An indoor fish tank aquaponics system is one of the most popular methods for practicing aquaponics. This system is perfect for urban areas with limited space because it enables you to grow your own fresh produce and fish throughout the year.
Setting up an indoor fish tank aquaponics system can pose difficulties, particularly for beginners. This comprehensive guide aims to provide you with all the necessary information to effectively establish and sustain your own indoor fish tank aquaponics system. Our coverage spans from choosing suitable fish and plants to system setup, encompassing all crucial aspects to guarantee the prosperity of your aquaponics system.
Advantages of the Aquaponics Fish Tank
Here are several benefits of owning an aquaponics fish tank.
- Sustainable: Aquaponics is a sustainable method of growing fish and plants. It is a closed-loop system that recirculates water and nutrients, which significantly reduces water usage and eliminates the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
- Space-saving: An aquaponics fish tank can be set up indoors, which is ideal for those living in urban areas or in apartments where outdoor space is limited. The system can be designed to fit any space, making it a great option for those with limited space.
- Year-round growing: An aquaponics fish tank allows you to grow fresh produce and fish all year round, regardless of the weather conditions outside. This means you can enjoy a continuous supply of fresh, healthy food.
- Nutritious food: The produce grown in an aquaponics fish tank is fresh, nutrient-dense, and free of harmful chemicals. The fish also provide a source of lean protein that is rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
- Educational: An aquaponics fish tank can be a great educational tool for children and adults alike. It teaches the importance of sustainability, responsible food production, and the interconnectedness of different living organisms.
The Main Types of Aquaponics Fish Tanks
Depending on your needs and the availability of space, you can choose from a variety of aquaponics fish tanks.
Aquaponics Fish Tank, specifically designed to meet individual needs.
If your specific requirements are not met by pre-made systems, a custom-built aquaponics fish tank is a great choice. The tanks can be created in different sizes and shapes, depending on the available space.
You have the flexibility to customize the tank according to your specific needs and preferences, incorporating any desired features or technologies. For instance, you might choose to add extra grow beds or filtration systems, or use specific materials or components not found in pre-made systems.
Although custom-built aquaponics fish tanks may necessitate more expertise and resources during installation, they provide enhanced flexibility and customization alternatives.
Fish Tank without decorations.
The most basic kind of aquaponics fish tank is a plain fish tank. In this setup, plants are cultivated directly in the water without any extra growing material. The fish supply the essential nutrients for the plants, while the plants purify the water for the fish.
Plain fish tanks, which can be easily obtained from pet stores or online, are typically smaller and simple to set up and maintain. Made of glass or acrylic, they may not offer the same level of efficiency or provide ideal growing conditions for certain plants. Nonetheless, their main advantage lies in their simplicity.
Kits for fish tanks.
Fish tank kits are all-inclusive systems designed for beginners in aquaponics and provide all necessary components such as a fish tank, grow bed, pump, and other essential elements to easily initiate their system without any difficulties.
Fish tank kits can be easily chosen based on your needs and space availability, as they are offered in various sizes and configurations. These kits can be purchased from online stores or specialized aquaponics retailers.
Aquaponic systems are generally straightforward to set up and maintain, offering favorable conditions for various plants and fish. Nonetheless, they may lack the extensive customization options of custom-built systems and may not be as efficient as advanced systems like media-based or DWC systems.
How to Choose the Best Fish Tank for Aquaponics?
When selecting an aquaponics fish tank, it is important to consider various factors such as your available space, budget, expertise, and the types of plants and fish you intend to grow. Keep these considerations in mind in order to choose the best fish tank for your aquaponics system.
- Size: It will depend on the available space you have and the number and size of the fish you want to keep. As a general rule, the fish tank should be at least 50 gallons for small systems and up to several hundred gallons for larger systems.
- Material: The two main materials used for aquaponics fish tanks are glass and acrylic. Glass tanks are more durable and scratch-resistant but are also heavier and more expensive. Acrylic tanks are lighter and less expensive but may scratch more easily.
- Shape: It will depend on the available space and the type of aquaponics system you want to use. Rectangular or square tanks are the most common, but round or oval tanks may also be used.
- Filtration: The fish tank should be equipped with a filtration system to remove waste and other harmful substances from the water. Depending on the system type, this may be a separate filter or a component integrated into the aquaponics system.
- Accessibility: The fish tank should be easily accessible for cleaning, maintenance, and feeding. Consider the placement of the tank and the ease of access when choosing a location.
- Compatibility: It should be compatible with the types of plants and fish you want to grow. Some fish require specific water temperature, pH levels, and other environmental factors that need to be taken into account when selecting a tank.
- Budget: The cost of the fish tank will depend on the size, material, and features. Custom-built systems are usually more expensive than pre-made kits, but they offer greater flexibility and customization options.
Populating Your Garden
After setting up and filling the garden, many new aquaponic gardeners eagerly look forward to the liveliness and growth of the components. However, it is important to consider the complexity of life at this stage, as it is easy to make mistakes. Selecting resilient and low-maintenance fish and plants can significantly impact the garden’s maintenance requirements, ensuring it runs smoothly for extended periods with minimal effort required, only involving feeding and occasional water top-ups.
To begin with, it is important to acknowledge certain facts that cannot be avoided: if you desire a high yield from your garden, you must invest more in it – be it time, money, or effort. If you wish to have the simplest aquaponic garden possible, there are compromises that need to be made, such as opting for ornamental plants rather than crops and maintaining a smaller number of fish. However, the good news is that there are strategies to simplify the process regardless of your goals.
Growing food involves cultivating specially selected plants that can grow quickly and on a large scale. This necessitates providing ample light and nutrients. To achieve this, it is necessary to either have a dedicated grow light or ensure the plants are in a very sunny area. Additionally, the plants will require a significant amount of food, often in the form of fish. To support a heavy fish population, it is advisable to have additional filtration and aeration systems in place. Moreover, it is important to regularly test various water parameters since any issues can have a more rapid and detrimental effect. The plants also have heightened nutritional needs, making them susceptible to changes in water chemistry variables that impact nutrient uptake.
When considering the ease of growing food crops, greens are usually easier to cultivate compared to fruiting plants such as peppers or tomatoes. Growing salad mixes and lettuce is generally straightforward as they do not demand excessive light or nutrition like many other vegetables. It is crucial to harvest them frequently to prevent bitterness or the development of seeds, which makes them ideal for enjoying fresh salads regularly.
Cultivating herb gardens can be an ideal solution for those who want to strike a balance between growing edible plants and maintaining a purely decorative garden. A multitude of herbs have the ability to become sturdy perennial plants, and once they reach this stage, they demand minimal maintenance while offering a convenient means of having fresh herbs readily available without the need to venture outdoors. Basil, sage, mint, oregano, and various other types of herbs can flourish in an aquaponic garden.
Many types of houseplants are chosen specifically to tolerate low light and require little care. Devil’s ivy, ferns, arrow plants, kalanchoe, and other attractive plants can thrive in an aquaponic garden with minimal effort, as long as they receive moderate light from a window or bright overhead fixtures. The main drawback is that these plants grow slowly and do not absorb nutrients as quickly as food crops, which means that maintaining a dense population of fish without polluting the water may be challenging. Additionally, flowering plants require more attention to bloom, so choose a plant that looks appealing even without flowers.
To learn more about the type of fish you want to keep, visiting an aquarium or specialty pet shop is a great idea. While associates at larger pet stores may not have extensive knowledge about fish, smaller stores that focus on aquariums usually have passionate staff members who are very knowledgeable and eager to help. Simply explain your goal to them and let them share their expertise. Here are some basic guidelines to help you get started in selecting fish.
- The maximum population of your tank is a function of the (full-grown) size of your fish and how many of them you’re keeping. In general, with small fish, it’s best not to exceed 1” of total fish length per gallon of tank, which in this case means a total nose-to-tail length of adult fish of about 10”. Many common aquarium fish grow to an adult size close to 2”, so a school of 5 or so would be ideal. Make sure you know how big the fish you want are going to get!
- For most fish, their natural behavior and comfort – which has a powerful effect on their health and longevity – requires that they be in a school of at least 4-5 fish of the same or a closely related, similar species.
- Some fish are aggressive and don’t make good tankmates with others. Some fish come from very unusual water conditions and won’t be able to live in the same water that makes other fish happy. Make sure you know a little bit about different species of fish before you mix them together. (Or ask someone who does!)
- A few common varieties of fish that work well in small to medium aquariums: mollies, platies, most barbs (cherry, tiger, checkerboard, etc.), many tetras (neon, lemon, skirt, silver, bloodfin, and many more), rubberlip or bristlenose varieties of plecostomus (commonly called suckerfish or algae eaters), danios (zebra, leopard, Glofish), dwarf or pygmy corydoras catfish
- Some common varieties to avoid for a ten-gallon tank: goldfish (They don’t actually stop growing naturally – their adult size is around 8” long and they can live for many years! If they get too cramped, though, they generally live a much shorter, less healthy life.), common plecostomus & tinfoil barbs (also much too large), angelfish & most other cichlids (mostly too large and aggressive), most catfish (too large)
- Interesting options beyond fish: So-called “mystery” snails and the smaller nerite snails require virtually no extra care and can even help clean the tank of waste buildup and algae. Ghost shrimp or cherry shrimp make a fun and easy addition to an established tank – they also need no special care. (Watch out for small snails with spiraled conical shells. They may be Malaysian trumpet snails, a prolific pest which is very difficult to eradicate.)
How to Build Your Own Fish Tank Aquaponics System?
Below is a chronological process to follow in order to construct your personal aquaponics system within a fish tank.
To create a Media Bed, follow these steps.
To allow plants to absorb nutrients from water, the media bed is utilized. A suitable growing medium, such as gravel, clay pebbles, or lava rock, is selected to establish the media bed. Geotextile fabric is then placed over the bottom of the grow bed to prevent the growing medium from falling through the drainage holes.
Place the selected medium in the grow bed, ensuring sufficient room for the plants’ growth. Additionally, the media bed will serve as a biofilter to eliminate potentially hazardous substances from the water.
The pipes connecting the water pump to the bulkheads.
To circulate the water from the fish tank to the media bed and back, the water pump should be connected to the bulkhead fittings on the side of the fish tank. Position the bulkhead fittings on the fish tank and the media bed and connect the pipes from the water pump to these fittings.
To ensure optimal growing conditions for the plants and fish, ensure that the pipes are securely fastened and that the water flow rate is appropriately adjusted. Afterward, test the system for any leaks and make necessary adjustments to the water flow rate.
The process of adding water to the tank involves thinking step by step.
Before introducing any fish or plants, make sure to fill the fish tank with clean, dechlorinated water. Next, add beneficial bacteria to aid in the establishment of the nitrogen cycle. This cycle is crucial for the fish’s survival and the plants’ well-being since it transforms ammonia from fish waste into nitrite and eventually nitrate, which serves as a nutrient source for the plants.
To ensure that the pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels are within the recommended range, it is important to regularly monitor the water quality.
The process of introducing fish to the system.
Begin by selecting a suitable fish species for your aquaponics system, such as tilapia, catfish, or trout. Proceed by gradually introducing the fish to the tank in order to acclimate them to their new environment.
To ensure the fish are healthy and thriving, it is crucial to regularly monitor the water quality and temperature. Additionally, it is important to regularly monitor the health and behavior of the fish and feed them with high-quality fish food.
When considering the addition of plants to the fish tank, it is important to think step by step.
When selecting plants for your aquaponics systems, such as lettuce, herbs, or strawberries, carefully plant the seedlings in the grow bed to avoid harming the roots. The plants will extract nutrients from the water and eliminate any detrimental substances, thus creating a sanitary and wholesome habitat for the fish.
Monitor the plant growth and health regularly and adjust the water flow and nutrient levels as necessary to ensure optimal growing conditions.
Maintenance
Even if your garden becomes problem-free in the end, you will still need to navigate the challenging initial setup phase in the first few weeks until the system becomes stable. After your tank has completed its cycle and you have stocked and planted your garden, there will only be a few additional tasks apart from feeding your fish and, if you are growing food, harvesting and replanting.
Before buying and storing a complete water test kit, it is worth knowing that many pet stores and aquarium stores offer complimentary or low-cost basic water testing. Simply provide them with a small (½ cup) sample of water, and they will assist you with various water-related problems.
It is recommended to test the pH of your aquarium water at least once a week in order to understand its acidity or basicity. Testing the pH can provide valuable information about the water quality. Additionally, it is crucial to monitor and make necessary adjustments to the pH level. The following points highlight the key facts about pH:
- Fish and plants are adapted to specific pH ranges and need to stay in a comfortable pH to thrive. For small aquaponic systems, a pH of slightly below neutral is preferred. Neutral is 7.0, so keeping your water slightly acidic (6.6-6.8) will keep most fish happy and allow your plants the best access to nutrients in the water.
- The normal operation of your biofilter, the bacteria that live in your garden and do most of the work of processing toxic fish waste into plant food, will cause pH to decrease (acidify) over time. This means you may occasionally need to adjust the pH upward. You can use pH adjustment products from your local pet or aquarium shop, or you can simply perform partial water changes if your source water is slightly alkaline.
- If you find that your pH is consistently low (< 6.2), it likely means that you have a lot of biological activity in your system – lots of food going in, and lots of waste getting processed. If this is the case, consider testing your nitrate levels. Plants can only use up nutrients so fast, and if you have lots and lots of nutrients going in, they may be accumulating as nitrate faster than the plants can take them up. Nitrate is not highly toxic under normal conditions, but high levels of nitrate can poison your fish over time. If you are accumulating nitrate, you may need to reduce the amount you feed your fish or perform occasional partial water changes to help remove the excess. (Increasing the amount of light your plants receive can also help reduce nitrate by speeding up plant growth!)
