Cabinet Hydrophonic System

Azathoth

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I’m afraid I have no clue how to use this, I hope I’m doing it right! Currently I’m converting an old flea market cabinet into a greenhouse/hydrophonic system with a fish tank on the bottom for nutrients
 

Mandy Onderwater

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@daveb you probably know more about this!

(Check out daveb's post about how he does it)
 

Azathoth

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@daveb you probably know more about this!

(Check out daveb's post about how he does it)
Thank you again!
 

daveb

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so sorry to have missed tagging me on question here i just was browsing and saw it.
The fish tank in a grow system aka aquaponics effectiveness will depend primary on balancing fish bio load to the plant load for the nutrients released into the water by fish waste and decaying uneaten foods. bio loading is converting into ammonia - nitrite and nitrates the plants can take in. In information i have found breaks it out into separate route with or without a bio filter to assist conversion. As in a normal aquarium Ph temperature and the break down and conversion of ammonia to nitrites/nitrates play major factors.
The amount of planting you can carry is based in part to both the amount and size of fish and the type of growing system you are using
Deep water culture (DWC): 60-100 grams of feed per day per square meter of growing area
Growbeds:: 15-40 grams of feed per day per square meter of growing area
NFT: 15-25 grams of feed per day per square meter of growing area
So as you can see from here the amount of food giving the fish they are eating is proportionate to the waster they excrete and then the various types of grow system each has a different amount per concentrate of the waste in water. the most common fish grown is talapia for most areas its ph range is very diverse 6.5 to 9 water Ph , 80 to 86 temperature but can handles a little lower but wont grow as fast and talapia has the fastest weight gain per gram of food fed. tank size determines fish size and health and total oxygen loading for inch/lb of fish per square inch of syrface area and here again talapia have an advantage in that they also do well in lower oxygen systems then most other fish.
One article i read some time ago commented a raft system ( deep water culture ) where plants float on a raft on water circulated from tank then back into aquarium had a feeding requiremnt of 2-3 oz of food per day per sq yard of surface area of grow area = aprox 25 max load plants of lettuce this is only a guide base off an established bio system.
Additionally grow area is separate from tank , rafts grown in actual fish tank the fish can attack and feed off roots harming the growth of the plants. Water and detritus ( organic matter ) need to be separated before going to grow area to help keep roots clear and clean of any accumulation and sediment.

Many factors come into play in aquaponics The type of fish, fish feed (protein level) , plants you plan to grow, your type of system you decide to use for growing, water quality you also need to be aware a common issue that needs to be addressed often in aquaponics is calcium deficiency, plant roots when established help to hold some of the bacteria for the conversion of waste to useable nitrates but if fish load is high some systems will require a separate bio filter.

hopefully this gives a minor insight on it, there is a lot of planning to start an aquaponics system so you need to start at one point either size of fish holding area and type of fish or type of growing style and work out some ideas from there
 
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