Aquaponics Rocks

[Guest]

Outside temps are dropping now and humidity as well. Autumn approaches so it should be the last bud rot I see for some time giving me a large window to get the ventilation improved.

I lost a good 1/3rd oz to the rot as though most the bud is ok it's 2 weeks immature.



I trimmed the foliage back to have a look at development. The camera came a day late those brown hairs were still white and developing, shows clearly how solidly the buds are forming though.



Below:

The plants on the left has 1 week in flower. It's going very well. The plants on the right have 2 weeks to finish and are 8 weeks old total.

 

[RM - aquagrower]

bud formation looks real good. how are the trichs? can't tell from the pic. did ya veg the new set a bit longer? looks like ya may have to bend that girl over. don't worry, they like it!

i've got to agree w/ about everything that ya said above reguarding bio-filtration. altho i know that the root mats become "bio-medium" themselves, i tried to incorperate as many places as possable in my system for them to colonize. kind of a "build it, and they will come" approach.

i hate to bring it up here, but it looks like our new home may be in trouble. forest fire is getting close. any idea where we relocate to if this place burns down?

i took a look at planetganja, and seemed like a hoot load of trolls there, so that didn't look too inviting to me. hempcultivation is located in the states, so that's out. i've heard good things about *****, but i've yet to look into it.

for now tho, i'm watching the flames on the horizon, and they seem to be getting closer by the hour. hopefully our new hangout will be spared.

*edit- looks like they don't like us talking about other sites here. that was h/g/4/2/0 (take out the slashes)

 

[Guest]

Oh dear, what's happening here at ic?

Legalities causing problems? Too many refugees for the system?

I'll surf a bit try find out....

The weed surprisingly got me stoned. I'm what you'd call a chronic user though certain blends of Aqua you just can't smoke a lot.

It didn't get me as stoned as I like to be but it did work, and had some hints of allsorts of effects I like, just too mild...

But it's a 10 week finisher with 2 to go. Growers reports state those last two weeks as being crucial to resin and bud development. Considering the buds are massive now yet still look young I'm in agreeance to leave them another fortnight.

The difference the last fortnight has made in the strength of other strains has been like comparing beer to whisky, and then curing, well, there's your 20 yr old scotch... so here's hoping!

"Build it and they will come" - yes I like that. Takes more patience to grow Aqua or bio, but worth it for the connoseur. That is also what I was told about Jack Herer, takes longer, but worth the wait.

Oh please don't tell me we'll lose another threads work... The Aquaponic testimony we bear only has to be tasted for it's value to be recognised.

Cut & paste, and cut, and paste,

The truth will be out there! hehe

 

[RM - aquagrower]

well, seen one scrog, you've seen them all. my lights don't come on for a few more hours, but i'll get ya a couple of pics up then.

they really do look pretty good. they're just at that boring stage right now, finishing up the stretch, and just starting to show some pristols. hell, at this stage i usually only stick my head in every few days to take a peek.

 

[Guest]

Dude you undersell yourself. From memory you have Scrog DWC and a solution for root clogging plenty of folk would love to see.

Plus it's an aqua DWC scrog. 1st for me. And your bottom drains are ingenious and need to be examined more hehe...

Show the love!

 

[RM - aquagrower]

well, here they are. been flowering about 2 1/2 weeks.

these are the NL




and here is the ice



here is a few thru the door, NL is on the left



sorry, but no pics of the drains right now. that would require moving a plant, and i ain't gonna do that unless there is a problem. however i will soon be building the veg portion of the system. i'll be using the same set up there, so i'll take some assembly pics to show how it all goes together.

 

[Guest]

Wow! Some very cool aqua gardens here, glad to see you guys are getting good results, keep it up!

I finally have a garden again but it's for commercial seed production so I have to use salts... maybe I can find a cab for an aqua setup, but I'd need to get another tank, I left all my fishy stuff back in the states.

What kind of NO3 levels are y'all seeing?

cheers,
-ship

 

[Guest]

Hi Shipperke, welcome to our humble abode. Coffee? No idea on my nitrate no equipment hehe. Nice buds though. Buds with your coffee?

Nice one RM.

Those stems are fat they should feed some flowers well. I'm loving it that you've got that scrog going on with bottom drains. I have to turn my plants and now with tying them up it's a PITA. That hobby wire has made sooo many tricky bits in the growroom easier. Just fold instead of tie. Highly recommended, don't get it wet.

Have you noticed yet? Aqua water rusts stuff fast!

Can I trouble ya with this specs list to fill in so I can utilise your grow as another point of reference more easily?

System type
Lights (light exposure to fish too)
Medium/filtration (types and volumes)
Growspace (current and planned)
Water (volume, turnover, source, system usage, changeovers)
Water Aeration (origins of)
Plumbing
Fish (approx total weight and species)
Fish feeding (regular diet and treats)
Additives/supplements (ratios, amounts, frequency)
Temperatures (water and canopy)
Heating (water and/or room)
Ventilation
System Extras

If it's a PITA that's cool, lost the info from OG only remember a bit of it.

I've been reading loads of conventional Aquaponics stuff in relation to the pre-cycling and additives, pH etc - the water treatment.

Most of the farms are adjusting their PH back up every day!

That's a pain I reckon. I've never done a pH adjustment what do you do? I know you have some test equipment. Any trends in your water?

I suspect a long established system has some seriously good buffering going on. Buffering denotes certain concentrations of solids. Is there an accumulation of 'bad' substances going on in my tank somewhere. It just seems to get better and better as the fish grow and feed more.

In winter temperatures fish will feed less, 74-5 degree water is a premium temperature for growth and heavy goldfish feeding in Aquaponics from what I've been seeing.

Trees? Tweaks?

I think it's just doing the math and having the room. To me, an indoor tree is a plant over an elbow. Tweaking the grow you add filter and fish always allowing the water volume, circulation and aeration etc are adequate for the fish and plants growth.

Formula and tweaking capacity

Knowing 3 lbs of fish, & 6 gallons of medium will grow 1/2 an elbow under a 400w quite easily we can raise this recipe by 100% and add another 50% medium as well for tweaking the grow later. We also have a standby tank with another 50% fish.

6 lbs fish in system
15 Gallons medium in system
1.5 lbs fish in seperate tank (5-7 smaller fish)

We already know the bio-filter/bacteria will only populate as much as their work load requires. As the plant goes through veg it won't require any 'tweaking' but as fruiting begins the demands for nutrition can run high very fast. With the extra filtration already in place a slow increase in nutes can be done simply by adding a fish a week after the 2nd week in flower.

With a tree harvest you'd then need to remove the excess fish back to the standby tank and do a 30% system volume water change to keep everything healthy.

I wish these tree growers would show more piccy's of their buckets and mediums and less of their trees. Hehe.

 

[RM - aquagrower]

hey ship,
glad ya like them. i don't know if ya remember me, but i used to ask your other handle some stupid questions back at og.

as for my NO3 levels, i've been keeping them between 80 and 100.


ths,
i thought you'ld like that. i'm actually a bit surprised at their growth rates. they are going a bit faster than i thought.

as for rust, the only thing that's metal in my system are the strainers (for the shower drains) that are under the UGFs in the grow tubs, and they are stainless, so no rust.

and the specs:

system type- recirculatind dwc
plant lighting veg-* 240w floro
plant lighting flower- twin 400 hps w/ hortilux bulbs
grow space- 14 sq ft flower, *approx 10 sq ft veg
bio filtration- 53 qt external bio filter (lava/pea gravel), UGF in all "sumps"
water volume, fish- 75 gal
water valume, grow- approx 75 gal (*110)
additives- PB as needed (have supplemented w/ urine, just not lately)
water temp, grow- about 70F

*- after veg box is built

my fish reside in my living room in a 55 gal show tank and 2- 10 gal feeder tanks. in the show tank lives an 18" clown knife, a 10" red tailed catfish. and a 7-8" oscar. they eat approx 30 1-2" feeder goldfish every other day. feeder tanks are loaded as needed w/ up to 150 gf each. gf are fed as much "onega 1 freshwater flakes" as they'll eat.

at the present time i'm pumping 15 gal of water from the grow (in the basement) into buckets. water is then tested for PH and NO3. that water is replaced w/ water from the feeder tanks, and water from the show tank tops the feeder tanks back off. the water from the basement is poured into the show tank, and the tank is topped off as needed w/ tap water (and no i don't bother letting it sit out).

this process is done about every other day. i know that it sounds like a lot of work, but in all actuallity it takes less time then it used to take to water my old soil grows.

soon the "show" fish are gonna need a bigger home. at that point, i plan to upgrade the 55 to a drilled 120. then i will be able to have a more "streamlined" method of transfer.

one thing that i have noticed is that the PH drops a bit in the grow system. i know that you don't watch yours, but i would highly recomend it. lets not forget that astro, back at og, lost a full tank of fish because of a PH drop. if it gets lower then 6, you lose your BB colony!

i

 

[RM - aquagrower]

about the supplements, i haven't had to add anything in a few weeks. as long as i don't run short on feeders, the plants are looking great so far.

but...i do expect some problems as they get on in flower. that's where i'll probubly need a bit of advice.

on the subject of trees,

i'm not a big fan ot that grow method indoors. outside, you bet, just not (indoors) where i gotta pay for the electric. that's what makes the scrog method so productive. it keeps all the bud sites in the "sweet spot" of the lighting, thus giving the most "bang for the buck".

 

[Guest]

I had to look some of your fish up.

So the viewing public can keep up here is a photo of a redtailed catfish and partial view of a clown knife. ROFLMFAO!



I can see why you'd want to keep their feeding up.


That Catfish is a beautiful critter.

I agree scrog is the way to go for indoors light to foliage production ratio.

Some people just love trees and have the height. I don't

Your system is damn nice. Everything roughly double my formula - go go go!

So much detail and craft in the design and planning. You explained your valve/taps top up system to me before. Very nice. A real credit to you man, that's awesome!

More bloody questions..

What are you using for pH at what rate to change a volume? Easy or hard to adjust?
How much top up water at once into main tank?
Is your water chlorinated?

Perhaps Aqua can use float valves?....

I'm glad they're growing faster than you thought that's warmed my heart right there

You looking at a spillway for your show tank?

Your fishy experience is shining in the grow

I'm blown away you've done so well. Only concern I'd have in that grow would be feeding those monsters of yours.

One of my fish is an Orando it is growing the 'brain' out of it's head now. It had a false start to it 6 months ago and got a bit sick. It's the fish in quarantine again. Large and ponderous but I do like it it has a face like a fat old chinaman. It could breed young worth a good deal more than plain old goldfish making system extensions from it's own revenue legally possible. I'll try get a pic of him/her. That's the thing with store feeders, never know till they grow.

 

[RM - aquagrower]

that's a hell of a pic. had to look twice to get it. very funny! don't really see anything like that happening here tho. the clown knife rules the tank. should see him keep the oscar in line. almost feel sorry for the oscar, but if he would just leave the clown alone...

orando is the "bubble eyed" goldy? you got him/her in a batch of feeders? nice find.

if anything were to happen to the fish i have, i think i would try to get into raising cats for re-sale. buy them small and sell them back to the pet store after they've put on a couple of pounds. not so much for the money, just what else can you do w/ a fish that has out grown the tank. after i upgrade to a 120, i'll NOT be buying another tank.

the way that i envision my system is like a spring fed stream that runs thru a forest, connecting several different ponds. altho all of the ponds are fed by the same stream, they each have a slightly different enviornment. as long as the water moves slowly thru the system, each pond can keep is own "specs" tailor made to suit it inhabitents.

take water temp for example. the goal is to keep the grow system at about 70F, but he show tank needs to be 75F. as long as not too much water is changed at a single time, the overall temp in the show tank isn't greatly affected. PH ans NO3 levels are maintained the same way.

instead of looking for the "ideal settings" i have been playing with the ends of the "acceptable ranges".

PH is another example. plants do their best work between 5.5-6.5. fish like it 6.5-7.5, and BB die below 6. so, now knowing that the PH tend to drift down in the grow system, i have been shooting for 6.3-6.5 in the grow and topping the fish tanks w/ tap that is 7.2, thus keeping the tank at about 6.8.

ok, to answer your questions. i'm using PH adjusters from GH. i was using the pet store stuff, but i feel a bit safer using products that are ment for "edibles", and adjusting is a piece of cake. just a couple of cap fulls here and there.

as we know, changes should be made slowly in any system supporting life, esp aqua!

as for top offs, i try not to add nore then 10 gal of tap at a time to the show tank. at this point, i'm not using the "auto top off sub-system" until i get everything properly dialed in. i have a couple of marks in the pump rez that i read to tell me how much water needs to be added. and yes, the (city) water is clorinated.

as for using a float valve, i've had no problems out of mine. it was hooked up to a feeder tank (to water soil grows) for about a year before i built the new system.

i've recently noticed that my NO3 levels are still above 80 when i go to swap out some water from the grow to the fish. i think that means the fish will indeed support more then the 12 sq ft of canopy i have now.

that means 'project veg room" is full speed ahead. that was a big worry of mine. get it all built, and not have enough fish to support it. i really don't want any more big fish.

for the new tank a spillway is a must. it will really clean up the process. just a timer on the return pump, and water will be swapped automatically. i can picture a cabnet under the 120 that houses both feeder tanks, as well as a small sink (the kind ya see on a high end BBQ grill). to send feeder tank water downstairs. it'll be cool as hell.

 

[Guest]

I'm almost jealous but it's such a shitty emotion.

Loving it, just loving it. Your system is teaching me many things already.

That was the first pic I found searching clown knife. It was meant to be hehe.

 

[Guest]

Oh yes, Orando is a fat goldy with what looks like a brain growing out top of their head. A stupid and ugly breeding idea if you ask me but hey - give me the money!

As the brain ridges the fish gets pimples and light infection on some of the ridges. I have it quarantined treating with melafix (tea tree oil) and marine salt. 4 days ago was borderline with it at the surface gasping. The worse is over (again) and it's clearing up, feeding, and active.

The native trout are no good for aqua unless you got lots of patience and live food. So solw growing one goldy fry = same size of 6 trout fry after 4 months. And the trout fry want worms more worms and some worms and mossy larvae....

Very fussy and hard to rear to anything else bar egg yolk.

Now they remain display fish and I'll eventually populate a 'native tank' with an Aqua kitchen herbs plot attached.

For 'fruiting' gardens I'll stick with goldies for now so easy to raise.

 

[RM - aquagrower]

about snails,

i remember you having a bunch of snails in your systen at one time, i just can't remember what became of them. didn't they get eaten? and if so, do ya know who ate them? the goldfish?

i've got another 20 gal planted tetra tank that isn't hooked to the aqua system in any way. the mrs. takes care of this tank. well, it has become infested with snails. the mrs. wanted to get rid of them when they first showed up, and i talked her waiting for a bit to give them a chance to populate.

and populate they have. i've got a shit load of them, and was going to put then into the tanks. the problem is, in the off chance they make their way into the grow tubs, would they do any damage to the roots of the plants?

so i guess my question is, are these snails friend or foe?

 

[Guest]

Yep, the goldies ate em. Only big snails survive.

Some snails are strictly vegetarian preferring plants and roots some scavenge preferring algae and wastes...

I only have one mystery snail survived the goldfish so their benefits are minimal considering the way the system runs without them.

I still thing variety should be better as it provides an array of wastes. It's finding a community that don't kill each other, or like you have, several zones, smart Aqua.

 

[RM - aquagrower]

after watching these snails for a bit, altho some of them can be seen hanging out in the (aquitic) plants, most of them seem to be on some partially aglie covered rocks and on the sides of the tank. so i'll "harvest" some and put them into a feeder tank to see what happens.

the odds of them making their way into a grow tub are pretty slim, but w/ my luck, i would be the first to discover an "aqua pest". given their reproduction rates, in the off chance they do become a pest, feasting on the mj roots, it would be about imposable to get rid of them w/o breakind down the entire system.

 

[RM - aquagrower]

on another note, i've been kicking myself in the ass the last few days for not keeping at least one clone from that male ice plant.

i don't know if ya remember the pics from og, but that was the strongest growing plant in the room. the one on the far right. while all of these seem to be the most resinous (at least in veg) plants i've grown to date, that one outshined the rest.

after a training session i would smell my fingers for a few moments. i was almost a teenager again, getting a little "stinky pinky".

in the past, i've done bit of breeding experimentation, and i really wish i had saved some of that pollen.

oh well, maybe next time

 

[Guest]

Hmm I know exactly how you feel. I pulled the male JH too fast and no pollen as a result.

What variety are those snails? Aqua pests? - Think mites, fungus gnats, thrips, pythium, budrot, powdery mildew.

Seen em all hahaha. Life goes on never surrender!

Been thinking about your worms, and my aquatic variety, and what consequence they are having on the grows. I figure mine keep the gravel clean and this a major reason I can run 0 waste without tests etc. The build-up gets eaten thus no build up...



Not checked them for months there could be loads of them by now or even none.

I know my variety is native to this land. But you have some that are common and therefore applicable to Aqua systems once I/we figure how to utilise them without endangering plant life.

Are your tanks planted, smooth or gravel bottom?

What I'd like to figure out is a system whereby all solids are utilised etc but in the design is a sump to collect solids should the system begin to fail for any reason.

I'm thinking a clean surfaced centrally bottom drained tank. All solids are pumped with water through a pulveriser (for your huge fish hehe) and onto the grow medium. Below the plants would be the return water with a section of it deeper to form a 'catchment' with shut off valves on either side for maintenance. As the water flow hits the catchment area it will slow right down allowing solids to settle out of the fluid. The added depth and slow stream would keep a worm population there, and should any escape - fish food.

This way if you do accumulate excess it's not in the fish or the grow.

But then immediately I've lost the simplicity of a spillway. I'll keep thinking on it.

If my plumbing is large enough, shouldn't I be able to have every water level the same (including full lower chambers) and then adding water at any point forces it to move through the system?

I'll draw a pic if I can get my head round it. I like one pump systems. I know I have two but that's what ya get for being a noob.

 

[RM - aquagrower]

i have no idea what kind of snails they are. i'm thinking that they came from the pet store in some aquatic plants. i don't know if they will indeed turn out to be pests, just a bit leery, that's all.

i don't have any worms in my system. i think that ya may be thinking about daydreamer back at og. i am planning on starting a worm bin when the wheather worms up. that's mainly to supplement the fishes diet tho.

my show tank was all planted at one time, but only one plant remains. the fish have managed to uproot and kill all of the rest. they can get a bit frisky during feeding time. all tanks have UGFs in them.

this is a pic of my "shit catcher". it is just a small chamber at the end of the drain line (from the fish tanks). all water coming from the fish tanks passes thru it, thus filtering (and holding) anf solids. it stays just below the water level, on top of the bio medium, in the bio filter.




well, it's official. the boring stage is over. here is a shot of a little NL bud at about 3 weeks flowering. i figured to would be fun to take a pic of this bud about once a week so we can watch is progress.