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Continuous flow in a media-filled bed? : aquaponics
Main Post: Continuous flow in a media-filled bed? : aquaponics
Another use for BioChar? Wicking bed media.
Main Post: Another use for BioChar? Wicking bed media.
Top Comment:
Your post prompted me to Google wicking beds. The best explanation I found intrigued me (of course it is Australian, land of innovative survivors).
The instructions and diagrams show plumbing topped with several different layers of different media (pebbles or scoria reservoir, water retaining soil, growing/planting soil, mulch). At which level is your biochar?
DWC or Media Bed
Main Post:
im new to aquaponics, after watching alot of youtube videos it seems to me that most DIY ppl are using media beds (those clay pellets), while bigger commercial people are using floating rafts with constant water. which is easier to make? which is more efficient? is a bio filter necessary? wut are other media bed options instead of clay balls?
Top Comment: I've used gravel and lava rock as media beds in the past. Lava rock is pretty good because it gives lots of purchase for bacteria to set up. But it will shred your hands. Clay balls are really easy to work with, that is why a lot of people go with them. The choice between DWC and Media beds is just what you want to grow. Light, leafy veggies grow really well in DWC with rafts, but the rafts don't support tomato plants (just an example plant) as well. You'll need some sort of bio filter, but a media bed is more forgiving if you don't have one. (just my personal experience talking, don't know about more detailed studies.)
Media Bed Cleaning Adventures
Main Post: Media Bed Cleaning Adventures
Top Comment:
As a manager of a hydro store in northern California who's weed gardens was nearly destroyed by thrips, let me suggest Spinosad.
Spinosad is 100% safe for people and fish.
The most common brand is Monterey garden insect spray. You can probably find it at any local gardening store or hydroponic shop. It's even sold at home depot up here, so it's pretty widely available. It's super effective when sprayed every three days for two weeks. Spinosad is pretty much the only thing that takes out thrips effectively. You need to skip a few days between applications in order to interrupt the lifecycle of the insects.
After about a week of usage will notice an immediate burst in growth from your plants do to life no longer being sucked out of them. Even though it's safe, I still recommend you wash food thoroughly before consuming it.
To free to ask me any questions you may have.
Questions about media bed technique
Main Post:
Hi Aquaponics. I posted this earlier on the Hydroponics sub, but it seems to be so quiet over there. So I thought you folks can help me out here.
I am about to make a presentation on hydroponics to a bunch of people who have no idea about this. I myself am fairly new to this subject and am planning to experiment with this in the near future. As I was researching for the presentation, two questions popped up to my mind which I thought I should get answers for from here.
Q1: Root veggies. How does aquaponics benefit root veggies? Theoretically, the advantage of aquaponics is that plants have more energy to grow upward instead of having to grow their roots. But, when we grow root veggies in aquaponics, does this not become a disadvantage? I understand that there are other issues like underground pests that are eliminated in this system. But nevertheless, does it also mean that roots grow slower in aquaponics, which makes it disadvantageous to grow ginger or potatoes in this system?
Q2: Media bed aquaponics. How does it work? Media bed aquaponics may provide the needed substrate in some cases. Then again, does it not also take away the advantage of not having to spend energy on taking roots? Or is the relative "looseness" of the media beds like coco-coir or perlite compared to actual soil in fact provides an edge in this case?
Thanks for reading. Sorry about the noob questions. I am only starting to learn.
Top Comment:
- Root veggies can be grown just fine in aquaponics using wicking beds where water flows inter the beds and wicks up into the soil. This allows even exterior pressure and proper crop formation. Root crops like most crops grow faster in aquaponics. I have grown both ginger and potatoes.
- Media beds allow a space for bacteria, microbes, worms, and other creatures to break down fish waste into fertilizer. They are the best for longer term growing crops anything over 2 months of growth will do much better in media beds same goes for heavyer crops and flowering and fruiting crops. Also look into dual root zone planting its a way to boost production even more in media beds. Media beds are the best option for aquaponics because they allow the widest crop choice options. You can put cloth pots with soil mix in them and have wicking beds you can plant greens taht will grow just as fast as rafts and you can plant long term crops and dual root zone pots for boosting your flowering production. It really is the best way to go unless you sole purpose is growing lettuce. COCO can cause alot of problems in aquaponics and is best avoided. It pulls calcium and other nutrients over times and makes a mess.
Would lava rocks for grills work in a media bed?
Main Post:
I am wondering if lava rocks in the grill section of hardware stores like this would be safe for AP. I have hydroton in my system now but it's starting to get pricey the more beds I install so I am looking for a cheap way to fill the bottom and keep just the top 3/4 of the bed hydroton. The picture isn't the best but it doesn't look like there are any additives so to me this reads like regular lava rocks. Am I good to use these?
EDIT: Thanks all for the replies! Seems like it would work but maybe not a first choice. Again thanks for the info and previous results in your own systems!
Top Comment:
Yes it'll work fine. I use that for the bottom half of my grow beds then top of with hydroton.
Only real downside of lava rock is it is hard and sharp as hell. It'll act as sandpaper on your hands in no time!
Continuous flow in a media-filled bed?
Main Post:
Hey everyone, I'm new here, but I've been interested in aquaponics since witnessing a test-run of a system in my alma mater's biology department. It seems to me like they had a continuous flow of water into media (gravel) filled beds and had remarkable results. Is there a reason that this isn't often done? From what I've been reading, media-filled beds always do flood and drain, whereas raft tanks do continuous flow. Just curious as I may setup a small test system this winter before jumping into adding a full-scale flood-and-drain bed beside my pond this spring.
Top Comment: My mini-system has this. It really works well, and surprisingly I'm able to have more control with better response to problems than I've had with other systems. I especially like the fact that it is very little effort from me after initial setup to keep things going, with fewer points of failure.
DWC/Media Bed Hybrid System
Main Post: DWC/Media Bed Hybrid System
Top Comment:
How are those two PVC pipes out of the gravel supposed to drain the water? Are there holes at a certain level on the pipe and not just the top? Also how do the bacteria get on those rocks?