12 Essential Aquaponics

Aquaponlcs ls an excltlng new way to grow your favorlte frults, vegetables, and ornamental plants
uslng the waste water from ralslng sh. |t comblnes the best of aquaculture and hydroponlcs to
create a completely organlc, sustalnable and productlve growlng method. Thls method can be used
both lndoors and outslde. |t ls dlrt-free, weed-free, chemlcal-free, and lt uses slgnlcaly less water
than ls needed for tradltlonal, soll-based gardenlng.
|n medla-based aquaponlc gardenlng water ls pumped from the sh tank lnto a grow bed that ls
lled wlth an lnert growlng medlum that ls home to colonles of beneclal bacterla and compostlng
red worms. The bacterla converts the toxlc ammonla from the sh waste rst lnto nltrltes then lnto
nltrates, and the worms convert the solld waste lnto vermlcompost. At thls polnt the sh waste has
become a near-perfect food for the plants. The plants now lter the water by consumlng the convert-
ed sh waste, maklng a healthler envlronment for the sh. Thls symblotlc relatlonshlp between the
plants, sh, and bacterla / worms creates an envlronment where all the llvlng elements thrlve.
Thls ls a gulde to some of what you need to know to grow plants and sh successfully ln a
medla-based aquaponlc system. |t ls not lntended to be comprehenslve, but rather a hlgh level
overvlew of some of the baslc thlngs you need to know ln order to start an aquaponlcs system of your
own. Por a more comprehenslve understandlng of aquaponlcs we recommend both our
award-wlnnlng book - Aquaponlc Gardenlng: A Step by Step Gulde to Growlng Plsh and vegetables
Together - and our hlghly rated Aquaponlc Gardenlng Onllne Course.
A FEW WOR0S ABO07 AO0APOHICS
I
i nfo@theaquaponi csource.com
www.theaquaponi csource.com
Lvery aquaponlc system starts wlth the sh. A wlde varlety of sh can be used. The most lmportant
thlng to keep ln mlnd ls to use freshwater sh. Start by decldlng whether your lntentlon ls to grow
sh for food or for fun. |f you are lnterested ln growlng edlble sh, tllapla are most commonly used
ln aquaponlcs because they are a tasty, fast-growlng sh that have low oxygen requlrements and
aren't very fussy about thelr aquatlc envlronment.
TTllapla are generally purchased at ngerllng slze (l - 2") and take 9 - l2 months to reach "plate" slze
(approxlmately l2" and l.5 pounds). Many other edlble sh can be ralsed as well, such as trout,
catsh, blueglll and perch. Don't be afrald to try other specles, but make sure to create an envlron-
ment ln whlch the partlcular sh specles wlll thrlve. Conslderatlons lnclude optlmal water tempera-
ture, soclablllty of the sh, and dlet.
Please refer to the Plsh PAQ sectlon under the LLAPN tab of our webslte for much more lnformatlon
about thls toplc.
7HE LIVIHG COHPOHEH7S: FISH
Cover your tank! Por some reason some sh
seem to thlnk that llfe ls better on the other
slde of the tank and they wlll try to [ump
out.
AO0A 7IPS: PRO00C7S 7O LOOK FOR:
1
2
Almost any plant can be grown ln a medla-based aquaponlc system as long as lt ls not acld lovlng,
such as a blueberry bush. Slnce there ls very llttle competltlon for food, water, and oxygen ln the
root-zone, plants can be planted much closer than ln soll - up to twlce as dense. The only real consld-
eratlon ls competltlon for llght ln the canopy of the mature plant. Make sure to plan for the ultlmate
slze of each plant vs. lts nelghbors to make sure everyone wlll get the sunllght or grow-llght exposure
that they need.
Please refer to the Plants PAQ sectlon under the LLAPN tab of our webslte for much more lnformatlon
about thls toplc.
7HE LIVIHG COHPOHEH7S: PLAH7S
2
Aquaponlc systems can experlence lron declencles.
ou can tell that a plant has become lron declent (a
condltlon known as "chlorosls") because the leaves wlll
start to turn yellow, but the velns ln the leaves wlll
remaln green. ou can easlly solve thls by addlng che-
lated lron to your system.
3
8acterla are the englne of an aquaponlc system. wlthout nltrlfylng bacterla convertlng the ammonla
to nltrates the sh would qulckly dle from ammonla toxlclty and the plants would starve for lack of
nutrltlon. Nltrosomonas bacterla convert the polsonous ammonla lnto nltrltes and then nltrosplra
bacterla convert the nltrltrltes lnto nltrates. After establlshlng, bacterla wlll colonlze on all surfaces of
the system that stay ln contact wlth the sh water.
7HE LIVIHG COHPOHEH7S:
BEHEFICIAL BAC7ERIA (HICROBES)
3
These bacterla need plenty of oxygen and wlll repro-
duce the fastest at warm temperatures.
Optlmal temperature rate ls between 77-86P
(25-30C).
At 64P (l8C) growth rates ls decreased by 50%.
At 46-50P (8-l0 C) lt decreases by 75%.
All growth stops at 39P (4C).
Dle on at or below 32P (0C) and at or above l20P
(49C).
4
|f bacterla are the englne of an aquaponlc system, worms are lts secret weapon. Now the secret ls out!
Add compostlng red worms to your medla-based aquaponlcs system after a few months to break
down the solld sh waste lnto vermlcompost that ls extremely beneclal for the plants.
Please refer to the worms PAQ sectlon under the LLAPN tab of our webslte for much more lnforma-
tlon about thls toplc.
7HE LIVIHG COHPOHEH7S: WORHS
4
worms hate llght. |n order to get the worms to leave
thelr beddlng materlal and enter your grow bed you
can use thls fact to your advantage. Slmply put the
worms lnto a large hole colander on top of your grow
bed and shlne a llght on them. As the worms crawl
deeper they wlll eventually exlt the colander and crawl
lnto the grow medla. Keep removlng the top layer of
beddlng beddlng materlal untll there are no more worms left ln
the colander.
AO0A 7IPS:
PRO00C7S 7O LOOK FOR:
5
An aquaponlcs system ls dependent on the temperature of lts envlronment, as lt must be warm
enough for sh, plants, and bacterla to llve and grow.
TThe temperature requlrements for sh wlll vary dependlng on what sh ls belng ralsed. Tllapla, for
example, are a troplcal sh and requlre water temperatures above 65P (l8.3C), preferably closer to
80P (26.6C). Trout, on the other hand, would not survlve ln such warm water and prefer tempera-
tures closer to 50P (l0C). Some tools you mlght want to use for monltorlng and malntalnlng your
water temperature are a dlgltal thermometer and thermostatlcally controlled heater or water chlller.
Also conslder that there ls a dlnerence between the water temperature that a sh survlves ln, and
whe where they thrlve. when a sh ls thrlvlng lt ls eatlng well, and produclng more waste to feed your
plants.
7HE EHVIROHHEH7AL COHPOHEH7S:
7EHPERA70RE
5
Larger volumes of water take longer to change tem-
perature, so larger sh tanks are generally more stable
and easler to manage.
AO0A 7IPS:
6
The sh and bacterla ln your aquaponlcs system don't rely on sunllght. The bacterla ln the system
grow best ln the darkness of the grow bed, and llght ln the sh tank may lead to algae blooms. Llght
ls lmperatlve, however, for plants to survlve.
|f you are growlng outdoors ln a greenhouse you may [ust need to supplement llght ln the wlnter, or
not at all. 8ut lf you are lndoors you wlll need to purchase grow llghts. Portunately there are many
excellent optlons avallable to lndoor gardeners today, from compact nuorescents to Hlgh |ntenslty
Dlscharge (H|D) to LLD's to |nductlon and Plasma xtures.
P Please refer to the Grow Llght PAQ sectlon under the LLAPN tab of our webslte for much more lnfor-
matlon about thls fasclnatlng toplc.
LIGH7
6
Plan to run your grow llghts for about l6 hours per day
for a mlxed bed wlth both vegetatlve and frultlng
plants. |f you are [ust growlng vegetatlve plants (l.e.
lettuce, bralslng greens, herbs, or frultlng plants ln
thelr early stages of growth) you can extend that to l8
hours a day for faster growth. |f you are growlng
mostly plants ln the nowerlng and frultlng stage (to-
mmatoes, peppers, cucumbers, etc.) you should cut that
back to about l2 hours per day.
AO0A 7IPS:
7
The slze of the sh tank you chose wlll dene the ultlmate slze and nexlblllty of your aquaponlcs
system so lt needs to be an early conslderatlon. |f you are bulldlng a small, desktop system uslng an
aquarlum you wlll be restrlcted to uslng aquarlum sh that wlll be comfortable ln the slze aquarlum
you own.
| |f you want to grow edlble sh the most lmportant rule-of-thumb when chooslng a tank ls to make
sure lt ls made of sturdy, food grade or food safe materlals. Next, make sure that the tank ls at least l8"
deep (457mm), and holds at least 50 gallons (l89 Llters) of water. Tanks need to hold a mlnlmum of
50 gallons (l89 Llters) or larger ln order to grow plate slzed sh (l2" and l lbs, 300mm and 680g).
FISH 7AHK
7
Avold contalners that have rldges on the sldes or
hollow feet at the bottom. These wlll cause solld
waste to collect and accumulate ln your sh tank.
AO0A 7IPS:
8
The amount of grow bed space you have wlll be a dlrect functlon of the slze of sh tank belng used.
|n general the grow bed to sh tank ratlo that should be used ls a mlnlmum of l:l - the volume of the
grow bed ls approxlmately equal to the volume of the sh tank - ln order to lnsure sumclent ltratlon.
Thls ratlo can also be thought of ln gallons per cublc foot, strlvlng for 6 gallons (22 llters) of sh tank
to every cublc foot of grow bed. Por example, a 50 gallon (l89 llter) tank would be able to support 6
to 8 cublc feet of grow bed.
On Once you go beyond a slmple l:l ratlo you should watch out that you don't draln too much water
from your sh tank for each nood cycle of your grow bed. Add a sump tank ln order to mltlgate thls
The maxlmum level of grow bed volume to sh tank volume ls 3:l. Once you have more than three
tlmes the volume of grow bed to sh tank then you wlll nd that you mlght be unable to generate
enough nutrlents for your plants at the recommended sh stocklng ratlos.
GROW BE0S
The depth of the bed should ldeally be about l2", or
300 mm deep. Thls allows most plants to be support-
ed and encourages the bacterla ln the system to fully
establlsh ltself.
AO0A 7IPS:
9
The medla should be lnert, meanlng that lt should not be blologlcally actlve or decompose, and lt
should not alter your pH. Thls creates the best blo-lter for your sh waste and the cleanest system
overall. Most aquaponlc gardeners use elther gravel or llghtwelght expanded clay aggregate (LLCA).
we prefer LLCA because lt ls half the welght of gravel, easy on your hands, porous, and guaranteed
lnert.
88e careful lf you declde to use gravel that there ls no llmestone content ln lt. |f you have any doubt,
get a sample from the stone yard before purchaslng a large quantlty and soak some rocks ln a glass
of clear vlnegar. |f bubbles appear there ls llmestone present and lt should be avolded.
HE0IA
9
8e sure to lsolate the plumblng parts that are dralnlng
the water from your grow beds wlth a medla guard. |f
you ever need to access those components you wlll be
glad you dld!
AO0A 7IPS:
I0
Ploodlng the grow bed dellvers nutrlents to the plants and the bacterla, dralnlng the beds oxygen-
ates the water, the plants roots, and the bacterla. when a plantlng bed ls perlodlcally nooded llke thls
lt ls called a nood-and-draln or ebb-and-now system, and ls what most medla based aquaponlc sys-
tems employ.
There are two ways to draln an aquaponlcs grow bed - tlmer-based or slphon-based. Tlmer 8ased
aquaponlc systems work by havlng a tlmer control when the pump ls powered. Typlcal tlmlng cycles
are l5 mlnutes on, 45 mlnutes on. Thls works best for very slmple systems, or systems that need to be
sllenced. Slphons work uslng physlcs prlnclples, and are nlce because the pump runs contlnuously
and there ls no extra part (a tlmer) that can eventually fall.
PL0HBIHG
10
|f your slphon stops worklng lt ls probably because
sh waste has accumulated on your pump's lntake.
AO0A 7IPS:
II
Cycllng ls the process of establlshlng nltrlfylng bacterla ln your aquaponlcs system. The key to cycllng
ls patlence! Untll nltrlfylng bacterla have been establlshed you are at rlsk of ammonla levels becom-
lng hlgh enough to klll your sh. To lnltlate cycllng, ammonla must be lntroduced ln order to attract
the naturally occurrlng nltrosomonas bacterla. Thls ammonla can elther come from the waste of sh
or, better yet, from an artlclal source. After a few weeks the exlstence of nltrltes wlll attract nltrosplra
bacterla. Thls second type of bacterla ls what wlll change the nltrltes lnto nltrates whlch are nearly
ha harmless to the sh and are consumed by plants as food, thereln lterlng the water. After approxl-
mately 30 - 45 days of cycllng the ultlmate goal of low ammonla levels detected ln the system wlll
hopefully be reached and you can now fully stock your tank and plant your grow bed.
Durlng the lnltlal cycllng lt ls lmportant to test the tank water dally to make sure the pH stays ln the
range to lnltlate cycllng (7 - 8.5) and to track the progress of the establlshment of the blolter so you
can know when to start plantlng and stocklng sh. we recommend dolng thls wlth an AP| Preshwater
Master Klt.
Please refer to the Cycllng PAQ sectlon under the LLAPN tab of our webslte for much more lnforma-
tlon about thls toplc.
7HE PROCESSES:
CYCLIHG
11
A pH of 7 - 8.5 ls ldeal durlng cycllng, whereas a lower
pH of 6.6 - 7.2 ls ldeal after cycllng. |f the pH ln your
system goes below 6.0 the cycllng process wlll cease
completely.
AO0A 7IPS:
I2
Pemove the lter from your pump before lnstalllng lt.
|t won't harm the pump, and wlll save you a lot of
malntenance tlme!
AO0A 7IPS:
whlle aquaponlc systems take relatlvely llttle malntenance, especlally compared to hydroponlc or
aquaculture systems, there are a few key tasks that need to be done regularly.
Testlng - monltorlng system parameters
Temperature - check every day when you feed the sh
pH - check a few tlmes a week. Ad[ust lf hlgher than 7.6 or lower than 6.4
Ammonla - check weekly. |f above .25 mlght have a dead sh or a "dead zone" ln the grow
. beds
Nltrates - check weekly. |f low (below 40), add more sh and/or harvest plants. |f hlgh (above
. l40) harvest sh and/or add more plants.
Other Malntenance
Clean on the lntake of the pump when slphons stop rlng
Clean out any holes ln the plumblng used for tank aeratlon as they become clogged
Agltate any grow beds that become root bound or have "dead zones"
7HE PROCESSES:
HOHI7ORIHG
12
I3
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
we hope thls gulde has been lnterestlng and useful. Por further learnlng we hope you wlll also
explore our educatlonal materlals.
Aquaponlc Gardenlng 8ook - the world's best-selllng aquaponlcs book
Aquaponlc Gardenlng Onllne Course - over l000 students and a solld 5 ` ratlng
Aquaponlcs Lxplalned DvD - a two-DvD set wlth almost ve hours of a course taught by Sylvla
8ernsteln at the Denver 8otanlc Gardens
AAquaponlcs Classes at our Aquaponlcs Tralnlng Center ln Longmont, CO - nothlng can beat
face-to-face lnteractlon and hands-on exposure!
Please keep us posted on your excltlng aquaponlcs adventures on our communlty slte, by
commentlng on our blog and postlng on Pacebook.
Thanks for spendlng tlme wlth us at The Aquaponlc Source!

12 Essential Aquaponics

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Aquaponlcs ls an excltlng new way to grow your favorlte frults, vegetables, and ornamental plants

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