Step by Step to Aquaponics Gardening -Video

Learn all there is to know about Aquaponics gardening in Aquaponics 4 You, a complete guide on starting up and running an aquaponics system.

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.

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.