Aquarium Aquaponics Guide
Aquaponics is a way of farming similar to hydroponics but instead of using a
nutrient solution in water, the nutrients come from the decomposing food
and fish waste. The good thing is that any aquarium can be turned into an
aquaponics unit with minor adjustments and a growing tub made.
Requirements
Heater-
What will be needed is a heater if your house gets too cold. Fish do not like
very fluctuating temperatures so having a steady temperature is key to
happy producing fish. Depending on the fish you can get some leverage with
the temperature as a fish-like catfish can deal with much lower temperatures
than a goldfish. Do keep in mind that the bacteria in the system used to
convert waste into nutrients for the plants decrease as the temperature
decreases by 50% at 64° F and by 75% at 46-50° F. No activity will occur at
39° F.
Bubbler-
A bubbler will be needed as always to supply the fish with oxygen or you
could run into stunted growth and dead fish or disease. The water is needed
to be oxygenated for the plants because the roots need to be in an
oxygenated environment or you will run into stunted plants, rotted roots,
and dead plants. Often if your plants aren’t getting enough oxygen if you pull
the roots up and they fall apart when you touch them or they have a bad
smell then likely it means your water isn’t oxygenated enough. Color is also a
good indicator as white or semi-white is a good sign but very brown to black
roots means root rot. Consult all 3 methods of telling if the plant isn’t getting
enough oxygen. Depending on the system usually, the oxygen created by the
bubbler is enough but for larger systems sometimes an airstone is needed in
the grow tub to supply enough oxygen to the plant roots.
Pump-
Depending on the aquarium most small pumps will work fine for smaller
tanks but much larger tanks like 100-gallon tanks will take a bigger pump so
pick one which is rated to the size of your tank. In Aquaponics the water is
pumped to the growing tub then the clean water is pumped back to the fish
tank. You should take time to pick out a good pump as this is a vital part of
your system. Another good idea is to have a backup pump in case the one
you are using falls that way you will have a backup till you can get a new one.
Aquarium or tub for fish
For Aquaponics, you’re going to need a space for your fish to live and that all
depends on how many fish you have and What fish you get. You do not need
a clear aquarium for aquaponics; many growers use large tubs or industrial
tanks to hold their fish and they do just fine. If you do go for an industrial
tank, make it for fish; keep in mind to make sure it is food-grade so that no
chemicals or plastics get into the tank destroying the system.
Growing tub
Depending on how big your Aquarium is your growing tub should be just as
big as your aquarium but if it is larger or smaller it is ok for a general home
aquarium. A growing tub is not needed as you could just have your plants sit
on a raft on top of the tank with plants in plugs sticking through the raft as
the roots grow down space may become too limited for your fish so that will
have to be put into consideration. Your fish will not eat the roots of the plant
so that is not a worry. Keep in mind your growing tub is a place for your
plants to set roots and anchor themselves but it is also the place where your
nitrifying bacteria will live so having a larger surface area for that bacteria
will make it so that more waste is converted into nutrients. It is a good idea
to have a growing tub almost the same size as your aquarium.
Growing Medium for the growing tub
Your plants because they are soil-less will need a space they can anchor in
and move their roots down to gather nutrients. With this in mind, there are
many mediums you can use but I like to use expanded clay pebbles as they
will never rot, they take up a good amount, it is lightweight, and they
generally look better than other growing mediums. The only downside is the
price which will pay for itself in the end as they are reusable for many years.
Another growing medium I recommend is lava rocks they have been used for
years in aquaponics but their only downside is the jaggedness which can cut
you if you are not careful. Though still, this is a great growing medium that
does its job, and if you're looking for something cheaper which has been in
the market for a while this is what you want.
Decorations
In a home, aquaponics decorations are a nice addition to any aquarium which
will not impact how the system runs. In keeping with style if your aquarium
is black then it is a good idea to spray paint your growing medium black or
the color of your aquarium to keep it matching. Often with home aquaponic
systems they work but look distasteful and very strewn together. Having the
same color plus decorations can really bring forth a system into a home as a
centerpiece instead of something thrown into the corner so guests won't see
it. Do keep in mind that with aquarium decorations the more you have the
less space is available to the fish so make sure that a good portion of the
water is still available to swim to for your fish. Aquarium rocks are a good
thing to have in your aquarium as they give another home for your nitrifying
bacteria.
How the system works
In Aquaponics fish are given an input of food usually in the form of pellets or
fish flakes. The fish then produce waste or the feed which is not eaten is
broken down into ammonia. This compound is taken up by the bacteria
Nitrosomonas which uses ammonia for energy which its waste is nitrite. This
compound is eaten by another bacteria called nitrobacter which converts
nitrite into nitrates which can be taken up by the plant roots finally cleaning
the water in the system.
Cycling the system
In any setting even if you didn’t do aquaponics and just had fish you still need
to cycle your tank so that the bacteria you need get in large enough numbers
to convert the fish waste into nitrate. This process is usually done before the
fish get into the tank. This process can take weeks as you will be building up
the stock of 2 different bacterias in the water. You don’t have to add any
bacteria culture as these bacteria come from the air or surfaces into your
tank. Doing a fishless cycle is the best method as you won’t have to worry
about balancing out the ammonia or nitrite toxins in the tank. In large
amounts ammonia is harmful to the fish so is nitrite but not as much and
nitrate has to build up in very large numbers for it to be toxic to fish which it
won’t in a working aquaponics system. To start a fishless cycle set up your
aquaponics system and drop in a handful of fish food. The fish food will
decompose making ammonia which then the Nitrosomonas bacteria will
start to come into the tank. You will have to keep adding fish food as the
cycle continues until your ammonia kit says 5ppm. You will then add the
daily amount till nitrite appears at 0.5ppm. Once Nitrite appears cut back on
your ammonia amount by half then once nitrates appear at 5 to 10 ppm and
nitrites has dropped to 0 you can add the fish. If you do a fish cycle be
prepared to take a test on the water everyday. Make sure your ammonia and
nitrite level do not rise above what the testing kit says is ok. Watch for signs
in your fish such as gasping on the surface, loss of interest in food, swelling,
inconsistent swimming patterns, aggressiveness, skidness, and usually spots
or faded color. When doing a fishless cycle you could also use your own urine
and have the plants in the tank as urine contains all 3 major components NPK
your plants need. The urine will break down into ammonia plus provide
nutrients for your plants. Do keep in mind to keep the urine in a jar in the
sun so that any bad bacteria is rid off but urine is mostly sterile when it runs
through the kidney. If you use fish food or just ammonia you can buy adding
your plants they could run into issues as they won’t be getting enough
nutrients from just ammonia water. They may look pale yellow, a sign of a
nitrogen deficiency. To counter this using urine would be good but the best
thing would be to just leave the plants out till the tank is cycled.
