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DIY Aquaponics


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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.

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I stuffed my first house plant that I kept forgetting to water. It's a paradise flower.

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About two weeks ago I added some tomatoes from Canadian tire.

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This is them today May 12

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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.

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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... ;)

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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.

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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.

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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!

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  • 10 months later...

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.

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  • 1 year later...
  • 1 month later...

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.

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