ttystikk
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I've run aquaponics with trout before (60F water) and also added potassium sulfate to supplement lacking K levels. P was never an issue. If anything, Ca was also needing a touch more, but otherwise things went fine.
The trout worked out for me, but I killed a lot of them. They are very picky when it comes to water quality. Even a short power outage leads to low O2 levels and dead fish. I'm thinking about talapia now just to make my life easier.Yesyesyes with trout, even? That would be my preference, both due to it being a favorite fish, but also because it's considered a cold water fish which would better tolerate the low 60s I prefer for my plants.
I'd like to try this sometime. I would think it could work out, so long as there is a separate biofilter rather than expecting a growbed to perform both functions.Perhaps I could even pump the aquaponic water directly through an otherwise conventional RDWC system? Such a scenario would be ideal!
I've run aquaponics with trout before (60F water) and also added potassium sulfate to supplement lacking K levels. P was never an issue. If anything, Ca was also needing a touch more, but otherwise things went fine.
The biofilter and grow bed are two separate components of a living aquaponics system, so I see no reason to change that here. I need to research these components- could you give me a quick idea of what they do, as a place to start? By grow bed, do you mean the plants in the RDWC?
You answered those questions. Yes, trout are very delicate (as are piranha and sharks, IME). The only fish that I'm familiar with raising that can handle cool temps, and conversely low O2 levels, are koi, aka carp. Blech. While I've not raised or handled tilapia, IIRC they're an African cichlid, from the river systems, and so appreciate warmer waters. They can be quite tasty, too!The trout worked out for me, but I killed a lot of them. They are very picky when it comes to water quality. Even a short power outage leads to low O2 levels and dead fish. I'm thinking about talapia now just to make my life easier.
Okay, so work up to trout, although I'm pretty sure I can find a way to keep O2 levels up to acceptable levels during a power outage of less than 24 hours; small fountain pump on a battery backup.
The biofilter and grow bed are two separate components of a living aquaponics system, so I see no reason to change that here. I need to research these components- could you give me a quick idea of what they do, as a place to start? By grow bed, do you mean the plants in the RDWC?
Oh, Jesus, I don't know why I never thought of this. Many, if not most of the Central and South American fishes brought in for the aquarium hobby are actually very good eating if fed properly. Oscars, damn near all the cichlids, pacu, and check this out, peacock bass! Pacu are fruit-eaters, which is why they've got such strong jaws. I can almost taste the cheek meat right now! (Think: pompano.) With oscars, you can definitely get some size out of them. Just feed them insects and the like, never goldfish or fish food, and they should be delicious.I've heard of a primitive but apparently effective form of aquaponics; in China, farmers release a certain variety of bass or similar into their rice paddies. The fish eat insects that attack the rice, the paddy is big enough to absorb and digest the fish waste, which then feeds the rice. The farmers get supplemental protein in the fish... if we can come anywhere near such a level of symbiosis with indoor technologies, I'd feel like a real advance will have been made.
Mr sputnik, just wondering you say you were doing a deep water culture?. what were you using as a biofilter to house the bacteria?
yes enzymes and bacteria used to cycle fishtanks are exactly the same as used in aquaponics and can be beneficial.
also why would the oxygen be depleted? in aquaponics you really need to keep it cycling water fairly constantly. the act of cycling it through the feed rings and back into the res should create enough oxygen alone. i also have airstones in my res as a fail safe, plus i think the fish like to play in the bubbles :)
Mr sputnik, just wondering you say you were doing a deep water culture?. what were you using as a biofilter to house the bacteria?
yes enzymes and bacteria used to cycle fishtanks are exactly the same as used in aquaponics and can be beneficial.
also why would the oxygen be depleted? in aquaponics you really need to keep it cycling water fairly constantly. the act of cycling it through the feed rings and back into the res should create enough oxygen alone. i also have airstones in my res as a fail safe, plus i think the fish like to play in the bubbles :)
Fish : Plants is an important ratio. You can always lean a bit heavy on the plant side and foliar feed some maxicrop if they're a bit deficient. If you lean the other way the fish will not like it. Note you're really balancing the fish metabolism against the plant metabolism - so the rate you feed the fish affects this as well as the number of fish, and the amount of light and vigor of the plants affects it as well as the number/size of vegetation.
Tank volume: Greater water volume provides more buffering capacity. Safer to have more water than you need than too little.
Biofilter: Extremely important. Am I to understand you didn't have one, Sputnik? If that's the case I'm not surprised your system never worked. The nitrification cycle is a core-component of aquaponics. Like the water volume, bigger is better as it will provide more stability. If it can't keep up the fish will poison themselves with their own ammonia.
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