backyard aquaponics
Hubby and I started this little aquaponics project last summer using the flood and drain method. We managed to grow quite a few things, but most ended up being fed to the chickens. Aquaponics is the greatest way, to be self-sustaining. It uses 90% less water than conventional farming, in fact you hardly ever need to water. It’s a combination of hydroponics and aquaculture; you can grow fresh organic herbs and vegetables as well as provide fish for the table
Year-round, indoors or out. Water from the fish tank is pumped up to flood the grow bed where the clay pebbles and beneficial bacteria converts the fish poop into nitrates to feed the plants. The plants filter and return clean water back into the tank. The pump runs on a timer, so you never need to worry about watering. Just feed your fish daily,
, and every now and then, top up the water that has been lost through evaporation. It can be a small set up for kitchen herbs, or large scale production. Kits like the ones from Earth Solutions can be purchased ranging from a few $100 to $1, 000’s. Or do-it-yourself like hubby and I did.
Backyard Aquaponics: Diy System To Farm Fish & Veggies
French beans and cucumbers planted in the ground to climb against the back wall. Both did well, especially cukes later in the season.
Bok choy seedlings that were started in rockwool. Tomato, lettuce and strawberries also in the grow bed. Both the grow bed and fish tank are made from food-grade plastic.
Bok choy seedlings started late summer, sprinkled directly in the clay pebbles. I thought the seeds would be washed away when the bed was flooded, but stayed put in the pebbles.
Backyard Aquaponics And How Does It Work
Tank of fish sits on shelf above ground, where it got too hot in summer and froze in winter. The water in tank and pond is tested every few days to maintain a ph level of 7, where both plants and fish will be happy.
Aquaponics using floating method, broccoli growing right in the pond. These didn’t get very big. Will try leafier vegetables this year. Racoons loved flipping these over at night.
Last year in the aquaponics grow bed, we had success with heat-tolerant strawberries and tomatoes, but cold-loving plants like bok choy and lettuce, didn’t do so well once August came. The heat in the greenhouse on a sunny day would soar to 120ºF even with fan on and doors wide open. Lettuce and bok choy quickly bolted, sensing that their end was near. I lost a fish every day from the heat, often putting icepacks in the water to try and cool it down. As a result, my fish poop/grow bed ratio was off and the veggies were nutrient deficient with yellowing leaves. The remaining fish overwintered in the tank until everything froze in February. This year, we’ve sunk the tanks right into the ground and added styrofoam insulation to hopefully maintain better temperatures.
Great Fish Options For Your Backyard Aquaponics System
We eat a lot of shrimp, store-bought radiated frozen shrimp from some where in Asia…because of this I wanted to try growing Malaysian Freshwater Prawns in our own backyard. They are born and raised first in saltwater, and then the
Phase from June to October in freshwater ponds or in our case, tanks. We hope to end up with fresh prawns at harvest time, and plenty leftover for the freezer.
The prawns thrive in temperatures of 80-85ºF, much cooler…death, much hotter…death. Hubby has dug two large 120 gallon tanks, about 45″ x 28″ x 24″ deep. Insulated with 2″ styrofoam and lined it with a fish-safe pond liner (this was much cheaper than purchasing plastic tanks, cost to build each tank was just under $100).
Diy Aquaponic Plans You Can Actually Build
We’ve filled the tanks with warm water and have been monitoring the temperature. As a backup, we are also looking at raising fish, either Tilapia, Bluegill or Trout (still looking for a supplier of fingerlings). Two more grow beds will be added above these tanks to keep the water clean and provide more vegetables.
We eat a lot of shrimp, store-bought radiated frozen shrimp from some where in Asia…because of this I wanted to try growing Malaysian Freshwater Prawns in our own backyard. They are born and raised first in saltwater, and then the
Phase from June to October in freshwater ponds or in our case, tanks. We hope to end up with fresh prawns at harvest time, and plenty leftover for the freezer.
The prawns thrive in temperatures of 80-85ºF, much cooler…death, much hotter…death. Hubby has dug two large 120 gallon tanks, about 45″ x 28″ x 24″ deep. Insulated with 2″ styrofoam and lined it with a fish-safe pond liner (this was much cheaper than purchasing plastic tanks, cost to build each tank was just under $100).
Diy Aquaponic Plans You Can Actually Build
We’ve filled the tanks with warm water and have been monitoring the temperature. As a backup, we are also looking at raising fish, either Tilapia, Bluegill or Trout (still looking for a supplier of fingerlings). Two more grow beds will be added above these tanks to keep the water clean and provide more vegetables.
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