So going to start on this aquaponics thing. Wondering why you need a bell siphon vs conventional returns, and why do we different in the first place. Since it is taking place of timer why don't we grow weed in same manner? And flood times, shit some call for 15 minutes cycles other 30 or hour, hell I used to 3 or 4 hour. So similar so different
Tuned in! I got the fish part kinda down. Not sure if nitrifying bacteria in the grow bed has anything to do with f&d cycles. But I would bet it does. Have you nailed down any plans for a setup yet?
Going to use 275 gallon poly container and run to an old 4x4 table wuth tomatoes abd peppers and prob some 6 inch pvc tubing for lettuce. But containers are expensive, found one on Craigslist for cheap though, 50 at bad but it's like 90 min away. Im just going to chop the top off to size and flip it over and paint the underside black. Then frame that in to a nice looking box. But bell siphon might not fight because it's already drilled so I need to figure that out. Actually it's got two returns and one full because it had huge pump going to it at one time. Just looking at all the others with bell siphon makes me wonder why we run the way we do and if I have to have one. My wife used to keep a tank so she's decent on that end of things. I seen you have one as well as a few others here. We gave ours away because it was just another thing to clean, lol. But this is self cleaning. Biggest drawback is I'm trying to do single season grow so getting right nutes available and trying to supplement without killing fish since Im not giving time to mature. Any tips? And how do you get fish cheap that ain't sick? I don't wanna pay pets tore, you got any tips on getting fish. Seems easy enough, I miss hydro, zombie apocalypse is right around the corner.
But most run separation tanks also to let solids drop out to clean it. I'm sure particle size has something to do with it but do you think running with returns will be fine?
I ran continuous flood and drain, with it draining back into the tank. I never tried flowering plants, so the Ammonia and Nitrogen Loads weren't too bad for me. Leafy greens are the key to getting the Ammonia and Nitrates under control, though. For the beginning, I also had plants in the fish tanks to help. For my first fish for the system, I got Tilapia off Craigslist, and visited a farm that was feeding 4 greenhouses by Aquaponics. I'd recommend looking for Koi, Trout, or Salmon maybe? Tilapia is a garbage fish, so I wouldn't go that route again.
I'm just going to do 15 minutes an hour flood time...using Koi because I don't eat fish or anything that smells that way. I will keep this thread updated, not pot, but fun non the less. But it is weird the flood timing difference and the returns. Has anyone tried their way with pot, or do we know it all already lol. I'm down for what I know because it works with pot, it will work with tomatoes, bell siphon seems overly complicated to replace a $10 timer
It will work with pot. It just takes a pretty intricate setup. The one I saw was where you Feed Vegging plants and drain to another reservoir that feeds your flowering plants. This allows the vegging plants/leafy greens to get the excess nitrogen loads out of the system, before feeding the flowers. Not sure how many stages they used, but they filled up a house.
