This is so cool. Have you ever thought about spreading your system in other peoples backyards for money? How about creating some local event where people can take a look at this & then charge for classes where you'll be able to provide instruction? Maybe a list of do's & don'ts, provided with a set of materials, will be enough for some.
Increase yield & size of tomatoes by placing a material tube (recycle old nylon pantyhose or cotton/denim jeans legs, etc.) along the length of the plant stem, tie the stem to the tube, keep it moist & the plant will root all along the tube. Fill the tube w/ worm castings for best results, but can use potting soil, compost, peat moss + shredded paper, whatever on hand to allow good root growth. You have beautiful, excellent system. Good job.
wow that is beautiful! i am trying my hand at gardening this year, but would love to make something like that! wow! is there any what to make it so that you dont have to feed the fish, so that the system is practically a closed system??
@boxa888 Thanks man. Yes, it could be a closed system... if you use algae-eaters(fish) OR you could go with, Tilapia they are veggie eaters- Omnivore [they eat organic material], and they like to eat, lake grass, other algae and plants.
You could drop the fish, and enter the nitrogen chain yourself ... look up, PEEponics! lol /watch?v=aHXfxER6fg4
@boxa888 yes. place a bug zapper over the fish tank and if you have carnivorous fish they will eat what falls in it...also you can start a soldier fly larvae compost bin that self harvests (look it up)
Is that an intex above ground pool for the fish tank? How many gallons is your tank and how many and what type of fish do you have? How did the above ground pool hold up? I bought an intex pool (8'x 30") (639 gal.) that I will put tilapia in and going to do lettuce in about 75 ft. of pipe in a constant flow NFT system. How many plants and fish do you think I can have?
I have channel catfish, 200. for catfish you need 3gals per pound at harvest.
The intex pool even froze this last winter. See Fish-cycles.
You want to grow fish first, as your primary thought, then add plants to clean their water. There is a dissolved O2 chart, for BIO-load. read about the tank cycle to start you bacteria.
Hey, you said that the bacteria in the grow beds does something with the nitrates, or nitrites, (whichever). Can you tell me more about this bacteria? How did it get there? Does it come naturally? This is the only confusing point on this whole system. Please elaborate thanks.
google search, nitrate bacteria and you'll find, nitrosomonas and nitrobactor are the bacterias that change the ammonia.
go to any good aquarium store, tell them your freshwater fish tank will not use conventional carbon filters and you will be using a bio filter with bacteria. Then tell them you need to buy some. there are dozens of products.
also if you know of a CLEAN stocked river pond of creek you can scoop some and mix it into your media.
ants play an important role in this stuff, it seems as if Aphids are grown by the ants on plants for later harvest.
mine were hot-housed as starts I got them with aphids. I manually removed them from every leaf, and as you've said they do not return or never appear. Strange is right.
What's more strange... I'm seeing bees doing the job of flies. working the decaying plant matter and trimmings not just pollinating. They say bees are leaving; their just doing more, I guess
I bet you have no aphid problems is that correct? This is what is interesting I have aphids attacking a plant that is 3 feet from the aquaponic plants but the aphids will not go after the aquaponics and I am happy yes but wonder why? Just another another reason to keep exploring this wonderful way to grow food I guess :)
aphids and bugs in general attack the tasty plants first , week sick plants produce more sugar and are taster to bugs , strong healthy plants dont taste as good to bugs, aquaponic plants are stronger as they have constant water and nitrogen.
where can i get directions how to set up something like this ?
bruce77ch 1 year ago
This is so cool. Have you ever thought about spreading your system in other peoples backyards for money? How about creating some local event where people can take a look at this & then charge for classes where you'll be able to provide instruction? Maybe a list of do's & don'ts, provided with a set of materials, will be enough for some.
ElectricMelon03 1 year ago
Bigger gravel much better.3/4 inch to be exact.
marlin187 1 year ago
Increase yield & size of tomatoes by placing a material tube (recycle old nylon pantyhose or cotton/denim jeans legs, etc.) along the length of the plant stem, tie the stem to the tube, keep it moist & the plant will root all along the tube. Fill the tube w/ worm castings for best results, but can use potting soil, compost, peat moss + shredded paper, whatever on hand to allow good root growth. You have beautiful, excellent system. Good job.
Marleyites 1 year ago
is your system a constant flow ?
mwdowell1 1 year ago
@mwdowell1 yes, it creates the circulation within the tank (treadmill for the fish), the O2 for the fish and bio-bug activation , as well.
Signzit 1 year ago
Incredibly jealous of your garden....but wheres the fish?
sabrinacle 1 year ago
wow that is beautiful! i am trying my hand at gardening this year, but would love to make something like that! wow! is there any what to make it so that you dont have to feed the fish, so that the system is practically a closed system??
boxa888 1 year ago
@boxa888 Thanks man. Yes, it could be a closed system... if you use algae-eaters(fish) OR you could go with, Tilapia they are veggie eaters- Omnivore [they eat organic material], and they like to eat, lake grass, other algae and plants.
You could drop the fish, and enter the nitrogen chain yourself ... look up, PEEponics! lol /watch?v=aHXfxER6fg4
Signzit 1 year ago 2
@Signzit dirrr i wasnt even thinking of that, thanks alot for the help, so this video is from 2008. are you still using this set up?? pretty cool.
boxa888 1 year ago
@boxa888 yes. place a bug zapper over the fish tank and if you have carnivorous fish they will eat what falls in it...also you can start a soldier fly larvae compost bin that self harvests (look it up)
dwiggs77 1 year ago
Is that an intex above ground pool for the fish tank? How many gallons is your tank and how many and what type of fish do you have? How did the above ground pool hold up? I bought an intex pool (8'x 30") (639 gal.) that I will put tilapia in and going to do lettuce in about 75 ft. of pipe in a constant flow NFT system. How many plants and fish do you think I can have?
sgrin2300 1 year ago
@sgrin2300 Yes Intex pool 1000gals
I have channel catfish, 200. for catfish you need 3gals per pound at harvest.
The intex pool even froze this last winter. See Fish-cycles.
You want to grow fish first, as your primary thought, then add plants to clean their water. There is a dissolved O2 chart, for BIO-load. read about the tank cycle to start you bacteria.
Signzit 1 year ago
Great stuff!
tomstedham 1 year ago 3
@tomstedham thanks man
Signzit 1 year ago
what kind of food you give your fish? And how many times a day you feed them?
bifi34 2 years ago 2
How much did this cost? It looks reasonable.
scringer12 2 years ago
8 or 900 FRN(s) give 'er take some
the pond liner was the most costly 120.00,
2 ton of river rock about 80.00
fingerlings 0.15 & 0.25 each (300 total fish)
pump 120.00
I have a stocktank now, this year, it cost 300.00
50lbs bag of feed 18.00
Signzit 2 years ago
So the waste from the fish feeds the garden and the garden cleans out the tank? Just a pump? No filter?
WoundedEgo 2 years ago
the rock/beds is/are the filter. Yes! There is No real filter, just the pump
Signzit 2 years ago
nice growin any pot?
ionrocket 2 years ago 2
Hey, you said that the bacteria in the grow beds does something with the nitrates, or nitrites, (whichever). Can you tell me more about this bacteria? How did it get there? Does it come naturally? This is the only confusing point on this whole system. Please elaborate thanks.
ameliaherb1 3 years ago
It will occur naturally over years, yes.
google search, nitrate bacteria and you'll find, nitrosomonas and nitrobactor are the bacterias that change the ammonia.
go to any good aquarium store, tell them your freshwater fish tank will not use conventional carbon filters and you will be using a bio filter with bacteria. Then tell them you need to buy some. there are dozens of products.
also if you know of a CLEAN stocked river pond of creek you can scoop some and mix it into your media.
Signzit 3 years ago
look into the nitrogen cycle. it explains it all.
lingcod76 3 years ago
G'day buddy hows things!
Love ya videos of AP, you wouldn't by any chance be in BYAP would ya?
sizercam 3 years ago
ants play an important role in this stuff, it seems as if Aphids are grown by the ants on plants for later harvest.
mine were hot-housed as starts I got them with aphids. I manually removed them from every leaf, and as you've said they do not return or never appear. Strange is right.
What's more strange... I'm seeing bees doing the job of flies. working the decaying plant matter and trimmings not just pollinating. They say bees are leaving; their just doing more, I guess
Signzit 3 years ago
I bet you have no aphid problems is that correct? This is what is interesting I have aphids attacking a plant that is 3 feet from the aquaponic plants but the aphids will not go after the aquaponics and I am happy yes but wonder why? Just another another reason to keep exploring this wonderful way to grow food I guess :)
NOSMOJEFF 3 years ago
aphids and bugs in general attack the tasty plants first , week sick plants produce more sugar and are taster to bugs , strong healthy plants dont taste as good to bugs, aquaponic plants are stronger as they have constant water and nitrogen.
astrialkil 2 years ago