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Lagartijo
03-15-2010, 05:42 AM
Hi, I live in the caribbean, on a penthouse apartment and here is my Aquaponic NFT System.

- 30 gal pond
- one 4 in diameter pvc tube, 20 feet long - top
- one 6 in diameter pvc tube, 20 feet long - bottom
- Started the system in January 2010
- Plants in the system: 16 lettuce, 13 tomatos, 3 garlic, and 3 chives

Latest test to the pond:
PH: 7.5
NH3: 0.1
NO2: 0.0
NO3: 13
Temp: ºF 87

So far everything is running smooth. Plants are growing very nice. Fish are very happy.
Goldfish and Koi's is what I have in the pond.

My goal is to go bigger so y can grow tilapia in the pond.

What is a good size pond to grow tilapia?

I was planning to go for a 125gal pond. Is this big enough to grow some tilapia? How many of them?

Thanks.

wolfracer
03-15-2010, 06:00 AM
That is great looking system ! Welcome to the forum.

JCO
03-15-2010, 06:21 AM
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:

urbanrunoff
03-15-2010, 10:37 AM
cool, looks very clean.
Are you using any filtration, since nft's have no rocks?

I have a 100 gallon tank and was told my system could easily hold 25 grown tilapias.

jackalope
03-15-2010, 10:03 PM
You could easily start out with 50 small fingerlings, but as they grow older, you would have to get another tank .... 1 gallon of water per pound of fish is getting right on the borderline ..... and that's with excellent filtration, etc. 3 gallons per pound is more like it ..... BUT, since you are using growbeds, if you have 250 gallons of growbed to a 125 gallon tank, you should be OK with 1-2 gallons per pound, provided, of course, that you can keep the fecal matter separated in a sump of some kind. I think that's what caused my biofilter to go TU, too much feces being sucked up into the biofilter .... a sump is my next project ;) something along the lines of what Dufflight was showing us here Clik ;) (http://www.diyaquaponics.com/forum/showthread.php?266-Hello) A swirl filter, with a tap on the bottom to drain off the feces. I've got a 15 gallon plastic barrel doing nothing, that might just fill the bill. Another project to go ahead of my FT :( :(

Lagartijo
03-16-2010, 09:26 PM
No, not using any filtration for the solids. Both tubes have gravelle so it stay mostly at the water outlet en the top tube. I left the last hole onthe tube open and didn,t fil it up with gravelle.

Do you think I should use a filter with this small system?

Next time I will be posting a photo of my new dsign for the 125 gal. Pond System.

Thanks so much for all your good coments and help.

dufflight
03-17-2010, 03:39 AM
If there is gravel just throw some compost worms in there to keep the solids from building up. In most AP systems a media filled grow bed gets rid of a lot of the solids from the fish.

Lagartijo
03-18-2010, 12:28 PM
Some New Pics...

Lagartijo
03-18-2010, 01:07 PM
The new design for 125 gal. Pond System....

What do you all think!!!!!