Aquaponics Thailand

[crayfish]

Aquaponics is a combination of Hydroponics and aquaculture.

Hydroponics is growing food in water. The food is fed with a combination of chemicals which are added to the water.  The chemicals include growth promoters, hormones, colour dyes and other unhealthy additions. The food grows fast but never produces a full taste, tomatoes and strawberries are more or less tasteless.

Aquaculture is growing fish for food. In both these systems there is one big problem. The water needs to be changed on a regular basis as toxins build up. Disposing of a thousand liters or more of water is not easy or environmentaly friendly.

By combining the two systems together we produce aquaponics.

The fish excrement produces high levels of nutrients that feed the plants. The plants absorb the nutrients and return clean water back to the fish tank. The perfect filter system, and the water never needs to be drained.

I have a thread running on this forum called "breeding crayfish". I started the thread 3 months ago and have introduced aquaponics just recently. 

I am new to this subject but what I have put together so far is working well.

If you are interested in aquaponics please follow the breeding crayfish thread starting on page 6.

some pics of my setup

Continious flow system using pipes  [attachment=254259:DSC06026.JPG]

Fill and drain system using a bell syphon[attachment=254263:DSC06062.JPG]

A watermelon grown from seed in the pot. 5 days old[attachment=254264:DSC06051.JPG]

Continious flow system with the plants growing in the raceway tank.[attachment=254265:DSC05881.JPG]

Setting up the pipe system involved an investment of about 1000 baht and took one day to construct. A small investment considering the return.

Crayfish 

[namdocmai]

colour dyes and other unhealthy additions.

 

I thought the red/purple color comes from the added ironchelate, do you think that is colour dye?

 

What else is unhealthy in the A B mix? I just bought it to give it a try. I also grow a tomato in my pond with fish and crayfish but the roots are being eaten it seems. The tomato also doesn't grow as fast as the one in the hydroponics basin.

[rice555]

Hello All, crayfish, I don't see any of what you listed on my six, 25Kg bags of chems, is this a cut & paste

from an aquaculture site/article?

If it's coloring added to the micro nutrients in the A-B mix, but iron does give off a brown hue(rust) and copper

​gives off a blue color. Put some salt and vinegar on a penny, tell me what color it is next day.

But micros only amount to 80 grms in 1,000 Lts of nutrients and plant life is dependent on micro's and the other

base chems. The same chem mix is what all veg/fruit's need to grow, be they hydro or dirt grown, H-P-K +TE.

One reason that aqua-C growing can show slow growth, small harvest compared with dirt/hydro is the limited

amount of nutrients from fish and other critters waste 

Is there any hormones in fish food or the like? Growth regulators?

Taste, thats up to the individual, you can't make blanket statements about taste.

rice555

Good lock with your project.

[cdmtdm]

 

Hello All, crayfish, I don't see any of what you listed on my six, 25Kg bags of chems, is this a cut & paste

from an aquaculture site/article?

If it's coloring added to the micro nutrients in the A-B mix, but iron does give off a brown hue(rust) and copper

​gives off a blue color. Put some salt and vinegar on a penny, tell me what color it is next day.

But micros only amount to 80 grms in 1,000 Lts of nutrients and plant life is dependent on micro's and the other

base chems. The same chem mix is what all veg/fruit's need to grow, be they hydro or dirt grown, H-P-K +TE.

One reason that aqua-C growing can show slow growth, small harvest compared with dirt/hydro is the limited

amount of nutrients from fish and other critters waste 

Is there any hormones in fish food or the like? Growth regulators?

Taste, thats up to the individual, you can't make blanket statements about taste.

rice555

Good lock with your project.

 

rice i dont know about the ab mix or color additives , but your statement on the nutrients from fish and other critters is incorrect .... with proper management , fish waste , worm tea etc etc etc will outstrip all others including hydro and dirt ...google UVI the initial trial done years ago ... NSW has just opened a massive fish powered fresh produce farm to supply major retailers , forgot the name Blue something or other ... Earthan group(  a very smart aussie guy)have just completed a massive farm in UAE fueled by Fish alone ...( u can FB them) ...what i dont like about hydro is the waste water issue , what do u do with it ? that is safe ? happy growing !!

[cdmtdm]

crayfish , u need to be a little careful in making blanket statements, your knowledge of AP is limited and AP is already getting a bad name due to so many experts ...who after making a backyard system tend to think they can grow commercially ...a big stepup from a small system to a small to medium commercial system ...AP cannot compete yet on a big scale with Hydro but it is coming , already we have farms in LOS changing over to fish fueled systems ... 

 

at this point in time Hydro is cheaper and easier to operate commercially , my belief is the yields and taste from AP is superior, however it cannot compete as yet with hydro on cost .... 

 

goodluck with the crayfish 

[crayfish]

Firstly my appologies for making blanket statements regarding hydroponics. the information I posted came from someone that thought he knew all about hydroponics, as it turns out he knows as much as I do, which is very little. In future I will verify info before posting

 

regards crayfish

 

[xen]

From what i understand about Aquaponics is that it was primarily developed by fish farmers wanting to re-use and purify the water they used for the fish . Growing vegetables is just an extension of using reeds and sedges  in retention ponds  and then harvesting them for using as mulch or livestock feed. Growing vegetables is a recent development.

 

Keep us posted on how it all goes.

 

 

[rice555]

Hello All, I've posted these links before as a another form of info on aquaculture,

and most of us have have checked out UVI classes a info, also U of Arizona research.

If you go to  www.hydroponics.com.au  you get the home page of Practical Hydroponics

and Green House Magazine.  On the lower L/H side of the page is a list of articles, click

on "Aquaponics  Myth or Magic".

After that, on the R/H side of the article is a list of free articles, click on "Why Not Organic

Hydroponics".

Then Issue 101 "Aquaponics Revisited".

Then Issue 103 "Sustainable Aquaponics".

rice555  

  

[rice555]

 

 

Hello All, crayfish, I don't see any of what you listed on my six, 25Kg bags of chems, is this a cut & paste

from an aquaculture site/article?

If it's coloring added to the micro nutrients in the A-B mix, but iron does give off a brown hue(rust) and copper

​gives off a blue color. Put some salt and vinegar on a penny, tell me what color it is next day.

But micros only amount to 80 grms in 1,000 Lts of nutrients and plant life is dependent on micro's and the other

base chems. The same chem mix is what all veg/fruit's need to grow, be they hydro or dirt grown, H-P-K +TE.

One reason that aqua-C growing can show slow growth, small harvest compared with dirt/hydro is the limited

amount of nutrients from fish and other critters waste 

Is there any hormones in fish food or the like? Growth regulators?

Taste, thats up to the individual, you can't make blanket statements about taste.

rice555

Good lock with your project.

 

rice i dont know about the ab mix or color additives , but your statement on the nutrients from fish and other critters is incorrect .... with proper management , fish waste , worm tea etc etc etc will outstrip all others including hydro and dirt ...google UVI the initial trial done years ago ... NSW has just opened a massive fish powered fresh produce farm to supply major retailers , forgot the name Blue something or other ... Earthan group(  a very smart aussie guy)have just completed a massive farm in UAE fueled by Fish alone ...( u can FB them) ...what i dont like about hydro is the waste water issue , what do u do with it ? that is safe ? happy growing !!

 

Hello All, cdmtdm I don't keep current on aquaponics as I don't care to raise fish or try to

keep the grow bed in balance, too time consuming.

UAE has the money to do it, they need to be able to feed them selves.

OZ has laws covering hydro waste water as do other western countries. You can dilute used nutes and water lawns(waste of water) or pasture, trees or dirt veggie garden.

rice555

[Jotham79]

You may want to check out the pinned thread on aquaponics on the organic gardening small holding sub-forum

[Sayonarax]

You need to be experienced with rearing fresh water fish before even attempting this...

 

As an aquarium hobbyist ive spent a good 18mths understanding and perfecting my fish keeping skills.

 

I really dont like the dyi jobs on youtube who just toss a few fish in a box.

 

It takes a lot more knowledge and experience then ya basic DWC setup

[grimleybob]

You need to be experienced with rearing fresh water fish before even attempting this...

 

As an aquarium hobbyist ive spent a good 18mths understanding and perfecting my fish keeping skills.

 

I really dont like the dyi jobs on youtube who just toss a few fish in a box.

 

It takes a lot more knowledge and experience then ya basic DWC setup

 

 

Could you please explain  you say that you need experience before attempting this.  How do you get experience without attempting this.

GB (confused)

[crayfish]

I have to agree with you sayonarax that you need experience with fresh water fish before attempting aquaponics. 6 months ago I bought 2 male and 4 female redclaw crayfish. I now have about 500 and to date I have not lost one. I also have 100 Tilapia. I consider myself experienced in keeping and breeding aquatic animals but am still learning aquaponics. The welfare of the fish will always come first before the plants. I still have a lot to learn about aquaponics. The problem I am facing at the moment is the question of balance. The volume of water in my big raceway tank is far greater than the volume in the growbeds. This is giving the plants too much nutrients and it is clogging up the roots. At the same time the water going back to the fish tank is not being purified by the plants. I have put the system on hold at the moment but will re-plumb the growbeds to the small raceway tank which is holding 40 Tilapia fish.

There are hundreds of videos about aquaponics but nothing beats hands on experience and a little commonsense.

After reading your post, I, as GB, was left a little confused.

[grimleybob]

I have to agree with you sayonarax that you need experience with fresh water fish before attempting aquaponics. 6 months ago I bought 2 male and 4 female redclaw crayfish. I now have about 500 and to date I have not lost one. I also have 100 Tilapia. I consider myself experienced in keeping and breeding aquatic animals but am still learning aquaponics. The welfare of the fish will always come first before the plants. I still have a lot to learn about aquaponics. The problem I am facing at the moment is the question of balance. The volume of water in my big raceway tank is far greater than the volume in the growbeds. This is giving the plants too much nutrients and it is clogging up the roots. At the same time the water going back to the fish tank is not being purified by the plants. I have put the system on hold at the moment but will re-plumb the growbeds to the small raceway tank which is holding 40 Tilapia fish.

There are hundreds of videos about aquaponics but nothing beats hands on experience and a little commonsense.

After reading your post, I, as GB, was left a little confused.

 

 

if you want to operate a system without additional filters then the growbeds have to be double the volume of the fish tanks. you will not have a successful system unless you adopt this ratio  GB

 

[crayfish]

GB Thanks for the info on ratio's. I have a column filter connected to the fish tank as well as the grow beds.I am going to try adjusting the water output so two thirds of the water goes to the column filter and the other third goes to the grow beds.Will let you know next week if it works or not.

Pic of the column filter. This is a vortex filter that works very well[attachment=255842:DSC05574.JPG]

The seedlings I started were doing well for the first week then they stopped growing. When I checked the root system I found they were clogged with fish excrement high in nutrients. I think by diverting two thirds of the water will work.

Any advise you can give will be gratefully appreciated

Thanks

Crayfish

[cdmtdm]

u need to have the water enter the rafts via a media bed first to remove some of the solids , also make sure u have some form of O2 supply into your rafts ....

[whitewater]

Great job on system, Rice also very good info, i hope i can see this system someday .

[grimleybob]

GB Thanks for the info on ratio's. I have a column filter connected to the fish tank as well as the grow beds.I am going to try adjusting the water output so two thirds of the water goes to the column filter and the other third goes to the grow beds.Will let you know next week if it works or not.

Pic of the column filter. This is a vortex filter that works very wellDSC05574.JPG

The seedlings I started were doing well for the first week then they stopped growing. When I checked the root system I found they were clogged with fish excrement high in nutrients. I think by diverting two thirds of the water will work.

Any advise you can give will be gratefully appreciated

Thanks

Crayfish

 

 

 

 

you can also put worms into the media, they will help by eating some detrius and clean up the roots  contact Wormfarmer for a supply  you wont need many because they will breed  you can feed the surplus to the fish  win win win

GB

 

[dasboot]

Just read through this and thought how unfriendly it was,the bottom line is Aquaponics/Hydroponics are really simple and fun,its ourselves that make it overcomplicated at times, in aquaponics what is difficult in having a fish tank,a media bed put a few fish in then a few plants,follow the rules on stocking and turnover /filter size and there you are. As things go on a small amount of supplements and your of and running,adding swirl/radial filters etc etc is almost in every situation unnesecary ,providing the known rules are followed. Commercial systems are different but for backyard systems just follow KISS,keep things stupidly simple and you won’t go wrong.

[crayfish]

Hi. Back again with a little more knowledge and experience on aquaponics. Since my last posting I have constructed a system that is up and running.

Pic 1 shows the holding tank ( blue tank with 500 liters of water) with 100 Tilapia fish inside. The water overflows to a radial flow filter removing the solids, the water then overflows to the grow bed and finally overflows to the sump tank holding the pump. I am using a 2000 liter an hour pump. Pic 2 shows the water entering the sump tank. By this time the water has been through the filter and the grow bed and is crystal clear before it enters the fish tank.Having the pump in the sump is benificial in that it doesn't get clogged up with solids making for less maintenance.

Pic 3 and 4 shows the radial flow filter

Pic 5 and 6  shows the pipe that draws water and solids from the bottom of the fish tank. I have put an endcap on and drilled holes at the bottom of the pipe.

Pic 7 shows the grow bed which I constructed myself. ( not an easy task) It holds 50 plants.  I am growing tomato's, cucumber, cantelope melons all from seed. They are growing but I have a problem in that the leaves are not very green. I thought it was a problem with sunlight so I changed part of the roof with clear plastic which has helped but still light green leaves.See Pic 8

The plants are floating on water continiously, the water is about 30 c.m. deep.

Pic 9 shows a pineapple plant that for some unknown reason didn't like to grow in soil, it wilted and the fruit dropped to the ground. It has been in the water for a week now and has picked up really well.

Pic 10 shows the root system of an egg plant. This started off in the crayfish tank and was transfered about 2 weeks ago during which time the roots have more than doubled in size.

Any advice on the yellow leaf problem greatly appreciated.

Regards

Crayfish

 

 

[crayfish]

Hi again  missing pic 10

[rhodie]

Thanks for 2 really interesting topics. May give it a go one day when I am in a position to. :)

[cdmtdm]

Hi again  missing pic 10

 Hi Crayfish , where is your bio filter ? if your removing the solids and then the flow is into the raft ,where does the nitrification process take place ? or am i missing something from the pics ? 

[Fapington]

Yellowing of the leaves can be an indication of an iron deficiency, but I do not think that is the case here.

 

Are you running any oxygen in your system at all? The yellowing looks like the plants are drowning, and in need of oxygen. Get some air stones going in your growbed under the rafts if you can.

 

Your ratio's are quite far off in terms of fish to growbed area. If you are able, you'll want to add more growing space. You haven't given the bacteria enough surface space. You might be ok if your keeping the solids out, you just won't be running at "optimum" performance.

 

Your filter is clear, you will have an algae bloom in your water. 

 

Just giving some tips! Not trying to sharp shoot your system. I understand you may just be experimenting, and not interested in the little nuances of "by the book" aquaponics.

 

Happy to help where I can.

[crayfish]

Hi Fapington

many thanks for your suggestions. Today I will buy another airpump and run oxygen under the rafts, something I had not thought about, feel sure that will help solve the problem. regarding ratio of fish to grow bed, you are right, there is an imbalance. At the moment I cannot add additional growbeds as I don't have the space, I am just experimenting at the moment. To increase the surface area for the bacteria to grow I have put plastic filter media under the rafts and filled the growpots with clay balls. I considered adding an external biofilter between the radial filter and the growbed but have read in several artices that with dwc systems it is not necessary.

To help create a balance between the fish and the growbed I am considering reducing the amount of water in the fishtank from 500 liters to 300 liters and eat some of the fish. This will require replumbing the tank but an easy job.

The pic of the radial filter shows the filter is clear but I had cleaned it out the day before I took the pic, in fact it is working really well and collecting a lot of solids, I don't think the problem lies there.

Again thanks for the tips, very much appreciated, keep them coming please.

My regards

Crayfish.

[Fapington]

You don't need to lower the volume of water in the fish tank, just remove some fish (if you think its necessary) based on your water test readings. :)

[cdmtdm]

Crayfish , my congrats for having a go , but you are setting yourself up for a failure , yes your system will seem likes its working for a short time as the plants suck up any nutrients available , but as you see probs have begun ...... i cannot tell you strongly enough make a bio filter in the same manner you made your solids filter , add it onto the system before it reaches the fish tank..... you bacteria need surface area and oxygen to flourish ....fill the bio up with brushes , green dish scrubbers , toilet brushes and dont make anything from clear plastic esp the bio filter ( black it out totally no light) ... the internet is full of AP advice but whatever u have been reading is incorrect .... i am trying to avoid AP getting a bad name due to so many failures from poor design and bad advice .... read up on the nitrification process ( google it) if u test your plant water now. i would bet that u have ammonia in the water ..... feed you raft O2 and monitor your PH , attached is a chart on PH and nutrient uptake levels ....

[Sandman77]

Tesco express and pizza company
Selling also this over deli ices labour salad grown under labour neon light
I stop buying it..

[cdmtdm]

Tesco express and pizza company
Selling also this over deli ices labour salad grown under labour neon light
I stop buying it..

u lost me .... what are u trying to say ? no one is selling AP veg commercially on a big scale in Thailand as of yet ..... more info please 

[crayfish]

Hi cdmtdm thanks for the advice on the bio filter.This weekend I converted the radial flow filter to a bio/ radial filter. As you can see from pic 1 I have cut the stand pipe down near the bottom of the bucket. I bolted a bottom of a plastic plant pot to a circular plastic mesh which is suspended with wire from the top. This is still acting as a radial filter, ( I hope) I purchased media bio balls which I have put in netting bags, there are six bags, including one with clay balls which all together fills the bucket. An airstone is now running from the bottom of the bio balls. I have covered the bucket with a cloth but will paint it when I have time. I feel sure this will work. Any comments very welcome.

Thanks again

Regards

Crayfish