Today, I will endeavor to simplify the overwhelming amount of intricate and time-consuming information found on the Internet regarding setting up an aquaponics system, in order to make it less intimidating.
What is aquaponics all about? It involves combining aquaculture and hydroponics systems to produce both fish and plants. However, can it truly be as effortless as I assert?
This question can be answered with both a yes and a no. Yes, as it can be made as easy or as difficult as desired. And no, because both aquaculture and hydroponics have their inherent difficulties. However, by combining both systems, the difficulties can be reduced from a few dozen to just a few.
There are only a few challenges that can arise in aquaponics, but they can be easily solved. These issues include:
- Space
What are the possible locations for placing your fish tank and grow beds? Options:
- Any south-facing space just like a greenhouse.
- A basement, garage, or carport. If you use an enclosed space like a garage or basement you will need to invest in grow lights since sunshine and heat are essential for both fish and plants.
- A greenhouse. This is the absolute best place for an aquaponics system since you won’t need to provide a heater for the fish tank in cold weather.
- Equipment
There are various solutions available.
- If you don’t have access to food-grade containers you can line the containers you do have with a pond liner.
- DO NOT use any containers that have been used to store chemicals or are comprised of any metal other than stainless steel. Avoid anything copper so that it doesn’t leech into your system since it can poison your fish.
- Any food-grade plastic containers large enough to hold 10-20 fish for a small system will work.
- Time
Possible solutions:
- An aquaponics system is not usable as soon as it is assembled. You will need to develop your bacteria colony before you can stock the fish tank and wait till you see how your fish are doing before planting your crops.
- It can take anywhere from 10 days to 3 weeks to allow the bacteria to find your system and develop a colony that will benefit your plants and fish.
In this article, our focus will be on the process of setting up your system within a greenhouse, which becomes effortless once you have determined the desired space for its construction.
The following equipment is required:
Aquarium filled with water that is specifically designed for keeping fish.
- This can be a large fish aquarium, a vinyl kiddie pool, or any food-grade plastic container.
- You will want to figure about 10 gallons of water for each fish. The ratio is 1 pound of adult fish to about 10 gallons of water. Stocking your tank with one fish per 10 gallons of water will help to keep your system balanced and reduce the amount of ammonia in the water and keep the pH in the optimum range.
Medium used for growth or cultivation
- Most DIYers setting up an aquaponics system will use pea gravel. It is relatively inexpensive and easily acquired.
- You can also use coir, peat moss, or expanded clay pellets.
Beds for growing plants
- These can be any other food-grade containers that you have access to. They should be between 6-12 inches deep although the deeper containers will allow you to grow a more varied number of plants in each bed if you are working with a limited amount of space.
- Many people will simply build a grow bed and line it with a pond liner. Doing this allows you to make it to the size you want and you can choose to stack grow beds for more planting space and add legs so that it will fit over your fish tank.
Master Test Kit for Freshwater
- A test kit is necessary to keep control of the chemicals that can build up in your fish tank. If there is too much ammonia in the water or the pH is too high it can harm your fish. If ammonia is high in the tank then your beneficial bacteria aren’t getting the nitrites they need to live and the plants aren’t getting the nitrates the bacteria produce.
- These kits test freshwater pH, ammonia, nitrite, high-range pH, and nitrate levels to help you control those levels more easily.
Pumps used for water.
- I am going to assume that you will be using an intermittent flow system since it is the easiest to set up and operate. However, you can also use either the continuous flow or ebb & flow systems as well.
- Choosing a water pump is very important for “turning over the water.” This filters and aerates it so that your fish remain healthy and the water does not become toxic with the amount of ammonia contained in the suspension.
- An intermittent flow system means that the grow beds will be flooded once an hour in a 15-minute on and 45-minute off cycle.
- Things to consider when choosing the right pump are fish tank volume and the distance between your pump and the top of your grow bed where the water will flood the growing medium. We will have to make a lot of assumptions here. Your calculations and measurements may be different from the picture we are creating.
- Assumption No. 1: Your fish tank is 100 gallons. One-hundred gallons divided by 24 hours means you will want to move 4-5 gallons per hour. However, you will not want to get a pump based solely on that figure.
- Assumption No. 2: Your fish tank is 2.5 feet deep and your pump will be sitting 6 inches from the bottom. Elevating your pump means you won’t get a bunch of solid fish poo gumming up your pump.
- Assumption No. 3: There are about 1.5 feet between the top of your fish tank and the bottom of your grow bed.
- Assumption No. 4: Your grow bed is 12 inches deep.
- With these four assumptions made, we can determine what size pump you will need to purchase for your system. Simple math skills will aid you here. 30 inches (fish tank depth) – 6 inches (pump elevation) + 18 inches (space between tank and bottom of grow bed) + 12 inches (grow bed depth) = 54 inches. This means that your head height, or the distance between the pump and the top of the grow bed, is 4.5 feet.
- The best pump to get for the system described will be one that will cycle 5 gallons or more per hour with a head height (or “rise”) of about 5 feet. You will also need to consider the size of the tubing that you are using for your pump. There may be an efficiency loss of 15-30 percent the greater your head height and tubing size are.
Why Barramundi Aquaponics
When it comes to aquaponics beginners, the tilapia is likely the first fish that comes to mind and is commonly experimented with. Numerous articles have been dedicated to discussing their resilience and ability to withstand errors in an aquaponics setup, which indeed makes them a suitable option. However, it is worth considering barramundi aquaponics as well.
The barramundi, commonly known as Asian sea bass or barra, belongs to the catadromous family and is widely found in the Indo-West Pacific region encompassing Southeast Asia and northern Australia. This is why it enjoys significant popularity in Australia and Thailand.
Pla kapong, known as a highly popular Thai dish, is widely recognized.
Given the natural habitat of this fish, it is no wonder that it thrives in warm water. Thus, if you reside in a colder region, you might opt for the more resilient tilapia. Alternatively, you must be prepared to ensure a warm water environment.
These fish are notorious for their fearlessness, as they will consume almost anything. Observing them when they become hungry can be quite entertaining, as they aggressively strike the water. It serves as a clear indication that these creatures are indeed formidable predators.
If you’re new to aquaponics, it’s important to note that the barramundi may not be the most suitable option. While this fish grows quickly, successfully raising barramundi fingerlings to maturity can be challenging unless you possess the necessary knowledge and expertise.
The fact that barramundi fingerlings are around one inch in length gives a valid explanation for this situation. When they reach this size, they begin to bite each other. If adult fish are present in the same tank, the situation will worsen. It is common for a fingerling to swim with a part of its body missing. This injured fingerling will eventually perish, either naturally or by being consumed by the other barramundi.
You will need to invest in small cages and place them in your fish tank for this reason. The concept behind it is that the bigger fish will be unable to consume the barramundi fingerlings since they cannot pass through the cage bars. It is worth noting that once the barramundi grows to a size ranging from 4 to 6 inches, they will cease their attempts to prey on one another.
You can choose to buy double the number of fingerlings required and anticipate that only half of them will survive.
Pros and Cons of Barramundi in Aquaponics
Are you prepared to discover the advantages of maintaining a barramundi aquaponics system?
Rapidly increasing in size or speed
It is undeniable that this fish grows rapidly. Within just one summer season, you can reach plate size by utilizing the substantial amount of waste they generate to nourish your plants.
High volume of waste.
The amount of waste produced from these fish’s eating habits guarantees a sufficient supply to feed a decent-sized grow bed. The size requirement for the bed will vary depending on the tank size and the number of fish you have.
As always, it is recommended to provide a minimum of 5 to 10 gallons of water for each barramundi. In the case of long-term keeping, you might need to increase this quantity to 10 to 20 gallons per fish.
Having a good time; enjoyable.
Although the primary objective of tending to fish in aquaponics systems or for fish farming is not to have fun, it is worth mentioning that barramundi fish can be quite amusing. Taking care of these fish may pose some challenges initially, but they will soon become gentle and passive, behaving similarly to Koi Carp when it comes to feeding time.
Keep in mind that every aquaponics system comes with its limitations.
Water needs
If you neglect to take precautions, the barramundi’s voracious eating habits will generate a significant amount of waste that will accumulate rapidly in the tank. This excessive waste can overload the bacteria’s capacity to convert it into nitrates, leading to the potential blockage of the pipes. To avoid such a problem, it is essential to have a reliable filtration system in place.
Temperature is a measure of the level of heat or coldness in an object or environment.
If the fish are not maintained at their preferred temperature, you will observe a hindered growth and even potential death. This implies that if you reside outside of the tropics, you will need to find a way to keep the water warm, which might incur a significant cost.
It is important to mention that the barramundi can endure colder months as long as the temperature stays above 60°F. Nevertheless, during this time, they will primarily rest at the bottom and have minimal appetite. Consequently, there might not be adequate nourishment available for the plants you intend to cultivate.
Maintaining the same meaning, the text can be rephrased as: “The level of sensitivity remains unchanged.”
In order to ensure the well-being of barramundi, it is crucial to not only maintain the appropriate water temperature, but also to uphold a high level of dissolved oxygen. It is imperative to keep ammonia levels low and avoid fluctuations in pH, as these factors are not tolerated by barramundi.
In order to maintain the same meaning, you should focus on maintaining the water temperature within the range of 77 to 86°F, the pH level between 6.5 and 7.2, and ensure that the ammonia levels do not exceed 2 ppm.
Nature exhibiting predatory behavior.
Being predatory fish, they would initiate an attack if they were your size. Consequently, it is essential to have an ample number of cages and an additional tank. Neglecting this requirement would result in the young fish devouring one another and getting preyed upon by the grown-ups, thereby jeopardizing the possibility of establishing a flourishing barramundi aquaponics system.
Barramundi temperature
The barramundi thrives in temperatures ranging from 77°F to 86°F. Any temperature below this range will result in their sluggishness and eventual death. Likewise, extremely high temperatures pose a challenge for the barramundi.
Barramundi growth rate
As previously stated, the barra fish is known for its rapid growth rate. Within a timeframe of 5 months, it should attain a weight of 1 pound, followed by reaching approximately 2 pounds in around 7 months. Additionally, by the one-year mark, its weight can potentially reach up to 4 pounds. However, these figures are contingent upon various factors, including space availability and the fish’s food supply, among other environmental elements.
