Baos Posted May 13, 2010 Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 Ok, kidding about the grow op. My recommendation is to use a south facing window or a very good light. I have done it both ways. This setup in particular has a 400watt metal halide bought at All Seasons Garden Center with a digital ballast. If you do use a south facing window you will have to add light during winter as there just isn't enough to keep the plants flowering. The 120g tank features 2500gph circulation and almost no filters as the plants serve that purpose. I don't use charcoal. I used this Styrofoam from walmart. I'm sure you can use almost any styrofoam that isn't chemically treated. I stuffed my first house plant that I kept forgetting to water. It's a paradise flower. About two weeks ago I added some tomatoes from Canadian tire. This is them today May 12 Also added some peas and cucumber germinated from seed in the tank. I don't recommend the suction cups as they like to fall off. One night I had aquatic peas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crystal Posted May 13, 2010 Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 Looks good. I do something similar, but use bubbleponics. Lettuce grows great in a setup like yours. Let us know how the tomatoes taste when you get some fruit. Surely all those cords and wires don't belong to the aquaponic setup or other fish tanks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kronosdelsol Posted May 14, 2010 Report Share Posted May 14, 2010 That looks good. Thanks for sharing. Where are the fish? I'm planning to set one up for my green house and having some cichlids in the tank. Hoping to heat it with fertilizer in the winter. I love how fast your tomatos grew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLake Posted May 14, 2010 Report Share Posted May 14, 2010 Are you following a nutrient regiment? I have some leftover general hydroponics ferts 3 part if your interested id practically give em away. Quality nutrients its what nasa uses for their plant experiments in space. Its a old school fav of mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baos Posted May 14, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2010 A study done in Brooks discovered the only nutrient deficiency in an aquaponics setup is iron. Though I never read the report for myself. My water is pretty rich in iron as my house used to run on well water and it comes out nicely chelated from the hot water heater. I replenish iron with my water change. The other nutrients are from some very overfed 50x clown loaches, 5x banjo catfish, an unknown amount of bristlenose plecos, 7 corydoras sterbai currently breeding. 6 archerfish, 4 silver hatchetfish. This is a very young tank as it has only been running for a little over a month(as per my fish order from canadianaquatics). It remains ammonia, nitrite, nitrate free. I have water hyacinth on standby in case nutrients go up too high due to my overfeeding. Currently fed nls flakes, Omega One salt water pellets, occasionally nls pellets, 6 large shrimp from safeway/day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLake Posted May 14, 2010 Report Share Posted May 14, 2010 I can tell you if you use the ferts u will be able to tell the difference easily.Its not so much the nitrients as the ratios in your water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLake Posted May 14, 2010 Report Share Posted May 14, 2010 For the flowering stage a added hps light would help with the tomatoes as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CORVETTE Posted May 17, 2010 Report Share Posted May 17, 2010 you will have to spray pollinate the Tomatos as well unless you have bee's in your house...lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
African_Fever Posted May 18, 2010 Report Share Posted May 18, 2010 The Brooks system uses the pink hard styro (2") that comes in up to 4'x8' sheets - with a sheet cut to fit say half your tank you wouldn't run into any tipping issues. I volunteered there for a couple days last fall, so if anyone has any questions I'd be glad to answer. Their system is organic as far as the plants are concerned - nothing is added apart from food for the fish, and some buffer to keep the pH ~6.5. They have not done a water change in the 7 years the system has been up and running! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kronosdelsol Posted May 18, 2010 Report Share Posted May 18, 2010 What is in those pots with the tomatos in them? is it lined with gravel or just soil all the way to the bottom? Have you thought about trying lettuce in there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baos Posted May 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2010 The soil they came in from Canadian Tire. Kind of a different model of a walstad tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebelThunder Posted March 26, 2011 Report Share Posted March 26, 2011 great idea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcgd Posted March 27, 2011 Report Share Posted March 27, 2011 Ha ha. Know what else would grow as fast as those tomatoes...? Would a peace lily or orchids grow like this? I would love to have them growing out of my display tank. And I hate watering them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesbarr Posted December 26, 2012 Report Share Posted December 26, 2012 you will have to spray pollinate the Tomatos as well unless you have bee's in your house...lol Actually tomatoes are self pollinating I have a really interest in what you are doing here. Hows it been going? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baos Posted January 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2013 it works really well. I removed the cherry tomoto plant and replaced it with a heirloom one. however I'm not getting large tomatos and not as many as I was. it could be the light. however the plant is huge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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