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...