working on my aquaponics system as well.. just ordered 3 yards of gravel for my growbeds.. it's going to be less than fun hauling it all into the basement, but i gotta get it done
Keith and Ken,
Are you doing flood and drain? What plants are you growing? How does your configuration work? I'm totally new to this and would like to compare notes.
Last year I used a timer to flood the media 8 times in a 24 hours period. The media portion had a bottom drain and an overflow drain. I was using a pond/fountain pump (like for koi ponds). It would take several minutes to get to the overflow, and when the pump turned off, the remainder of the water would drain out bottom. I don't remember how long I ran it each time, but I believe it was for 10 minutes.
This year I plan to use a "bell siphon." I have all the materials to build several of them, I just haven't put one together just yet. Here are plans if you aren't familiar with them:
Bell Siphon Instructions I'll then run the pump continuously.
Last year the only thing I harvested was salad greens -- spinach and lettuce. This summer I plan to use it mostly for tomatoes and cucumbers that I plan to let drape over the side. I may also try some strawberries. Everything else will be in raised beds -- I'm comfortable with them.
Also, I plan to use bluegill as my tank fish since talapia are difficult to get around here. They did well last fall, although they didn't grow a whole lot.
Ken
