I might recommend upgrading your plumbing since the brass hose manifold (especially if the water is more acidic once using rain water) could leach too much metals into your fish water. And if you upgrade the plumbing to larger PVC you will probably get more flow from your pump and it might even be enough to use that single pump to feed your fish tank and the grow beds.
Good Luck with it.
Oh and the tea colored rain water is probably not a bad thing, most mature AP systems have that anyway.
@AquaponicLynx Hi, thanx for the suggestion. I replaced the brass with plastice Y's right after making the video. The tea water was changed out and replaced with fresh rain water the following Tuesday after Christmas since it rained all day again. I had an algea bloom after warming the water to 70F but the Danner air pump did the trick and now only the bottom and sides have algae film. The little pump was just a test pump and was replaced by a 1300 GPM bilge pump.
@AquaponicLynx oops... meant to type 1300 gallon per hour... I still need to make the SLO drain larger. All the metal has been removed from the supply lines.
Hey Jim!! Hope you have a wonderful New Year! Man, that thing is going to be incredible! Thanks for the update. Looking forward to seeing everything completed! Whoot! *****
@mattpresti Yep, 2012 is finally here... one more time around the galaxy ... Hard to believe 25 thousand years have gone by already... where does all the time go? I'm looking forward to this year's Solstice. :D
@jimmymac30 Hmmm well since this is my first attempt, I'm gonna start with comet goldfish... 13 cents each at the local PetsMart. Once I get the water heater working, I'd like to switch to tilapia. Some other options are blue gill and yellow perch which like a colder water than tilapia. The fish tank should be able to hold about 100 fish max but I don't think I'll put that many in. For plants, I put a list in the more info box... they were planted a few days ago and are sprouting
@cputb1 Hey CP, happy holidays man. Hopefully, I'll have some fish and plants in the next update. The seeds have sprouted and all 5 grow beds are circulating. The fish tank is full and circulating by itself to get the oxygen level up. I'll put an air pump and stones in it in a few days then connect it to the grow bed circuit. Next step would be to add plants and start adding ammonia to the water to get the beneficial bacteria growing to convert it to nitrates for the plants.
This is becoming quite the project! Your determination is inspiring. Looks like you've got it all thought through, though. We appreciate the updates on this fascinating endeavor!
@17drums It's sort of a 'learn as I go' thing. I only found out about aquaponics recently after seeing a good video that explained it all. Then I joined some forums, been researching it a lot, and experimenting. Growing fish and vegetables together is a great combo. The 250 gallon fish tank will also help thermo regulate the dome which is another added bonus. Thanks for watchin' ;D
@efisgpr Sure no problem. Oh, another interesting thing about growing plants in these beds is that the spacing in not an issue since the plants get all the nutrients they can handle. You can crowd 'em without worry. Also, weeds are not a problem since they are so easily removed from the growing media.... No stooping because the beds are right about waist high. The inside of the dome can double as a trellis for climbing plants. Plenty of vertical space for hanging plants too.
Hello, this is very intriguing. If you don't mind my asking, what is the total investment for building materials? And do you plan to grow half your family's food in the dome, for instance...Just looking for a very general cost/benefits summary. Thanks if it's not too much trouble & **Happy Holidays**. :)
@efisgpr I'm not sure what the total is for this setup. The main reason for doing this is more for personal enjoyment. Once the system is balanced, the growing potential is pretty big. The vegetables grow very fast and very large and depending on which fish you decide to grow, they can grow rather quick too. Plus everything is organically grown of course. Just look up Aquaponics on Youtube for more info.
I might recommend upgrading your plumbing since the brass hose manifold (especially if the water is more acidic once using rain water) could leach too much metals into your fish water. And if you upgrade the plumbing to larger PVC you will probably get more flow from your pump and it might even be enough to use that single pump to feed your fish tank and the grow beds.
Good Luck with it.
Oh and the tea colored rain water is probably not a bad thing, most mature AP systems have that anyway.
AquaponicLynx 1 month ago
@AquaponicLynx Hi, thanx for the suggestion. I replaced the brass with plastice Y's right after making the video. The tea water was changed out and replaced with fresh rain water the following Tuesday after Christmas since it rained all day again. I had an algea bloom after warming the water to 70F but the Danner air pump did the trick and now only the bottom and sides have algae film. The little pump was just a test pump and was replaced by a 1300 GPM bilge pump.
ScalerWave 1 month ago
@AquaponicLynx oops... meant to type 1300 gallon per hour... I still need to make the SLO drain larger. All the metal has been removed from the supply lines.
ScalerWave 1 month ago
@ScalerWave
Ah good to hear it.
AquaponicLynx 1 month ago
Hey Jim!! Hope you have a wonderful New Year! Man, that thing is going to be incredible! Thanks for the update. Looking forward to seeing everything completed! Whoot! *****
Cameragirl803 1 month ago
excellent work! Your really coming along nicely...happy Great New Year to ya by the way...mp
mattpresti 2 months ago
@mattpresti Yep, 2012 is finally here... one more time around the galaxy ... Hard to believe 25 thousand years have gone by already... where does all the time go? I'm looking forward to this year's Solstice. :D
ScalerWave 2 months ago
Jim, I'll have to call you sometime; this sounds very cool...I hope you had a good Christmas...
dragonflySummer09 2 months ago
What type of fish will you use, and what type of plants will you grow?
jimmymac30 2 months ago
@jimmymac30 Hmmm well since this is my first attempt, I'm gonna start with comet goldfish... 13 cents each at the local PetsMart. Once I get the water heater working, I'd like to switch to tilapia. Some other options are blue gill and yellow perch which like a colder water than tilapia. The fish tank should be able to hold about 100 fish max but I don't think I'll put that many in. For plants, I put a list in the more info box... they were planted a few days ago and are sprouting
ScalerWave 2 months ago
A man of many talents. Very impressive. Fun to watch the progress. keep 'em coming.
cputb1 2 months ago
@cputb1 Hey CP, happy holidays man. Hopefully, I'll have some fish and plants in the next update. The seeds have sprouted and all 5 grow beds are circulating. The fish tank is full and circulating by itself to get the oxygen level up. I'll put an air pump and stones in it in a few days then connect it to the grow bed circuit. Next step would be to add plants and start adding ammonia to the water to get the beneficial bacteria growing to convert it to nitrates for the plants.
ScalerWave 2 months ago
This is becoming quite the project! Your determination is inspiring. Looks like you've got it all thought through, though. We appreciate the updates on this fascinating endeavor!
17drums 2 months ago
@17drums It's sort of a 'learn as I go' thing. I only found out about aquaponics recently after seeing a good video that explained it all. Then I joined some forums, been researching it a lot, and experimenting. Growing fish and vegetables together is a great combo. The 250 gallon fish tank will also help thermo regulate the dome which is another added bonus. Thanks for watchin' ;D
ScalerWave 2 months ago
Pretty cool there Jim. What do you plan on growing in there?
herbiesnerd 2 months ago
@herbiesnerd Hi Randy, Happy Holidays. I put a list in the More Info box for ya.
ScalerWave 2 months ago
@ScalerWave Awesome list! Don't forget your Rosemary & Thyme :)
herbiesnerd 2 months ago
This is very interesting stuff indeed-quite the achievement up till now- keep us posted- Thanks Jim!
mrsullyrox 2 months ago
@mrsullyrox Hey thanks Matt, glad you're into it... yeah it's keeping me on my toes... that's for sure. I'm learning a lot. Happy Holidays !
ScalerWave 2 months ago
Christmas in the dome! Lookijng great!
WeepingZeeGuitars 2 months ago
@WeepingZeeGuitars Thanks Mike !
ScalerWave 2 months ago
OK awesome, please accept my gratitude. Very interesting stuff.
efisgpr 2 months ago
@efisgpr Sure no problem. Oh, another interesting thing about growing plants in these beds is that the spacing in not an issue since the plants get all the nutrients they can handle. You can crowd 'em without worry. Also, weeds are not a problem since they are so easily removed from the growing media.... No stooping because the beds are right about waist high. The inside of the dome can double as a trellis for climbing plants. Plenty of vertical space for hanging plants too.
ScalerWave 2 months ago
Hello, this is very intriguing. If you don't mind my asking, what is the total investment for building materials? And do you plan to grow half your family's food in the dome, for instance...Just looking for a very general cost/benefits summary. Thanks if it's not too much trouble & **Happy Holidays**. :)
efisgpr 2 months ago
@efisgpr I'm not sure what the total is for this setup. The main reason for doing this is more for personal enjoyment. Once the system is balanced, the growing potential is pretty big. The vegetables grow very fast and very large and depending on which fish you decide to grow, they can grow rather quick too. Plus everything is organically grown of course. Just look up Aquaponics on Youtube for more info.
ScalerWave 2 months ago