Finn's Countertop Aquaponics

[Finn]

Hello everyone,

I have done alot of reading and I really like this forum, it is informative and friendly. I just wish I would have found it before I started my system and I could possibly saved the lives of ten feeder goldfish. ;) I will do a fishless start on my next system.

I started with a 20L aquarium kit from WalMart for $30, a 12L kitchen basin from the local hardware store for $6 and a drain fitting left over from an Aeroponics system that I started to make before I found Aquaponics.

I used the filter system in the kit for my biofilter and pump(with some minor modifications) and gravity to feed back into my fish tank.

I started with leaf lettuce in the raft with coir growing medium, now I have added Thyme to one cup. (The last picture of the lettuce is after I took the bigger pieces for a couple of turkey sandwiches last weekend.)

I have 13 goldfish feeders now and one algae eater you can see the surviving two from the first batch of 10 feeders that I bought($0.29 each). I originally bought 10 feeders and lost eight over about a week. I then bought 6 more and lost one that night. I got given 7 more last week and lost one of them a couple of days ago(it looked like it was bruised all over, I wonder if one of the bigger fish got at him). I bought the bottom feeder two weeks ago as I had algae issues($3).

I have a 26watt cpfl as suplimental lighting as the system is pretty dark under the cupboards.

My ammonia is .25ppm, nitrite is 0, nitrate is 20ppm, Ph is 7.1 and TDS is 535ppm this stays pretty consistant for the last two weeks. (that is when I bought my test kit. I have a PH pen and a PPM pen from my hydroponic gardening that I was using before that). How high is it safe to get the nitrate levels?

Thanks

Finn

[Dufflight]

Nitrate can pretty high before it starts to worry your fish And as long as you have plants growing most people don't have any problem. Average system has 0 because the plants take it up as it is made.

Nice system. My first system was in a wheelie bin with 5 goldies.

[Finn]

Thanks Dufflight,

I am working on an idea for my next system. The attached photos are of four 100mmx100mmx1200mm PVC fence posts that I started to make an aeroponics system out of. I was originally going to grow hydroponically untill I found aquaponics and now I have put the hydro system on hold to do some research and testing in aquaponics. My wife has been given proof that the concept works, so now I can go to stage 2.

I heard I can't use aeroponics without having a prohibitive amount of filters to keep the solids from fouling the emiters. I was thinking of filling the tubes with 75ml of gravel which would be 9L each. I am leaning towards the idea of flood and drain with a timer with coir filled cups in the holes. The water will cascade through the four tubes and empty into the fish tank. The FT will have a syphon into a sump where the pump will live. I have a small 360lph pump with a max head of 0.8m. so I want to pump straight up as close as possible.

I am going to build a stand so I will have about 12mm of slope on each tube so it will pour into the next lower one. You can kind of get an idea of what I mean from the photo below. Does anyone see any holes in my logic?

Thanks

Finn

[Finn]

Just realized I didn't post the pics. Sorry. Here they are.

[Jason Palenske]

Well hopefully not being part of the demise of a perfectly good foos ball table if your second test is going to be strictly inside then it will be a matter of give and take. Although it takes less space than traditional farming AP likes space to spread out. Laurie has a good shelf style set up or you can do like myself and Ravnis have done and used rack shelving so there is space for plumbing. All in all it looks like a good start.

[Finn]

Well here is system version 2.0

I made the frame and the table yesterday, I am going to change the wood for the table top to something a little nicer looking. I am working on a stand for grow lights to supliment our winter sun. I have it set to flood for 10 minutes every two hours. The wife is very glad to have her counter back.

Now I am going to work on one that will fit in a corner.

Finn

ps Sorry about the photo quality, they are from my cell phone.

[Finn]

Oh lucky me, I was given two electric blue crayfish today. My buddy who works at the local pet store was given a bunch and doesn't have enough space to keep them all. I got the last two. With a little more luck I will have some babies in the spring.

Finn

[Outbackozzie]

Oh, and you logic is good - you just need to prefilter the water before the NFT - or do you have gravel in it?

[Finn]

I put gravel 75mm deep in the tubes the pots rest on the top and are half full of gravel themselves. I figured I needed more surface area for the bacteria and I was hoping for a little better water clarity.

[Finn]

My system wasn't getting enough natural light so I built an array of eight 26W cpf lights and a removable support. I am getting a couple of 45W LED grow lights after Christmas so this was a cheap alternative in the mean time.

Finn

[Outbackozzie]

Build a little foil reflector :cool:

[Finn]

An improperly designed reflector is worse than no reflector at all.

[Jason Palenske]

I think the foos ball table ate your cat.

[GaryD]

.....and hang those lights much closer to your plants.

[Finn]

.....and hang those lights much closer to your plants.

I don't have any more chain at the moment. When the LEDs come in I will make an adjustable hanger for them. I am getting 3050 lux at the bottom plant level which is plenty for seedlings they will want more in a couple of weeks.

Finn

[djs-sa]

Lux isn't a true measure finn, Lumens is the correct term when refering to indoor lighting.

[Finn]

Lux isn't a true measure finn, Lumens is the correct term when refering to indoor lighting.

"lux

Unit: lm/m2

CIE. SI unit of illuminance: llluminance produced on a surface of area 1 square meter by a luminous flux of 1 lumen uniformly distributed over that surface. A non-metric unit is the lumen per square foot lm/ft2 also called the footcandle (fc) equal to 10.764 lx."

I was talking about usable light at given distance, not power of the bulbs. Each bulb is 1700 lumens x eight bulbs is 13600 lumens.

Finn

[Finn]

I think the foos ball table ate your cat.

He usually lays in the middle, there are more players to hold him as he sleeps. :)

[Finn]

I got a digital camera for Christmas so now I can post some update pictures.
I planted all from seeds, most on Nov 15. The honeydew on the left was planted Nov 25.

I also have some spots on the older leaves of the cucumber. I was wondering if anyone knew what might be causing them. None of the other plants seem to have them.

Finn

[GaryD]

Hi Finn,

How many hours of artificial light do your plants get each day?

What sort of temperatures are you experiencing in that room?

The lighting fixture looks interesting. How effective is it? Do you use plain fluorescent tubes or those made for horticultural purposes?

Are you using any media in your net pots or do they just support the plant roots?


Gary

[Finn]

Hi Finn,

How many hours of artificial light do your plants get each day?

Hi Gary,

I have the timer on for the lights for 18 hrs a day. The window behind is north facing and right now our days are only 9 hrs long.


What sort of temperatures are you experiencing in that room?

The temperature is consistently between 18 and 20 degrees C. Water temp is 20 degrees every time I check.


The lighting fixture looks interesting. How effective is it? Do you use plain fluorescent tubes or those made for horticultural purposes?

I originally made the light array when I was living in a mobile home a few years back. I grew tomatoes and peppers in shallow water cultures. It works really well for the price, I eventually had 4 of them running. Originally it cost me $25Can to build including bulbs, but that was with normal 23W compact fluorescent bulbs. The 26W daylight bulbs are about $3.50 each. The array works really well for the price and you can make it to suit the space you have. It isn't as efficient in light output per watt as HPS or MH bulbs, but they are quite a bit cooler (plants won't burn unless they actually touch the bulbs) and considerably cheaper. They work way better than the long fluorescent tubes unless you pay the big bucks for the T-5 grow lights.


Are you using any media in your net pots or do they just support the plant roots?

Yes, I am using washed aggregate from a concrete plant. (see attached photo) I fill the net pot up as far as you see on the left, add a couple of seeds then a little more gravel.

Happy Holidays

Finn

[Finn]

Another update.

When I first found aquaponics in june I had read in that it takes a from few months to a couple of years to reach the full potential of an aquaponics system. I have been patient, but secretly I was starting to despair. :( I haven't seen the growth rates that I had hoped.:mad: I was a serial fish killer.:eek:This was supposed to be hydroponics the environmentally sensitive/organic way.:confused:

In the last few days I have had some time off of work (and a new camera) and have been able to watch my system closely. I am now fully and truly a convert. I have literally watched my cucumber curl a tendril around the vine netting, my thyme sprouted in 3 days (instead of 6 the first time). I planted a narcissus bulb on the 24th (third from right on bottom row) and it spent a couple of days growing roots and in the last 24 hours it has decided to grow. Up.

Finn

[ElfNori]

Wow! That narcissus shot up in the air in a lot in a single day!

Finn, the sides of your CFLs put out more light than the end. Would you have more light on your plants if the CFLs were mounted at a slant in a reflective hood?

[Finn]

Wow! That narcissus shot up in the air in a lot in a single day!

Finn, the sides of your CFLs put out more light than the end. Would you have more light on your plants if the CFLs were mounted at a slant in a reflective hood?

Possibly, but not necessarily. It would take some calculations to get the angle correct so that it concentrates the light at the right height and gives the correct square footage. Then some experimentation to see if the bulbs actually shade the reflected light. Then the actual building process is alot more complicated. (KISS) How much more efficient would it have to be to make it worth while. All that work has already been done by the commercial light suppliers.

On another note, I have Craybabies.(They are Procambarus alleni) I noticed one when I was cleaning my tank last night, I thought it was a bug until I looked closer. What surprised me is I only have one crayfish and it is less than 3 inches long. The other disappeared about a week after I got them on Nov 15. I did not know that they could breed as small as 2" and that the female can carry the sperm plug for months if need be. Pretty funky creatures.

Finn

[ElfNori]

Some things are worth the effort, some aren't. Awesome news about the crayfish!