Aquaponics for the FISH

[odin]

Hello all, I'm new here and completely new to aqua/hydro/airo/ponics. etc.

I'm not new to gardening, nor to taking care of aquariums. so here is the deal and why i have signed up here.

I will be hoping to travel in 8 months time. and don't intend on being home for about 2 years. I have 2 goldfish, both of
whom are 7 years old, living in a 40 gallon tank. I've read that in aquaponics, both the plants and the fish benefit, so the
plants get food, and the fish get clean water. I'm hoping that aquaponics will enable me to design/setup an automated system
that will keep the fish tank water clean for them while i am away. I can have someone, top up their automatic feeder, and also
top up the fresh water that will be lost from time to time. but will be unable to get someone trustworthy to keep my fish alive with tank water changes. which is why i'm looking into these type of systems.

the system will be indoors, beside a large window, that only gets direct sunlight in the early mornings.
i would not be looking to grow food plants in this, but rather the best sturdy plant that would suit what i want. basically have the plant work for the fish tank.

not sure what other information to give that would help.

does anyone have experience with a system like this? or could anyone point me in the right direction so i can keep my fish alive while i'm away. i pretty much have 8 months from this month to experiment and build a diy system.

thanks in advance for any advice.

Odin.

[urbanfarmer]

Hello and welcome!

[odin]

Hi, thanks for the welcome.

could anyone let me know how often their fish in their systems die? particularly if you are using goldfish.

or do they live a long time?


thanks

O

[keith_r]

that's one of those "all depends" .. if you provide good water quality and good food.. goldfish can live for years..

[urbanfarmer]

I have heard of goldfish living for 20+ years!!! Of course, it depends on so many factors, but you can easily expect several years out of goldfish whether you treat them good or not because they are TOUGH. My little soldiers eat and poop like it's their job. I have put them through some extremes including massive ammonia spikes, temperature (survived winter when blue tilapia did not), and constant verbal abuse. Did I mention they are TOUGH?

Get the feeder goldfish from the pet store because those guys are mistreated so much the only ones left have the right genetics to be TOUGH!

[odin]

ah right, but i already have the goldfish : ) im trying to set up a system where the plants and
goldfish can live harmoniously. ie the plants get nutrients fom the water, and the water gets filtered
from the plants. with the only maintinance being someone topping up the water every now and again.

so could i use the goldfish in a small aquaponics system? any idea of what plants would suit my needs
from the OP?


Odin

[keith_r]

goldfish will work just fine.. as far as the plants, what do you want to grow? if it's in a spot with sun, you can grow just about anything from herbs to tomatoes, or whatever..lettuce, radishes.. sunflowers, cucumbers
about the only thing you will be limited by is your imagination and willingness to learn
one word of advice, provide a good quality fish food, not flakes (some aquarium type feeds are just enough to keep the fish alive)

[urbanfarmer]

You should also get a lot of bugs outdoors. For instance, I had a spawn of grasshoppers (species classified as pests), and I fed them to my goldfish. I could have sworn I watched them grow MASSIVELY over the next week as I kept feeding them these grasshoppers. There's something about the protein or nutrition in bugs that helps some fish grow insanely fast. So, always take the time to find any bugs around and feed them to your fish!!! It's pretty fun too... I like making Jaws music while the bug thrashes around... I know, I am disturbed...

[cedarswamp]

Hello all, I'm new here and completely new to aqua/hydro/airo/ponics. etc.

I'm not new to gardening, nor to taking care of aquariums. so here is the deal and why i have signed up here.

I will be hoping to travel in 8 months time. and don't intend on being home for about 2 years. I have 2 goldfish, both of
whom are 7 years old, living in a 40 gallon tank. I've read that in aquaponics, both the plants and the fish benefit, so the
plants get food, and the fish get clean water. I'm hoping that aquaponics will enable me to design/setup an automated system
that will keep the fish tank water clean for them while i am away. I can have someone, top up their automatic feeder, and also
top up the fresh water that will be lost from time to time. but will be unable to get someone trustworthy to keep my fish alive with tank water changes. which is why i'm looking into these type of systems.

the system will be indoors, beside a large window, that only gets direct sunlight in the early mornings.
i would not be looking to grow food plants in this, but rather the best sturdy plant that would suit what i want. basically have the plant work for the fish tank.

not sure what other information to give that would help.

does anyone have experience with a system like this? or could anyone point me in the right direction so i can keep my fish alive while i'm away. i pretty much have 8 months from this month to experiment and build a diy system.

thanks in advance for any advice.

Odin.


I've been debating whether to post on this topic or just keep my mouth shut, but if your looking to set up a small system to keep your fish alive for 2 years with nothing more than feeding and topping up the water, IMHO you're setting yourself up for disappointment. I would use your time finding someone to care for your fish properly while you're gone instead. Sorry to be a downer but you seem to care about your fish.

[urbanfarmer]

Where do you live, odin? And please don't say Valhalla, Asgard...

[reverse]

Hi odin, would you mind posting pictures of your tank and current filtration setup? If plants will be placed in the tank definitely your gold fish will eat them, ideally plants should be placed on your filter media(rocks,fiber wool etc..) and you can also consider automated water change 5-10% daily.

[odin]

thats for your honesty. If its not possible to set up that system, then i guess i'll will have to attempt to do that.
i do care for my gold fish as i've kept them alive and healthy for the last 7 years.
was just checking to see if it was possible to suppliment the care with a harmonious system.

don't think keeping them outside is an option. rather in a room near a window that gets sun in the morning. and if i was to do this, think
i would be looking at plants that don't need too much attention, and would just grow, so food plants would be harder to use than a regular
plant.

I'm not from valhalla no, but i do come from a city founded by Vikings over a 1000 years ago... Dublin... Ireland : )

[odin]

Aye will post pics of aquarium as soon as i can.

[urbanfarmer]

thats for your honesty. If its not possible to set up that system, then i guess i'll will have to attempt to do that.
i do care for my gold fish as i've kept them alive and healthy for the last 7 years.
was just checking to see if it was possible to suppliment the care with a harmonious system.

don't think keeping them outside is an option. rather in a room near a window that gets sun in the morning. and if i was to do this, think
i would be looking at plants that don't need too much attention, and would just grow, so food plants would be harder to use than a regular
plant.

I'm not from valhalla no, but i do come from a city founded by Vikings over a 1000 years ago... Dublin... Ireland : )
:lol: I see I see

Well, I think the biggest issue is the 2 years without attention. I mean in a mature system with the right plants and system design, you could easily go a few months without checking, but things happen. Pumps die, plants die (some only live a year ya know), pipes and siphons get clogged, and other less common problems can occur.

Now, with that said, I have come up with a solution... ROBOT HAMSTERS! Yes, they can be remotely controlled while you are away to do your bidding and maintain your system. You don't need to thank me, I know, I know, GENIUS!

:mrgreen:

[odin]

OK... here is the tank


As it turns out. Life being life and that, there have been some slight changes. I will not be going abroad, however i will be leaving the fish in the family home and moving to the other side of the city. It's still not possible to bring the set up with me. however this does change things. for one thing, i will be able to check up on them, check filters, pipes, plants etc, just not every day. maybe once or twice a month.

so with this new info, i should be able to find a system that will help? the filter and aquarium is jewel, and its a 20gallon tank. could the addition of plants outside of it for aquaponics help clean the water?

does anyone know how many plants this size could help grow/sustain?

[odin]

The gold one is Buddha, and the white and gold one is Garfunkel.

robot hamsters? nice :D just point me in the nearest outlet that sells 'em : )

[urbanfarmer]

The gold one is Buddha, and the white and gold one is Garfunkel.

robot hamsters? nice :D just point me in the nearest outlet that sells 'em : )
<in deep Russian accent> NYET! In DIY Aquaponics Forum, man build robot hamster not buy cheap copy.