Aquaponics System Design - Tips and Tricks
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- Опубликовано: 6 июл 2024
- Designing a new aquaponics system? Have a system already and want to make some improvements? In this video I discuss some of the things I have learned so far with my system and the changes I wish I would have made. Water filtration, grow media choices, sump tank placement, and what fish to use I cover a few of the things I may be changing in the future and some things I wish I would have done differently.
If you are interested in my sustainable projects and information please visit www.simplesuburbanliving.com
To check out more of the products I use in this system check out the Simple Suburban Living General Store -
astore.amazon.com/simpsubulivi-20.
I have tried to add anything that we use here so it is easy for people to find. Thanks! 
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I really appreciate hearing your mistakes, as I am in the middle of constructing my system. It's so hard to get it right the first time and there will always be lessons learned.
Thanks for sharing the knowledge and experience. You have discovered better ways of doing some things, but the important point to remember is that you have done something--you can't make mistakes if you don't do anything. I have a problem of analyzing things to death to try to avoid mistakes but that can be a real drag and keep you from getting started. Ya done good!
thanks for the info on the sump, made me realize i can make my greenhouse sump in my basement, and in return will help regulate water temp as well. in the cooler months.
Thanks for those excellent tips. I am in the research phase of my aquaponic venture and I found your "tips and tricks" extremely helpful.
Good luck to you and thanks for watching!
thank you for the info, always glad to hear from folks who have some time under their belt and have good/bad experiences to share for improving the future system builds...really liked that you put the verse at the end, caught me off guard. thanks again brother, stay strong
Thanks Robert, I have ha a lot of fun with the aquaponics system. Thanks for stopping by and for the positive comment!
Yes, well, the smoke detector has been beeping for so long that I stopped noticing it:) They are hardwired anyway just have a battery backup. Sorry for the beeping folks, batteries have been changed, thanks for watching!
paul E Thanks! Glad to have you aboard!
I feel your pain with the hard water. I have the same problem I think I will try a couple of carbon filters in the future. Great info
+SSLFamilyDad I like this video, Solid video with some great advice. Nice post, thanks
+SSLFamilyDad your video is extremely helpful. I appreciate the effort. Saved me loads - thank you
+SSLFamilyDad hi everyone ,if anyone else wants to discover aquaponics courses try Morundan Total Aquaponics Mastery (just google it ) ? Ive heard some extraordinary things about it and my partner got great success with it.
I am on track to start an aquaponics system, roughly starting with a big hole in the ground, build a greenhouse over it and run it year round. I'm going follow you on this and can't wait to get started.
awesome video, thanks for sharing. my kids watched this to learn how to make one themselves.
Solid video with some great advice. Nice post, thanks.
Thank you for your speedy response. I am going to take advise. Love your channel very informative.
Great video i can imagine how far youve come since then . im watching as i take a break from constructing one of my own. As a DIY guy i can appreciate your honesty lol. i only use clay pellets , i find its just overall easier and lighter. next break ill see where youve gotten to . Thanks man .
Great video. Thanks so much. This is part of my research too. I have to tell you something funny. My husband just came in the room and had our smoke alarm in his hand saying he needs to change the batteries.... it happened to be yours :D Now he said if I post this he won't build me my aquaponics system :( Ah, it's too good not to take the risk and post it anyway!
awesome thought it was mine too doh
I have to laugh. I was watching someone else’s aquaponic video and I kept hearing it go off. I kept going crazy till my wife pointed out it was the video not mine hahaha.
Love the MSU hat! Nice tips, saved me making a few of the same mistakes.
Great Video! Straight to the point, very helpful! Thanks.
Best channel on RUclips! You have like 88k subscribers, if each subscriber would do what you're doing the world would be a much better place. From the outddor boiler to the hay making to the aquaponics. You're awesome man.
Thanks for the tip about placing it against the wall. I am super short so it would be hard to get to the back and I hadn't considered that.
Okay, so now you are getting me in trouble. My wife just came out to the living room and told me to change the smoke detector battery.
There are several components to learning home aquaponics. One place I found which successfully combines these is the Keiths Ponics Site (google it if you're interested) definately the most useful info i've seen. Check out this interesting site.
extremely helpful. I appreciate the effort. great points here, thanks for sharing!
I'm so glad I stumbled upon this video because I had been procrastinating adding the top layer of rock to my grow bed. I used your vinegar testing method and the rock I had turned out to be bad. Other than finding a replacement media, you have saved me so much time and hassle. Thanks!
Glad I could help! Good luck getting things switched out!
Great video! Just now getting into aquaponics. Lot's of valuable information here!
Thanks! Glad I could help in some way, let me know if you have any questions along the way
SSLFamilyDad Thanks. I'm sure I will. I actually plan on creating a similar setup to yours. I'll do a video and give a shout out to you for some of the ideas. Oh, and almost forgot. Subscribed + Liked.
I stumbled on this tonight, and while it's a good bit after the vid was posted, I'm wondering if you calculated the total power and/or cost of running this system per whatever period of time? Thanks very much for the vid, it certainly gets the imagination going :)
Thanks for the video, I was actually thinking my smoke detectors needed batteries till I realized I don't have any LOL. Good information I am going to give it a go here in Idaho and keep you posted. Thanks Again!
+John VanDenburgh awesome man, let me know if you have any questions along the way and get a smoke detector!:)
Thanks for the interesting video, great tips for people who have yet to start building their system. :)
Try adding shrimp/prawn to that last swirl filter bed... the fish waste and excess fish food are turned into ‘source’ for another feeding cycle. Really like the videos, keep up the good work.
Thank you for helping me the other day! Looks like you are using creek gravel? Might want to try PEA GRAVEL and see how it does.
very valuable lessons learned-thanks for sharing
Ryan Poe Thanks! Glad I could help in some way.
Just a really great video!
Nice video. I just grew some huge hydro lettuce on my channel using Kratky method. it was simple and easy with excellent results. Keep up the good work
Thanks for sharing! Great system!
One thing about indoor growing I've discovered is using a lot of duct tape, zip ties, flexible hosing and not "hard piping/fitting" as much as possible. Plants grow so we need to move w them lol. I got a lot of ideas and a good check list to start aquaponics indoors.
Thank you so much! Your suggestion with using a dehumidifier as a water topper is really helpful. I don't see how I missed thinking about that possibility considering my fish will be raised inside with the plants growing outdoors. Our property runs down a slope and we're going to take advantage of it when setting up this system.
The dehumidifier worked great this last summer when I used it. I don't use it in the winter but I have the filtered water topping off the system now. Sounds like you have some good plans for your setup, good luck!
You are an inspiration! Thanks for showing the way
Brandon Haun Thanks Brandon!
I had a similar water height problem in my half barrel beds. I disconnected the drain at the bottom on the bottom outside, using a Dremel with a cut-off disc I cut the overflow pipe in my siphon to where I wanted it. I use pvc unions to adjust the water height in the beds now. Cut the unions to varying lengths and change them out as you need them. I need higher water levels when seeds are germinating and lower during normal growth. Warning, flush out the drain system after the Dremel work. The PVC dust will circulate throughout the system. A simple solution that worked well for me.
Thank you for the great advice!
I really like your idea with the dehumidifier.
Thanks, I was also thinking about using the water that comes off of the inside coil for the air conditioner which is basically the same thing, just goes to waste. I'll let you know if all the fish die:) Thanks for watching!
Beautiful excellent craftmenship!
I designed my system exactly like yours! How many cubic feet of rock will i need to fill the 4 grow beds?
GREAT VIDEO SUPER HELPFUL!!! THANK YOU!!!
Thanks for the tips mate!
Good job .. honest show, love it dear
Thank you very much for posting this video. You DID explain a lot of tips I would never have considered! I do like it when people making videos do know their stuff.
I would only suggest on your next show how you address issues such as insect and parasite infestations. Here in California the greenhouses I worked in had terrible insect infestations. Since many of them were landscape plants we could use simple time-release systemic fertilizer/insecticide pellets to prevent chewing and sucking insects such as scale and extra-thick sand layers to deter the water flies, but the hydroponics shops here have problems with insects because they can't use pesticides on plants for human consumption. I assume your system in the wintertime with the windows closed to retain heat means plenty of insects inside. What do you do for pest control?
Jeeeez itd complex adding shellls..etc
thank's very good advice
Awesome video keep on keepin on
thank you for the tips
Fish tank size to grow bed size, how do you figure it?
great tips thanks man!
I would like to see a DIY on making those lights? Great video. One comment thought, on the fish waste/food (detritus) that accumulates in the grow bed. After two years my clay ball aquaponic bed has a lot of detritus on the bottom of the bed and in the clay ball media. I always saw this as advantageous to the growth of the plants? Sort of like a natural soil for the plants to live off of. In my case it does not add to turbidity, and I have tested it for ammonia and nitrates and found zero, so I have concluded that it has been fully digested by bacteria.
I love this video a lot. Thank you very much. I'm getting ready to put my system together. One question. What water pump you using? What's the specs?
Thanks! The pump I am using is the Aqueon aq2300, it has been a great pump so far for this sized system. The pump can be found on Amazon here - amzn.to/1609a6T. I also have more info on the blog with a list of parts and prices www.simplesuburbanliving.com. Thanks for taking the time to check it out!
Keep up the good work!
Awesome video, lots of ideas I'm taking from this. Thanks.
Glad I could help Jude, thanks for watching!
Quick question. My aquaponics system is used based on NFT. So my flow of water is continously. I'm now planning on installing a grow bed. Why do I need to use a bell syphon or similar to fill and drain. Why can't I just fill from the top and drain down the bottom? Any ideas for a sump filter. My fish pond is in ground.
Jude Fernandes Good question, if you are going to add a grow bed and fill it with media it would be easiest to just use the flood and drain method with a bell siphon. If you just fill from the top you would have to have many nozzles dripping water all over the top of the bed so that water would drip down across all the roots. Flood and drain is generally the easiest type of system for media based grow beds. Hope that helps and thanks for watching!
Great Info. Thank you for the vid. :-)
Thanks for this video. It's incredibly helpful to see a system that is not perfect to learn. All the systems that are presented as ideal teach less. The dehumidifier seems like a great idea. Since I'm in Missouri I bet I can get a lot of free water that way as well as recover lost water from the system.
setite It works very well in the summer time for sure. We haven't set it up this summer yet but last summer I had it hooked up for a few months.
I like the idea of using half barrels. I am going to do the same.
Fabulous video! Thank you. I'm researching to setup a aquaponics farm for a Children with disability organisation in Viet Nam. Your advice and experience is invaluable.
+Chris J. Ephgrave that is very cool, please let me know if I can help in anyway
You already did! Doing lot's (and lot's) of research. Now it's time to give it a go! We have secured 200m2 of land and I have a system in plan. Looking forward to keeping in touch as I will need a LOT of experienced help with the nuances.
I appreciate your work.
The caps on the plastic barrels your using has threads for a 3/4 hose bib, might make things easier?
thanks for sharing all you've learned.... much appreciated.
I've been kicking around the idea of an indoor system but I'm leary of what all the grow lights will cost to run and how long the grow bulbs actually last....can you tell us what you've learned on this?
+Jake Jones all four grow lights cost about 30-40 per month. And the bulbs seem to last about 2-3 years of running 12 hours per day. Not sure on my led strip lights as i haven't had them that long
Hi again! I forgot to mention that for my system I used Growstones. They are a type of grow media, I highly recommend them. But something that i would do differently would be to have a mixture of the stones and river rock. If your looking to try a new grow media! Your system is very impressive and very well thought out!
I looked into those and really wanted to use they but they were out of my price range when I built this system. I may try them on a small scale in the future
So helpful!
Just stumbled on your channel. Some great videos you have up. I'm planning to start my own system since I have a outdoor pond already. Is it absolutely necessary to have a sump tank? Or does it depend on if I'm going to be doing a flood and drain system vs deep water culture?
You do not have to have a sump tank if you are going to do a deep water culture but remember you still have to have a tank of bio-media for the bacteria to grow on if you are not doing flood and drain beds. The sump tank is really just a buffer tank for the rising and falling water levels from the flood and drain beds. I hope that helps, thanks for watching!!
A great way to balance PH is to put a stocking full of shells in your water....I think oyster shells are a great one. The shells bring the PH back to neutral
Thanks for the comment Steve! Adding oyster shells or egg shells to the system is a great way to balance pH however, in my case where my pH is too high the calcium carbonate would unfortunately not bring the pH down lower. This is a great method if you have a low pH as the oyster shells will bring the pH up to neutral as you mentioned. Great advise and thanks for watching!!
Good video, which will help me design my system.
I'm planning my aquaponic system and your video made me wonder if using broken clay pottery would work as a grow media. It is porous and relatively lightweight. One problem might be the sharp edges of the pieces. I know that Hydroton grow media is supposedly run through a tumbler to smoothen it out. One description states that "Hydroton grow rocks are a special kiln-fired, lightweight aggregate that is super-heated and formed into pebbles 8-16 mm in size. The ceramic shell and inner pore structure retains moisture and releases it back to your plant's roots as needed."
Honestly I had thought of using broken glass, plastic beads, and other things that I have not seen before and I would encourage trying anything! Broken kiln fired clay pottery should work fine I would think, as long as you can find enough to break! I have stayed away from hydroton use to it's cost and it does wear down and start to degrade after a few years. I have chosen beechwood pebbles for my system - check out this video - ruclips.net/video/wSzGOCHEoeo/видео.html
Thanks for watching!!!
Some good advice here. If you are thinking of starting an Aquaponics system checkout how to and tip videos like this,
Thanks Phil!
I’m thinking about building a system probably next year
good video but I have a few questions. Why can't you just adjust your stand pipe on your bell siphons to get the water to the correct pipe? also wouldn't the mineral rich well water be better for your plants than a purer water? I am sure a swirl filter get all the poop if it is placed before the water is put in before it gets into the plant beds.
Nice vid. I'm a bit confused and maybe it's because I am an aquarist. When we refer to a sump, it's the auxiliary tank where biological, chemical and or mechanical filtration occurs. and not the tank where the fish are kept. If fish waste is that much of a problem, I recommend that send the fish tank water into a traditional aquarium sump tank with a submersible or hang on protein skimmer. Another option is to send the fish tank water into a canister filter where your biological and mechanical filtration can occur. A Fluval 406 or an Eheim 4 series would address this issue. In addition either canister can also serve as a return pump to send water back into your grow beds.
good tips on the rocks, could you use any type of glass beads or pieces or does the porous surface of the rock help with nitrogen conversion? Thanks, I am a wannabe aquaponic. Just was thinking if glass would work being neutral
Good idea Scott, I think glass would work just fine in fact there are a few places that offer a recycled glass bead for grow beds but it is rather expensive. The porous surface does offer a bit more surface area for the bacteria to grow but glass would still work just fine.
Most people make the mistake of using the water pump directly from the fish tank, that is why you have sludge in your troughs. if you had an overflow sump tote next to the fish tank so the tank water overflows into the sump tote that way you do not traumatize the fish and the fish tank stays the same level all the time. you can fill the sump tote with filter material to stop trough sludge plus act as a bio filter. also line your fish tank with filter material acting as additional bio housing for the good bacteria.
Great video. Question for you SSL DAD....why is your top off line in the bottom of the sump? Is it a mechanical float valve? Thank you.
It is a float valve, yes
What barrels should I use
Thanks for all of your great posts on aquaponics and chickens. I have a quick question. What brand of food are you feeding your fish? I have been trying to find some feed that is low cost and not filled with crap ingredients. I will end up eating what the fish have been eating so I want to get it right but don't want to spend a truck load. Can you share what you are using?
+David Cantrell with the gold fish I was just using the regular flakes. When I had the tilapia I bought feed from fishkis.com which I think was a good feed if I remember correctly
Hows your system working now?
Whats your view on Growstones?Recycled glass for the media.
How do you time the cycle on startup,so that you first grow the bacteria,then introduce the fish and start seeding the media.
I looked into this and even thought about making a giant tumbler to make my own but in the end I decided on the rock I have now. The advantage to the rock I am using is that it is light and porous so it should allow for more surface area for the bacteria. The grow stones are a great way to go also but seemed a bit expensive to me. When starting out, you can just use some goldfish or add some ammonia to the water. Let the system run for at least a few weeks before putting in any more expensive or less hardy fish. Good idea to have plants ready to put in after week two as well.
Wouldn't tilapia better option to start out with compared to gold fish???
Hi! For the swirl filter, if you want a more natural way to filter your system and have another source of food. I would suggest freshwater clams. They are natural filters and help keep the water ph levels etc level. And i love your videos they are really helpful!
I had never thought of that. That is a great idea!
Great videos, thanks for sharing! I have an existing vermicompost system and am considering utilizing it - Have you given this any thought or heard of potential pitfalls?
Please elaborate, using a vermicompost system in general or converting it to aquaponics?
sorry, I meant utilizing it in a aquaponic system
I really want to build one. Can it be unattended for two weeks if I go on vacation?
It should be fine as long as you have a timer on the lights and your power doesn't go out. Even if it did it will start right back up when the power comes back on I suppose
seems costly way of growing such few plants until you get fish that you can sell and eat but even then i wonder if it is worth it other than for an emergency food source, but with all the electrical you are using as well as the location, you are not exactly self sufficient if power goes out. thanks for some tips and advice but i think 25 fish in one barrel is still too much if you consider them growing to an eatable size, so a three barrel system for the fish and one for water storage and one for filtering would be my choice. The reason i watched was my limited space to have anything larger for the fish and then to run lines to a green house on the south side of my house that is easily heated. I worry about humidity in the basement but also want to run off solar so de-humidifiers may not be an option. I appreciate you sharing your experiences. Thx
Great video but I had to pause it several times to stand aimlessly in my house trying to find the smoke alarm that needed a new battery. lol
Thanks for the info. any problems with iron deficiency? and how to prevent it? thanks
melt mariel I do add a bit or Chelated iron from time to time as I was starting to notice some yellowing of the leaves.
Thanks for the help bro. have a nice day
How did you measure ammonia concentration?
would adding more red worms help¿
Thankyou for sharing........would earthworms in the media to cycle the solid fish waste,and maybe freshwater prawns to clean the fish tank help.
Using compost worms in the grow media is a great way to further break down solid waste. I have a vide on that here - ruclips.net/video/U_HNfEeQ-B4/видео.html
Hi im trying to get some info about aquaphonic and im new to this. I see that you are using white barrels is there any biological reason for that?
I wonder If freshwater shrimp would help clean up the excess food and waste?
Great video, thank you, I just have a few suggestions that might help. 1. Use gravel not smaller than 3/4", you might want to make the top 1" surface smaller gravel to hold seeds in place. 2. Add earthworms to your gravel, they eat any fish food left over and clean your system in general by eating any dead plant roots and they also provide extra nutrients for the plants. 3. The pipe that goes from the sump tank water pump to the grow beads, make sure that it goes all the way to the bottom of the grow bead, that way if the power goes out, the water will syphon back down to the sump tank by gravity and will not sit in the grow bead until power is restored. Let me know if you think those are good ideas and if you can improve on them also, thank you.
Thanks for the advice and checking out the system! I am now using what is called beechwood pebbles as grow media, it is a 3/4 crushes igneous rock; it is working really well so far! I will be adding worms to the grow beds as soon as my worm population is large enough in my worm bin. These are all great idea, thanks!
SSLFamilyDad From what I have read, use caution with worm selection. I use red wigglers and they live and reproduce well in flooded gravel beds and seem to break down the solids well. I'm not sure any worm will perform well in such a system. Thanks for sharing your lessons-learned. I appreciate your candor and observations. I have often wished I had put a couple of airstones in the bottom of my gravel bed to improved aerobic activity and reduce the anaerobic zone. Thoughts?
***** I have been adding red wigglers to mine so I hope they are doing what they do in there but I can't really tell to be honest. Adding an air stone to the bottom of the grow beds is a great idea actually I hadn't thought of that. Thanks for watching!
Could you add sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) to buffer the water? To stabilize the pH?
+DanielinLaTuna Yes, Baking soda or any bi carbonate or carbonate will help buffer the pH. However, if you have high pH you want to have less carbonates in order to lower it.
A question I have asked and no response from people. What and how to work with the chemicals leaching from all the plastic parts with water contact, soil contact.
Hi. Could you perhaps just remove the syphon caps and trim an inch off of the standpipes, then refit the caps ? That would lower your water level ...
I didn't notice any mention of worms in the grow bed . Do you think that could replace the waste filter?
There are also worms in the grow beds but they do not replace the swirl filter. That is there to collect solid waste from the fish tanks and the worms eat organic matter such roots and other stuff from the grow media
Thanks for the clarification. I am very interested in starting my own garden and have been trying to absorb all of the information I can before pouring my funds into it.
Hi,
I just started an aquaponic system in mine basement. I am wondering what is your basement temperature? I am growing tomatoes and I am worry that mine is not warm enough.
+Glenn King that was an issue I had also. Might want to heat it just a little or 8nsulate the tanks as best you can. Mine is about 60 degrees
re: swirl filter... would you need one if you had red worms in the grow beds? seems like the worms would be a better option over discarding bio-minerals.
There are many different thoughts on this but this is mine - Worms are great at breaking down organic matter left in the grow media from the plants (dead roots, fallen leaves,, etc.), they will also eat much of the fish food and fish waste as well, However they still leave waste of their own that will eventually settle at the bottom of the grow beds and can become anaerobic. I will be adding worms to do their part but believe removing most of the solid waste before the grow beds is still the best solution. Also, non of that waste is disregarded, all goes to my garden or our house plants/trees. Thanks for watching!!
It is my understanding that regarding worm castings all nutrients are water-soluble. This makes it it an immediate plant food. Best of luck with your system.
What is a swirl filter?
thats clever... use a dehumidifier to top up and lower over all humidity
I liked you video . And your suggestions. Things to keep in mind.
I would like to know where you are from . I'm from BC Canada eh . The reason why is I want to know where to get the perch from.
Barry Post We are in Michigan. I still have not found a supplier of perch locally yet but I will let you know if I do.
OK thanks . Where did you get yours from.
Nice setup. I have a system that has 2 tote beds and 2 swirl filter raft beds with an IBC tote for the fish. I'm also using gold fish and a few koi. This is my 3rd year with my system and was using the same media every year as I would have to shut it down come winter. but I changed my media this year to a mixture of hydrocon clay pellets and white grow snones made from recycled glass. During the transplant I rinsed the roots off and I must've been a bit rough on the roots cus they layed down for about a week and alot of the leaves died. they are coming back but my romaine are growing in odd directions now and it just seems like all my plants should be growing alot faster. I also have a high PH and have hard well water as well.
I have my system in a greenhouse but it gets so cold in the winter here I have to shut it down and bring the fish inside. This year I plan to build a section on to the back of my greenhouse and put a wood burning stove inside to try and heat it. we will see. I just started this channel and plan to make some videos soon.
Midwest Aquaponics Can't wait to see the system! I plan to move out to a greenhouse probably next year as well and am planning to heat with wood. I just did a video on a wood burner if you are interested - ruclips.net/video/k6ztN_lGnGc/видео.html
I am mostly using free pallets as fuel right now also. Thanks for commenting!
SSLFamilyDad Yeah I watched that video too. That's the wood burner I plan to use. I live in central Illinois surrounded by woods so I will not have any issues getting wood to burn lol. I'm looking forward to making some vids, It's been storming here for a few days so I'm forced to wait it out. Thanks for your vids I find them very informative.
Is this a fill and drain type grow bed? Or a continuous flow?
+Manuel Jugador fill and drain
hi guyz i dont have any background in farming im planing to start gardining so i have question is your light 24 hours 7days a week?
godfredo ursaiz jr I keep these lights on about 12 hours per day 7 days per week. I adjust the timing for the seasons to try and mimic real daylight as much as possible.
How did you make your swirl filter? Did you put a bell siphon in the middle? How does it drain so slowly?
Here is the video on the swirl filter - ruclips.net/video/G5w-6pnjwIc/видео.html
Thanks for watching!
Thanks! You also mentioned that you got each food barrel for around $50. That's amazing! I'm having issues finding them for double that price. Any recommendations on locating them?
Jasp233 I was actually able to get each barrel for $10 each and I bought 5 of them. I found mine on craigslist but I have also heard of people finding local manufacturing places that use them as well. good luck!
Ficou muito top like 👍🌍🐟🌱🌿🐟
what ligh used?