by Pam Allen
Planning and Chomping at the Bit
2:02 pm in Getting Started, Uncategorized by Pam Allen
We started the apartment search process and I think we may have found a great place but not sure when we will get to make our move. The apartment has a huge (and I do mean huge) wrap around patio with a fence around it and if I can get an apartment where that patio faces south we will be all set for the Aquaponics system of my dreams.
I will put plastic tubs along the edge of the patio and put trout and perch fingerlings in them. Then will rig them up with a two tiered system of grow beds with gravity drip and a pump in each fish tub. This way I can grow root crops also. Then I will hang the window farm in the space above those grow beds all the way from the top of the patio roof. Could be about 6-8 bottles each row and probably 15 rows. I will pump the water clear to the top of the windowfarm and let it drip through the grow beds and back into the fishtubs. I can hang plastic around the whole thing in the winter to make a greenhouse.
So what have I missed and what problems do you all forsee with this plan.
I would appreciate your feedback so I can set this all up with not too many redo steps. Also does anyone have a reliable ratio number for fish to plants and can you just start small and grow slowly to keep it balanced, or is that exactly the worst thing to do?
Thanks for your input.
Pam
It sounds as if the window farm will be outside. You may want to observe the wind conditions before constructing anything.
You also might want some kind of filtration system for the returning water. The plants will likely filter everything out, returning clean water – but I would be cautions and build in the possible option to add on if you notice pH balance issues.
Yes it will be outside. I am planning to cover the entire patio with plastic at least for the winter so it will be a little bit like a greenhouse. Wind is something I hadn’t thought about. Thanks for that input.
As far as filtration I am concerned about the balance of plants to fish. I know it is particular and maybe a secondary filter (at least until balance is achieved) is a solution to that problem. Once the bacteria on the substrate gets settled in it should be ok if there is a correct balance but I haven’t done it before so I am nervous about it especially since I will want to harvest and replant and I know the balance is number of fish to weight of green plants. I think some fail safes on both sides would be very helpful.
Again Thanks so much for your input.
Pam
On a balcony you could always set us a trellis to help out with wind. Or block it almost completely on one side with a bamboo screen thing. If this is a problem, check around in garden centers.