Aquaponics..helpful for fish?

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Hawaiianfishkee

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Aug 22, 2009
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Hawaii
sup guys.. i was trying to figure ways to clear the aquarium of ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates... also to turn fregquent water changes to infrequent water changes...
1st i was thinking about adding a hob refugium, but i heard that wouldnt be enough to remove the harmful particulates.
2nd i thought about making a algal filter screen, works awesome for removing those particulates, but its isnt too nice lookin.
NOW im thinking about adding a aquaponic irrigation system onto my 150
-so i get to reap the bennifits of healthy fish and healthy vegies.
BUT.. most aquaponic systems have a pump from tank to plant bed ABOVE tank and allow to drain through drain holes... i dont want that..

Bear with me on this one...
I was planning this, I am going to have a syphon(maybe separate overflow) from tank to a mid level hydroponic setup maybe a shallow rubbermaid with greens floating on styrofoam or something that allows water to run under the greens(either a waterculture system or an NFT system) and have a drainage go directly to sump for (mechanical and bio) then pump back up to tank. So the whole process would be by gravity. I just don't know wether I should divert main overflow or a seperate overflow to divert to green setup. Any thoughts? does this sound like it would work?
 
An understanding of how the nitrogen cycle works in the aquarium would be the best tool in your battle against ammonia and nitrites.
 
sounds good to me. i don't really understand the pros and cons of either setup so i'd say go with whatever is easiest. also, rock wool makes a great medium for getting water to the greens. you can get some foam and cut holes which will essentially be cup holders for little pots with rock wool. then just float it in the rubbermaid.
 
Bderick67;3474912; said:
An understanding of how the nitrogen cycle works in the aquarium would be the best tool in your battle against ammonia and nitrites.
Click to expand...

so its obvious i didnt cycle my tank well.. i didnt use fish or ammonia.. but i used my bio balls from old tank.
i have a high ph... maybe ammonia bad nitrogen unionized perhaps NH3 probably... but i checked nitrites and nitrates and they are in the safe zone... what to do now... by now the ammonia has turned to nitrite and is probably Nitrate. i know this cycle goes on and on as fish lives so i want something to even out the harmful elements..

can u share with me your knowledge.. what i cant learn from reading books and online articles... or tell me what im doing wrong...

do u think this aquaponic setup will help out? yes or no..
 
I think our old buddy LinemanBrad moved to Hawaii... Anyhow, the only acceptable amount of nitrite is ZERO (a.k.a. 0, zilch, nada, none). Your BB in the bioballs died when you didnt give them any fish waste or ammonia. Therefore, You're still cycling. If you're not willing to do WC's, you shouldnt keep fish. Your questions are not new to this forum. Stop talking & start reading. The sky is blue. My car is black. Ummmm...Thats it.
 
well regardless of what my water parameters are..
do you think this would work?
Pros? cons?
Tank>Pvc overflow>sump>tank
Tank>irrigation overflow>plant bed>plant drainage>sump>tank

AQUAponics-1.jpg
 
You'd have to double check with the plumbing experts in the DIY section, but it looks doable. Why not just make a bigger sump & put the plants in there? You could hang some big lights under the tank... That would simplify it a bit & still get the same effect.
 
JakeH;3479917; said:
You'd have to double check with the plumbing experts in the DIY section, but it looks doable. Why not just make a bigger sump & put the plants in there? You could hang some big lights under the tank... That would simplify it a bit & still get the same effect.
Click to expand...

I was planning on growing some vegetables, and putting it under the tank would probably make it difficult to maintain, plus I have some natural daylight right next to the tank.
 
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