New Growth in my Windowfarm!

I was pleasantly surprised to see my strawberry plant flowering yesterday!

Im also seeing some growth in the Basil planted in the windowfarm.

The green onions are doing really well, and I cut one to mix with my eggs for breakfast this morning.  This marks the first time Ive eaten anything that Ive grown.  Awesome!

The lavender on my windowsill is also starting to grow.

My little garden is coming to life!  My betta, Tarzan, is happy!  Our frog Henri is happy!  Our cat, Alex, is happy!  And, Im super happy!

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Pros and Cons of Different System Types

Commercial Aquaponics

Ive been trying to compare the pros and cons of different types of aquaponic systems recently.  Right now, Im working on constructing a 105 gallon setup at my friends apartment.  Were making a simple flood and drain system, with a 50 gallon grow bed.  Filling that grow bed will require almost 200 Liters of expanded clay or some other media.  All that media is going to double the cost of our system.  We were thinking about alternative methods, such as expanded shale or even something like legos (but we dont have nearly 50 Gallons of legos).  The cost of buying a grow media for a large grow bed is so high, that it really got me thinking about alternative systems.  Heres a list of pros and cons of various aquaponic systems.  If you know anything that I havent listed, please leave a comment and Ill add it to my list and credit you.

Media Bed Systems

Chift Pist, Simple Flood and Drain (Ebb and Flow), Constant Flood (Continuous Flow)

Pros

· Self Cleaning - The grow media filters out the fish waste
· A media bed performs three (3) filtering functions:

    · mechanical (solids removal)

    · mineralization (solids breakdown and return to the water) 

    · bio-filtration

· Media provides better plant support and is more closely related to traditional soil gardening because there is a media to plant into

Cons

· Expensive growing media

A Typical Media Bed

Chift Pist

Pros

· Pump is in sump tank away from fish and wastes

· Water level in fish tank remains constant

· Great if you have a tall fish tank

· Larger water volume because of sump

Cons

· Extra equipment required (sump tank)

· Must have tall fish tank or stand

· Can take up larger footprint

Chift Pist system

Simple Flood and Drain / Ebb and Flow

Pros

· The grow bed can be separated from the fish reservoir

· Simple design - Only two major system components - lower cost

· It is easy to understand and learn

· Great if you have a tall fish tank

Cons

· Requires a timer or bell syphon
· Pump is in fish tank, exposed to fish and waste

· Water level in tank fluctuates a little

Simple Flood and Drain system

Constant Flood / Continuous Flow

Pros

· Same as the Simple Flood and Drain, except when you remove the timer, the system is constantly flooding

Cons

· Pump is in fish tank

· Plant roots can become waterlogged, and areas of the grow bed can become stagnant and anaerobic as the flow of fresh water through the bed moves around any blockages

Constant Flood system

Deep Water Culture (DWC)

Pros

· Resistant against water temperature and pH fluctuations

· Excellent root development due to easy access to oxygen

· There is plenty of surface area for the beneficial bacteria to grow

· Very good for lettuces and leafy vegetables – used extensively by commercial farmers

Cons

· Requires additional filtration to remove solids

· Large plants such as tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. can be difficult, if not impossible, to support

Deep Water Culture system

Nutrient Film Technique (NFT)

Pros

· Both components (fish and plants) may be decoupled from each other whenever required and can/do operate independently of each other if required.  I believe this is important in a commercial situation because it allows fish or plant production to continue when and if there are any problems with the other component

Cons

· Water susceptible to temperature fluctuations
· Requires additional filtration to remove solids
· Roots that die and detach from plants can cause blockages in water flow

· NFT is only really suitable for certain types of plants, generally leafy green vegetables, larger plants will have root systems that are too big and invasive, or they become too heavy for the lightweight growing gutters

Nutrient Film Technique system

Sources:

• http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/guide-to-aquaponics/running-system/
• http://myownaquaponics.com/home-2/get-started/
• http://aquaponicgardening.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Aquaponic-Gardening-Rules-of-Thumb.pdf
• http://affnan-aquaponics.blogspot.com/2010/12/conceptual-3d-rendering-of-aquaponics.html
• http://www.kijanigrows.com/
• http://globalaquaponics.wordpress.com/tag/commercial-aquaponics/
• http://aquaponicsusa.wordpress.com/2011/12/13/watch-our-humble-seed-lettuce-thrive/
• Comments on reddit that corrected my mistakes:  http://redd.it/1d18i8

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ZipGrow Towers are Awesome!

Since Ive started learning about aquaponics, one of the coolest technologies that Ive seen is the ZipGrow towers, made by Bright Agrotech.  Theyre a way to grow vertically, with hydroponics or aquaponics.  The idea looks very simple.  Its one of those, "Why didnt I think of that," kind of ideas.

The ZipGrow tower looks like a square fence post with a 2-inch slit cut down one face long-ways.  A long strip of polymer foam with very large pores is folded in half, and inserted into the post.  The plants roots grow in between the folded foam, and water drips from the top of the post down the foam, watering all the plants roots.  They have some amazing results with these things on their farms in Wisconsin.  Good for these guys!

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Aquafarm Review Day 4

I recently received the AquaFarm that I had ordered from Back To the Roots.  It took quite a long time for this to be shipped out, but it finally arrived.  I set it up almost immediately, and then remembered that I wanted to do a "how to" video for setting it up.  I was too eager, and forgot!

Anyway, heres a quick review.  Ive had it set up for 4 days.  The first beta fish that I put in the tank died after 2 days, so I got a second beta for the tank.  I cant say whether the first beta fish died because of the AquaFarm design, or if it was just an unhealthy fish.  Well see how this fishy does.

AquaFarm Review

AquaFarm Packaging

Sorry about the dark photo, but heres the AquaFarm!

You can see where the airline tubing for the air lift goes down into the fish tank.

It came with Lettuce, Basil, and Wheat Grass

It also came with de-chlorinating chemicals, beneficial bacteria, a fish-cleaning solution, and a tank cleaning supplement called Tidy Tank.

Overall, I think this is a pretty cool system, and I cant wait to see what it grows!

AquaFarms are available from Back To The Roots for $60.

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Windowfarm Update 3

The Basil doesnt seem to be doing too well.

The Parsley is thriving!

Ive cut the rosemary a few times for tasty recipes.  Its still growing strong.

The strawberries are coming along, and we even have a few small berries.

Berries!

However, Im afraid that I may be overwatering the strawberry plant.  The leaves are turning yellow and brown, which may be a sign of overwatering.  Im planning on getting a timer to stagger the water flow.

I planted some spare garlic that I didnt use for dinner!  Its sprouted and is doing well.

Our Venus Fly traps are open.

Parsley is doing well, lavender is not.

Meow!

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The Valhalla Project has some great ideas!

I was browsing kickstarter a few days ago and came across this fundraiser for "The Farm of the Future."  The group behind the project calls themselves Valhalla.

"We are Valhalla -- a group of people dedicated to making sustainable communal living mainstream and inspiring people to help create the beautiful world our hearts tell us is possible."
I like their mission statement and in particular, I thought their idea of combining an earthship structure with a greenhouse was really cool.  Check them out!

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Update to Apartment Windowfarm

I added more plants to my windowfarm today and fiddled with the airlift to get it working a bit better.  The water wasnt syphoning out of the fish tank very well, so I got the syphon working better, and now more water is flowing.  I added some a rosemary plant and a strawberry plant.  The green onions from a week ago are still growing strong.  I started them from supermarket green onions.  I kept the root after using the green part in a recipe, and the root grew more green onions!  Im also trying to start some basil and parsley from seeds in the fish rock media.  Im pretty sure that Ive seen other people having success with starting from seed directly in the grow media.  Heres the update video:

The Windowfarm in front of my kitchen window.

Strawberries!

Rosemary!

Ive also had some lavender seeds laying around, so I planted them in the potting soil left over from the strawberries and rosemary.  When that grows some roots, Ill switch it out with the green onions, which should be done growing by then.

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Aquaponic Windowfarm Update

Our windowfarm is having some ups and downs. The strawberries are growing and starting to turn red.

I planted some garlic and its sprouting.

The rosemary is great.

The parsley is great.

The basil isnt growing. Any suggestions on what I should try to replace it with?

Im going to finally finish the plumbing for Pogos 105 gallon system this week. By next weekend we should have it filled with media and water. Well start fishless cycling, and hopefully be growing soon!

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Apartment Aquaponic Windowfarm Garden

Hey everybody,

This is my first post for this blog.  I posted this youtube video about a week ago after I finally got my aquaponic windowfarm garden set up in my kitchen.  I followed the windowfarming plans available online.  I added a 5 gallon water cooler jug at the bottom for a fish reservoir   I have a betta and an african dwarf frog in the water jug.  Im not sure that theyll provide enough nutrients for all 5 plants, but well find out.  Im planning on using mostly herbs, as they will need less nutrients than fruiting plants.  Heres the video:

I want to use this blog to track my progress with this garden, and the other aquaponic projects that Im working on.  I hope youll enjoy my posts, and maybe youll learn a thing or two (or maybe you can teach me a thing or two).

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Ordering another Water Test Kit and an Aquafarm Review to come!

Ive been waiting to receive a replacement color chart for measuring pH, Ammonia, Nitrate, and Nitrite levels.  I sent API $2 for a replacement, but its taking forever.  So, I ordered a new test kit from amazon.  Theyre marked down to ~$16 dollars from ~$20.  I can use this at home, since my other test kit is at Pogos apartment with his 105 gallon system.

Also, I just received my pre-ordered AquaFarm from BacktotheRoots.com.  This is the most hyped aquaponic kit that was on Kickstarter recently.  Im excited to get a Betta fish tonight and get it set up.  Ill have an unboxing video, and a review of the system in the coming weeks.

I also recently read an article about Aqua Vita farms in upstate New York.  Theyre one of the only commercial Aquaponic farms on the east coast.  Theyre looking for a buyer or investor, otherwise theyll have to close up shop in about a week.  Its a shame to see that they couldnt see profitable margins in their venture.  The owner, Mark Doherty, claimed that they had to redesign their system to make it more efficient and profitable.  However, they ran out of capital because of the redesign, and now they dont have enough money to stay afloat.  I hope them all the best, and I hope that I can someday meet Mark and learn from their experiences.  Heres a link to the article:  http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/06/aqua_vita_farms_owner_we_need.html.

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Windowfarm update

Hey everyone!  Its been a while since my last update, and Ive been seeing some great growth in my windowfarm recently, so heres an update.

The Basil is growing pretty slowly.  Its on the top shelf of the windowfarm, so maybe its not getting as much light as the rest of the plants.

The parsley is jumping out, stretching towards the window!

The Rosemary plant is growing strong.  This one was bought from Home Depot a few weeks ago, so it was already growing.  Ive been using it in some recipes too.  I threw some sprigs into the slow cooker with some pulled pork that I cooked last night.  It turned out incredible.

The Strawberry plant is growing well, too.  The leaves are getting bigger, and Ive seen a bunch of flowers bloom.  The white flower petals fall off, and it looks like a baby strawberry.  Ive never grown strawberries before, so Im not sure if these will get bigger and turn into strawberries or not.

I used the green onions this morning on pulled pork grilled cheese sandwiches (might be my new favorite grilled cheese variation).  I had started them from some green onions that I got at the supermarket.  I cut them a few times, so they werent growing back very big anymore, so I pulled them to make room for something else.

The lavender doesnt seem to be doing too well.  These guys shot up pretty quickly, and then kind of stagnated.  Im not sure if theyre getting too much light next to the window, or not enough because theyre down in the solo cup.

The parsley on the window sill is doing awesome too!

Lana got a Venus Fly Trap that is starting to open up!

I also switched out the airline tubing and the one-way check valve for my airlift.  The thin airline tubing was getting clogged with the solid waste from the fish tank.  Also, the check valve was clogged, and barely working, so not very much water was getting to the plants.  Im not so sure that the airlift is capable of filtering the solids in the tank, so Im considering adding a water filter as well.

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105 Gallon System Update coming soon

Ive been slowly working on my friends 105 gallon system.  We have the canister filter installed and pumping water.  We have our media in the grow bed.  We have the bell siphon installed and working.

Unfortunately, we lost the color code chart for testing pH and other chemical levels, so were waiting on a replacement chart to balance our water chemistry before starting fishless cycling.  Hopefully in the next week, or less, well receive our replacement color chart, and well be cycling.

On a side note, I received an Arduino as a gift from a Reddit gift exchange.  Im learning to use it, and will ideally be able to set it up to monitor the system.  I know it can monitor water temperature.  Im hoping I can also set up sensors to trigger supplemental lighting when it is a gloomy day.  Im also wondering whether I can use pH sensors and other chemical sensors to monitor everything about my system.  Id love to also build an automatic fish feeder, but thats down the line a bit.

Anyway, keep a look out in the next week or two for an update with pictures and video.

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