Starting Your Aquaponics Systems Without Fish

Aquaponics fishless cycling is a method of starting up your Aquaponics farming system without using fish. When you first start an Aquaponics system, there will be no bacteria. Bacteria are crucial in the running of the system, as they are responsible for breaking down toxic fish waste and transforming it into nutrients for the plants. In traditional cycling, you put your fish into the newly setup system, and they will start generating ammonia (fish waste). Eventually, nitrosomonas bacteria will colonize the system, and these will break down the ammonia into nitrites (which are still toxic). Another species of bacteria will then colonize the system – nitrobacter – and these will break down the nitrites into nitrates, which make excellent plant fertilizer. The problem is that colonization by bacteria takes time, and in the meantime ammonia and nitrites can build up in the water to toxic levels, harming and possibly killing the fish. Aquaponics fishless cycling avoids this problem, as fish are introduced only after the bacterial colonies have established themselves.

To carry out Aquaponics fishless cycling, you need to buy a source of ammonia – generally found in Cyclic Kits. Next, add in the ammonia to the fish tank’s water until you get a level between 2 to 4ppm (parts per million). For fish tanks smaller than 100 gallons, add half a teaspoon of ammonia at a time, and test. Consult the mixing instructions on the ammonia you buy, as different types of mixtures have different strengths. If you overshoot, and you get a reading higher than 4ppm, simply remove some of the water and add in fresh water to dilute the ammonia strength.

Once you get a level of 2 to 4ppm, you should test the water every day for ammonia, nitrites and pH levels. When ammonia levels start dropping, add some more to keep a level of 2 to 4ppm. Once nitrates appear (at least 5ppm), stop adding ammonia. Shortly after, the ammonia and nitrite levels should drop to below 0.5ppm. What this happens, the cycling is over and you can safely add the fish. During the cycling process, try to keep the temperature of the water to about 77 to 86°F and the pH to around 7 to 8, as this will speed up bacterial growth.

Aquaponics cycling without fish is safer than when you use fish, and much quicker. Typically, with the fishless method you can get your system up and running in just 10 days, compared to the 4 weeks it would take if you opt for cycling with fish.

Adding Salt to Your Aquaponics Systems

Many people add salt to their aquaponics system and you may be thinking of doing the same. The practice of adding salt in Aquaponics systems has its pros and cons, and if you decide to use salt you should do so carefully.

The main purpose of adding salt in Aquaponics systems is for disease control; salt acts like a natural anti-bacterial agent. In addition, a small amount of salt improves the mucous covering on a fish’s body, and this improves the resistance of the fish to diseases and parasites. Salt may also help to prevent fungal infections. If you opt for salt addition, use pure sea salt and avoid table salt. If you can’t find any pure sea salt, swimming pool salt is a viable alternative.

However, adding too much salt will kill the fish and stunt plant growth. Therefore, when adding salt, you should do it only in calculated amounts. A good rule of thumb is 1 to 2 ppt (parts per thousand) of salt to water. Some plants and fish will tolerate higher levels, but if you are a novice in Aquaponics systems, you should stick to this amount. Remember, that as time passes, the concentration of salt in the system will change. Evaporation of water, water taken up by the plants, etc… will lead to an increase in salt concentration. It is therefore important that you monitor salt concentration regularly, and you can do so by using an apparatus called a refractometer. You can buy cheap refractometers for just a few dollars and they will do the job.

Many people will have a separate small tank that they use for sick fish, a kind of quarantine tank. This is a good idea as it prevents the spread of disease to other fish and allows you to give medication only to the sick fish and not to the whole system. If you keep such a tank, salt can be very useful, as salt will enhance the fish’s immune system. You can use higher concentration of salt in your sick tank – up to 10 ppt for a few hours to a few days. Make sure to keep the tank well oxygenated.

As mentioned already, different fish have different levels of salt tolerance, so to be on the safe side check with your local fisheries department for levels of tolerability of the species you are growing. In addition, remember that even if the fish you are growing are very tolerant to salt (for example tilapia can be grown in a salt concentration of up to 20-30ppt), the plants will not tolerate high concentrations. It is safer if you stick to 1-2ppt.

Aquaponic Gardening Stocking Densities

The term of aquaponics stoking densities refers to the number of fish that need to be grown in the aquaponics systems fish tanks.
 

More fish in your aquaponics systems means more profit, however stocking too many fish will lead to ill health of both fish and plants. The fish will not grow as well and will start dying, and there will be a buildup of wastes which will be toxic to both fish and plants.
 

Therefore, you need to find the perfect balance of stocking as many fish as possible before this starts having an adverse effect on their growth.
 

The question is how to measure the stocking densities for your aquaponics systems?
 

If you are looking for a short answer on the Aquaponics stocking densities to use, then go for 1 fish 

per 10 liters of water.
 

Now for the longer answer.
 

It is more accurate to talk about stocking densities in terms of kilograms of fish per cubic meter or liters of waters.
 

For most Aquaponics systems set-ups, you should go for 30 to 40 kg of fish per 1000 liters. Use this rule of thumb as a maximum number, and opt for a lower number if you are new to Aquaponics gardening.
 

Just keep in mind that apart from the stocking density, the amount of food you put into the tanks will also dictate how well the system runs – if you feed too much, there will be an accumulation of waste that the bacteria may not be able to handle.
 

Example:
 

The most common fish used in Aquaponics gardening is tilapia.
 

So let’s work out stocking densities in terms of tilapia.
 

When you buy 100 tilapia fingerlings, these may weigh a kilo combined. If we have a 1000 liter fish tank, then our current stocking density is 1kg/1000L. Tilapia grow quickly and soon enough they’ll weigh a combined total of say 40kg, giving us a stocking density of 40kg/1000L.
 

By using the rule of thumb of one fish per ten liters of water, then you’ll have to harvest the fish as soon as they’re big enough, or else you’ll end up with a stocking density which is straining the system.
 

Individual fish grow at different rates, and you should start taking out the large ones as soon as they’re big enough to eat.
 

Do not wait until all of them are big enough. This is actually a good thing, as you will have to harvest at a rate at which you can eat/sell them and not have to freeze a large quantity of fish.
 

You can actually harvest a single lot of fish over several months, as the rates of growth of individual fish are so different.
 

This applies even to fish species with particularly fast growing rates, such as trout.

Aquaponic Gardening Grow Bed

The aquaponics grow bed is one of the two main components of an Aquaponics gardening system, the other being the fish tank. The grow bed houses the plants and the bacteria responsible for breaking down the fish waste and turning them into nutrients for the plants.

In an aquaponics system, water is pumped from the fish tank and into the grow bed. Bacteria breakdown fish waste into nitrogen, which is taken up by the plants and used to grow. The clean water is then returned into the fish tank. Through this process, an Aquaponics system uses just 10% of the water that traditional agriculture requires.

With regards to the ratio of grow bed to fish tank, here’s how you can calculate it. Fish density should be kept at no more than 1 pound of fish per 3 gallons of water. Now, for every 6 gallons of water, you should have about 1 square foot of deep grow bed (about 12 inches deep). This is to ensure an adequate fish waste to plant biomass ratio. Therefore, you will be having about 2 pounds of fish for each square foot of deep grow bed area. However, note that this is a maximum number. If you are just starting out, it is safer to opt for one fish per 5 to 10 gallons of water. As a rule of thumb, use a fish tank to grow bed ratio of 1:1 (by volume).

It is safer to have a higher grow bed: fish tank ratio than the other way round. If you have too little grow bed, there won’t be enough bacteria to break down the fish wastes as they accumulate, and soon enough the fish and plants will start dying. You should use a grow bed that is about 12 inches deep and definitely nothing less than 9 inches.

When setting up your system, the water level in the grow bed should be about 1 inch from the top, as the top of the plants should not be wet. In addition, this will ensure that there is no direct sunlight on the water, which would in turn cause an algae bloom. Therefore with a 12 inch deep grow bed, you will be looking at about 10 to 11 inches of which are submersed.

An important aspect of a healthy grow bed is dissolved oxygen, as oxygen is essential for proper bacteria (and fish) growth. Plants also require good oxygen levels on their roots. Ideal dissolved oxygen levels for an aquaponics system are those above 6 parts per million. To ensure healthy dissolved oxygen levels, you should incorporate water stone aeration and some water jetting action; you can incorporate the latter in the way the water returns back to the fish tank from the grow beds.

Aquaponics System- Grow Bed Media and Water

Two important components for aquaponics systems are grow bed medium and water.
 

What is a grow bed medium and water?
 

The grow bed medium is the plant’s habitat while the water is the fish’s habitat.
 

The two are interconnected and if there are problems in one, they will manifest themselves in the other.
 

What can I choose as the aquaponics grow bed media? 

 

There are many grow bed media to choose from, ranging from simple ones to ‘bioengineered” branded ones.
 

A very popular and effective one is gravel, which also happens to be very cheap.
 

Gravel is ideal because it provides good support for the roots of the plants and filters the water well. In addition, it proves to be a good habitat for the beneficial bacteria, which will be busy turning fish wastes into plant nutrients.
 

Get round gravel, and it should be big enough not to clog but small enough to provide good root support. The plant roots need good water circulation and oxygen, and if the medium compacts too much, this won’t be possible. Good medium size for Aquaponic gardening is around 0.5 to 0.75 of an inch in diameter.
 

If you want to use another type of medium, please ensure that it has some important properties.
 

First, it should be chemically inert
 

Second, it must not influence the pH of the water.
 

For example, limestone leaks calcium carbonate and this will push the pH up.
 

Third, the medium should not decompose, as this will affect the pH levels and potentially clog the systems. Decomposing materials can also leak substances in the water that can harm your fish. Avoid soil, peat moss, sawdust or wood chippings.
 

It is important that the medium you choose is porous, as this will allow for good air and water circulation and will give the bacteria plenty of surface area to colonize.
 

You should also make sure that the medium is easy to handle; it should be gentle on the hands and on the plant’s roots.
 

Now, something about the water.
 

You want the water to be pure, free of chlorine and other chemicals and as close to pH 7 as possible.
 

Municipal water will be of high pH and will contain chlorine. However, all you have to do is to fill your tank and let it sit for two or three days. The chlorine will evaporate off by itself.
 

If the pH of your water is too high, you can buy aquarium pH regulators, or else add in some vinegar or iron sulfate fertilizer. Add small quantities at a time and test.
 

On the other hand, if the pH of the water is too low, get an aquarium pH regulator, add in some baking soda or calcium carbonate. Again, add in small quantities at a time and test.
 

Your final pH should be between 6.7 to 7.

Get all the information and insider secrets about setting up a successful Aquaponics system in Aquaponics 4 You.

Backyard Aquaponics Gardening

Aquaponics gardening is an excellent way of growing food in your own backyard. A small, simple backyard aquaponics set-up can produce enough food to feed your family and have extra to give away to friends!

Picture from ecohunk

The equipments need for your backyard aquaponics
-    Tank for the fish
-    Hydroponic grow bed for the vegetables
-    Pump
-    Tubing
-    Submersible heater (for cold area or type of fish that you choose)
-    pH testing kit

You can refer to this video to see the equipments.

Let’s get started with fish tank for the aquaponics systems.

The larger the tank, the more fish you will able to grow, the more nutrients will be generated to the plants.

Consider to use a small tank if you are a beginner in aquaponics gardening.

The minimum size of the tank is a tank that can hold 50gallon of water, about 190 liters.

Tips:
•    Save money by using recycle item. For example, recycle bathtubs.
•    Line them with EPDM pond liner to make them water tight
•    Place the tank at the intended location from the start. It will get really heavy afterwards.
•    Don’t place the tank in direct sunlight as this would cause an algel bloom

The size of the grow bed you’ll use will depend on the size of the fish tank: the more fish you’re growing, the more waste that is generated, and the more nutrients that will be available for the plants.

Generally, a volume ratio of 1:1 grow bed to fish tank is recommended. The Aquaponics grow beds should be about 12 inches deep, in order to provide sufficient support for the plants and to provide enough space for the bacteria to thrive.

You can use gravel for the growing medium.

Gravel supports the plants, acts as filter, has good water flow characteristics and yields good plant growth. You don’t have to buy filtering elements from the shop. Just get smooth, round gravel that is gentle on the hand and on the roots.

The size is about 1/3 to ¾ of an inch in diameter.
Don’t use small gravel as it may clog and obstruct the water flow and don’t use too large gravel either as it will not act as a filter and will not be able to support the plant’s root.

The gravel will also provide an excellent habitat for the bacteria, which are a crucial component of an aquaponics system.

Tips:
-    Don’t use limestone as it leaches calcium carbonate which increases the pH of the water

If the aquaponics system are set up properly, you will need just one pump for the system to run efficienctly.  Water  is pumped from the fish tank to the grow bed, and then returns to the fish tank via gravity. For this, you will need a water pump and pipes.

Many aquaponics gardeners use a timer-operated pump, setting it to switch on for 15 minutes every 45 minutes. This helps to oxygenate the water. When buying a pump, get one that can pump the entire volume of the tank in an hour – this will depend on the volume of your tank. Larger aquaponics tanks need larger pumps.

Submersible heater is not required if you choose the fish wisely. Read this post for choosing the fish in aquaponics gardening. However, if you are able to maintain uniform temperature for your aquaponics systems, it will speed up growth of both fish and plants.

The reason why plants benefit as well is because the bacteria in the water will be more efficient at converting wastes to nutrients, and the plants will therefore have more nitrogen available to them. Note that water heating is a requirement if you are growing fish that have optimal temperature ranges that are different from the temperature in the area of your setup. Water heating is also required if the temperature of the aquaponics system’s location fluctuates a lot, as this will stunt or kill the fish.

It is a good idea to have a good pH testing kit at hand, as it is tantamount that the pH of the water stays around 6.7 to 7.0. Fish can tolerate pHs up to 8.0, but plant growth will suffer at high pH. On the other hand, plants can tolerate pHs as low as 4.5, but fish will start to die at pHs under 6.5. Therefore, a pH range of 6.7 to 7.0 is optimal to both fish and plants.

Starting Up -Your Do It Yourself Aquaphonic Systems

For starting up your own  aquaponics systems, you must first know the equipments needed. Read this post about the equipments needed for aquaponics systems.

Your Aquaponics systems will depend on the bacteria. The bacteria breakdown fish waste and transform it into plant fertilizer and create a perfect balance and synergy between the fish and plants.

The cycle starts when you put the fish in the tank. Ammonia will be produced in the fish waste. Nitrosomonas bacteria in the air will populate the water surface, and start converting the toxic ammonia into nitrites. Nitrites are still toxic, but their presence will attract nitrobacter bacteria. These will colonize your system and convert the nitrites into nitrates, which are harmless to the fish and excellent fertilizes to the plants.

When this happens, you will be able to trace the presence of nitrates in the aquaponics systems. The level of the ammonia and nitrites will drop below 0.5ppm. This will signal that your aquaponics system is now up and running!

The key for starting up your Aquaponics system involves making sure that the bacteria grows and thrives in your system, and you will need to give it some time before the population of bacteria can support fish and plant growth. This will generally take about four to six weeks in total.

Some of aquaponics gardeners nowadays start their aquaponics systems with the “fishless” method. This method will not use fish as the source of the ammonia but using artificial ammonia.

For this method, you will need Aquaponics Gardening Cycling Kits which will provide all the tools for the aquaponics systems.

You can start adding fish once the system is up and running and the bacteria are thriving (i.e. when the levels of ammonia and nitrites drop to below 0.5ppm).

Ok, now, which method is better?

Using the artificial ammonia is safer since there is no danger of having fish dying due to initial ammonia spikes. In order to use the fishless method, what you can do is you can modify the other parameter such as the temperature to the level where bacteria multiply more rapidly at this temperature (typically 77 to 86°F).

You can also modify the pH to about 7 to 8 to speed up bacterial growth and oxygenate the tank as much as possible, for example by using air stones and some kind of water jetting action.

In addition, you can also buy bacterial colonies, which will definitely speed up the process.
 

Tips:
-    Get some filter material or gravel from an established, disease-free aquarium as this will be rich in the bacterial colonies we want.
-    Get some rocks and pebbles from a river or lake, but be careful of the risk of introducing disease and parasites.

To know more about starting up your aquaponics gardening, refer to this aquaponics expert here

What is Aquaponics Gardening?

The definition of aquaponics is the combination of the words AQUAcultue and hydroPONICS. Means, it is the combination of the growing of fish and the growing of vegetables and herbs.

Aquaponics Systems Concept

It starts with adding fish to the fish tank or some of aquaponics gardeners use fishless method to start the cycle.

The water from the fish will reach the grow bed. The plants take up some of the water and with it the nitrogen in the water. If the nitrogen is allowed to build up in the fish tank, it will reach toxic levels. However, this nitrogen happens to be a perfect fertilizer for the vegetables! This saves you from having to add artificial fertilizer, which is expensive and contains synthetic chemicals that are potential harmful.

After the plants have taken up the nitrogen, the water returns to the fish pond squeaky clean. Hence, you won’t need complicated filtering systems for the fish water, as the plants will do this work for you!

You can read the fishless method and the cycle in this post.

The benefits of aquaponics systems are:

-          Home growing food

-          Sustainable food production

-          Organic food, no additives

-          Save lots of money (long term)

-          Higher food quality

-          Large amount of food in the least space

-          Flexible system

-          Can be scaled according to needs

-          Easy to get equipments

-          Can be a source of income

Once you understand the concepts of aquaponics systems, you’ll realize that the set-up required is actually very basic, and it can be easily constructed using materials from around your house or purchased cheaply at any local hardware store. All you need are some core instructions and a few diagrams to get you started.

You can watch the video on how to set up your own aquaponics system here