatever questions you have on you mind, this is the place to get the answers. :mrgreen:

[natethegreek]

Hey guys I am having some issues with my setup and I was wondering if you guys can help. I am thinking about doing a system much like wolf racers but I have no idea about any of this plumbing stuff. I am going to make an order from Aquatic Eco solutions because my local hardware stores or aquarium stores don't seem to carry this stuff.

So I have this:

http://www.rooftopgourmet.com/wp-content/uploads/apartment-026.jpg
http://gallery.wjsullivan.net/d/2681-2/img_0332.jpg


and I am ordering this:

https://www.aquaticeco.com/images/subcategories/medium/BKF10.jpg
BKF123 - 1/2", FIPT x Slip Fitting
https://www.aquaticeco.com/subcategorie ... s-Economy/ (https://www.aquaticeco.com/subcategories/2985/Bulkhead-Fittings-Economy/)

Is that the right one I have no idea what FIPT or slip mean?

https://www.aquaticeco.com/images/subcategories/medium/62001L_rgb.jpg
How can I connect the elbow to the bottom of the bulkhead fitting?
62087 - Elbow, 1/2" NPT x 1/2" barb
https://www.aquaticeco.com/customers/su ... PT-x-Barb/ (https://www.aquaticeco.com/customers/subcategories/3662/Elbows-1-81-2-NPT-x-Barb/)


https://www.aquaticeco.com/images/subcategories/medium/TA1.jpg
and this is the tube to make the siphon it says outside diameter so I figure this should fit the 1/2 inch right?
TA2 - Acrylic Tubing, 3/4" O.D.
https://www.aquaticeco.com/customers/su ... ic-Tubing/ (https://www.aquaticeco.com/customers/subcategories/2476/Acrylic-Tubing/)

Thanks for your help in advanced guys

[stucco]

f.i.p.t stands for female internal pipe thread. Slip, is just a normal slide the pipe in type. Looks like the bulkhead fitting and the elbow will work together. I don’t think the pipe will work at 3/4” ½” is what you need. I would go with regular pvc pipe from the home store not the expensive acrylic ;) . To plumb through the side you will need a 90@ ½”to make the upturn on the stand pipe.

[natethegreek]

https://www.aquaticeco.com/images/subcategories/medium/62081_rgb.jpg

one of these?

[r3tic]

The elbow you linked to in the first post will work if you plan on attaching flexible tube to it... http://www.aquaticeco.com/subcategories/777/Vinyl-Clear-Tubing/hose/0 TV70F 5/8" O.D., 1/2" I.D., per foot

The second elbow is used for connecting two lengths of flexible tube together at 90deg.

I think you would be better off using Uniseals with standard pvc fittings. You can get the uniseals at Aquaticeco and then get all of the pvc local. That way it will cost less and if you forget a fitting or get the wrong size, you will be able to pick one up faster rather than waiting to have another shipped to you.

[stucco]

I’m sorry; I guess you don’t need the 90 on the inside with the loop. The elbow you have with the male threads is the one you need for the female bulkhead.

[natethegreek]

yeah I think I am actually going to copy wolfracers set up it seems like it works well for him and is pretty simple.

[natethegreek]

Hey guys I know it has been a long time but I am finally getting things together.

I had to use some brass fittings because home depot didn't have the PVC fittings I needed so is this going to be a problem?

All I need to do to finish it off is getting the growing media and some fish. You generally let the system cycle with fish first or with plants first?

Thanks guys,
Nate

[REEFBUG]

I don't think brass is good, my background is in saltwater though and brass is not allowed near my tanks!! It's OK for water lines, though, so let's get some answers from the "guys who know" and we will both learn. That's what this is all about right?

Plants can be added right away, they will do fine in the plain water until the filter starts churning out nutrients.

Glad to see you are still putting it together and don't forget PICS, we like PICS!

[badflash]

Brass isn't bad for fish, but it can be a problem if you have invertebrates like shrimp, snails or crayfish. Also, don't mix metals as one will cause the other to corrode. It makes a short circuited battery.

[stucco]

If you are just getting going, try and find some maxi crop or vermaplex at your local hydro shop for the plants. Worm castings and vermaplex are a good starter for beneficial bacteria and some people use aged urine to provide an ammonia source. Make sure you have a test kit to watch the levels. This cycle period may take six weeks, but it may seem like twelve. :mrgreen: Good luck! :mrgreen:

[wolfracer]

This cycle period may take six weeks, but it may seem like twelve. :mrgreen: Good luck! :mrgreen:

Truer words were never spoken!

[davidstcldfl]

Tabasco makes a mild, green jalapeno sauce. Your water may look just like it, shortly before you are cycled.... :lol:

[badflash]

If you can find someone with an established tank of healthy tropical fish, rinse out their filter in good aged tank water and add this to your tank. You'll be instantly cycled. I do this all the time.

[jackalope]

I've always read that brass isn't good .... why? because it takes copper to make brass (red brass has more copper content than yellow brass) so it would technically still give off copper sulfates, which are deadly to fish.
Of course most homes have brass fittings and sometimes copper pipes, so you will have to be wary. If you're going to have brass in contact with your FT or GB water all the time, I'd beware ..... However, if it's just going to run through the brass fittings, it may be OK, as some have said ..... I just purposely try to avoid it as much as possible ;)

[badflash]

It takes a fair amount of copper to poison fish, far less for inverts. Dosing an aquarium with copper salts to kill snails is pretty common. As long and the levels are kept low the fish do fine. If you look at many commercial fish foods, or even rabbit pellets, you'll see they contain copper sulphate.

[natethegreek]

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_aJYLyWpbh_Y/TJapXgiS6II/AAAAAAAAANQ/m6cP67LkxuY/s576/DSCN0127.JPG

Hey guys I know it has been a long time, but now that the summer BBQ season is done I am ready to get down to some serious Aquaponics. I am replacing the copper fitting today and I have added fish (i know i should have done that in reverse but I forgot all about the system.

My PH is 7.4
Nitrates 0
Nitrites 0
Ammonia .25ppm

I just need to find someone with a biofilter and I will be all set!

[natethegreek]

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_aJYLyWpbh_Y/TJapUU8qxzI/AAAAAAAAALs/IJerKxcCEqE/DSCN0122.JPG

growbed

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_aJYLyWpbh_Y/TJapX3xMZwI/AAAAAAAAAMo/mH9JhcOSC6o/DSCN0128.JPG

aquarium

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_aJYLyWpbh_Y/TJapXblpVvI/AAAAAAAAAMc/T9lo-kdbkr0/DSCN0125.JPG

This is the siphon, and I have taken out the brass and replaced it with plastic.

I am just waiting for the bacteria to do their mojo.

I also added a bit of expanded clay balls so that the water rose to the top level of the grow media. You can see in the picture that the water came up really really high.

[keith_r]

you might want the water to come up to about 1" under the top of your media.. plants didn't fair to well in my bed that was getting flooded to the top of the media

[natethegreek]

I did add some more grow media to the plants, maybe I should add a little more as I think the water comes up to just under the top of the media.

[jackalope]

I'm with you ...... either add some more media and get the water level an inch or so below the top of the media - or in the alternative, adjust the loop so the water doesn't fill so high and only comes up to the desired height ;)

[natethegreek]

I checked the PH levels they are in the 7.4 range and the Ammonia is .25 ppm and no Nitrates.


http://lh6.ggpht.com/_aJYLyWpbh_Y/TJlqKIAIzaI/AAAAAAAAANs/MJvlGW360H4/s512/DSCN0132.JPG

If you look on the edge of the grow bed you can see the water rises a little higher than I would like. I don't have all of the pieces for the siphon glued together, I am hoping that when I do that will make the siphon more effective as it is leaking now.



http://lh4.ggpht.com/_aJYLyWpbh_Y/TJlqKx6P6JI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/corSR9o4APw/DSCN0137.JPG

I threw some bib lettuce seeds into the bed, I should have waited obviously, they are probably just going to rot right?

Also I only have a CFL in the light, which isn't producing any heat. Is that a good thing? I feel like it would dry better if I had an incandescent light in there, but that would obviously take a lot more energy. Any thoughts?

[Brier]

Nate, CFL provide better light for plant growth than incandescents . I think you might need more light, and if nothing else, get that light right on top of your plants. When growing with floro's you should have your lights within a few inches of the plant tops(unless you are using high output lights), otherwise you will end up with very leggy plants that have low yield. I would suggest a small HID light. Metal halides are fairly well balanced, but high pressure sodiums work better for flowering plants. The light spectrum from incandescents is very poor for plant growth. Good luck!

[natethegreek]

So we had a bit of an accident, I glued together the pipes and put tubing back on. Turn the whole thing on and then the part that the tubing connects to was leaking, so I gave it a twist which in turn kinked up the drain hose. I got it to drain and then I started doing some cooking (the set up is in my kitchen). Anyway I noticed the sounds from the tank wasn't quite right, I turn back the overflow is working but it is pouring on to the floor. So I spent the rest of the night moping up water. I had to turn the pump off for today and I will try to fix it tonight.

One of the problems I had last night is that after the first cycle the water just runs out at the pace it gets pumped in. Any thoughts how to fix this?

[Hotrodmike]

Well at least the floor got mopped and you didn't have a 1000 gal tank :o
From the few pictures you have sent , I do not know what type of siphon you are useing . It's kind of hard to make out in the pictures but I see you have the siphon is reduced down to what looks like small diameter tubing as you come off the PVC .It may be too restrictive on the out flow . I would go a bit bigger and see if the problems goes away . If that doesn't work then slow the flow to the grow bed .
Have A Kind Day
Mike

[natethegreek]

Thanks for the help everybody. I made a new thread in Backyard systems because I figure I am going to be around here for a while!


Once again THANK YOU!

[harburtlee]

hi to all,
i am new one in this site and i like this site advice

[urbanfarmer]

hi to all,
i am new one in this site and i like this site advice
Welcome, you should post a fresh thread to say hello ;)


you might want the water to come up to about 1" under the top of your media.. plants didn't fair to well in my bed that was getting flooded to the top of the media
The reason to allow 1" to 2" of grow media between the top water level when flooding is to keep algae from growing because algae will take hold in the system and outcompete your plants for nutrients. Also, don't assume this means the plant will "drown" because when the bed drains it provides FAR more oxygen than any aerator could to your plant roots and bacteria!!! I have done the math for fun, and it is literally thousands of times more oxygen. :ugeek: LOL


Nate, CFL provide better light for plant growth than incandescents . I think you might need more light, and if nothing else, get that light right on top of your plants. When growing with floro's you should have your lights within a few inches of the plant tops(unless you are using high output lights), otherwise you will end up with very leggy plants that have low yield. I would suggest a small HID light. Metal halides are fairly well balanced, but high pressure sodiums work better for flowering plants. The light spectrum from incandescents is very poor for plant growth. Good luck!
Yes my friend, those are all better grow lights per wattage, but incandescent bulbs can provide adequate light as well. In reality, I would throw in an incandescent bulb or 2 in an indoor system. Why? Because, the incandescent bulb's spectrum is spread out like the sun, yes the sun. I have a quantitative spectroscope and I have visually inspected the light spectrum for these bulbs. They offer some spectrum and heat that the plants need but might not get enough of from low quantities of florescent bulbs. Anyway, they do eat a lot more power, but if you want to use them for seedlings or to supplement the light spectrum you provide to your plants, it won't hurt!!!

[urbanfarmer]

Artificial light and plant growth

Question: What color of artificial light works the best in plant growth?

Answer: Generally, a mixture of fluorescent and incandescent light
sources works very well. This produces a pretty good dose of all
of the important wavelengths. Either alone does not work as well.

Reference: http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/bio99/bio99144.htm

I just happened to stumble across that while looking for something totally unrelated, but equally geeky! :ugeek: