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  1. #1
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    A few basic questions

    Can anyone tell me where a good reference point is for the science for aquaponics. I need to understand the things that I HAVE to esnure. I was just thinking that if I had the reasons behind something then I can understand why I need to do something - hope that makes a little bit of sense !!. Some of the following questions I need to answer :

    Do the beds need to be underwater (or at least mostly) ? If so why ?
    Am I right in thinking that the volume of the beds needs to match the volume of the water for the fish
    How mush of the water do I need to turn over every hour / day ?
    What can I add if there are not enough nutrients in the water for the plants to grow ?
    Were can I find a detailed design that is already proven.

    Sorry for all of the questions !

  2. #2
    Moderator badflash's Avatar
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    Re: A few basic questions

    Check the posts in this forum:
    viewforum.php?f=72
    The best fertilizer is the farmer's shadow

  3. #3
    Moderator urbanfarmer's Avatar
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    Re: A few basic questions

    Yes, please review as much information as you can. There is a wealth of information here on the forums, and there is even more information regarding aquaponics that has not been disseminated to the public hidden away in scientific journals and the minds of PhD's and the like... I think you are best suited for reading up on the subject, trying to answer your own questions first, and asking us the questions you just can't seem to solve.

    However, I think you asked one excellent question that deserves and immediate answer!

    Were can I find a detailed design that is already proven.
    University of the Virgin Islands - Agricultural Experiment Station (AES)
    http://www.uvi.edu/sites/uvi/Pages/A...arch.aspx?s=RE

    They have been researching Aquaponics for something like 30 years. They also turn a profit.

    START HERE: http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/aquaponic.pdf

    Aquaponics—Integration of Hydroponics with Aquaculture
    http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/aquaponic.html

    UVI System Update (not sure from when, but gives more details)
    http://ag.arizona.edu/azaqua/ista/is...eb/pdf/676.pdf

    And, now that you have a good idea of what Aquaponics is, go here: http://diyaquaponics.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=112

  4. #4
    Members wh33t's Avatar
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    Re: A few basic questions

    Quote Originally Posted by Cash-matters
    Can anyone tell me where a good reference point is for the science for aquaponics. I need to understand the things that I HAVE to esnure. I was just thinking that if I had the reasons behind something then I can understand why I need to do something - hope that makes a little bit of sense !!. Some of the following questions I need to answer :

    Do the beds need to be underwater (or at least mostly) ? If so why ?
    Am I right in thinking that the volume of the beds needs to match the volume of the water for the fish
    How mush of the water do I need to turn over every hour / day ?
    What can I add if there are not enough nutrients in the water for the plants to grow ?
    Were can I find a detailed design that is already proven.

    Sorry for all of the questions !
    I'll do my best. I'm new to this as well, but fairly experience in deep water cultivation of plants.

    Do the beds need to be underwater (or at least mostly) ? If so why ?

    The beds don't need to be under water at all. What is important is getting the roots wet of the plant. There is many ways to achieve this.

    - Flood and drain (as described, you flood the table, then drain it shortly after and the process repeats) using an object called a Bell Siphon which are incredibly useful objects and are very simple to make. I made my first one yesterday and I've only made one adjustment since. Flood and Drain is a great way to ensure your plant roots receive oxygen. I also hear from various people that it allows your worms in the flower beds to breath as well, should you chose to put some worms in there, I hear Red Wigglers are the best.

    - Continuous Flow, just keep water continually running over your plants roots. It's good and simply if you can insure that you have enough dissolved oxygen in the water.

    - Deep Water rafting - this is where you physically use a float (or a dock) which is just any object that is safe for the water/fish/plants that floats on the surface of the pond/tank/aquarium which will hold a plant upright. The roots then grow freely into the pond and get the nutrients directly. This is great for a budget set up as it requires no moving parts, no motor, nothing. But you can only pull this off providing two factors. 1) That you have ample Dissolved Oxygen in the water and 2) Your fish never eat the roots (certain breeds of fish will ignore them)

    Am I right in thinking that the volume of the beds needs to match the volume of the water for the fish

    That would be incorrect. Regardless of bed size, what matters is how many fish you have per how many plants you have. It's really tough to give out exact numbers because various fish grow at different speeds, have higher protein conversion ratios, excrete different waste and different amounts of it as well. Bed size is still important however as it provides a breeding ground for beneficial bacteria to live and a place for your roots to take hold. But that does not necessarily mean that the flower bed is the only place to achieve this. The ratio you are speaking of is often referred to as pounds of fish per plant per gallon of water to which I have no clue what is ideal.

    How mush of the water do I need to turn over every hour / day ?

    Not sure exactly, but I'm sure the more the merrier providing you aren't using high speed, high pressure water pumps (that would probably kill the roots and the bacteria). If you are wanting to go with minimal equipment I would suggest at you would want to cycle all of your water at least once per hour. That doesn't mean flood the table once per hour. It means cycle ALL of your water through the bed at least once per hour, providing you are doing Flood and Drain that is.

    What can I add if there are not enough nutrients in the water for the plants to grow ?

    More fish! or more Fish food! I have heard various people say that they can actually add chemically derived nutrients to their fish water in small quantities. I would only suggest this if 1) You never plan to eat your fish directly, 2) Don't care if your fish live or die, 3) Don't care if your biological system collapses. If you are just experimenting I would say test the waters slowly. I know most of us here beginners are just using feeder gold fish and that they are cheap, but try to respect all life and perhaps it will respect you in return, take care of the creatures in your charge and they will take care of you. That's my motto anyhow.

    Were can I find a detailed design that is already proven.

    Everywhere man. I personally suggest that wherever you live you try and find an existing aquaponics system that you can visit and take note. There is also a plethora of videos and guides on Youtube. There is also a forum here for system design.

    You should also update your Forum Profile to state where you live (not your address, but city/region would be good) so that people can give you suggestions to your LOCAL area. Such as what fish will be the easiest to raise outside etc.

    Hope that helps man! Phew! I'm exhausted from all this typing. Jk.
    Current Aquaponics System


    11 Gold Fish
    Aquarium = Custom 90 Gallon Raised Pond on casters
    Flower bed = Custom 4' x 8' Flood Table (Bell Siphon)
    Bio Filter = 6 Gallon Polypropylene Tote with Hydroton (Bell Siphon)

  5. #5
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    Re: A few basic questions

    an easy start would be travis hughey's barrelponics manual for a small system..(google him)
    start small,, you will expand as you learn and find what works for you
    i've added a few things to my growbed.. a couple of bannana halves (buried) eggshells, clam shells..and composting worms.. the only store bought thing i've added was maxicrop with iron

    a good rule of thumb is for every 100 gallons of growbed, you can grow out 25lbs of fish (base your fishload on your filtration capabilities)

  6. #6
    Moderator urbanfarmer's Avatar
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    Re: A few basic questions

    Quote Originally Posted by keith_r
    an easy start would be travis hughey's barrelponics manual for a small system..(google him)
    I actually came across it when I first started out, and I didn't like it then and I don't like it now for the beginner... too much building for such a small system.

    Quote Originally Posted by keith_r
    start small,, you will expand as you learn and find what works for you
    i've added a few things to my growbed.. a couple of bannana halves (buried) eggshells, clam shells..and composting worms.. the only store bought thing i've added was maxicrop with iron
    I agree. Also, ashes from burned wood (or pretty much any plant). It will provide potassium AKA potash. The term "potash" comes from the old-Dutch word potaschen. The old method of making potassium carbonate (K2CO3) was by leaching wood ashes and evaporating the solution in large iron pots, leaving a white residue called "pot ash"

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potash

    Quote Originally Posted by keith_r
    a good rule of thumb is for every 100 gallons of growbed, you can grow out 25lbs of fish (base your fishload on your filtration capabilities)
    Although rules of the thumb are good guidelines to help people wrap their head around ideas or concepts, I have to disagree with their usage... I think Allen from Growing Power suggested around 5 gallons per 1 pound of fish (I THINK), but it all depends on so many factors... and also, I never fully understood what people mean by a gallon of grow bed... does this mean 1 gallon of grow bed = 1/7.4805 of a cubic foot? If so, the medium and other applicable surface areas need to be considered as well as the plants' nutrient uptakes... Also, do you start with 25 pounds of fingerlings? What happens when they get big? IDK... I know you know this, but you can see where the rule of the mighty thumbs fall apart quickly with any real application... I think it's best for beginners to start out with low stocking densities rather than suggesting the higher end of stocking densities. What do you think???

  7. #7
    Moderator urbanfarmer's Avatar
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    Re: A few basic questions

    P.S. I just noticed we have yet to hear from "Cash-matters"

  8. #8
    Members wh33t's Avatar
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    Re: A few basic questions

    Quote Originally Posted by urbanfarmer
    P.S. I just noticed we have yet to hear from "Cash-matters"
    I know he needs to get back in here.
    Current Aquaponics System


    11 Gold Fish
    Aquarium = Custom 90 Gallon Raised Pond on casters
    Flower bed = Custom 4' x 8' Flood Table (Bell Siphon)
    Bio Filter = 6 Gallon Polypropylene Tote with Hydroton (Bell Siphon)

  9. #9
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    Re: A few basic questions

    these are "basic" rules of thumb.. regarding the volume of the growbed, it is based on the total volume of the gb..
    the "rule of thumb" regarding the fish, is final grown out size
    there's a system calculator developed by Dr. Wilson Lennard you can find here that pretty much supports those rules of thumb
    check out his system design tool here;
    http://www.aquaponic.com.au/

    but, every system is pretty unique, adding additional solids filtration and aeration will allow you to increase your load of fish.. some people want to concentrate on raising fish, some on the veggies.. friendly aquaponics was using mostly dwc rafts and found they were overstocked with fish and did not make money, but, they have a perfect growing season for veggies, and any kind of growing system there would be totally different from something that would be built in northeast ohio (where we still have snow on the ground)

    i like the barrelponics manual because it was very detailed, and pretty easy to build, even if i had to substitue a few items here and there, i experimented with rafts in it last year on the top flood tank, and used 2 pairs of growbeds into a bigger tank..
    i'm still looking for containers for my next system, and whatever gets built will be based on what i can find

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