i have to add water weekly

how much do u have to input per week on avg?

how much do u have to input per week on avg?

Approximately 20 gallons maybe more if its windy

Bumping an old thread but I want to try and get an aquaponics system setup, or at least an understanding of what I need so I can price out materials.  Mostly trying to figure out the pump situation first.
I got an old bathtub in my back yard that I was thinking of using as a fish tank.  Not sure how many gallons it is. 
I want to run the system off a solar pump.  I know it can be expensive so will save money for this part first before continuing with build.
How do you calculate how much GPH you will need for your system?  Does it depend on how big the grow beds are and theres some calculation?
Also whats a good style of system to run?  Ive seen ebb and flow? Fill and dump? Constantly running through grow beds like a stream?

Any help anyone can provide will be greatly appreciated.   

Bumping an old thread but I want to try and get an aquaponics system setup, or at least an understanding of what I need so I can price out materials.  Mostly trying to figure out the pump situation first.
I got an old bathtub in my back yard that I was thinking of using as a fish tank.  Not sure how many gallons it is. 
I want to run the system off a solar pump.  I know it can be expensive so will save money for this part first before continuing with build.
How do you calculate how much GPH you will need for your system?  Does it depend on how big the grow beds are and theres some calculation?
Also whats a good style of system to run?  Ive seen ebb and flow? Fill and dump? Constantly running through grow beds like a stream?

Any help anyone can provide will be greatly appreciated.

Your interest in aquaponics is refreshing!

I would estimate the bathtub at about 100 gallons of water.  Generally, The grow beds should be shallow and hold, at most, half of this amount of water at any given time, 1/3 would be a safer ratio.  Grow beds depth should be about 10-12 inches, depth of grow medium (hydroton, pea gravel, i prefer black cinder) should be about 8-10 inches. 

grow mediums:
hydroton- expanded clay pebbles, lightweight, porous, perfect for aquaponics, pricey
pea gravel- good for grow medium but extremely heavy
black cinder- lightweight, cheap, porous, sustainably sourced, contributes iron which is great for green leafy veggies which also tend to grow well in aquaponic beds

grow beds type aquaponics typically requires an ebb and flow type system, finding the right balance with an ebb and flow system can be time consuming and requires tinkering, you will need a lamp timer to automatically switch the pump on and off.  The ebb and flow system fills and drains automatically, allowing a greater amount of air-to-root exposure.  I like ebb and flow systems, they utilize gravity and the power of vacuum to completely drain the grow bed. 

i dont know much about pumps but if you were to invest in an expensive solar pump, it might be best to apply it to larger setups to maxmize utility of that high-tech and costly piece of hardware. others would disagree.
  I think you can find a decent sized fish pump for your bathtub set up on amazon or somethinhg.  You will have to find one with the proper flow rate. fish pump manufacturers will usually reveal flow rates of different pump models on their websites. 

GPH would be calculated by how many times you want the grow bed to fill and drain every hour.  Keep in mind often times this requires water to be pumped up vertically from the fish tank to the grow bed, GPH flow rate decreases with every vertical foot the water must be pumped. 

there are infinite designs and posibilities.  google vertical aquaponics or aquaponics designs to get ideas. 

i think the most important things in considering an aqauponics system are... in this order:
location-   enough sun or light, non-windy, easy access to electricity and agua
appropriate sizing-   it took me months to calculate everything (like water level, flow rate, design etc) to a tee before i even started on my manini 30 gallon fish tank setup    if the bathtub tank is all you have, design the system around it
design   - organized and well thought out design to compliment the chosen location

 Im glad i could get first crack at this, but other fellow 2a members are much more versed in this subject than I, keep asking questions! 

http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/
i referred to this website on many occasions, nice site for starters and good info


http://www.theaquaponicsplace.com/siphon-kit/
this is a local place (waimanalo) that sells pre-fab aquaponics components, everything you need from tanks, beds, pumps, siphons, filters

http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/
i referred to this website on many occasions, nice site for starters and good info


http://www.theaquaponicsplace.com/siphon-kit/
this is a local place (waimanalo) that sells pre-fab aquaponics components, everything you need from tanks, beds, pumps, siphons, filters

is there a local aquaponics forum similar to 2aHI.com?

is there a local aquaponics forum similar to 2aHI.com?

not that i know of, but there is a nice AP blog site that is based locally that i came across in the past, ima try find it and post it

nvm, it IS a forum, and Im not sure its based locally, sorry thought it was 

http://aquaponicsinparadise.com/
http://aquaponicsinparadise.com/APforums/
enjoy!

Thanks for all the help guys.  Still researching, but this looks possible once I get the money saved up.  Will probably start small and expand as time and money allows

Bumping an old thread but I want to try and get an aquaponics system setup, or at least an understanding of what I need so I can price out materials.  Mostly trying to figure out the pump situation first.
I got an old bathtub in my back yard that I was thinking of using as a fish tank.  Not sure how many gallons it is. 
I want to run the system off a solar pump.  I know it can be expensive so will save money for this part first before continuing with build.
How do you calculate how much GPH you will need for your system?  Does it depend on how big the grow beds are and theres some calculation?
Also whats a good style of system to run?  Ive seen ebb and flow? Fill and dump? Constantly running through grow beds like a stream?

Any help anyone can provide will be greatly appreciated.

http://aquaponicsinparadise.com/APforums/index.php?topic=2198.0
have a gander at this topic, might provide insight on fish-water ratio
general rule is a gallon for every 1" of tropical fish.

Drill hole and use uniseal with 3/4 or 1 inch pvc pipe for drain return. You can get uniseal supply at diamond head plumbing supply in pearl city industrial or Waimanalo aquapinic store. Make your siphon by drilling couple hole in the bottom. Use 2 cement mixer tray for growbed  from Home depot. Will need 2 or 3 bags of unwash black cinder. 500 pump Danner is good for 100 gal tub.

Aquaponicsinparadise is a local forum. Albert Fung runs the forum and retail website, he lives in town.   Lots of great information, meet up, and classes.
Start here ... http://aquaponicsinparadise.com/APforums/index.php?PHPSESSID=13566cc4164ae6cb6c0fc98a497bbaca&board=8.0

To answer your questions about a solar pump consider that a water pump draws a good amount of wattage, the panel, controller, inverter, and batteries are a significant up front expense.  In anycase, to figure out your pump size, you would need to know your grow bed size and type, but to do that you need to figure what kind of aq system you want.  This should be primarily based on what plants you want to grow (some plants grow well in constant flow, some do well in dwc, and others ebb & flow. 
Ebb&flow is probably the most common as many plants do well in this type.

grow bed to fish tank ratio should be about 1 gallon of grow bed to 2 or 3 gallons of fish tank.  So first calculate your bath tub displacement multiply length x height x width x 7.5 (cu.ft/gal).  Standard bathtubs usually hold about 50 to 80 gallons.  Growbed to fish tank ratio is about 1:2.5 respectively
If your tub is 80 gallons, you want about 35 gallons of growbed.  Subract the media displacement of cinder or hydroton and youre looking at approx 20 gallons of flow to fill the growbed once. 
 Depending on plant type, sunlight, etc, calculate the amount of times you want your growbed to fill in an hour(cycle time).  Typically a cycle time of 15 to 60 minutes or 1 to 4 water changes per hour works well.   
So you could get by on with a pump output of 20 to 100gph.  However this assumes you have 0 head pressure and no excess pressure for aeration of the fishtank water, and no room for system expansion.   
So dont forget to factor that in.
The problem is water pumps is they draw high wattage compared to solar systems intake or charge capability so youre limited to lower gph pumps.  Air pumps are an option to consider as they are lower wattage can aerate water and airlift can move water but the the gph is painfully low. 
Good luck bu

Bumping an old thread but I want to try and get an aquaponics system setup, or at least an understanding of what I need so I can price out materials.  Mostly trying to figure out the pump situation first.
I got an old bathtub in my back yard that I was thinking of using as a fish tank.  Not sure how many gallons it is. 
I want to run the system off a solar pump.  I know it can be expensive so will save money for this part first before continuing with build.
How do you calculate how much GPH you will need for your system?  Does it depend on how big the grow beds are and theres some calculation?
Also whats a good style of system to run?  Ive seen ebb and flow? Fill and dump? Constantly running through grow beds like a stream?

Any help anyone can provide will be greatly appreciated.   

not that i know of, but there is a nice AP blog site that is based locally that i came across in the past, ima try find it and post it

backyardaquaponics.com is a good forum to check out.

I just got into aquaponics so I am still learning. Right now I a struggling to get my system to cycle; I am using the 'fish less' method. It has been three complete water dumps and one full re-rinse of my hydoroton. Ph starts a 7.6 and after a few days gets' to 6.0. Ammonia stable at 2.0 (no adding of ammonia for several days or more) Nitrates 0 and Nitrites.

You got any tips to help get my system to jump start the cycle or do I really just have to wait for months for every thing to balance out.

Aquaponicsinparadise is a local forum. Albert Fung runs the forum and retail website, he lives in town.   Lots of great information, meet up, and classes.
Start here ... http://aquaponicsinparadise.com/APforums/index.php?PHPSESSID=13566cc4164ae6cb6c0fc98a497bbaca&board=8.0

To answer your questions about a solar pump consider that a water pump draws a good amount of wattage, the panel, controller, inverter, and batteries are a significant up front expense.  In anycase, to figure out your pump size, you would need to know your grow bed size and type, but to do that you need to figure what kind of aq system you want.  This should be primarily based on what plants you want to grow (some plants grow well in constant flow, some do well in dwc, and others ebb & flow. 
Ebb&flow is probably the most common as many plants do well in this type.

grow bed to fish tank ratio should be about 1 gallon of grow bed to 2 or 3 gallons of fish tank.  So first calculate your bath tub displacement multiply length x height x width x 7.5 (cu.ft/gal).  Standard bathtubs usually hold about 50 to 80 gallons.  Growbed to fish tank ratio is about 1:2.5 respectively
If your tub is 80 gallons, you want about 35 gallons of growbed.  Subract the media displacement of cinder or hydroton and youre looking at approx 20 gallons of flow to fill the growbed once. 
 Depending on plant type, sunlight, etc, calculate the amount of times you want your growbed to fill in an hour(cycle time).  Typically a cycle time of 15 to 60 minutes or 1 to 4 water changes per hour works well.   
So you could get by on with a pump output of 20 to 100gph.  However this assumes you have 0 head pressure and no excess pressure for aeration of the fishtank water, and no room for system expansion.   
So dont forget to factor that in.
The problem is water pumps is they draw high wattage compared to solar systems intake or charge capability so youre limited to lower gph pumps.  Air pumps are an option to consider as they are lower wattage can aerate water and airlift can move water but the the gph is painfully low. 
Good luck bu

Thanks this has been the most helpful information so far.  Thank you. Thank you to everyone else that contributed as well.
Also thanks to the aquaponics in paradise website, it has been helpful as well.
Think im gonna go with 2 or 3 beds.  Ebb and flow style for the first two, which will be vegetables, and constant flow for the last, which will have duckweed or azolia as fish food.
Thinking of using cement mixer plastic tubs as grow beds
Probably looking for a Danner 1200 or Danner 700 as a pump.
Not sure about going solar for the moment.  Still considering it as im unsure about the effect on my electric bill. Probably save up and convert later or possibly wait till I have all the parts.

One thing im unsure of is if I need a sump tank? How do you know if you need one in your design?
Im thinking if I do add one, I can drain/flow the tub to a small tank to remove solid wastes from the bottom and then have that flow to the sump.  Then I would need a second pump to get the sump water back to the fish tank correct?

Thanks for all the help. It has been greatly appreciated.  Still in the research and design phase.  Not sure how much im gonna put into this project at the moment since I got a few others that would be priority.

backyardaquaponics.com is a good forum to check out.

I just got into aquaponics so I am still learning. Right now I a struggling to get my system to cycle; I am using the 'fish less' method. It has been three complete water dumps and one full re-rinse of my hydoroton. Ph starts a 7.6 and after a few days gets' to 6.0. Ammonia stable at 2.0 (no adding of ammonia for several days or more) Nitrates 0 and Nitrites.

You got any tips to help get my system to jump start the cycle or do I really just have to wait for months for every thing to balance out.

Hmm interesting and I haven't seen to many threads covering this.  You need to cycle your tank and let the correct bacteria establish before your system is balanced and smooth running?  How long does this usually take? 6+ months?

Hmm interesting and I haven't seen to many threads covering this.  You need to cycle your tank and let the correct bacteria establish before your system is balanced and smooth running?  How long does this usually take? 6+ months?

Yes. Ammonia, which is the byproduct of the fish in your tank, is toxic to those same fish. There are natural bacteria that convert the ammonia into nitrites which are also toxic. Alas, there is another natural bacteria that converts the nitrites into nitrates; the food for your grow beds. Basically you are creating an ecosystem that thrives on its own. I think it is pretty cool.

My problem, I am having problems getting all that stuff I just typed above to get started. Normally this process should take several weeks to complete.

Anybody got tips?

One thing im unsure of is if I need a sump tank? How do you know if you need one in your design?
Im thinking if I do add one, I can drain/flow the tub to a small tank to remove solid wastes from the bottom and then have that flow to the sump.  Then I would need a second pump to get the sump water back to the fish tank correct?

Bass monkey
I would think the larger the system, the greater the need for a sump or extra filtration method, i think yours is big enough to warrant filtration, my opinion
I have seen some interesting home made swirl filters online.
yes you would need a pump to get the water from sump back to where you want it, either back to the grow bed or the duckweed tank, which if you had a sump and duckweed tank you would probably need a 3rd pump to pump water from duckweed to grow bed

Yes. Ammonia, which is the byproduct of the fish in your tank, is toxic to those same fish. There are natural bacteria that convert the ammonia into nitrites which are also toxic. Alas, there is another natural bacteria that converts the nitrites into nitrates; the food for your grow beds. Basically you are creating an ecosystem that thrives on its own. I think it is pretty cool.

My problem, I am having problems getting all that stuff I just typed above to get started. Normally this process should take several weeks to complete.

Anybody got tips?

kekoa
One idea that is worth a shot ( at least to research on your own) is to use earthworms/red wigglers from compost.  Ive read multiple times that people put red wigglers into their grow beds to expedite the process and introduce beneficial bacteria.  The risk is that detrimental bacteria like botulinum (botulism) could be transferred from the compost heap and introduced to the AP system.  If you plan to try it make sure to rinse the earthworms with water and avoid visible chunks of compost material.

Bass monkey
I would think the larger the system, the greater the need for a sump or extra filtration method, i think yours is big enough to warrant filtration, my opinion
I have seen some interesting home made swirl filters online.
yes you would need a pump to get the water from sump back to where you want it, either back to the grow bed or the duckweed tank, which if you had a sump and duckweed tank you would probably need a 3rd pump to pump water from duckweed to grow bed

kekoa
One idea that is worth a shot ( at least to research on your own) is to use earthworms/red wigglers from compost.  Ive read multiple times that people put red wigglers into their grow beds to expedite the process and introduce beneficial bacteria.  The risk is that detrimental bacteria like botulinum (botulism) could be transferred from the compost heap and introduced to the AP system.  If you plan to try it make sure to rinse the earthworms with water and avoid visible chunks of compost material.

if anyone wants worms let me know

if anyone wants worms let me know

how well do they travel? kauai would have to be the destination. I could look around for some over here too probably.

"kekoa
One idea that is worth a shot ( at least to research on your own) is to use earthworms/red wigglers from compost.  Ive read multiple times that people put red wigglers into their grow beds to expedite the process and introduce beneficial bacteria.  The risk is that detrimental bacteria like botulinum (botulism) could be transferred from the compost heap and introduced to the AP system.  If you plan to try it make sure to rinse the earthworms with water and avoid visible chunks of compost material."


thanks for the tip, I will give it a try. is it true that water from a thriving system could be introduced to 'kick start' my system also?