Aquaponics. Let's do this thing!

[rosemadder]

All of my orchids (and other houseplants) have been eating nothing but water out of my aquarium(s).

Come the end of February, my orchid hobby will officially be 1 year.

I have collected 19 orchids. So far I've had one casualty (a Phal lowii that was in sad shape to start with) and 5 bloomings-- and right now 6 more are spiking.

All are planted in Hydroton in S/H pots. Most of them are sitting on seedling heat mats, in a north-facing sliding glass doorway under supplemental T5 lighting.

The aquarium water has been supplied from my roomie's un-planted 30 gallon tank, inhabited by a few (and always fewer) very small goldfish, one 8" pleco, and one big fat mean-tempered (can you blame him, in a tank that small??) 10" Red Devil.

I am currently planning a much larger, automated system with actual plumbing. I'd like to hook up my houseplants-- and maybe grow some actual edible foodstuffs as well.

The more I research aquaponics, the more gobsmacked I am that we aren't GROWING OUR FOOD THIS WAY. Seriously. Screw orchids-- this concept really should be overhauling a good portion of the whole damned agricultural industry. It's huge.


AQUAPONICS:

Fish (and worms, and bacteria) poo in water.

Poo-water feeds the plants.

Plants clean the water for the fish.

Never fertilize the plants.

Never clean the fish filter.

You can eat the plants. Hell, eat the fish too while you're at it.

That's the simplified breakdown. Now, maybe you can throw in some supplemental iron or potassium if you really feel like it, and you should probably use some calcium or some such and buffer the pH, but these are minor adjustments. And maybe some kind of sediment might kinda sorta build up in the system somewhere-- but a good number of people have been running their home systems like this for YEARS without need for any major cleanup. Don't even need to dig up the roots when you harvest edible plants; just let the worms deal with it, and there you go.

Whole thing sounds bizarrely way too easy and good to be true. Of course it helps if you already know how to care for fish-- keeping them alive is the touchiest part of the whole operation. Do that and the rest is gravy. Blows my mind, sounds crazy.

But there it is. My orchids are blooming.

Semi, nothin. I'm gonna go whole hog on this thing!

It's only 1 year so far, of course. Remains to be seen if any major salt buildup issues or nutrition deficits will surface. Stay tuned.

[Subrosa]

TAANSTAAFL! The biomass of the fish needs to far exceed the biomass you intend to add to the plants through growth. Keep your expectations realistic.

[My Green Pets]

I have seen some pretty sweet youtube videos on aquaponics greenhouses. Some even use solar power as the energy source. A very attractive idea, keep us updated w pics and stuff.

[catherinecarney]

I think it's doable. I plan a similar system when I get around to revamping my fish room sometime late in the fall.

BTW, for those who poo-poo (pun intended) systems like this, well, that's your choice, but we won't know if it's possible until we try.

I'm also kicking around the idea of an attached greenhouse (attached to the east side of the house, eastern and southern exposure) with a superinsulated north wall, water collection from the downspout to feed into the growing area (and providing storage for thermal gain), a living roof (superior R value to conventional) and so on. For those who say this won't work, I build a shed for my daughter's peacocks this way, but it's completely freestanding, uninsulated and far from tight at this point (it will upgrade once the weather warms) and on sunny days that shed is quite a bit warmer than the conventional ones I have....

Catherine

[Subrosa]

Originally Posted by catherinecarney

I think it's doable. I plan a similar system when I get around to revamping my fish room sometime late in the fall.

BTW, for those who poo-poo (pun intended) systems like this, well, that's your choice, but we won't know if it's possible until we try.

I'm also kicking around the idea of an attached greenhouse (attached to the east side of the house, eastern and southern exposure) with a superinsulated north wall, water collection from the downspout to feed into the growing area (and providing storage for thermal gain), a living roof (superior R value to conventional) and so on. For those who say this won't work, I build a shed for my daughter's peacocks this way, but it's completely freestanding, uninsulated and far from tight at this point (it will upgrade once the weather warms) and on sunny days that shed is quite a bit warmer than the conventional ones I have....

Catherine

I'm definitely not poo pooing the idea, it absolutely works. But the Laws of Thermodynamics shouldn't be poo pooed either. You will not get more out of any such system than you put in. At the hobbyist level this tends to favor the fishkeeper who wants to grow some plants, rather than the plant person who wants to keep fish to feed their plants.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Originally Posted by Subrosa

TAANSTAAFL! The biomass of the fish needs to far exceed the biomass you intend to add to the plants through growth. Keep your expectations realistic.

Do you intend to grow orchids this way? I think this might work with some vegetables or other plants, but I would be careful about keeping any orchid's roots too wet for too long.

[catherinecarney]

I agree on the laws of thermodynamics (and it wasn't directed at you--your comments are always reasoned--but there are a few who are quite hesitent to consider trying new things). The energy input, be it chemical/mechanical/solar/what have you must be greater than the desired output (entropy is always the fly in the ointment).

That said, it's certainly something to try even at the hobbyist level--it's always best to start small or with test cases (hence my "peacock palace") before going on to larger or more expensive builds. I do think we're getting close to the point where the technology needed for these systems (especially to provide energy via solar or wind) is getting close to the point where it's viable from a finacial standpoint....

Catherine

[Subrosa]

Originally Posted by catherinecarney

I agree on the laws of thermodynamics (and it wasn't directed at you--your comments are always reasoned--but there are a few who are quite hesitent to consider trying new things). The energy input, be it chemical/mechanical/solar/what have you must be greater than the desired output (entropy is always the fly in the ointment).

That said, it's certainly something to try even at the hobbyist level--it's always best to start small or with test cases (hence my "peacock palace") before going on to larger or more expensive builds. I do think we're getting close to the point where the technology needed for these systems (especially to provide energy via solar or wind) is getting close to the point where it's viable from a finacial standpoint....

Catherine

Thank you for the compliment! It all comes down to one's expectations. Given a typical home aquarium setup it's perfectly practical to grow and flower a few orchids or maybe produce a few strawberries with no other nutrient inputs. If however one wishes to grow even a small crop of corn the same way, the size of the aquarium required to do so given hobbyist stocking levels would be prohibitive in most houses. If one wishes to increase stocking levels to those of commercial aquaculture operations (where stocking is measured not in inches of fish per gal, but pounds of fish per gal) perhaps something suitably sized for the average home could work for such production. But the added space and expense required for the equipment to keep the fish alive in such crowded conditions creates its own set of complications. As a matter of practicality it's better to look at such a setup as a means of improving the water quality for the fish.

[Ray]

There is a local grower of carnivorous plants and other wetlands species that has a very large tray filled with PrimeAgra, in which a variety of food crops are planted.

Water from a koi tank passes through a filter to remove solid matter, and the water is pumped into the plant tray. A standpipe maintains a minimum depth of reservoir, and the overflow goes right back into the tank.

[catherinecarney]

You're welcome, Subrosa. And I actually know a family who is raising tilapia commercially, so I've learned a little bit about stocking issues and such--never thought to ask them about their wastewater, though. Hmmmmm.

Corn is quite a heavy feeder compared to orchids or even other veggies, and it's probably one that won't be practical for hydro. Salad veggies, on the other hand, have proven reasonable, and I suspect that other "light feeding" crops may be as well. Well, that gives me one more thing to research in my spare time (lol).

I do know that even watering my orchids with turtle/fish tank wastewater does seem to promote growth--or at least has no adverse effects that I can see (and until I can run a true controlled experiment--not that I want to--this is all strictly anecdotal).

Catherine