Aquaponics build

[MitchM]

Things are really growing well with the sun and heat in the greenhouse.
We've eaten almost all the pak choi
I've pretty much beaten the aphid problem by eliminating the plants that they are attracted to.
I've added a couple of grape vines that I will train to grow up and over some bracing to help filter some of the strong sunlight in the summer months. There's already some grapes starting to bud on one of the vines.
Tomatoes are growing great, with some tomatoes already forming.
Eggplant did not do too well but one that I have planted in a dirt pot is doing much better.
I'm supporting the tomato plants by suspending a plastic 6" x 6" netting and that seems to be doing the job.
I'm starting to think about how I can add another media bed or two.
There are a number of other plants I would like to add, mainly herbs, but I need to test the water this weekend. I haven't tested anything for months.

 

[MitchM]

Here are the grape vines and the fruit that is starting to form.

Italian super paste tomatoes.

The goldfish are doing well, here they are at about 8" in size.
As soon as the outside pond water warms up a bit, they'll be going outside and will be replaced by koi that will permanently stay inside.
A lot of string algae is constantly growing in the fish tank, but it's pretty easy to pull out as needed.

 

[j.w]

Pretty cool looking in there growing all those veggies and even grapes inside. Looks like you have quite the variety of plants and is there anything you can't grow in there?

 

[MitchM]

I haven't been successful with melons, squash, eggplant, kale and thyme.
I suspect I need softer water to get those to grow properly, but that would involve a change of media bed material. That's something I may do in the future.
Basil, celery, celeriac root and roses were successful growers but also aphid magnets, so they had to go.

 

[j.w]

I've had trouble w/white fly in my greenhouse and aphids are a problem on my lily pads at times in the pond. I hose them off and the fish gobble them up. I've heard growing Marigolds around your plants discourages the bugs. Not sure if it works on aphids tho.

 

[MitchM]

I have nasturtiums growing for a trap crop, but the aphid problem was getting too big to wait.
I couldn't find any aphids anywhere this morning.
I've heard marigolds are a good deer deterrent.

 

[j.w]

Didn't know that about Marigolds deterring deer, speaking of which out on my walk today I came across a mom and her 2 brand new little be'be's trying to cross the road. One went one way and the other went the other way w/ mom. Hope she finds the other one eventually. They were so tiny

 

[MitchM]

To wrap up this thread, I'm shutting down the aquaponics setup and dismantling it this weekend.
I would like to use the space next for some root vegetable growing in some elevated soil tables.

In the end, I didn't like the noise from the 4 bell siphons, the constant pest management with the limited remedies available and the ongoing issue with low iron for the plants.
The noise was probably the biggest drawback for me.

I did like that the system plumbing ran very reliably on very little electricity, the media beds did not accumulate any sludge and what plants I did grow in the setup had healthy root growth.

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[j.w]

R.I.P Aquaponics system. It was a good life for you while it lasted

 

[MitchM]

R.I.P Aquaponics system. It was a good life for you while it lasted

It's funny jw, you can read a lot of information on a particular subject, but until you try it yourself, you don't know what it's really like.
In all the reading I did regarding aquaponics, I don't recall the noise of the bell siphons ever being mentioned as a possible issue.

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[j.w]

Could you hear these sounds at night while trying to sleep too or was it just an all the time thing while outdoors? Noise during the day does not bother me as much as noise at night. There are certain sounds I love at night like rain, frogs, thunder, coyotes and the sound of the crashing waves. Snoring, barking or tv's and many more are on my annoying list. That sound yours was making would prolly be high up there on my list

 

[MitchM]

A bell siphon sounds like a toilet flushing, every media bed flushed every 15 minutes or so.
The greenhouse is attached to the house and there's a door to the kitchen, so you could still faintly hear the sounds inside, 24hours/day.
I prefer peace and quiet, my wife said the sound didn't really bother her.
It's quiet now.