Step by step how I did my Aquaponics

   So I have been reading articles and watching videos, and I just couldn't take it anymore. I had to build my own Aquaponics! As for everyone, money is tight so I built it about as cheap as I could and I can upgrade as I go. I will Be building a C.H.O.P. System (Constant Height, One Pump)

First I had an old falling down building that I took apart and used what wood I could salvage to build a table. I built it 3 feet deep and 4 feet wide by 3 feet tall. I built it that tall because I wanted to be able to have easy access to the fish, and I measured the 100 gallon stock tank that I want in the future and it was 2 feet.

At Lowes I purchased a plastic mixing tray that is used for mixing concrete and mortar. They have two sizes. Small for $7 and the large for $14.00 I went with the large and I will need another one in the near future.

Then I stopped by one of the box stores and found a deep 30 gallon tote for my fish, and since it wasn't very big, and I wanted constant water level in my fish tank, I also bought a small tote for what I call a nutrients tank.  The large tote cost me $7 and the small one cost $4. I think you could could get away with just one large tote, but I felt it was safer to not pump water out of my fish tank just in case something happened and it wouldn't just continue to pump all the water out to leave my fish with some serious breathing problems.

So here we go, this what I did.

First I drilled a 1 inch hole near one end of the mixing tray.


I then wrap Teflon tape around the male end of a 3/4 slip coupling. then I place a rubber bushing over that. You can get a pack of bushings and washers from any hardware store. Its like $2.  I place the threaded end from the bottom through the hole in the tray. Then I put another rubber bushing on the threads and screw on the female slip coupling.


 I use teflon tape because I tried to just screw the couplings together and the friction just locked them together and I couldn't screw them together all the way, and I couldn't even get them apart.
So now you have the tray with a slip coupling on the bottom and the top of the tray.

Next I measure over to the hole on the bottom of the tray taking in account of the slight slope from the top and applying that measurement to my table. I use a 1 & 3/8" paddle bit to cut the hole so that I have plenty of clearance for the 3/4 pvc.

Here I  place about a 4 inch piece of 3/4 pvc pipe in the coupling on the bottom and then place the tray over the hole. That leaves me with a couple inches of pipe sticking out under my table.

Then I place a elbow on the bottom of that pipe. then a 3 inch piece of pipe and then another elbow which now will have a 12 inch pipe placed into that pipe facing down towards the floor.

Now the stem for the siphon. I use a 6 inch pipe and then I slip that into a 1 inch to 3/4 reducer coupling. then the whole stem is placed in the coupling that is in the bottom of the tray.

For the bell for the siphon (the piece that goes over the siphon stem) I choose to use a 2 inch pipe and cap. At the bottom, I drill several holes to about 1and a half inches up the bottom. This will allow water into the siphon stem, but as the water drops it will automatically stop the siphon once it reaches these holes.

Then the siphon guard as I call it will be a 4 inch in diameter pvc pipe cut the same as the bell siphon which in this case will be about 9 inches. I then drill half inch holes through out the bottom half of the pipe to allow the water to pass through but to not let our medium to get in the way of our siphon maintenance.

The fish tanks is next. I come down about 3 to 4 inches and drill 2 holes that are 1 inch.
This allows the water level to stay close to that level. You can use bigger pipe if you like but I just wanted to use the same pipe that I already had. I then use a 3/4 inch thread on one end and a half inch nipple on the other end. I place a rubber bushing around the 3/4 end, stick it through the wall of the tote and then another rubber bushing and then a 3/4 female threaded coupling with a slip end on the other side. Once you thread the couplings together the rubber bushings should not allow water to leak, but you may have to use a wrench to slightly tight them more. Then the slip a five inch long hose onto the nipple. Do all this for both holes in the fish tank

Now I take my smaller tote and mark where the holes should be so that the hoses line up and drill 1 inch holes into that tote. Now I slip the hoses through the small tote and that will allow the water as it rises in the fish tank to over flow into the nutrients tank.

I do want to make a small note. If I was to do it over again, I would just lift the fish tote a little higher off the ground and change out the hoses to just regular pvc that lets the water fall into the nutrients tank. This would save on having different fittings and hoses.

Now I cut a 3 inch pipe to place inside coupling in the fish tank, and add a elbow to that, then I add a 12 inch piece of pipe followed by a 45 degree elbow that should now be resting on the bottom. This will work as a suction as the water level comes up and it overflows to the nutrients tank it sucks the trash off the bottom, now keeping the fish tank clean. Which I think is pretty cool. Anything to keep the maintenance down. Do this for both holes in the fish tank.

The pump I use is just a simple submersible fountain pump that you can find at Harbor Freight or Big garden centers. The one I found was actually from lowes that was on clearance when the season started to get cold. I use a half inch hose to connect the pump to a half inch pvc that then goes to my bedding trays. You can skip that step and just run the length of hose strait to the bedding tray if you like. But since I plan on putting valves to control the flow later, I chose PVC.

I am using Lava rock for the first base and then will add expanded clay to the last 3 inches of my bedding trays. I could have went to the creek and got some  creek pebbles, but It was just easier to go to the garden center.

The system was then filled with water and ran for a couple days to make sure the chlorine was out and it was going to work ok before I placed the fish. For testing purposes and it was also going into winter I decided to go with local fish to start and then change them out to Tilapia come spring. You can read how to properly cycle your fish here on the blog if you are wanting to do it correctly.

The fish I chose were simple perch, and one crappie just happened to get caught so its in the tank too.

I feed them worms and crickets twice a day, they are very active.

This will I think pacify me for now until I can build bigger. I have so many plans for the system I sometimes lose sleep.  Buts that's what makes it nice. There is no wrong way to do it, just a better and more efficient way in doing it.

Please like share and subscribe to my blog and You-Tube Channel.

Any Question on what I did, feel free to ask.


I will add a video and some more pics soon.

How to Cycle Aquaponics

Starting Up (Cycling) Your Aquaponics System

 This article was borrowed from our friends at The Aquaponics Source

Bacteria are the carburetor of an aquaponics system that takes the otherwise unusable fish waste and creates a near perfect plant fertilizer. In this article I will demystify the process of establishing a beneficial bacteria colony in your aquaponics system. This process is often called system “cycling”. By the end of this article you will fully understand what you MUST do to initiate cycling and to ensure its success. You will also understand what you CAN do to both make the process less stressful for your fish and your plants, and to speed up the process.

What is Cycling?

Cycling starts when you (or your fish) first add ammonia to your aquaponics system. Ammonia (chemical formula NH3) is a compound made of nitrogen and hydrogen. It can come either from your fish or from other sources. Ammonia is toxic to fish and will soon kill them unless it is either diluted to a non-toxic level or converted into a less toxic form of nitrogen. In addition, nitrogen in the ammonia form is not readily taken up by plants, so no matter how high the ammonia levels get in your fish tank; your plants will not be getting much nutrition from it.
The good news is that ammonia attracts nitrosomonas, the first of the two nitrifying bacteria that are present in the air and will populate the surfaces of your system. The nitrosomonas bacteria convert the ammonia into nitrites (NO2) (the golden line in the chart above). This is a necessary step in the cycling process; however, nitrites are even more toxic than ammonia! But there is good news because the presence of nitrites attracts the bacteria we are truly after – nitrobacter. Nitrospira convert the nitrites into nitrates (represented by the green line in the chart above), which are generally harmless to the fish and excellent food for your plants.
Once you detect nitrates in your water and the ammonia and nitrite concentrations have both dropped to .5 ppm or lower, your system will be fully cycled and aquaponics will have officially begun!

The Importance of Testing Tools

API Freshwater Master Test Kit

You must have some way of telling where you are in the cycling process – typically a four to six week endeavor. Specifically, you must monitor ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels as well as pH so that you know that all these elements are “in range”. If they are not, you may need to take corrective action. This is also the only way that you will know when you are fully cycled and ready to add your fish. Plus, watching the daily progress of the cycling process is fascinating and something you can only see through the lens of a test kit. By the way, once you reach the point that your system is fully cycled, you will need to do much less monitoring than during the cycling process. So get through the cycling process and look forward to reaping the fruits (… or should we say the fish) of your labor.
To do their testing, most aquaponic gardeners use a product by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Inc. called the API Freshwater Master Test Kit. This kit is easy to use, is inexpensive, and is designed for monitoring the cycling process in fish systems.
You will also need a submersible thermometer to measure your water temperature. Temperature affects both the cycling rate and the health of your fish and plants once you are up and running. See more on this below.

Starting the Cycling Process

Once you have your aquaponics system set up and your test kit in hand all you need to do to start the cycling process is add a source of ammonia. Traditionally this has been by adding fish and letting their waste be the ammonia, but I’m not a big fan of using fish as an ammonia source. Instead I prefer a technique called “Fishless Cycling” where an external source of ammonia is added to your aquaponics system. Why is this?

Typical Nitrogen Cycle

First, both you and your fish will likely experience much less stress because you will not be trying to keep anybody alive during the process. Second, you can more precisely control how much ammonia is added to your system during the process. For example, if you see that your ammonia level is creeping up to 8 ppm, but no nitrites have shown up yet, just stop adding ammonia for a few days and let the bacteria catch up. You can’t do this with fish!

The practical result of this is that with Fishless Cycling you can fully stock your tank once cycling is complete, versus gradually increasing your stocking levels as is recommended when cycling with fish. This is especially beneficial to those who are growing aggressive or carnivorous fish because they are less likely to attack each other if they are all introduced to the tank at the same time.

Cycling Without Fish

There are several ways to add ammonia to your system, but honestly the best is to simply purchase our Cycling Kits.  They come in 3 sizes – Small (< 100 gallons), Medium (100 – 300 gallons) and Large (300 – 500 gallons).  They come with all the ammonia you will need to fully cycle the corresponding size tank, powdered seaweed to provide a rich supply of micronutrients to get your plants off to a great start, and detailed instructions.
With Fishless Cycling you can add safely fish to your aquaponics system after your ammonia and nitrite levels drop to zero, or close to it, and you have measurable levels of nitrates.  This tells you that both the ammonia converting bacteria (nitrosomonas) and the nitrate converting bacteria (nitrospira) have become fully established and are ready to efficiently process fish waste.

Speeding up Cycling

Unfortunately nitrifying bacteria are some of the slowest growing bacteria in nature, and the cycling process can take as long as six weeks. There are a few things you can do to speed up this process, however.
• Temperature – like most microorganisms, nitrifying bacteria multiply more quickly in warmer conditions. Their optimal temperature is between 77-86°F (25-30°C). At 64°F (18°C) their growth rates is decreased by 50%. At 46-50°F (8-10 °C) it decreases by 75%, and stops all together at 39°F (4°C). It will die off at or below 32°F (0°C) and at or above 120°F (49°C).
• pH – Bacteria prefer a pH range between 7 – 8. Use hydroponic pH up and down products to keep your pH in this range during cycling.
• Oxygen – Nitrifying bacteria are aerobic and will multiply much faster under highly oxygenated conditions. Even if you are cycling without fish be sure to have as much oxygen in your tank water as you would if the fish were there. Think of the bacteria as just another living organism that requires oxygen in your system.
• Adding bacteria – You can “jump start” the process by adding bacteria from an existing colony. Good sources of beneficial bacteria are ranked here, leading with the best (the lower you go on the list the more chance you have of introducing a disease into your system):

• Our Microbe Lift Nitrifying Bacteria product (included with the Cycling Kits)
• Media from an existing aquaponics system.
• Filter material (floss, sponge, biowheel, etc.) from an established, disease-free aquarium.
• Gravel from an established, disease-free tank (Many local pet and aquarium stores will give this away if asked.).
• Other ornaments (driftwood, rocks, etc.) from an established aquarium.
• Squeezings from a filter sponge (any pet and aquarium store should be willing to do this…).
• Rocks from a backyard pond with fish in it.
• Rocks from a river, lake or wild pond.

When to add plants

We recommend adding plants as soon as you have started the cycling process.  The reason for this is that it gives the plants some time to put down roots and establish themselves before the fish are introduced and nitrates need to be absorbed.

Different types of Aquaponics

Some of the descriptions and images come from The Aquaponic Store

NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) - A method of growing plants in which a thin and even film of  aerated nutrient solution flows down a channel into which the roots of the crop are suspended. It is very important to filter the water well before sending it to an NFT trough since fish waste in the trough and on the plant roots will negatively impact the plant's growth.  NFT aquaponics requires separate solids and bio-filtration.  While the reduced amount of water needed to fill the system may seem like a benefit, it can mean greater temperature and water quality fluctuations in a short period of time.

DWC (Deep Water Culture) - DWC is often referred to as Raft where the plants grow suspended over a tank of water in which nutrient rich water flows with supplemental aeration.  In most situations filtration needs to occur before fish water is sent to the raft area of the system.

CHIFT PIST (Constant Height In Fish Tank Pump In Sump Tank) -  Maintaining a constant volume/height in the fish tank with a sump tank at the lowest point and a fish tank at a higher point.  The pump lifts water from the sump tank to the fish tank and water flows from the fish tank to the grow beds which drain back to the sump tank.

CHOP (Constant Height One Pump) - Basically the same thing as CHIFT PIST.  With CHIFT PIST there has not normally been a distinction between the variation where the fish tank drains back to the sump directly and the pump pumps to the grow beds and they might drain to the sump or the fish tank.  With CHOP it was normally assumed that the fish tank got the water from the pump and drained to grow beds which drained to the sump.
CHOP2 - The variation of CHIFT PIST where both the fish tank and grow beds drained to the sump and the sump pumped to both the growbeds and fish tank
Flood and Drain- The plant growing space is allowed to flood and then drain either by the use of a pump on a timer to fill the bed and then allow it to drain while the pump is off or by the use of a siphon or other intermittent outflow device where the bed is constantly filling and then the siphon will drain the bed quickly.
Advantages: providing ample oxygen to plant roots and bio filter bacteria without the need of extra aeration.  Many plants like some dry time especially if the water is not super aerated.
Disadvantages: Water level needs to fluctuate in the system to provide the water for flood and drain.  Flood and drain offers more media to air than media to water interface which can have an exaggerated heat exchange effect on water temperatures.

Ebb and Flow - The same as Flood and Drain except you are usually pumping up through the bottom of the grow bed and then when the pump turns off, you are draining back down through the pump.

How To Sex Tilapia

Left is male/right is female

Sexing tilapia is sometimes important. 
So once your aquaponics is set up and all the problems are solved and the vegetables are growing, the fish is happy and then...you think, well I think I am finally at a point that I can sell some of my fish. (note once you do this it might ruin the great hobby of it and turn it into business of it. you'll see) So to get the best results and profit you will need to figure out whats what in the tilapia sex world. 
 
Most farmers wish to only cultivate males. Male tilapias grow bigger faster and yield a higher profit for aquaculture's. So as soon as possible the males are recognized and the females are separated out. Sexing of tilapia is tricky and requires practice. Even experienced professionals will normally get a small percent wrong.

When a tilapia fingerling has reached a weight of 1 ounce it can generally be sexed by looking at the genital papilla. The genital papilla is located right behind the anus of the fish. If the genital papilla has one opening you are looking at a male tilapia.

 Males have only one opening and both urine and milt will pass through this hole. If you observe two openings, then you are looking at a female tilapi. This is because tilapia eggs do not pass through the same hole as urine. 

If you're inexperienced and are having a hard time, try placing a drop of dye, such as food coloring  on the genital region. The color should make it easier to distinguish the openings. 

 We usually place the females in another tank and from there we can decide to continue to let them breed (most of the time) or sell or give them away. If you have chickens, these small fish are perfect snacks and add high protein to the poultry's diet. It doesn't give the eggs a bad taste either as long as you are not feeding the chicken only fish for its diet. We suggest giving the females away to young people as a introduction to aquaponics and gardening.

If you are looking for tilapia, that is fairly easy.
You can find it in the search engines by putting in "where to buy tilapia".

I use two different companies and both seem to have good prices and great quality.

The aquaponic store

If you are looking for a specific kind or whole colonies, then use
  
Tilapia Depot

Please ask questions and leave your comments, and dont forget to subscribe!

What is Aquaponics

So this being my first post of Our Aquaponics Blog I figured I should make a post on What exactly is Aquaponics?

This question could have such a long answer but we will try to keep it simple.

If you are wondering what Aquaponics is all about, then you should know that it is a new farming trend that brings together a symbiotic relationship between the fish and plants. This method utilizes the waste materials of the plants to be fed to the fish while at the same time the waste of the fish is used in fertilizing and supplying the nutrients that plants and vegetables need to thrive.

This system is being used more and more due to its simplicity and water efficiency.
The plants clean and filters the waste water from the fish keeping the harmful bacteria out of the fish tank.

When thinking about Aquaponics

Think about this system as a single unit and not separate ones. In order for it to function, the water coming from the fish tank is being pumped to the grow beds. In this cycle, the water coming from the fish is being used and is being fed to the Vegetables and plants. The fish water is being filtered by grow medium or by the river stones and it is being siphoned back into the fish tank. Therefore, the water is clean once again and is now ready to be used again by the fish. The cycle of this system will just continually go on giving mutual benefits to both the fish and the plants.
This farming technique is usually made up of a tank with various fish of your choice with existing grow beds used specifically for vegetable farming or ornamental plants. This new farming technique is really amazing because once the cycle starts, the water in the tank remains clean and clear and stays ph balanced all throughout. The water is being recycled and only very minimal amount is being added in order to replace the water that evaporated and was used by the vegetables.

 
We could go on about Nitrates and Nitrites,

But were just after the simple facts right now.  There are so many different options to list you will just have to keep up with my blog to see them as we explore and learn what Aquaponics is about. Along the way I will build and show what my system looks like and all the problems that I may have occurred so that you don't have to!