Aquaponics!

[dieselhondas]

Ever heard of aquaponics? Well I hadn't untill several days ago. And I want to know why?! This is the best growing method ever! Anybody use this for cannabis yet? I'm a big activist for ending prohibition, but in this quest I've become a conspearisy theorist, political activist, humanitarian... I've been reading about self sustained homes. Not just electrical but mainly reusing gray water and growing fruits and veggies, as well as animals. Chickens, pigs, cows... In this persuit I found aquaponics and want to share it with the world!! The day I'm aloud to grow legally in Texas and help sick people, is the day my life is complete. I just can't believe I hadn't heard of this untill now !!!
Here's an overview of how it works. Plants on top. Fish on bottom. A water pump floods a medium filled tub. Rocks, hydrotron, lava... And then it drains back into the fish tank. Yes it's that simple folks! Here's where it gets better. The plants filter the tank so there's no cleaning. The fish poop is your nutes so you never buy ANY!!!! You can grow anything! And eat the fish! I would love impute on the mj side of this because I have NO info on it yet!!! If you want to take it farther you can grow duck weed. It rapidly reproduces, changes the poop into usable nutes for the plants, as well as feeds the fish and chickens love it. Any input is welcome and feel free to google and YouTube it! I am just learning about this but its such a simple system it doesn't take much research. We just need to tell others. Thanks folks ! Start googling!

 

[dieselhondas]

Re: Aquaponics !

Bump!

 

[420]

Aquaponics (pronounced: /ˈækwəˈpɒnɨks/) is a sustainable food production system that combines a traditional aquaculture (raising aquatic animals such as fish, crayfish or prawns in tanks) with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) in a symbiotic environment. In the aquaculture, effluents accumulate in the water, increasing toxicity for the fish. This water is led to a hydroponic system where the by-products from the aquaculture are filtered out by the plants as vital nutrients, after which the cleansed water is recirculated back to the animals. The term aquaponics is a portmanteau of the terms aquaculture and hydroponic.

Aquaponic systems vary in size from small indoor or outdoor units to large commercial units, using the same technology. The systems usually contain fresh water, but salt water systems are plausible depending on the type of aquatic animal and which plants.[citation needed] Aquaponic science may still be considered to be at an early stage.

Function
Silver Perch fingerlings in an aquaponic system

Aquaponics consists of two main parts with the aquaculture part for raising aquatic animals and the hydroponics part for growing plants.[1][2] Aquatic effluents resulting from uneaten feed or raising animals like fish accumulates in water due to the closed system recirculation of most aquaculture systems. The effluent-rich water becomes toxic to the aquatic animal in high concentrations but these effluents are nutrients essential for plant growth.[1] Although consisting primarily of these two parts, aquaponics system are usually grouped into several components or subsystems for the effective removal of solid wastes, the addition of bases to neutralize acids, and to maintain water oxygenation.[1] They include the:

Rearing tank: The tanks for raising and feeding the fish;
Solids removal: A unit for catching uneaten food and detached biofilms, and for settling out fine particulates;
Biofilter: A place where the nitrification bacteria can grow and convert ammonia into nitrates, which are usable by the plants;[1]
Hydroponics subsystem: The portion of the system where plants are grown by absorbing excess nutrients from the water;
Sump: The lowest point in the system where the water flows to and from which it is pumped back to the rearing tanks.

The plant bed in an aquaponic systems

Depending on the sophistication and cost of the aquaponics system, the units for solids removal, biofiltration, and/or the hydroponics subsystem may be combined into one unit or subsystem,[1] which prevent the water from flowing directly from the aquaculture part of the system to the hydroponics part.
[edit] Nitrification

Nitrification in an aquaponics system is dependent on bacterial biofilm located in a specific biofiltering module or distributed throughout the system. Care for this bacterial colony is important as to regulate the full assimilation of ammonia and nitrite for plant nutrient uptake and reduce the presence of these metabolites, which are toxic to aquatic animals.

Although selected minerals or nutrients such as iron are sometimes added, the main source of nutrients for the plants is the fish waste.[1] Ammonia is steadily released into the water through the excreta and gills of fish as a product of their metabolism. Higher concentrations of ammonia (commonly between 0.5 and 1 ppm)[citation needed] can kill fish, and plants do not absorb it as well as nitrates.[2] This means that nitrification, or the aerobic conversion of toxic ammonia into nitrates, is one of the most important functions in aquaponics since it reduces the toxicity of the water and makes it easier for the plants to take up the nitrogenous compounds. By maintaining a healthy population of:

Nitrosomonas: bacteria that convert ammonia into nitrites
Nitrobacter: bacteria that convert nitrites into nitrates

The toxicity of the water is reduced[1] and the resulting nitrate compounds can be removed by the plants for nourishment.[1] This process occurs throughout the system, as the bacteria responsible for this process will form a biofilm on all solid surfaces of the system in contact with the water. The submerged roots of the vegetables combined have a large surface area so that many bacteria can accumulate there. Most aquaponics systems include a biofiltering unit, which helps facilitate growth of these microorganisms. Typically, ammonia levels range from 0.25 to 2.0 ppm; nitrite levels range from 0.25 to 1 ppm, and nitrate levels range from 2 to 150 ppm.[citation needed] During system startup, spikes may occur in the levels of ammonia (up to 6.0 ppm) and nitrite (up to 15 ppm), with nitrate levels peaking later in the startup phase.[citation needed] Since the nitrification process acidifies the water, non-sodium bases such as potassium hydroxide or calcium hydroxide can be added for neutralizing the water's pH[1] if insufficient quantities are naturally present in the water to provide a buffer against acidification.

A good way to deal with solids buildup in aquaponics is the use of worms, which liquefy the solid organic matter so that it can be utilized by the plants and/or animals.
[edit] Hydroponics subsystem

Plants are grown with their roots immersed in the nutrient-rich effluent water similar to hydroponic systems. This enables them to utilize the nutrient-rich water and filter out the compounds toxic to the aquatic animals. After the water has passed through the hydroponic subsystem, it is cleaned and oxygenated, and can return to the aquaculture vessels. This cycle is continuous. Common aquaponic applications of hydroponic systems include:

Deep-water raft aquaponics: styrofoam rafts floating in a relatively deep aquaculture basin in troughs.
Recirculating aquaponics: solid media such as gravel or clay beads, held in a container that is flooded with water from the aquaculture. This type of aquaponics is also known as closed-loop aquaponics.
Reciprocating aquaponics: solid media in a container that is alternately flooded and drained utilizing different types of siphon drains. This type of aquaponics is also known as flood-and-drain aquaponics or ebb-and-flow aquaponics.
Other systems use towers that are trickle-fed from the top, nutrient film technique channels, horizontal PVC pipes with holes for the pots, plastic barrels cut in half with gravel or rafts in them. Each approach has its own benefits.[3]

[edit] Aquaculture subsystem

Freshwater fish are the most common aquatic animal raised using aquaponics, although saltwater fish, crayfish and prawns may also be used.[citation needed] In practice, tilapia are the most popular fish chosen for home and commercial projects that are intended to raise edible fish, however barramundi, Silver Perch, tandanus catfish, Jade perch and Murray cod are also used.[2] Most green leaf vegetables grow well in the hydroponic filter, although most profitable are varieties of chinese cabbage, lettuce, basil, roses, tomatoes, okra, cantaloupe and bell peppers.[2] Other species of vegetables that grow well in an aquaponic system include beans, peas, kohlrabi, watercress, taro, radishes, strawberries, melons, onions, turnips, parsnips, sweet potato and herbs.[citation needed] Since plants at different growth stages require different amounts of minerals and nutrients, plant harvesting is staggered with seedings growing at the same time as mature plants. This ensures stable nutrient content in the water because of continuous symbiotic cleansing of toxins from the water that in high levels kill fish.[4]
[edit] Normal operations

Aquaponic systems do not typically discharge or exchange water under normal operation, but instead recirculate and reuse water very effectively. The system relies on the relationship between the animals and the plants to maintain a stable aquatic environment that experience a minimal of fluctuation in ambient nutrient and oxygen levels. Water is only added to replace water loss from absorption and transpiration by plants, evaporation into the air from surface water, overflow from the system from rainfall, and removal of biomass such as settled solid wastes from the system. As a result, aquaponics uses approximately 2% of the water that a conventionally irrigated farm requires for the same vegetable production.[citation needed] This allows for aquaponic production of both crops and fish in areas where water or fertile land is scarce. Aquaponic systems can also be used to replicate controlled wetland conditions that are useful for water treatment by reclaiming potable water from typical household sewage.[citation needed] The nutrient-filled overflow water can be accumulated in catchment tank, and reused to accelerate growth of crops grown in soil, or it may be pumped back into the aquaponic system to compensate for the water lost in periods of drought or little rainfall.

The three main inputs to the system are water, feed given to the aquatic animals, and electricity to pump water between the aquaculture and the hydroponics. The hydroponics system continually provides plants such as vegetables, while the aquaculture can contain edible species of among others fish, but they will have to be replaced to keep the system stable.
[edit] History
[edit] Ancient

Aquaponics has ancient roots, although there is some debate on its first occurrence:

Aztec cultivated agricultural islands known as chinampas and are considered by some as the first form of aquaponics for agricultural use,[5][6] where plants were raised on stationary (and sometime movable) islands in lake shallows and waste materials dredged from the Chinampa canals and surrounding cities are used to manuallly irrigate the plants[7][8]
South China and Thailand who cultivated and farmed rice in paddy fields in combination with fish are cited as examples of early aquaponics. These polycultural farming systems existed in many Far Eastern countries and raised fish such as the oriental loach (泥鳅, ドジョウ),[9] swamp eel (黄鳝, 田鰻), Common (鯉魚, コイ) and crucian carp (鯽魚)[10] as well as pond snails (田螺) in the paddies.[11][12]

[edit] Modern Western beginnings

At the New Alchemy Institute (Cape Cod, 1969—1991), researchers experimented with bioshelters and wastewater management via crop production. This pursuit, of what was to become the permaculture movement founded on the one element/many functions principle, inspired researchers to advance the concept of fish effluent as fertilizer for crop production. The institute published a series of article describing the use of fish pond water to irrigate plants.[13][14] However the described techniques did not explicitly create a symbiotic and circulatory growth environment for what was to become aquaponics.

Formal scientific interest in the combining of aquaculture and hydroponics started in the mid-1970s. One of the earliest scholarly papers was written by Sneed, Allen, and Ellis (1975).[15] It would take another decade before a greater amount of research in the integration of the two areas would start to crystallize into the true beginnings of aquaponics. Research by Zweig (1986)[16] introduced the solar-algae hydroponic aquaculture pond, which further promoted attention for integrating plants into a system of aquaculture.[17]

The first known recirculating (closed-loop) and reciprocating (flood-and-drain or ebb-and-flow) aquaponic system, called the Integrated Aqua-Vegeculture System, was built by then-graduate student Mark McMurtry and his professors.[11] It filtered tilapia effluent into sand biofilters containing bacteria, which filtered out animal waste and dead algae from the water while it provided nutrients to tomato, cucumber and other vegetable crops. Both McMurtry and Sanders continued to publish articles on their research in the 1990s and 1990s and worked to develop the recirculatory techniques for the arid Third World, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa.
[edit] Regions
[edit] North America
[edit] United States

Inspired by the successes of the New Alchemy Institute and the North Carolina State University with aquaponics, other institutes followed suit. Besides the reciprocating aquaponics based on the techniques developed by Dr. Mark McMurtry et al. at the New Alchemy Institute and North Carolina State University, Dr. James Rakocy and his colleagues at the University of the Virgin Islands researched and developed the "Deep Water" or "Raft Culture" aquaponics[18] The system combines tilapia with various vegetables.

In 1997 Rebecca L. Nelson and John S. Pade began publishing the Aquaponics Journal, a quarterly scientific journal that brings together research and various applications of aquaponics from around the globe. In 2008, they wrote and published the first comprehensive book on aquaponics, Aquaponic Food Production. Nelson and Pade work closely with Dr. Rakocy to bring the research on aquaponics into mainstream agriculture, and offer systems, supplies, training and consultancy professionally.

Recent years have seen a shift towards community integration of aquaponics, such as the nonprofit foundation Growing Power that offers Milwaukee youth job opportunities and training while growing food for their community. The model has spawned several satellite projects in other cities.[19] In 2010, a partnership of experts in sustainable agriculture was formed under the name AquaPlanet to promote the technology through media and consulting. The team includes Dr. Mark McMurtry and Barrel-Ponics inventor Travis Hughey.
[edit] Canada

The first aquaponics research in Canada was a small system added onto existing aquaculture research at a research station in Lethbridge.[citation needed] Canada saw a rise in aquaponics setups throughout the 90s, predominantly as commercial installations, that for example combine trout with floating lettuce production,[20] or to water fruiting vegetable crops that warm up the water too much to be recirculated back into the fish ponds. Eels are also known to be raised.[citation needed] A set-up based on the deep water system developed at the University of Virgin Islands was built in a greenhouse at Brooks, Alberta where Dr. Nick Savidov and colleagues researched aquaponics from a background of plant science. The team made findings on rapid root growth in aquaponics systems, on closing the solid waste loop, and that because of certain advantages in the system over traditional aquaculture, the system can run well at a low pH level, which is favoured by plants but not fish. The Edmonton Aquaponics Society in Northern Alberta is adapting Dr. Savidov's commercially sized system to a smaller scale prototype that can be operated by families, small groups, or restaurants. They intend to further develop the closed solid waste loop.
[edit] South America
[edit] Barbados

Barbados is a densely populated island that deals with water scarcity.[21] In 40 years' time, focus has shifted from domestic fruit and vegetable production on small farms to importing 80% of all fruits and vegetables[21] for cost reasons.[22] Aquaponics would make Barbados and other Caribbean islands less dependent on the world food market and reduce stress on the dwindling fish supplies. An inter-organizational project that started in late 2009 sets out to encourage and enable Barbadians to start aquaponics at home, with revenue generated by selling produce to tourists.[21]
[edit] Australia

Due to a ban on tilapia in all states except for Western Australia, native freshwater fish including silver perch, jade perch, sleepy cod, murray cod and barramundi are popular in aquaponics and aquaculture systems,[2] along with non-native rainbow trout, brown trout and crayfish such as common yabby and redclaw.
[edit] Pros and cons
This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2010)

The unique advantages of aquaponic systems are:

Conservation through constant water reuse and recycling.
Organic fertilization of plants with natural fish emulsion.
The elimination of solid waste disposal from intensive aquaculture.
The reduction of needed cropland to produce crops.
The overall reduction of the environmental footprint of crop production.
Building small efficient commercial installations near markets reduces food miles.
Reduction of pathogens that often plague aquaculture production systems.

Some conceivable disadvantages with aquaponics are:

Initial expenses for housing, tank, plumbing, pumps, and grow beds.
The infinite number of ways in which a system can be configured lends itself to equally varying results, conflicting research, and successes or failures.
Some aquaponic installations rely heavily on man-made energy, technological solutions, and environmental control to achieve recirculation and water/ambient temperatures. However, if a system is designed with energy conservation in mind, using alternative energy and a reduced number of pumps by letting the water flow downwards as much as possible, it can be highly energy efficient.
While careful design can minimize the risk, aquaponics systems can have multiple 'single points of failure' where problems such as an electrical failure or a pipe blockage can lead to a complete loss of fish stock.
Like all aquaculture based systems, stock feed usually consists of fish meal derived from lower value species. Ongoing depletion of wild fish stocks makes this practice unsustainable. Organic fish feeds may prove to be a viable alternative that negates this concern. Other alternatives include growing duckweed with an aquaponics system that feeds the same fish grown on the system,[23] excess worms grown from vermiculture composting, as well as growing black soldier fly larvae to feed to the fish using composting grub growers.[24]

References

^ a b c d e f g h i Rakocy, James E.; Masser, Michael P.; Losordo, Thomas M. (2006), Recirculating aquaculture tank production systems: Aquaponics – integrating fish and plant culture, Southern Region Aquaculture Center.
^ a b c d e Diver, Steve (2006), "Aquaponics – integration of hydroponics with aquaculture", ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service (National Center for Appropriate Technology)
^ Lennard, Wilson A.; Leonard, Brian V. (2006), "A comparison of three different hydroponic sub-systems (gravel bed, floating and nutrient film technique) in an Aquaponic test system", Aquacult Int (14): 539—550
^ Rakocy, James E.; Shultz, R. Charlie; Bailey, Donald S.; Thoman, Eric S., M.A. Nichols, ed., "Aquaponic production of tilapia and basil: Comparing a batch and staggered cropping system", Acta Hort (ISHS) (648)
^ Boutwell, J. (2007, December 16). Aztecs' aquaponics revamped. Napa Valley Register.
^ Rogosa, E. (2010). Aquaponics: How does aquaponics work? Retrieved November 26, 2010.
^ Crossley, Phil L. (2004), "Sub-irrigation in wetland agriculture", Agriculture and Human Values (21): 191—205
^ BOUTWELL, JUANITA (december 15, 2007), "Aztecs' aquaponics revamped", Napa Valley Register
^ "Space agriculture for habitation on mars and sustainable civilization on earth", Recent Advances in Space Technologies, 2009. RAST '09: 68—69, 2009
^ [1]
^ a b McMurtry, M. R., Nelson, P.V., & Sanders, D.C. (1988). Aqua-vegeculture systems. International Ag-Sieve, 1(3), article 7.
^ Bocek, A. (2010). Water harvesting and aquaculture for rural development. Retrieved December 24, 2010.
^ McLarney, William (1976), "Irrigation of Garden Vegetables with Fertile Fish Pond Water", New Alchemy Agricultural Research Report (New Alchemy Institute) (2)
^ McLarney, William (1976), "Irrigation of Garden Vegetables with Fertile Fish Pond Water", New Alchemy Agricultural Research Report (New Alchemy Institute) (3)
^ Sneed, K., Allen, K., & Ellis, J.E. (1975). Fish farming and hydroponics. Aquaculture and the fish farmer, 1(1):11, 18-20.
^ Zweig, R. D. (1986). An integrated fish culture hydroponic vegetable production system. Aquaculture Magazine, May/June, 34-40.
^ New Alchemy Institute (2010). Publications online. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
^ University of the Virgin Islands, Agricultural Experiment Station [AES] (2010). Aquaculture - Aquaponic Systems. Retrieved November 27, 2010.
^ Growing Power (2010). Our history. Retrieved November 27, 2010.
^ Nelson, R. L. (2007). 10 systems around the world. Aquaponics Journal, 46(3), 8.
^ a b c Bishop, M., Bourke, S., Connolly, K., & Trebic, T. (2009). Baird's Village aquaponics project: AGRI 519/CIVE 519 Sustainable Development Plans. Holetown, Barbados: McGill University.
^ Závodská, A., & Dolly, D. (2009). A comparison of small scale farming in Barbados, Dominica, and Trinidad and Tobago. San Juan: Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education (AIAEE).
^ Rogosa, E. (2010). Organic aquaponics. Retrieved November 27, 2010.
^ Royte, Elizabeth (July 5, 2009). "Street Farmer". The New York Times Company. Retrieved 8 March 2011.

Source: Aquaponics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[dieselhondas]

Anybody use this for cannabis yet? If not I'm hoping this thread will get some people started. If you do please start a journal and let me know! I found out about this at gardenpool.org but YouTube has plenty of videos. I can't wait to use this on a larger scale one day when I have some land and own my own home! After prohibition is a thing of the past!

 

[jean2]

It's in commercial use already. It seems to be like one of the most effective ways to grow both fish and healthy cannabis. I know a guy grow cannabis successfully with cannabis for five years, now he's back to hydro as his fish died, and he says aquaponics bud is far superior to hydro one, in taste, smell and cleanness of high, best weed he ever had he says. The idea is that the fish bio waste, with the help of naturally accruing beneficial bacteria, feed the plants, and the plants in turn clean the water for the fish.

 

[RoyalHG]

I think I can help...



I 'wrote the book' on Aquaponic Cannabis Cultivation.



Verify for yourself.


Sustainable.Indoor.Organic.Hydroponic.Gardening. |



(hint: It's a 'membership site'…and the first 13 pages are yours to view, right now, just for fun…after that you'll be sucked in, no doubt.)


---
When you subscribe:

Beginners - start at SECTION 1: The Genesis

Intermediate - start at SECTION 1: The Genesis

Advanced AP Cannabis growers (who are ONLY missing the final piece of the puzzle) - start at SECTION 11: Operation & Maintenance
---


Once you understand everything leading up to, and including, SECTION 11…it will no longer be mysterious to you…how to flower and fruit, heavy feeding plants (like our favorite) while using Aquaponics as your grow method.


If "Organic Hydroponics" (aka…'Aquaponics') is the path you've chosen (or are considering it)…


Sustainable.Indoor.Organic.Hydroponic.Gardening. |



You're welcome.




The Royal Hippie Gangster





ps
If you're bored…check out the blog…MJ Moments...cerebral verbiage arrangements, and some stupid stuff two.




pps
Shout out to: The Streets, OAK / The Ranch, WA / Goldendale H.S. / University of Washington, Seattle…and every Thing and One, that happened after that…thanks, I learned A LOT!

 

[RoyalHG]

I think I can help...



I 'wrote the book' on Aquaponic Cannabis Cultivation.



Verify for yourself.


Sustainable.Indoor.Organic.Hydroponic.Gardening. |



(hint: It's a 'membership site'...and the first 13 pages are yours to view, right now, just for fun...after that you'll be sucked in, no doubt.)


---
When you subscribe:

Beginners - start at SECTION 1: The Genesis

Intermediate - start at SECTION 1: The Genesis

Advanced AP Cannabis growers (who are ONLY missing the final piece of the puzzle) - start at SECTION 11: Operation & Maintenance
---


Once you understand everything leading up to, and including, SECTION 11...it will no longer be mysterious to you...how to flower and fruit, heavy feeding plants (like our favorite) while using Aquaponics as your grow method.


If "Organic Hydroponics" (aka...'Aquaponics') is the path you've chosen (or are considering it)...


Sustainable.Indoor.Organic.Hydroponic.Gardening. |



You're welcome.




The Royal Hippie Gangster





ps
If you're bored...check out the blog...MJ Moments...cerebral verbiage arrangements, and some stupid stuff two.




pps
Shout out to: The Streets, OAK / The Ranch, WA / Goldendale H.S. / University of Washington, Seattle...and every Thing and One, that happened after that...thanks, I learned A LOT!

 

[LedHead]

A few months back I picked up some aquaponic filters for my fish tank and I'm growing a cannabis plant out of it. You can check out the filters HERE. So far it's working great. You can also get a 5gal bucket from Home Depot, fill it with water and fish and slap one of the filters on it and have an easy and cheap self contained aquaponics system.

 

[Squeeg]

I am running aquaponics for a year now.
Research. Research. Research. The trial and error until you get your setup working for you. It's not as easy to say do this, do that. It's a fickle thing. Its not for the feint of heart. It's a lot of work until you get the hang of it.
It's also very expensive for initial set up. Oh sure, you can salvage this and that, use spare parts or discarded stuff. From my experience, get new stuff, cause there's usually a reason that recycled crap you got for free was thrown out in the first place.
I'm currently running a 500+ gallon aquaponics system. My tank is a 250 gallon IBC tote holding 40 koi at the moment. I have 2 water pumps for a total of 72 watts and a 40 watt air pump running 24/7. I have my plants in 5 gallon buckets and am using ebb and flow for my main bloom box. A second room is being built for a misting setup, and later this year a 3rd room. Like I said, ebb and flow in main (4x7 room with --------------w II 900w led), and will be testing out every manner of grow type in the next year/18 months. Constant flow, deep water, floating raft, constant drip in media... I'm just going to experiment until I find the beat results for my setup.
Aquaponics is, basically, a life style. You don't get holidays. You don't get vacations.
This is also a test for my food production as I intend on making my system 10-25x bigger than what I have now.
I'm 1 year, 125-150 fish, and $10k into this experiment. But to me, it's worth every penny. Hands down the ultimate nutrients you can get your hands on, not a doubt in my mind. I'm beginning to document everything now and will be posting journals on my setup, my new builds, my tests and results, water usage, power usage... Everything I can think of.
I use koi for now because it's easier to keep the water at 68-70 degrees than at 78-82 degrees for a more tropical fish, like tilapia. But eventually tilapia is my fish of choice once food greenhouse is completed.
Grow my food. Harvest my plants. Harvest my fish. Win/win/win.

 

[GrowHydro1454]

I think I've seen a grow with aquaponics and it was pretty good...think it was on here

 

[SAMtheAPman]

Might have been me...

 

[GrowHydro1454]

Might have been me...

Got some pics?

 

[SAMtheAPman]

 

[GrowHydro1454]

Nice! Those look really good!

 

[SAMtheAPman]

Thanks. I use a system called dual root zone (DRZ). From what I've seen/heard, regular aquaponics supplies too much nitrogen and not enough phosphorus for decent flowering. I would like to run a side-by-side test but now's not the time...

 

[GrowHydro1454]

Cool...thanks for letting me know about that way of growing...I may have to implement it in the future if I switch to aquaponics

 

[SAMtheAPman]

Happy to answer any questions if you do switch.

 

[SenorVerde23]

whoa those are some nice colas and buds.

 

[Heirloom]

I've been accumulating the materials to build a 2000 gallon (stock tanks) system in a green house. I have the stock tanks, grow beds, large biofilter/digester and have built an airlift pump that moves over 3000 gal/hr. Hoping to grow catfish and tilapia, veggies fruit and....ahem...herbs. Very happy to see there are others already posting results.

 

[SAMtheAPman]

Sounds like a nice size system. Make sure you look into dual root zone set ups for any flowering or fruiting plants you plan to grow. You'll be able to get the required phosphorus to the plants without upsetting the water/fish.