Informally, one would describe aquaponics as the combination of hydroponics
(growing plants without soil) and aquaculture (fish farming). In an aquaponic
system, the fish provide nutrients required in plant growth and the plants,
in absorbing these nutrients, help to purify the water.
Harvest Springs Horticulture
Inc - Home of Steve's Sweet Water system
Aquaponics.com -
Aquaponics.com is the source for information on aquaponics, hydroponics
and aquaculture.
S & S Aqua Farm -
Bioponics System
Arizona Aquaculture - information
about aquaculture in Arizona, the United States and around the world
Aquaculture Research Institute
- University of Idaho
Aquaponics
- An integrated fish culture and vegetable hydroponics production system.
Time -2:07, 1 Dec 1998
From Vic High
Hey guys, just back from Vansterdam.
Finally got to meet with Breeder Steve.
He's quite a generous guy with his time,
and boy can he roll big joints! He rolled
a J of brand X that must have been a
whole 8th! Rope will get me stoned, so that
was way out of my league.
What did get my attention was his aquaponic
setup that he calls "The
Sweetwater System".It employs a double
res setup, one typical, and one
being a fish tank loaded with fish.
Water in the two res's are exchanged
regularily (something like every hour).
He says he never cleans his fish tank, as
all the plants and bottom feeders use
up all wastes. Plants are fed with drip
emmitters via the typical res. pH doesn't
fluctuate and the ppms remain between
300 and 400.
Now these drip emmitters fed two setups.
One was a traditional "dutch pot"
system. You know, the one where each
plant is grown on a 5 gallon pail? He
used a 5 or 6 inch basket that was 3/4
filled with those red balls (I think they are
an expanded clay called "hyrotron"?).
Steve then covered the red balls with 1"
layer of a blend of worm castings and
"Steve's Special Blend". The Special
Blend (2-6-5) is an organic mix comprised
of green sand, rock phosphate, fruit
bat quano, feather meal, steamed bone
meal- regular & fine, kelp meal,
sunflower seed hull ash, canola seed
meal, cotton seed meal, alfalfa meal,
langbeinite, corn gluten meal, pyro
clay, diatomaceous earth, and calcium
peroxide. Initially, the low nitrogen
surprised me, but then after I thought about it,
I realized that the plants were probably
getting all the nitrogen they needed from
the fish tank. I believe there was an
air stone in teh bottom of each pail. Seven
weeks ago Steve planted tomato seeds
into the medium and now the plants are
3 feet tall and have softball sized
green tomatoes on them. WOW!
The second setup was basically a large
table, 4' high, covered with something
like 1/4" dense plastic. Holes were
cut in it to hold the 4" or 5" net cups. Again
the cups were filled with the reddish
clay balls and topped with the special blend
and worm castings. Again the net baskets
were fed with drip emitters. What
interested me is what happened under
those net cups.
A large pond liner tarp was suspended
under the net cups to catch the water
and funnel it back into the typical
res. There was about 3' between the bottom of
the net cups and the bottom of the tarp.
And you know what this means?????
LOTSA ROOM FOR ROOTS! Big roots equal
big buds in my book. This feature
had me totally stoked!
I'm one that has had little respect for
the hydroponic side of our hobby for some
time. I've watched others playing with
the large numbers of clones and shaken
my head (legal risk). I've watched them
fight pH drifts and shaken my head. I've
watched them fight root rot and shaken
my head. I've watched them lose entire
crops due to pump or power failures
and shaken my head. I've watched them
pumping in the chems (hurting the environment)
and shaken my head. I've
watched them be proud of their 1-2 lbs
per light in their high intensity gardens
and shaken my head. Well I've stopped
shaking my head for this one. Steve's
way of working with the Dutch Pot system
seems to take care of all my
hydroponic concerns. I just wish I wasn't
too stoned to have asked him what he
fed his fish and why his emmitters didn't
clog.
This is an ongoing thread at Overgrow.com, but wanted to archive it as a place to start. I have other aquaponic discussions archived somewhere, I'll add them as I find them.
Topic: aquaponics-ever try it?
steve
Member
posted October 31, 1999 04:40 AM
The smoothest smoking buds ever are the result. I kid you not. The plants
grow beautifully, not a burnt tip
anywhwere. The only way for me indoors. Much more to come on this subject,
believe you me. A delicacy!
s.bl3nd
Member
posted October 31, 1999 04:47 AM
hey steve,
yeah i'm pretty interested in that aquaponic setup you have...
do the fish actually give out enough ppms to feed the plants? you would
think that the nutes would be
really low for the fish to survive.
it does make sense in one way though, if the fish are happy then the plants would be happy...
hope you can post more about this...
.blend
minty
Member
posted November 01, 1999 01:06 AM
Have pondered this theory once upon a time. Cool to have a proven follow-up.
I'm very happy to see you've found a method that works.
I'm quite interested in hearing about the basic setup.
I hear ya on the plants thriving if the phish are.
Same holds true with earthworms in soil.
Solid work my friend.
breed the trees,
mint
[This message has been edited by minty (edited November 02, 1999).]
junior-botanist
Member
posted November 01, 1999 06:02 PM
i tested my aquarium water once it was 1100ppm, but what was in it don't
know(ratios) how much is
uneaten food and how much is waste from the fish. i dunno.
------------------
breed the seed and overgrow the world. good growing to you.
jb
Vic High
Member
posted November 02, 1999 11:16 PM
Ahh now this would be the life, could actually convert me to a hydro head, haha
Just think, sit back amongst yer plants, smoke a fatty and toss a line in the res, fishing in paradise!! haha.
Steve, I shared what little I learned in my visit with ya, but it was defiantely
lacking. So quite teasing us
and teach us buddy. I missed points like whether you worry about monitoring
NPK ratios as the crop
progresses. Do some fish give better nutes than others?
Persoanlly, I saw a large table sharing a common tarp and a few bucket
systems. I prefer the idea of the
bucket system due to it's flexibility and allowing the grower to maximize
the density of his/her canopy. Any
thoughts on this?
I also noticed that both setups you had on display allowed for large root
systems. A few of us are big
believers in the idea that big roots equal big flowers. Any thoughts here?
I have loads of questions, but I'll stop short here for now, haha.
got my email?
minty
Member
posted November 03, 1999 04:08 AM
wooooooord
heheh,
mint
Wadsworth
Member
posted November 04, 1999 06:47 PM
From what I've read Carp or Tilapia are the best fish to raise this way
and you can eat them. Catfish
probally would work. Of course the stuff I read was on raising fish to
eat and using the water for
gardening. This technique also requires several hundred if not thousand
gallons of water. A large fish tank
should be able to support some plants. The concern would be the hardinest
of the fish more than the
plants.
------------------
d;^)-~
steve
Member
posted November 06, 1999 02:46 AM
Typical aquarium owners change 30% of the water every week. This is to
protect the fish from the
accumulation of toxic waste in their habitat. I'm talking about their own
waste choking them. Aquarium
enthusiasts are all ready familiar with the nitrogen cycle, for the rest
of you here it is. Ammonia is the most
poisonous of the nitrogenous compounds to the fish, it is also the first
to accumulate in the water as a
result of the fish waste. As the ammonia level rises during the first few
days of operation, and given the
proper conditions (ie aerated surface area), beneficial aerobic bacteria
called nitrosonomas begin to feed
on the ammonia converting it into the less harmful compound nitrite. This
is still toxic to the fish, but not
as toxic as ammonia. As the nitrite level rises, given the appropriate
conditions, another species of
nitrobacteria (nitrobacter) colonizes feeding on the nitrite. This reduces
the nitrite to nitrate, the least
toxic of these compounds to the fish. The aerated surface area is known
as the biofilter, an integral part of
this technique, for this is where the good bacteria colonize. This cycle
takes twelve days to control the
degradation of ammonia-nitrite-nitrate. For this reason most people begin
with a few small fish and
gradually add more after two weeks, when the biofilter is bacterially balanced.
As you know these three
nitrogenous compounds are essential to the health of your plant, which
will readily suck them out of the
water. A foliar feed with this water will green up any plants, guaranteed.
By bathing the roots continuously
with this water, the plants are sponging the nutrients out of the solution
hence cleaning the water further
than the filter. When the water returns to the aquarium it is heavily aerated,
which is of the utmost
importance to the health of populations of beneficial aerobic bacteria.
These
bacteria not only process
nutrients into a plant soluble form, and clean the water for the fish,
they also inhibit the proliferation of
destructive bacteria by a process known as competitive exclusion. Once
the solution is dominant with good
bacteria monopolizing the available food sources, bad bacteria is unable
to gain a foot hold. When one
spore of bad bacteria comes in contact with a sterile hydroponic solution,
it multiplies rapidly and disaster
is the inevitable result. In a healthy aquaponic system that spore is a
snack for more established helpful
bacteria. The plants are protected and fed by the beneficial bacteria.
The only supplemental nutes given
are organic and used sparingly. It is definately a less is more scenario.
I use Earth Juice Catalyst for PH
down. PH up is merl mix, ground oyster shells and special lime. I top dress
around the plants with a tbsp of
castings. Repeat as necessary. I fill up the foot of nylon stockings with
my special blend of guanos, ashes,
mineral rock, kelp, and feed meals. I drop this in the aquarium for added
bloom food. Rapidly algae starts to
eat at it, and a horde of algae eaters attach themselves to it reducing
it to plant soluble food. Any and all
deficiencies in any garden can be rectified organically.
For best results use only one aquarium for your entire garden, mothers,
clones and all stages of growth. If
your garden is staggered you balance the demands on the water, as the plants
have varying nutrient
requirements at different stages of growth. I keep the most diverse range
of creatures in the aquarium to
fill all the niches. The more lifeforms, the greater the balance. I could
go on and on, I'm writing a book on
growing cannabis this way. Your questions are important to me. Some other
nice things about this are that
you never have to change your solution, just top it up. The plants sprout
and finish with an average of
275ppm. Remember that the probes that measure dissolved salts only give
a very rough picture, they
cannot measure life. I'll check back here if anyone wants more information
and has specific questions. Yes
Vic, more roots=more plant. Cheers!
------------------
Sinserely Steve
la.bud
Member
posted November 06, 1999 08:27 AM
hey steve,sounds like "Jaws"{g13xgws}would fit right in ..lol ..i'll have
vic get with ya in a couple weeks
i'm currently running an organic room and an aero room http://genhydro.com/index2.html
using GH's aero flo
2 ...what benefits do you get vs a standard organic setup? and is root
waste a problem with your
setup?...nice to see ya around...
steve
Member
posted November 06, 1999 10:20 AM
In response to some excellent e-mail questions I told the person I would
reply here. I thought that I may
as well answer here as more will share his questions. Water temperature
and fish types? As the primary
reason for our system is the highest quality cannabis possible the water
temperature must be optimum for
the cannabis. I find this to be between 22°C-24° Celsius. Most
tropicals are all right with this, the feeder
goldfish are fine, until chow time, which is all the time. To the surprise
of my fish dealer I keep fish
together that theoretically won't live together due to differing PH preferences,
ie hardwater cichlids from
some of the best ganja producing lands in Africa, (calcium rich soils around
Lakes Malawi, and Tanginyka,
PH 7.1) These hardy fish do quite well in a tank with southeast asian and
amazonian varieties that prefer
something around PH 6. In general the grass likes 6.2. I let it move around
a little because in my
superstitious mind that allows the freeing up of things I barely understand.
If it has risen to the high sixes I
will bring it down, even with apple juice or coffee, unless I feel it needs
a boost of fert, then I give it a
tbsp of EJ Catalyst as I mentioned earlier. I have little freshwater crabs,
lobsters, snails, eels, and a huge
variety of "suckers". All of these keep the tank clean. Instead of just
feeding the fish flakes and pellets you
will likely derive much more pleasure and taste from your garden if you
keep a small auxilliary tank for
raising feeder guppies. I keep the fancy guppies whom are now referred
to as gourmet guppies and scoop
out a bunch for the main tank before I plan on watching the cycle of destruction
and renewal. Get a book
on aquarium layout to maximize the aesthetic of your tank with well arranged
rocks, driftwood, and aquatic
plants. I've been sucked into one aquarium for two years so far. Much better
than TV.
Yes, cooler water = more oxygen holding ability. Too cool or especially
too warm can also mean root
problems. Measure the temperature of your root zone and adjust the aquarium
cooler or warmer to keep
your roots healthy. We're here for the grass.
The supplemental sources of P,K and micros are all natural, and can be
applied easily to specific plants in
the garden as a topdressing of blended guanos, ashes, meals, and unrefined
minerals ie seabed deposits,
langbeinite, rock phosphate, etc. By topdressing specific plants their
roots hold the dressing in the rocks,
largely for the use of this plant. This makes it possible to grow a variety
of plants off of the same reservoir.
A bit of an organically derived tea is gradually released into the water
as a result. This benefits all the
plants. I keep over three times the recommended amount of fish in my aquarium.
One inch of fish per gallon
of water is the traditional aquarium formula. The reason for the standard
formula is that the water is dirty
too fast and the fish suffer. However the traditional aquarium is not filtered
through an 8000 watt grow
room full of weed at all stages. The aquarium/reservoir is 90 gallons.
The one I am setting up in Europe is
twice the reservoir for about 24 000 watts of grow space. You'll see how
it goes. Most of the grow gurus
were decidely skeptical when I told them what I'd found, too many of their
friends sell chem nutrients.
These grow groupies are now the ones that offer to blow me for .5 gram
of aquaponic grapefruit (not for
sale) The reason is there is no finer way to grow palatable cannabis indoors,
good soil is good, but not
better. As far as quantity of harvest there is one thing to remember, that
chem salesmen say all the time,
"The plants don't care about the source of their nutrients, they'll use
whatever is available to feed on."
Which is my point exactly, as long as everything necessary to feed the
plant is properly provided for it will
feed just as fast. It may take you a little practise to be certain that
your organic fert is plant soluble on
schedule, compared to the soluble salts you are conditioned to using, but
it's worth it. Even if profit is your
only motive, when you achieve the same yield with better pot you can still
charge more. I don't feed my
plants chemicals for my sake, I'm the one that is going to taste it. Someone
was recently telling me the old
"Well the plants can't tell the difference!" and I was about to reply the
usual "Well I can", when I told them
"If your dog is getting into some really foul garbage, ie eating someone's
vomit, you would pull it away
wouldn't you, because it doesn't know any better, but you do or should."
I've met the proprietors of many
hydro chem companies, I scare the shit out of them. The owner of the largest
American hydroponic
nutrient company was telling an audience how his new formula more closely
mimicks nature. "More like it
mocks nature" I told him afterwards as I presented him with the opportunity
to smoke some incredibly
sweet ganja and after visit the bio aquaponic garden it came from, his
eyes went wide and his face had
the stunned glow of someone caught with their pants down. If the glistening
bud in my hand scared this
old timer, just imagine if he smoked it and saw a healthy garden indoors
in organic hydro. It wasn't very
nice of me, but it was amusing to see this very self-assured man go from
strut to split. I'm still laughing at
him. What a shyster, he even admitted he eats organically produced food,
for the taste. Sells you cancer.
But he is a bit player in the grand scheme of things. See if phosphate
poisoning is a problem in a water
source near you. Identify it's source, and then see if you can pour your
excess wasted nutrients down the
drain everyweek with a good conscience. Food for thought, eat good food!
Ciao for now.
------------------
Sinserely Steve
raydavies
Member
posted November 06, 1999 11:16 PM
Steve,
Wow. When is the book going to be available ? What would you say to someone
whos only grown in soil
and want to switch. Great work.
Be KIND,
RAY
steve
Member
posted November 07, 1999 04:36 AM
Practically all systems are convertible including tubes and soil. Soil
requires a larger volume of water than a
recirculating system. Try a kiddie pool with gravel and young koi, as they
age you can appreciate them,
breed them, or sell them. If you have a lot of plants to feed, start off
with plenty of frogs and turtles as
well as fish, etc. The diggetty doo for the ultimate boo!
------------------
Sinserely Steve
steve
Member
posted November 07, 1999 11:59 AM
The book will be at least a year and will have plenty of pictures. HT article
in 3 months with pics and
diagrams. Fair enough? I'll be doing a grow seminar talking about it, and
answering questions at the cup.
This is good practice.
------------------
Sinserely Steve
Blazer
Member
posted November 07, 1999 06:51 PM
Steve! Incredible 1st. of all. We have a few common friends that have been
trying to get Me to Your place
to check this out. I've been dabling w/ aqua, bio, and hydroponic hybrid
systems for a little while now and
have visited a couple aquaponics farms in the midwest US. I'm soo glad
to see some1 w/ Your capacities
sharing all this "Top Shelf" info. I'm a huge buff of both the grow and
aquarium stuff Myself w/ a lil goldfish
farm using a towering type delivery system trickling through growrock.
It's merely a huge wet/dry filtration
system on steriods allowing 3 fold plus on the amount of creatures in the
h2o w/o any amonia problems.
Now the 1 and only grow shop in the metro wants 1 in there window as does
My fish supply buddy. It's
great of You to share the method of achieving propper nute ratio's via
juggling species and additives.
That's been the missing links here. I also have great luck combining species
that aren't intended for thses
ph ranges. I've spent more time keeping the the fish looking happy than
focusing on the plants as it's been
just a new way of filtering really, I didn't know how/what to alter for
the plants and the fish are in the
window too and must look presentable. Man o man I cannot wait to apply
this new knowledge to the hobby
arena full tilt! I'm very grateful for Your willingness to share Your outcomes
etc. w/ Us rather than guard it
w/ Your life as the chem. guru's try to do. I can only imagine that man's
face and I was almost laughing to
tears visualizing His potential future there dwindling at Your "mocking
nature" comments and backing it up
w/ product to boot! Balls, brains and common sense is something lacking
big in this world today as a
combined package(You) and thanks again for sharing it! I look forward to
future info bigtime and will keep
everyone posted on what I come up w/ as I begin this journey Myself.
Peace and keep up the great work
Blaze
Blazer
Member
posted November 07, 1999 09:36 PM
Steve I'm wondering if You started w/ the African species named Tilapia?
I know it's the trend around here
for aquaponics, but it is also for meat production too. I know they are
a very hardy fish that can handle
different temps, ph etc.. I'm wondering if most have chosen this fish for
its ease of care or if it has much if
anything to do w/ proper nutes? I never knew enough about true organics
to understand why You use
what kinda poop,quano etc. and how that may tie into the choice of Tilapia
fish for thier aqua units
excrimate wise. Is it along those lines or merely just a very easy fish
to farm for profit along w/ thier top
notch greens/herbs for all the trendy restruants in the Ozark's.
I have found in My hybrid bioponic/nft system that the taste, flavor, pest
resistance and overall
appearance is outstanding. We(You) are essentually duplicating the most
beneficial micro-organism's ability
to interact and exchange beneficial acids(humic etc.), enzyme's and antibiotics
at the plants root levels
resulting in like You said...The most incredible(not for sale) treats known
to Our community IMO.
Man I just returned from a vaca in Your neck of the woods and sb or Vic
threatened to introduce Us and
see the man in action. I did get to BC for almost 24 hours before having
to race home to Kansas for an
emergency damnit. I think You were in Europe at the time anyhow sadly.
I have been dying to talk w/ someone on this level of understanding for
the longest time and My limited
resources have shut mine down for the moment. Since We haven't been introduced
and You probably hear
soo many different webnicks I'd like to say I'm Blazer. A 31 year old parapledgic
that has run out of
western medicine options at the moment for the massive back reconstruction.
Well they failed Me 4 times
and I now have 3 breaks instead of 2 that pinches nerves on whats left
of My severed spinal cord. I also
have incurable/uncontrollable muscle spasms in every part of My body that
I no longer have control
over(chest down completly). The herb hasn't helped w/ the pain alot, but
flat kicks ass over any perscribed
muscle relaxer's that just eat Me guts away everyday now. I'm searching
for the most effective and easy
means to accomodate My want/need for med. use and use whatever is left
to pay the out of pocket
exspense of accupuncture treatments that do more good than any western
doctor!
Well that's My lil Bio. I just didn't want You to think I was wanting to
try and market YOUR project or the
like, I need it for Me personally. If I can drop the chems totally it will
make My paralyzed ass MUCH easier!
Just top it off w/ fresh h2o, check ph and be on My way. Thanks again Man
Blazer
ps. Keep in mind at the moment I'm all kinds of pie eyed and just on a
rambling/brainstorming kick after
reading the posts. Although I know I'm just a lil off center so maybe I
did get a lil bonus head injury along
w/ the spinal cord! ROFLMAO
steve
Member
posted November 08, 1999 03:18 AM
Dear Blazer, I was just about to suggest Acupuncture, it's pretty amazing,
eh? Still in Europe, I live here
now. I'm only too willing to share what I learned, I feel like I am seeing
the light while most people are
behaving like heathens in the dark ages. Hence I am going door to door
with the conviction of a Jehovah's
witness to save us all from the wretched chem pot (extends to food as well).
I am hardly worried about
someone copying this, it is for all to copy. It is nature and is for the
benefit of all it's inhabitants. To
reduce pollution is everybody's business. I had some tilapia but the oscars
ate them. To be honest, I was
going to start this thread in the beginners area, they might as well start
right the first time, and become
perfectionists. The first time I tried it I was thoroughly amazed at how
easy it was. The few people that
had problems their first time always had a glaring omission, no mother
marsh bio-filters, ph 7.5, drowning
soil, or bad temperature. Keep it between the lines and read the plant.
The revolution has begun. Once
people become accustomed to the quality of the produce, it's just a matter
of time until everyone demands
it, ie tomatoes that taste like tomatoes, pot that tastes like pot. Most
people have forgotten, or never
knew how good things should taste. Once you realize how bland or synthetic
most supermarket produce, or
Amsterdam weed tastes you will be appalled.
Blazer, I sympathize with your back problems, mine has not reached that
stage yet, thankfully I declined
the operations, however now and then my fifth lumbar pops out and I know
that pinching pain. Absolutely
debilitating weeks in bed, I know pot mainly just cheers me up, homegrown
opium is the ultimate muscle
relaxer, read up on growing some and processing without making slits in
the garden, that's illegal. My back
improves from it's episodes much quicker when the muscles go so slack the
bone pops into place. Best of
Luck and I hope that you're feeling better.
------------------
Sinserely Steve
hibe
Member
posted November 09, 1999 02:15 AM
wow!....cool..
Steve! I like how you approached feeding your plants!(a nice,cumulative
wide spectrum arrangement) I too
have been looking at the literature regarding aquaponics, but after looking
into it, i talked myself out of it
because of the nature of the plants that are(at this time)being used,that
seem to be better served by the
Nitrogen-Rich fish soup,from start to finish.From what ive seen,the "visible"
trailblazing aquaponics people
seem to be growing leafy-type, quick production crops like lettuce,spinach,basil,herbs..and
not generally
flowers,or smokable delicacies like ours. I see that you are using the
nitrogenous fish waste water ,even at
the ends of your flowering plants life,and have to ask...how u doin that
mann?...extremely soluble
ammonium and nitrate to the last day of harvest?.."If its there;They will
eat it" rite?..As you know,organic
budfarmers in other mediums or methods,generally plan the nitrogen release
to time out before harvest . Is
the total PPM of soluble ammonium and nitrate(from the fish)low enough,so
as not to become an issue for
our flowering plants?..A separate "clearing res" would allow for a break
from the N,rite,or do you feel its not
as big of an issue as im making it?....please tell ,thanks..
can u describe the setup sometime pleese? ie. irrigation method,medium,how
the res is
arranged/aerated/cooled,containers etc..appreciate it
..Totally respect you(et al.) for blazing trail through the cannabis patch
and coming forward with your
findings mann.........hibe
Blazer
Member
posted November 09, 1999 11:46 AM
Hibe...Get out of My head man! It's kinda spooky coming here to ask a Q
only to find You beat Me to
it...AGAIN! You and Az are always on the same wavelength w/ My melon too
and it's just really odd IMO. I
was glaring at the cieling trying to get to sleep lastnight and was pondering
this too. If I understand it
correctly, the low ppm of the fish h2o/nute allows this to not be a problem
and added trace elements
should balance it all out I think. Hopefully Steve will have all the answer's
We have yet to find
Check out Harvetsprings.com Hibe and look at the aquaculture farm in the
ozarks, they are online too w/
details of thier system.. It's just soo simple other than the items You
mentioned above IMO. I think Steve
has worked out these kinks from what I'm finding and hearing. I'm kinda
banking on it. Meanwhile, I'm still
digging and learning too.
------------------
Blazer
Member
posted November 10, 1999 10:59 AM
Hibe. I've been playing w/ My african cichlid tank and have had awesome
luck using the res. for the
wet/dry filter as a cloner for all kinds of plants. The kind digs it as
does several species of annuals and
tropicals. Over the weekend I decided to place a few branches from a cosmos
flower that had some very
immature buds on it. Well I have had good luck getting them to bloom inna
glass of plain h2o in a window,
but when I put them into the tank w/ light they bloomed in 1 day. They
still look marvelous, but does this
apply to anything We were thinking of above? It was the only way I could
figure to see what a flowering
plant would/could do w/ fish h2o for a nute. It probably isn't conclusive
for shit, but just a note. I keep the
ph up to around 7.5 for the species of fish, they really would like it
over 8. Just a few lil notes on what I'm
seeing w/ hi ph and low ppm(300+ last time I checked). Granted this isn't
by anymeans an aquaculture set
up, just stirring the waters a lil in My lil melon. Boy I love a challenge,
but on such a tiny scale, I can't get
any really applicable results IMO. I'll keep digging
steve
Member
posted November 11, 1999 04:50 AM
Excellent question Hibe. The nitrogen level is low enough not to inhibit
flowering. The nitrogen most present
is the softest, nitrate. It is essential to the health of the plant throughout.
I increase the N in veg by
adding a little worm castings around the base of the plant, this is used
up within a few weeks. I too had
heard that aquaponics are only good for green leafy crops like lettuce,
or chives. When you look at the
massive tomatoes on Harvest Springs site you will see that this is just
a fallacy. The water is rich in all
compounds not just N. Supplemental P and K are easily found in the realm
of organic nutrients for an added
boost in bloom.
A simple system consists of buckets (the bigger the better) rubbermaid
roughtotes work great. Fill halfway
with your choice of well-rinsed lava rock, hydroton, or gravel, aeration
underneath. The buckets should
drain easily to a lower bucket that contains only a pump activated with
a float switch. This pump returns
the water to the aquarium as rain (hole in pipes). The aquarium can pump
water constantly to piss lines
(not drip) situated on the top of the buckets. The lids of the buckets
are cut to facilitate a 3 gallon mesh
bottom pot. The pot is filled with clay corn and should have wicks. I've
even fed it on syphon action alone,
no feed pump. Either way about a quarter to a third of the water in the
tank floods the buckets until the
return float switch is activated, thereby draining the buckets airing out
the biofilter surface area that will
be teeming with beneficial bacteria and massive white roots. It will grow
as fast as with any
chemhydronutes, and taste a hell of a lot better, while be better for you.
Many feel that it comes through
with a better buzz, but that is pretty subjective for science. I don't
care; science is science and life is art.
Warmest Wishes People, Lotsa Love,
------------------
Sinserely Steve
Ultimate
Member
posted November 15, 1999 03:05 AM
A few footlong Oscars produce plenty of waste which gets siphoned biweekly
into a res. The plants really
do love it.
I wonder about the fish though, with the benefit of roots filtering out
the "un"beneficial bacteria - what
effect does the addition of topdressing and various teas in the water have
on the fish's health and water
quality necessary for their survival? Pros & Cons on Fish Survial vs
Plant Enhancement?
The guys are big and hearty as hell but I just can't picture myself standing
over the tank pouring earth
juice catalyst over my 10 year old south american cichlids. I suspect they
would tolerate slight impurities
at a low level, but where and when do we draw the line before it becomes
toxic?
P.S. Steve, there are claims that a SOL distributor resides in ON, any
truth to this?
steve
Member
posted November 15, 1999 04:45 AM
I understand. A capful of catalyst is all we add to the tank occassionally.
The top dressings are also used
sparingly, I don't kill the fish, the last tank I set up has run two years
with the same fish. Yes, you can buy
Spice of Life Seeds under the counter at better headshops in Ontario. Check
with OT in London, and CT in
Ottawa. I have to check up with OT, they may be elsewhere as well. Check
with me first to confirm
authenticity if you wish, there is some reselling going on out there, it
takes me one phonecall to see if
they're real, I don't want to call someone false if they really are selling
my seeds. Email me for sure. I'll
supply them to shops but www.legendsseeds.com has them for the 'net. To
keep it simple for you. In the
new year SOLS will be recognizable by special packaging to allay your concerns.
Cheers!
------------------
Sinserely Steve
Ombudsman posted November 15, 1999 11:59 AM
Blazer there's an article in a Grower's Edge that reminded me of your situation.
It may be one that Muir!
was getting at. It was about a parapledgic (sp?) that opened a commercial
aquaculture/hydro farm. He
grew Tilapias. I think it was the winter 97/98 issue but I'm not positive.
It had some specs on the setup as
well as feedings and cycles.
Just when I thought I was starting to know a lot about growing, you guys throw this at me
Keep the innovations coming fellas.
GG posted November 16, 1999 12:18 AM
I thought this was an interesting article. It's really has to do with aquatic
plants but you never know, it
could hold some value for soil, soil based, or inorganic mediums as well.
Tests should be done, we all need
to delve further into the art and science of growing and breeding cannabis!
It truly is a wondrous plant.
http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Fertilizer/roots.html#0
steve posted November 16, 1999 01:32 PM
Check out back issues of growing edge, there is one on flavinoids in tomatoes.
The brix level (the sugar
index)only gets really high in naturally grown tomatoes. They also discuss
primary and secondary flavinoids.
The secondary aren't present in chemically grown produce, ie the overall
blandness, lacking the
well-rounded flavour. You will never taste fine wine from grapes grown
in rockwool, or fed a bath of
chemical synthetics. It's all about quality to me, and I appreciate that
many take a different approach,
with quality taking a back seat. That's your business, not mine. Heads
will appreciate the heads up on this
very popular thread. It ain't no joke, nature that is.
------------------
Sinserely Steve
imgc posted November 19, 1999 08:26 AM
webfish has got a real simple set up it is a 4" pvc pipe with holes cut
in the top for basket pots it then
haas a 1/2" feeder pipe (also pvc) runs down the inside wall of the large
pipe. At each cell location there is
a T in the supply line going to a 360 deg sprinkler head. the pipe sits
on a downword incline about 1" I
think. with a large hole at the low end for drainage. He has had great
luck with this system. He aslo has
the optimim PPM leavels and such. He would be a good resource also.
I am going to build a test system this wek.
BSSF
KQ posted November 22, 1999 08:15 PM
I ran across this article---pretty interesting read!
http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Fertilizer/composting.html
Lite-Brite posted November 28, 1999 03:31 AM
While mulling around the cyber world I bumped into a link of interest to
this thread:
http://www.aquaponics.com/hobbycf.htm
Amazing stuff Steve, thanks for sharing!
Breeder Steve posted February 03, 2000 02:58 PM
Dear Doctor Turner, sounds like a ninety gallon tank, roughly. Two 4X8
tables or nine big ass bushes, three
rows of three with 4 - thousand watt bulbs hanging in between would be
fine.
You can use the water from the aquarium to water soil plants, or foliar
feed.
Bonk, I will write an article on it just for you here, I used to get a
good Aquaponics journal, I'll find out how
you can find it. Check search engines, and Growing Edge magazine. It's
not difficult. It is rewarding. Here's
a link to www.harvestsprings.com you can get a primer there, and I'll write
something more detailed about
pot. My back is sore and I'm just not into it now. Thanks for asking, though,
it's important to me to share
this information. Have a great day, Steve
Breeder Steve posted February 06, 2000 04:57 AM
Okay, back on topic. For those new to the subject Aquaponics is raising
fish and growing plants. There are
many reasons why. This benefits both the fish and the plants. The plants
benefit mainly from the
nitrogenous compounds excreted by the fish. The plants take up the fish
waste products as nutrient thus
continuously cleaning the water for the fish. That is the short explanation.
The long one is not much
worse.
All aquarium owners know about the Nitrogen Cycle. This is the process
by which ammonia is reduced, by
the aerobic bacteria nitrosonomas, to the less toxic nitrite which is broken
down by nitrobacteria into the
much less toxic nitrate. This cycle takes 12 days for the bacterias to
fully colonize in a bio-filter. The
bio-filter need only contain a lot of surface area for well-aerated water
to flow through. The surface area
may be rocks, plastic rings, gravel, etc. When we put growing plants into
the filter, they feed off of the
waste of the aerobic bacteria. A plentitude of nutrients besides N compounds
are also present in low levels.
The low levels work, meters can't show all. The domination of the nutrient
solution by beneficial aerobic
bacteria inhibit the growth of the anaerobic bacteria that can be such
a hydro nightmare.
The water is only topped up, not drained. The nutrient is recycled, not
discharged as an environmental,
and overhead cost waste. It is desirable to run all stages of growth from
the same system. Preferably run
concurrently. The plants produce as well as by any hydro standard, because
it's still hydro. The plants
don't show any signs of overfertilization, and the buds burn very smooth
to a soft, white ash. The true
flavour of the strain comes through and very little else. Chem Hydro can
never match the flavour, only
primary flavinoids are produced. Secondary flavinoids only develop in naturally
grown produce. The sugar
levels, measurable on the Brix index, are way up.
It's a lot more fun to design/watch an underwater world, and by the health
of the aquarium upstairs in the
living room, you have a good idea that all is well in the basement down
below.
I have had good success starting the plants in a light organic soil mix
with coco fibre, worm castings,++++
and having the roots grow out wicks in the pots into a hydro or aero scenario.
The plants were hand
watered from the top about twice a week, and misted, bathed, or flooded
and drained over rocks. It all
works.
Supplemental foods are possible, even some use a combination of Aquaponics
with small doses of chem
nutrient. I like to fill up a nylon sock with several guanos, sunflowerseed
hull ash (0-0-40), cottonseed
meal, canola seed meal, feather meal, corn gluten, bone meal, silicate
clay, kelp meal, langbeinite, rock
phophate, greensand, and probably five or six more things that I'm forgetting.
The algae eaters swarm the
sock and suck as it grows algae like a MoFo! They release this bloom oriented
concoction as long as you
leave it in the tank. I'm talking about using miniature amounts of fertilizer.
Occasionally I top dress the
plants with a tbsp of worm castings, one bag lasts a year for a garden
with four lights. The fish are fed a
mix of live, frozen, and pellet food. All micros on the labels! It will
give you great pleasure to witness the
miracle of life. A lot of fun, and perfect smoke!
------------------
Sinserely Steve
raydavies posted February 06, 2000 09:06 PM
Al the Aquaponics info I could find from around the web. Thanks so much for the info 10K. Respect.
RAY
AQUAPONICS: Aquaponics is the integration of aquaculture (fish farming)
and hydroponics (cultivating
plants in a water medium). Within the aquaponics system, there are three
primary organisms: fish, plants,
and nitrifying bacteria. Each of these life forms is dependent in some
way on the other for survival. The fish
produce manure which acts as fertilizer for the plants. Fish manure is
mainly in the form of ammonia. In high
concentrations, ammonia can be toxic to fish. The bacteria come into play
at this critical point. Nitrifying
bacteria convert ammonia into nitrate which is non- toxic to fish at low
levels and is also the form of
nitrogen plants take up most readily. The fish produce fertilizer for plants
and with the help of the bacteria,
the plants in turn clean, the water for the fish. This cycle is closely
monitored through daily water testing.
Water quality is a key component in maintaining a healthy system. The main
factors involved include pH,
ammonia( NH3- N), nitrite (NO2), alkalinity, temperature, and dissolved
oxygen. Once a week a more
complete water test is conducted to measure iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium,
nitrite, carbon dioxide,
conductivity, and settable solids. The combination of all of these factors
helps us to asses the health of
our system on a chemical level. We then incorporate this information into
our visual assessment of the
plants and fish to regulate our management schemes and analyze any problems
Tilapia has been called the fish of the future. A member of the cichlid
family, Tilapia is high in protein, low in
fat, and grows out in nine months. Native to Africa, tilapia has been cultured
for centuries. Also called St.
Peter's fish, tilapia is said to be the fish Jesus fed the masses in the
Bible. Tilapia is a warm water species
requiring water temperatures of 82 degrees Fahrenheit. It can withstand
extreme shifts in water quality
and is an excellent converter of feed to fish flesh. One and one half pounds
of good quality fish food will
produce one and one quarter pounds of fish in 9 months. At optimal water
quality, growth rates exceed
that of any other recirculating system farm raised fish. Walleye, yellow
perch, and large mouth bass are
other species of interest, but have yet to be widely proven in recirculating
systems. Refer to Table 1 for
water quality requirements for tilapia, yellow perch, and walleye.
Leaf lettuce is our primary vegetable crop. We also grow small quantities
of basil and watercress.
Vegetative crops do best based on the nutrient makeup of the system. Vegetative
crops primarily require
nitrogen for growth as opposed to fruiting crops which need high levels
of phosphorus and potassium. An
aquaponics system is rich in nitrogen but generally lacks the other macro
nutrients in substantive enough
quantities to grow fruiting crops. Plants grow out in five to seven weeks
depending on the season. the
quality of the crop is heavily dependent on fish stocking densities, bacteria
populations, and overall water
quality
Good management practices involve checking the fish regularly for disease.
A brief examination during dip
netting is usually sufficient. When examining the fish look for scale loss,
bruising, lesions, and discoloration
of gills. Lesions and scale loss can indicate fungal disease or external
parasites. The gills of the fish should
be dark red in color. Brown colored gills indicate stress caused by high
levels of ammonia. Pink colored gills
can indicate low levels of oxygen and / or parasites. If at any time these
symptoms are noticed, fish should
be sent to a lab for diagnostic testing such as the Aqua vet department
at Cornell University. It is also
good management to send fish to a lab periodically for routine disease
and parasite testing.
PLANT HEALTH Plant health is monitored in several different ways. The color
of the leaves is a key
indication of nutrient availability in the water. Mottled and pale leaves
indicate low nitrogen and other
nutrients. A healthy crop is the product of good water quality and a healthy
population of nitrifying
bacteria. Pest insects populations are monitored via yellow insect sticky
cards placed throughout the
greenhouse. Preventative measures such as releasing ladybugs every two
weeks helps to keep pest insect
populations at a minimum. Disease outbreaks are also controlled through
preventative measures such as
washing the hydroponic channels weekly with baking soda and water solution.
Seasonal variations such as
temperature and day length largely contribute to potential disease problems.
It is important to be aware of
the environmental factors that will promote certain diseases and pest populations
and to then work at
monitoring those conditions and controlling them if at all possible.
If at any time a disease or pest insect infestation is suspected, send
out plant samples to the nearest
extension office for identification and control recommendations. When dealing
with these problems, it is
very important to remember that anything you treat the plants with will
affect the rest of the aquaponics
system. The greenhouse environment needs to be managed as organically as
possible so as not to harm
other beneficial organisms living throughout the system such as nitrifying
bacteria and fish
Aquaponic systems are designed around the specific goals of the group involved.
Generally, systems are
either for education or commercial production. If you ate new in the field
of aquaponics, we suggest you
investigate the many different aquaponics systems out there. Components
to research are biofiltration,
solids removal, treatment of waste effluent, and crop selection. In addition
to the physical aspects of the
system, you should investigate markets in your region for selling your
product. This is very important. Even
if you have the best aquaponic system in the world, with no market for
your product, commercial viability is
impossible. This process will help educate you about what works and what
doesn't work so you don't try to
'recreate the wheel".
There are several other factors to consider in building an aquaponic greenhouse:
Licensing - We suggest you contact your state, county, and local offices
for licensing requirements to
assure you meet all applicable regulations for greenhouse construction.
Greenhouse Structure and Cost- The construction cost will be determined
by the layout of your site. This
refers to any existing buildings, land preparation, ect. We can make recommendations
about style of
greenhouse to use. There are many greenhouse companies out there to choose
from.
Aquaponic System Cost- This is totally dependent on the type of system
you create. We can help you
estimate your construction cost.
Other Cost- This includes electricity, heat, water supply, shipping cost
of materials, ect. These will vary
depending on location.
Project Revenue - This will depend on your products and marketing. We can
suggest vegetable crops and
fish, but marketing research will depend on you.
We can assist you in making some of these decisions before you start construction
of your aquaponic
system. Aquaponics is an exciting field with lots of potential as an educational
tool in schools and for
commercial production
Ours is a simple, reliable, low-cost growing system used to produce a supply
of safe, superior quality foods.
We integrate hydroponics and aquaculture in a closed system to produce
premium tilapia and fresh herbs
and vegetables. Although creative, this method of food production is no
mere novelty. It is a low-cost, no
nonsense system.
Complex synergistic relationships take place in an uncomplicated setting.
It seems the more natural we can
make it, the better it works. The effluent from the fish tanks is not filtered
or purified before reaching the
growing beds. Some similar systems are based on a hydroponics mindset and
purify the water to go through
expensive feeder lines and emitters. In our system the growing beds are
in effect fluidized bed bioreactors
(a most efficient biofilter for water filtration) using commonly available
materials, without the need for
separators and clarifiers for solids removal.
Each growing bed contains pea gravel as a growing media. Effluent trickles
through and down the length of
the growing bed before being pumped back into the tanks. The plants get
all the nutrients they need, while
bacteria in the gravel remove harmful ammonia produced by the fish, perpetuating
the water purification
process. Fish must never be left without plants in the growing beds or
water purification stops; the growing
beds should never be permitted to dry out or bacteria in the gravel, essential
for the purification process,
would die.
Simple to Operate
You supply the water and electricity.
You feed the fish.
The fish feed the plants.
The plants take care of the fish in return.
©
Plants get what they need without the fuss of mixing chemicals. The unfiltered
effluent (nutrient solution)
is pumped straight to the growing beds through 1-inch PVC pipe.
After the initial effluent is pumped from each tank, the return through
the beds takes from 10 to 30
minutes. A bucket containing a pump in each node holds 10 to 15 gallons.
When this fills up, the water is
pumped back into the tank and forced through a PVC cap drilled with numerous
1/4 inch holes, creating a
showerhead effect. This oxygenates the water to optimum levels for the
tilapia. Additional aeration is
unnecessary.
IMAGINE GARDENING YEAR-ROUND WITH NO WEEDS TO PULL, NO BENDING FOR PLANTING
OR HARVESTING,
NO WORRIES ABOUT WATERING OR THE WEATHER.
PICTURE YOURSELF IN MID-WINTER WORKING IN A GREEN, VITAL, HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT
- DOING
SOMETHING YOU LOVE TO DO.
The system is simple and revolutionary for the very reason that it does
not make use of technology
normally assumed to be necessary for aquaculture, hydroponics, or both.
The system is flexible. A "node" is a tank of fish connected to one or
more growing beds. A node can be
constructed small enough to fit into a kitchen, one or more nodes could
fit into a backyard greenhouse, or
any number of large nodes could function in commercial greenhouse operations.
In addition to flexibility of size and simplicity of operation, the system
is environmentally friendly. There is
no effluent runoff. Plants and bacteria in the gravel beds use nutrients
in effluent and purify the water for
the benefit of the fish.
There is no mixing of fertilizers for hydroponic production, and the synergistic
relationship between plants
and fish actually necessitates the use of NO chemical pesticides or medications.
Clean, pure and
wholesome food is the result.
SYSTEM COMPONENTS
From a system point of view there are three main components of the operation
- fish, plants and bacteria.
The rest of the hardware items are there to optimize the life cycle of
each of the three main components.
ABOUT THE FISH
Tilapia, a fish that produces delicious white flesh with few bones, are
a hardy, disease resistant,
warm-water fish. They're native to Africa and the Middle East and have
been raised for food since the days
of the ancient Egyptians. Some believe Christ fed tilapia to the multitudes.
Tilapia is the most popular fish
for culture in the world.
Tilapia are fast growing, reaching 1 to 1-1/2 pounds by 9 to 18 months,
are extremely disease resistant,
and will provide firm, white boneless fillets (approximately 40% by weight).
They are readily marketable at
3/4 pound and up. We prefer to sell our fish at over one pound live weight
- most generally at a pound and
a half.
The feed conversion rate for this fish is excellent, with one pound of
feed yielding one pound of fish. Tilapia
devour algae in addition to their regular feed, and excess plant cuttings
add to this nutrient source. In
addition, they will tolerate low oxygen and poor water conditions that
would kill most other fish. We have
found them to be extremely hardy.
ABOUT THE PLANTS
Currently we are producing lettuces and salad greens for local restaurants
and subscribers for our own
specialty mix. Our retail sales are primarily on a subscriber, or pre-order
basis, with excess being sold at the
local Farmers Market. Additionally, we are now producing some value-added
products.
We have experimented with many different types of plants - ornamentals,
herbs and vegetables. Most
attempts have been successful. We've grown from seed, from seedlings, from
cuttings. We've produced
food crops, rooted cuttings, fresh cut herbs, and become our own supplier
of starts for flowering basket
sales. We're excited about what this system can do!
Plants grow in half to one-third the time required for plants grown by
conventional methods.
Cuttings from almost any plant (including trees) will root and grow if
placed into a growing bed and exposed
to the nutrient-rich water, with NO rooting hormones or chemicals.
ABOUT THE BACTERIA
A healthy bacterial culture is a necessity in this system and the limit
on how many fish you can maintain
will be gaited by the health and growth rate of your bacteria. What do
bacteria need? They need warmth,
moisture, dark and oxygen. All these are present in our system except for
the surface area of the growing
beds.
Plants alone do not purify the water for the fish. They only take up the
nutrients that the bacteria put out
after they work on and convert the fish wastes. The bacteria are a critical
element in the system and
should be treated with proper respect. Take steps to insure a good oxygen
supply. Aeration of the fish
water by the methods we prescribe, and cultivation of the growing beds
when empty will provide more
dissolved oxygen for the fish, as well as provide an improved oxygen level
for the bacteria and plants.
ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND
There is no effluent discharge from our system, making it environmentally
friendly. Due to the recirculation
and efficient reuse of water, only 7 to 7.5 percent of the water must be
replaced per month as a result of
evaporation and plant uptake.
We believe in growing as naturally as possible, but our system also demands
it. Any pesticides sprayed on
the plants would find their way back into the fish. Any antibiotics poured
into the fish tanks to treat
diseases would find their way to the plants and kill the bacteria. Predatory
wasps, ladybugs, lacewings, Bt
and other specific organically approved methods are used to control whiteflies,
aphids and other pests and
diseases that affect the plants.
A minimum of electricity is used because the solar greenhouse design doesn't
require it. We do all we can
to maximize the use of solar energy. The fish tanks are black to absorb
and retain heat. Warm water, a
high level of nutrients, CO2 from the fish, and frequent flow are what
allow us to grow all through the
winter.
LOW COST MATERIALS
Basic items for operation consist of:
A building - the system can be adapted to suit most any greenhouse style
and size.
Tanks - we use hatchery tanks from PolyTank.*
Growing beds - may be as simple as wood, lined with plastic or as durable
as prefab poly.*
Pumps - common submersible sump pumps are recommended
PVC piping and fittings
Water supply
Gravel - it's an efficient grow media. It's also low-cost, low-maintenance,
and readily available in most
locations.
ADD fish, plants and bacteria - the three main system components.
*PolyTank, our tank supplier, now manufactures 4'X8' growing beds of the
same material as our tanks (no
maintenance, and virtually indestructible).
OPERATING COSTS
Basic operating costs will include:
Labor
Electricity
Fish food
Seeds and plants
SIMPLY DIFFERENT
Our system is unique.
The system's design offers flexibility.
It can be operated on a small scale or in a large commercial set-up.
Parts and equipment are readily obtainable, most from local suppliers.
Elements in nature enable the system to function successfully, not some
exclusively patented device.
What is AQUAPONICS? 1. Aquaponics is a semi-closed loop ecosystem. 2. Aquaponics
is a combination of
aquaculture (raising fish in a controlled environment) and hydroponics
(growing plants without soil,
providing the nutrients to the plants mixed into the water fed to the plants).
3. Aquaponics is a manmade
version of Mother Nature's pond, stream, and field ecosystem. In an aquaponic
system, you feed the fish,
the fish wastes feed bacteria, the bacteria wastes feed the plants, and
the plants clean the water for the
fish. Fish live in their own bathroom. They can't help it, they have nowhere
else to go. And fish waste is
mainly ammonia nitrogen, that evil smelling stuff you clean windows with.
If you feed the fish too much,
and their ammonia laden wastes build up, the fish do the same thing that
you would do if immersed in an
ammonia bath,... they die. Even if they don't eat the food that you toss
in the tank, the natural breakdown
of the food will kick the ammonia level through the roof (fishtank?), and
poof, dead fish. Luckily, nature
provides a way to eliminate this deadly hazard. Good thing for us that
it does, or else the world's seas
would be big pools of water filled with dead fish long before man crept
out of the primordial ooze. Certain
bacteria eat ammonia, they LOVE it. They thrive on it, can't live without
it. The most voracious ammonia
eating bacteria are called Nitro Sommonas bacteria. They gobble the ammonia
down, use it to fuel their
tiny bodies, and give off wastes full of nitrite nitrogen. Most fish can
handle up to 10 times as much nitrites
as ammonia. BUT...if the nitrites become to strong, there goes the fish,
belly up again. Now, fish have been
doing fine for eons. So obviously, something is taking care of the nitrites.
Nature always provides a way of
taking care of wastes. This time it's another bacteria, Nitro Bacter. These
wonderful little beasties feast on
nitrites, eat it like we would feast on ice cream on a hot afternoon. And
when their bodies are done, they
excrete nitrates. NitrAtes are 10-100 times less dangerous to the fish.
Still, if the levels of nitrates ever
manages to get too high, it can still kill the fish. Luckily, nitrates
are the form of nitrogen that plants love
to eat. Not just one or two types of plants, nearly all plants love nitrates.
From the lowest form of
blue/green algae to the tallest Redwood tree, they all use nitrates as
their nitrogen source. And, next to
Carbon Dioxide, nitrogen is the highest chemical on the plant's food list.
Without nitrogen (nitrates), the
plant won't grow. Give a plant plenty of nitrogen (along with plenty of
light, water, CO2, and about 13
other tinier amount of other elements), and it grows big and strong. It
also locks that nitrogen up in it's
leaves and stems, removing them from the food chain. When the plant dies,
other forms of bacteria (along
with bugs, fish, animals, and humans) feast on the plant. Their wastes
start the cycle all over again.
nitrites>nitrates>plants>animals>ammonia..." An AQUAPONIC system contains
all three of the necessary
parts of the ammonia/nitrate cycle, fish to produce the ammonia, bacteria
to break the ammonia down to
nitrates, and plants to feed on the nitrates to create fishfood to start
the cycle all over again. In the
simplest classroom sized aquaponic system, the fish live in a standard
fish tank. A pump that sits in the
tank with the fish pumps the water (and fish wastes) up to a series of
troughs sitting nested into the top
of the tank. As the water sprays out of the pipes leading from the pump,
it picks up oxygen, and flows
down the troughs. Plastic pots sitting in the troughs contain blocks of
rockwool, a sterile growing media
similar (in appearance) to fiberglass. The water (and dissolved fish wastes)
feeds up into the rockwool by
capillary action, where bacteria are cultivated. The bacteria do their
thing on the ammonia, and feed plants
that are also growing on the rockwool cube. The cleansed water then flows
down the trough, and pours
into the fish area in the tank, completing the cycle. More complicated
(and more efficient) aquaponic
systems use the same basic concept, but they are more efficient at gathering
the fish wastes, have
several types of hydroponic systems to handle separating the fish wastes
into suspended verses dissolved
solids, more elaborate hydroponic systems for nitrate removal, and perhaps
other systems to maximize the
growth of bacteria and removal of non-organic materials from the water.
They also may contain automatic
monitoring systems, backup pump systems, auto feeding systems for the fish,
and other systems to
maximize the growth of the plants. Aquaponics can be integrated into an
indoor pond system to create a
beautifully landscaped show system. Picture a mountain lake glimmering
in the sun, with fish leaping and
breaking its shining surface. Picture a babbling stream with fruit laden
trees lining it's banks. Picture a
pristine waterfall feeding that stream, with vines trellising down the
sparkling rocks that bracket the falling
water. Now picture this idyllic scene, in miniature, babbling away in your
atrium or a corner of your living
room. It's possible, quite possible. A aquaponic system needn't be a geometric
conglomeration of plastic
troughs and tanks. With a little ingenuity and foresight, you can form
an aquaponic system into a work of
art. All of the basic ecological processes are still integrated into this
miniature mountain glen. The lake can
be formed from a preformed ornamental pond. The stream can be formed from
properly prepared concrete,
with the "fruit laden trees" being bush-type cherry tomatoes and sweet
basil. The waterfalls can be formed
from a mound of native stone, or easily positioned mock stone blocks, covered
with trellising spider plants.
And all of the plants can be rooted in rockwool cubes to provide the home
for the bacteria that handle the
"dirty work". You CAN bring Mother Nature into your home, it just takes
a little planning and the right
resources. For more information on setting up YOUR own aquaponic system,
whether it be a hands-on
learning system for students in your school, or a awe-inspiring miniature
alpine glen in your private atrium,
contact Hydro/Aquatic Technologies. We can help you set up the perfect
system of your dreams!
.
Breeder Steve posted
February 07, 2000 04:13 AM
Excellent post, Ray. I'm sure that explains it pretty well for most. There
are a few things I would like to add
to that. When the water leaves the growing beds (flowering in my case)
the water travels through more
"cells"(rubbermaid buckets filled with aerated rocks) and mothers are planted
in 3gallon mesh pots with
wicks that sit in a hole cut in the buckets lids. This way when you harvest
all or part of the grow bed, the
mothers continue to clean the water for the fish. After the water has gone
through the beds and the
buckets it is returned to the fish via the float pump in the small return
reservoir.
The other thing is conventional wisdom told people that it would only be
good for green leafy crops. Not
True! I've grown over two pounds of rock hard killer bud using this technique
with two 430 son agros! I
have also grown incredible Broccoli, tomatoes, peppers, poppies, strawberries,
as well as the conventional
lettuce, basil, and green onions. All produce was beyond prime. Whatever
whoever tasted said it was like
trying them again for the first time. "Like Wow, these tomatoes, it's like
trying tomatoes again for the first
time." The buds are exquisite. See my above post for an idea of a bloom
booster, naturally. Top dressing or
nylon sock. Your plants will really love you, and you will really love
your plants!
shiva posted February 08, 2000 11:16 AM
I'm looking at that picture and thinking about how I would convert my current
system to work with that. It
looks like it wouldn't be that hard. I'm interested in this bacteria/rocks
filter thing ... how would that come
into play with an existing system like an aeroflow. I have a 60 site aeroflo,
1200 watt garden I would need
another reservoir, a big fish aquarium, some fish & some pumps &
plumbing. I'm almost at a point where I
could break the "if ain't broke, don't fix it rule" ... I understand the
difference between organic & chem salt
bud flavor. You can clear your garden & the buds are good but they
don't have the same complex flavors
of organics.
It doesn't look like this would work as well if you just refilled your
reservoir with fish tank water ... my
aeroflo reservoir goes through about 4-5 gallons a day on high demand &
holds about 25-30 gallons
(counting whats in the tubes). I wonder how that would work, kinda seems
like fish tank is probably very
important for keeping the pH in check. Fish would add a fun dimension to
this hobby ... I've never had a big
tank before, just 20 gallon small ones.
cool thread,
Shiva
Breeder Steve posted February 08, 2000 11:43 AM
Shiva, fill the tubes halfway with gravel or lava rocks, after rinsing
well. Wick the pots and fill them with a
light organic soil mix lined with a thin layer of clay corn. The water
that drains out of the tubes can run
through "mother marshes". If you want to go crazy run a half inch fizz
hose down each tube under the
rocks. This helps keep the water aerated and misting inside the tube. Play
with it, and have fun.
shiva posted February 08, 2000 12:48 PM
I gottcha ... that would be a good way creating the rock/bacteria environment
right in the tubes. So use
poly-wool liners with coconut & worm castings in 3inch pots ... hmm
I will have to get in touch with
harvest springs and spec out some equip to make this happen ... I keep
my moms in a partitioned off
section of the flowering room so routing a line to the mum reservoir would
be easy. I'm very happy you
found your way onto the web Steve, your experience is an amazing resource
and I thank you for sharing.
-Shiva ;-)
Breeder Steve posted February 11, 2000 11:41 AM
Monitor water quality with Ph meter, aim for around 6.2, I let it fluctuate
a little. Also, use a test kit for
aquariums, you can test for oxygen level, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and
several others. The kits are
droppers and tubes. The optimum levels are shown on the packaging. You
will see the ammonia rise at first,
then it drops as it is converted into nitrite, which drops as it is converted
into nitrate, which will maintain a
healthy level as the plants absorb it.
If the aerobic bacteria responsible for the nitrogen cycle are healthy
it will not smell. However if the water
is not moving enough, our the Bio filter area is not aerated enough the
bacteria will not be able to do their
job and the water will smell foul, of ammonia, or rotten eggs. Better aeration
of the solution/biofilter solves
this. The water returns to my tank through a series of holes drilled in
1/2" pipe that goes around the
perimeter of the tank. My oxygen level always reads the max of what the
water will hold at it's current
temperature, best between 22-24°C. Talk to you soon.
Breeder Steve posted February 12, 2000 04:26 AM
Dear HI420, the algae eaters swarm the sock in the aquarium, providing
more food for the bacteria in the
biofilter which becomes more food for the plant.
Avoid the saltwater.
First get a few little fish, neons, guppies, goldfish, after the first
two weeks, start adding more variety,
cichlids, oscars, crawfish, freshwater lobsters and crabs, eels, sharks,
fresh water shrimps, cories, loaches,
knife fish. Your aquarium can hold a denser amount of aquatic life than
your average aquarium with your
mega biofiltration system, the plants.
Grow lots of aquarium plants both anchored and floating and don't forget
to add lots of hiding places for
your fish. Enjoy.
Why do roots exist?
by Elizabeth Worobel <eworobe-at-cc.UManitoba.CA>
Date: Tue, 18 Jun 1996
Several different types of experiments have been carried out in attempts
to answer this question. The first type, first tried almost 100 years
ago, asked the question "Do rooted aquatic plants grow better with
a
nutrient rich substrate or with a sand substrate and a nutrient rich
water column." The data clearly indicated that rooted aquatic plants,
though they will grow on sand with nutrients supplied in the water
column, grew far better with nutrients supplied through a rich substrate.
These experiments have been repeated many, many times since with many
different types of rooted aquatic plants and the data consistently
show
that plants grown on substrates outgrow those grown on sand with
nutrients supplied through the water column.
The second question was "Which nutrients can be supplied exclusively
from
the sediment and which must be supplied via the water column." The
data
clearly indicate that P and N can be supplied from the sediment and
that
S and micronutrients may also be supplied exclusively from the sediment
(the data for N and P is much more extensive). The only nutrients which
are needed in the water column are Mg, K, Ca and of course CO2. These
consistent for several different types of rooted macrophytes on many
different types of sediments.
The third question was "Which nutrients actually are supplied via the
roots from the sediment." This typ of experiment is much more difficult
to carry out but the evidence indicates that N and P are obtained by
rooted aquatic plants from the sediment, even when readily available
in
the water column (this includes genera such as Elodea and Myriophyllum
which have small root:shoot ratios).
The fourth question is "Which nutrients can be supplied exclusively
from
the water column." As far as I know this remains unanswered as it is
extremely difficult to manipulate the nutrient content of saturated
soils.
dave huebert
anaerobic substrates
by eworobe/cc.UManitoba.CA
Date: Sun, 21 Sep 1997
Who said anaerobic substrates are a bad thing? There are several GOOD
THINGS that happen when the substrate is anaerobic;
1. Ferric iron and manganese are reduced to ferrous and manganous forms.
Both are more soluble than the oxidixed species.
2. As an added bonus, when iron is reduced, phosphates are liberated
from
the ferric oxyhydroxide colloids that are formed under aerobic conditions.
3. It is true that denitrification occurs but under anaerobic conditions
nitrifying bacteria can quickly fix N2 into organic compounds. The
result
is an increase in ammonia. This is beneficial since studies have clearly
and consistently shown that aquatic plants prefer ammonia over nitrate.
4. Aquatic plants in a natural setting ALWAYS have their roots growing
in
anaerobic substrates. They have adapted to these conditions and indeed
some species can not produce root hairs UNLESS the substrate is anaerobic.
Additionally, repeated studies with a wide variety of aquatic plants
have
shown that plants grown on fertile substrates ALWAYS grow significantly
better than those grown on sand ...even when a full complement of mineral
nutrients is supplied in the water column. Its amusing to me when I
see
all this time spent on CO2 injection (especially by beginners) in an
attempt to optimize growth when the fundamentals such as light and
substrate
have not been addressed properly.
BAD THINGS that can happen;
Gases such as sulfide, methane, nitrogen or combinations of these can
be
formed. The solution is to take the soil you want to use, put it in
a
large pail or tub, and submerge it for several weeks. Observe carefully
and if you smell sulfur compounds then try another substrate. Eventually,
like Paul Krombholz, you will find a process that works for you (even
with the unlikeliest of substrate materials :-).
A large nutrient release can occur as the substrate becomes anaerobic.
This may cause algal blooms. Again, to deal with this problem, submerge
your substrate in a large pail and let it sit for some time. Another
solution, of course, is to place 1" to 1 1/2" of coarse sand on top
of
the fertile substrate to act as a seal.
dave.
Re:Growth problem & anaerobic substrates
by Stephen Pushak <teban/powersonic.bc.ca>
Date: Tue, 23 Sep 1997
Dave Huebert <eworobe-at-cc.UManitoba.CA> wrote:
>Subject: Re: anaerobic substrates
>BAD THINGS that can happen;
>
>Gases such as sulfide, methane, nitrogen or combinations of
>these can be formed.
I'd like to add one or two (dozen) points to Dave's excellent remarks.
All substrates are anaerobic (or more correctly anoxic, without
free oxygen) below about a half inch of the surface. As you go
deeper down the oxidizing chemicals get used up by certain bacteria
types (aerobic, facultative and anaerobic). This change in chemical
(biochemical) balance is called the redox potential. It is positive
in oxygenated water (600 mV) and decreases below the surface of
the substrate according to depth. It reaches a minimum value (~150
mV)
at about 5-6 centimeters of depth in nature. With unnaturally high
amounts
of labile materials (such as from potting soils etc) I think you might
get the -150 mV redox potential at a shallower depth. Note that methane
formation does not occur until below -150 so contrary to what I'd said
in a previous article, sulferous substrate bubbles may be primarily
nitrogen. Certainly if they're not smelly.
The following table helps describe the relative reduction processes
which occur at these redox potentials:
the Sikora & Keeny paper "Further aspects of soil chemistry under
anaerobic
conditions" 1983 in Mires: swamp, bog, fen and moor. Elsevier,
Amsterdam,
The Netherlands. table 6.1:
Possible systems operating in flooded environments as related to
redox potential (Takai & Kamura 1966 etc...)
System
Redox (mV)**2 Micro-organisms involved
O2 disappearance +500 - +350
aerobes
Nitrate disappearance +350 - +100
}
Mn2+ formation below +400
} facultative anaerobes
Fe2+ formation below +400
}
Sulfide formation 0 - -150
Hydrogen, methane form. below -150
obligate anaerobes
Paul K supplied some notes from an older article: MORTIMER, C.H.,
1941-42.
The exchange of dissolved substances between mud and water in lakes.
J.
Ecol. 29: 280-329.30: 147-201.
Mortimer made a graph of redox potential versus substrate depth in mud
from
an eutrophic lake and also in mud from an oligotrophic lake.
In the
first
2 cm. of the eutrophic mud the redox potential went from 600 mv to
about
0
mv. It reached a negative 100 or so mv. at about 5 cm. and then
gradually
increased a little with increasing depth to about 0 again. The
redox
potential in the oligotrophic mud dropped to about 150 mv. at
5 cm. and
then stayed the same thereafter. He gives ranges for verious
reductions
of
plant nutrients that differe a little from those you cite above:
NO3-----> NO2 0.45 to 0.40
volt
NO2-----> NH4 0.40 to 0.35
volt
Fe+++ ------> Fe++ 0.3 to 0.2 volt
SO4 ------> S 0.1 to 0.06
volt.
Note that the sulfur reduction is to S, not S--.
The presence of labile (decomposible) organic materials below
about 2 inches of depth will probably lead to a redox potential
sufficiently low to produce sulfides. The long and the short of it
is that there isn't much point in putting organic components deeper
than 2 inches except for very small amounts of humus such as you
would get by removing all the organic fibers from a soil as Paul K
does
to get his mineral soil. You could mix a small portion of this with
silt. Dupla laterite has about 0.1% humus I think. You need very
little to get the redox low enough to reduce iron and manganese
to their soluble states. A layer of soil 1/2 inch deep is quite
sufficient. The point of having anything deeper, I think, is to
increase the volume so that your can get enough root area for
certain plants to get enough iron. That may be a moot point if
you're going to add chelated iron such as by PMDD, Flourish, Tropica
Master Grow, Dupla-24 etc. Not withstanding, I believe that most
rooted plants grow much better with iron compounds in the substrate
such as laterite, iron rich clay, soils, micronized iron...
These iron compounds are important to the phosphate processes
which Dave aluded to since iron binds with phosphate in such a
way that plant roots can get at it.
When we talk about the bad things in an "anaerobic" substrate,
we should probably use more accurate terminolgy such as low redox
potential coupled with excess labile material. Anaerobic means
without air whereas anoxic means without oxygen. There are other
chemicals which exist in differing concentrations within the
substrate near the surface which also act as oxidizing agents
such as nitrate and at lower redox even sulfate.
>A large nutrient release can occur as the substrate becomes
>anaerobic. This may cause algal blooms. Again, to deal with
>this problem, submerge your substrate in a large pail and
> let it sit for some time. Another solution, of course, is
> to place 1" to 1 1/2" of coarse sand on top of
>the fertile substrate to act as a seal.
I've not been successful in getting coarse sand to act as a
barrier to ammonia and nitrates. I'd recommend people avoid
overly fertile materials or leach them in pails as Dave suggests.
By the way, you can expect a pail of mud-water to go low-redox
and produce mercaptan (sulfer) gases since it has no oxygen
sources such as plants and the soil is probably too deep to
permit oxygenated water to penetrate. I don't know if that's
bad. It should liberate a lot of the nitrogen and phosphorus
compounds so that they can be leached out. I'd like to hear more
about it if somebody tries it.
Paul K has mentioned he doesn't worry about the nutrient release
with most of his soil substrates because he usually grows them
without fish and using daphnia which happily eat the green water
algae.
I found ammonia production occured within the first few months
of submergence so this ought to be monitored weekly. Usually
makes stuff grow like mad and not all types of plants were able
to grow well using the earthworm casting substrate. If they had
strong, established root systems, I think most plants would have
grown ok. Crypts had no problems under these conditions and showed
no tendency to Crypt melt. I think they are at a disadvantage
under "typical" conditions and this is why they are thought to be
slow growing. YMMV.
Steve Pushak in Vancouver BC
aquatic compost revisited
by "Roger S. Miller" <rgrmill/rt66.com>
Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1998
A few weeks ago (four, actually) I floated the idea of recycling plant
trimmings into fertilizer in some way analogous to composting for regular
gardens. I got some interesting feedback, particularly from Steve
Pushak
and Neil Frank, and decided to experiment with it a bit.
In short, the method may have worked, but its hard to say for sure.
At
any rate, nothing died, nothing looks worse than it did (some things
look
better) and I saved myself some fertilizer.
Rehashing...
The basic technique I had in mind was to take the weekly cuttings and
puree
them into a sort of green soup that I'd hold, continuously aerated,
until
it was substantially broken down to a relatively inert sludge and a
(hopefully) nutrient-rich solution. The process was supposed
to be
complete within a week, and restarted each week after the trimming
and
cleaning. The solution would be used for liquid fertilizer and
the
remaining solids incorporated into the substrate.
What I did...
First, I stopped my normal fertilizign routine.
Then I started out just as described above, placing the pureed plant
material into an unused DIY yeast generator and bubbling air through
the
mix for a couple days, then shutting off the air and letting the mix
"age". The mix foamed a lot when it was being aerated and emitted
an odor
that was reminiscent of some green leafy thing that rotted in the bottom
of the refrigerator. When the bottle was reopened after aging
the smell
was considerably more offensive. But reaerating that eliminated
the
smell. After allowing it to settle I was able to decant a cloudy
brown
fluid that I expected to use as liquid fertilizer, and I had some black
sludge left in the bottom of the bottle.
I tested the liquid for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate and found none,
so I
added it to the tank that most of the cuttings came from. It
was so dense
that it sank immediately to the bottom and the fish avoided the area
until
it dispersed.
All in all, results from the first week were pretty gross.
In each of the following three weeks I pureed the plant cuttings and
added
them to the sludge from the previous week (building up sludge in the
bottle), aerated for three days, decanted the fluid with just a little
sludge into a second jar and let that "cook" anaerobically for three
more
days. The remaining sludge was kept continuously aerated.
The
anaerobically processed liquid was again settled and decanted, tested
for
nitrogen species (I never found a measurable amount of any - though
there
was a show from ammonium in one batch), and the final liquid was kept
in the refrigerator for use the next day.
Over this period, the initial foaming in the aerated bottle stopped.
The
"something rotting" smell gave way to a heady bouquet that reminded
me of
old sneakers. The fluid after the anaerobic aging had a strong
barnyard odor that disappeared when it was aerated. The final
fluid
remained brown but not cloudy. The fish didn't avoid the brown
fluid
when it was added, instead they darted into it, as if looking for food.
I tried testing the final liquid for phosphorus, but I didn't get results
I could really use. I assume there was substantial phosphorus
in the
final liquid, so (per Neil's suggestion) I added a few grains of ferrous
sulfate to the liquid to sequester the phosphate. Initially I
did this
in the final liquid, after the anaerobic phase. Later I added
it before
the anaerobic phase.
After four weeks I had enough sludge left in the reactor that I needed
to
find a way to use it. I dug a shallow depression in my yard where
the soil
is an inorganic, fine sandy loam, and emptied most of the sludge into
the
depression. I kept some sludge to continue the culture.
After the liquid
was mostly drained out of the sludge, I scooped it and some of the
dirt up
into a bowl and mixed it well. Then I added the sludge-soil mix
to the
substrate below some unhealthy echinodorus osiris and around a few
more
plants that I thought might respond well.
The principle...
The method uses bacteria to (hopefully) convert the plant trimmings
back
into plant available nutrients. It works in two phases, an initial
aerobic digestion phase and an optional anaerobic denitrifying phase.
In the aerated step, bacteria digest the chopped up plants aerobically.
That reduces the amount of oxygen that would be consumed if the plant
"soup" were returned back to the aquarium directly or held in a filter.
The aerobic step should also convert the nitrogen in the plant trimmings
from organic forms to ammonia, then nitrify it to nitrite and nitrate.
The changing smell and the change in the way the mix foamed while it
was
aerated show that the bacterial culture that I needed to process the
plant
trimmings developed over time. It was pretty well in place after
the
second week. Continued success with the method requires that
the
equipment is maintained to breed a bacteria culture that's adapted
to the
job.
The unaerated step is intended to allow facultative anaerobic bacteria
to
denitrify the mix. The (temporarily smelly) output from the anaerobic
step should contain little or no plant-available nitrogen and from
my test
that would seem to work. If you wanted to add nitrogen back into
the
tank, then you could skip the anaerobic step.
I can't confirm that my attempt to sequester phosphorus by adding ferrous
sulfate to the mix actually worked. But it should. Even
if it doesn't
its' almost a win-win procedure, because if the iron doesn't get locked
up with the phosphorus then it will be available to plants.
The results...
Over the last month I used no fertilizer in the tank except the output
from the "aquatic compost". I can't make great claims for the
method
based on the plant's response. That's partly because I changed
the lights
on the tank a couple weeks before starting this experiment and the
plants
were still responding to that change and partly because I didn't have
a
control that would tell me what the plants would do without any
fertilizer.
I can make a few observations:
1) The fish avoided the first batch of liquid fertilizer when
it was
added, but subsequently they showed no avoidance behavior. They
also
showed no ill effects of any kind. So the fish seem to think
it was
all right.
2) I had no increase in algae problems. I had some phytoplankton
evident
in my polishing filter after the third week, but no noticable growth
in
the aquarium, and no phytoplankton at all observed in the fouth week.
There are SAE's in that tank, so an increase in attached algae growth
might not be evident.
3) None of the plants look worse than they did prior to the test
period;
in fact most of them show some improvement. Unfortunately its
hard to say
what improvement was due to the lighting and what was due to the fertilizer.
4) Two of the plants are growing like I've never seen before.
Rotala
indica is growing very fast (well, duh), has developed larger leaves
and
maintains a node spacing of about 3/8 inch. It has a nice reddish
color
on most of the length of the plant. Barclaya longifolia is beautiful.
It's putting on two or three new, large and robust, deep red and olive
green leaves each week.
5) I saved some money on fertilizer, entertained myself a little
and
even grossed-out my 12-year old a couple times!
The jury is still out on using the sludge as a substrate amendment.
I
suppose that if there is an improvement from this addition that it's
more
likely to be from adding fine sandy loam to the substrate than it is
from
adding sludge to the substrate.
I think the method is promising, but there's still a little work needed.
In particular its difficult to keep the mixture well-aerated in the
aerobic phase of the process and to keep the culture continuously aerated
after most of the liquid is decanted and the sludge is held over for
the
next batch. Odors are obviously a problem, mostly with the relatively
mild odor from the aerobic phase. Odor from the anaerobic phase
is
offensive, but that only lasts for a few minutes after the batch is
opened and while its being reaerated.
Roger Miller
PS. I did all that stuff in the garage - not in the house.