DIY Wet/Dry Hydroponics plant questern

[Lil_Stinker]

lol, oops. I thought it was going in a cupboard, sorry

In the prototype unit (mine) the sides close over the bio & sump areas, but the center is open.

Here is a photo of the stand, closed; with the actual container that will be used in the center.

i would say grow letuce and bamboo. the lights are not going to come in contact with the bio media?

In the big unit there will a 'dark room' for the bio area; a closet next to the hydroponic area. no fear of light invading the bio-chanber

 

[dr_sudz]

In the words from an good ol' saturday night live skit... "You put your WEEEED in there..."

They actually have cupboards on ether side one for the biomatter and pumps and such, the other for the sump. The middle is for the plants. That is just a golden set up.

 

[Lil_Stinker]

In the words from an good ol' saturday night live skit... "You put your WEEEED in there..."

They actually have cupboards on ether side one for the biomatter and pumps and such, the other for the sump. The middle is for the plants. That is just a golden set up.

The only issues with that SNL idea is that for some reason, both my buddy & I are called 'Lieutenant' on a regular basis; and frown on that particular type of crop.

 

[yourmylunch]

i've bean working on some hydroponics in conjunction with fish farming and your concept is correct. just a few problems.

light.
its hard to tell from the pics but it looks like the light will be to close to the tops of the plants and heat might be a problem. light is important for nutrient uptake. less light less nutrients used. but that all depends on the level of nitrates your tank produces.

lettuce would be your best crop as you can harvest it at a very short height it seems to work well for me but performs poorly in the heat.

water lettuce would be a better choice as it is a water plant and can handle less light and higher temps. but no yummy salads.

any plant that can be rooted in water will work but be carefull if you have other pets

i would look into a refugium to set up next to the tank. fill it with plants and its good to raise snails and sprimp in there feed to the main tank.

good luck

 

[Lil_Stinker]

yourmylunch ... As I said; this is a prototype (pics of prototype). The light source is the sun from a window 10 feet from the tank. The crop in this setup will likely be 'lucky' bamboo and/or some hanging plant that my cats will enjoy eating as they drink the fish water.

The production setup will be much larger & the light will be artificial. plants will have at least 4 to 5 feet to the lights above. The basement being naturaly cooler should help disipate the heat of the lights, but we will monitor the heat at your caution. (perhaps air venting to remove hot air)

Perhaps an on/off cycle of the lights like 3hours on 3 off, in each of the quarters of the room? or a shut off when the temp gets to a certain point, then on again after a cool-off period. Thanks for the heat heads up.

Remember on the prototype;
No lights
no food crop

The production system will be in 3 "rooms"; A bio room, a hydroponics room, and the sump/waterchange room.

We would like this system to have a food crop, for both items to re-feed to the fish, as well as family food.

A good portion will be aquatic plants for nutrient intake, as they are removed they will likely be tilled into the outdoor garden.

Also, no room next to this tank for anything... four foot tank on a four foot wall real estate being used to its fullest.

I need a new house so I can get a bit more nuts.

 

[dannyboy]

We would like this system to have a food crop, for both items to re-feed to the fish, as well as family food

depending on what type of fish you have, you could get a worm farm as well and use the scraps from the food crop to feed the worms to fully utilise the production system

 

[dr_sudz]

depending on what type of fish you have, you could get a worm farm as well and use the scraps from the food crop to feed the worms to fully utilise the production system

This is prime!

I would like to know how often you would need to change your water with this kind of set up! It would be a complete eco-system contained in your basement. Maybe you should talk with NASA

 

[dannyboy]

I would like to know how often you would need to change your water with this kind of set up!

If you get the plant to fish ratio right, never. (or not very often, you need more plants than fish and need to suppliment some nutrients for the plants..that is until it is included in the food, so you feed the fish, and it contains those extra micro nutrients the plants need)

Maybe you should talk with NASA

Can't remember where i read it, but NASA is already looking into it. I think it was for the manned trip to Mars, if i remember correctly

 

[Lil_Stinker]

This is prime!

I would like to know how often you would need to change your water with this kind of set up! It would be a complete eco-system contained in your basement. Maybe you should talk with NASA

The assumption is that it will make waterchanges minimal. we will be testing as we go to establish a balance.

I was going to put a float valve in the sump to replace evaporation, and when he vacuums the tank it will automatically replace the removed water. It would be nice not to have to do any more than that, but we shall see.

I am sure on mine (this one), waterchanges will still be needed as usual.

I think NASA will have a bit of trouble with a gravity fed system but they are welcome to use the idea. I certainly can't claim it as my own

 

[dr_sudz]

They wouldn't have problems with gravity on mars...